Champions and Crushes
by potat lasaro
Summary: With the Kalos League right around the corner, Ash is getting prepared for it with his sight set on winning it. Serena realizes that her time traveling with Ash is almost over, how will she handle being separated from her crush? What adventures will the group get themselves into during Ash's last few weeks in Kalos?
1. Training for the League

**Hi everyone. This is my first shot at writing an Amourshipping fanfiction. The idea is pretty simple, the Kalos league followed by other events that I don't want to spoil just yet.**

 **I'm trying to write it just like how the anime might do it, so if it seems slow in the beginning, that's why.**

* * *

 **Ch 1:** **Training for the League!**

"Greninja, start off with water shuriken!" Ash called out as he thrusted his right fist forward. The young trainer was on a grassy field lined with trees, having stopped here for the day. Running next to them was a peaceful brook that was filled with water type pokemon. The day couldn't be any better, the sun was shining brightly and there was a light breeze in the air.

The trainer from Pallet Town was out training with his pokemon once again. Ever since he defeated Wulfric for his eighth badge and helped stop Team Flare, Ash started to focus on his training even more with the Kalos League right around the corner.

"Gren," the water type stated as he pressed his hands together. A shuriken started to form between his two hands before Greninja tossed them in the direction of Hawlucha.

"Great!" Ash called out as he watched the fully evolved water type throw six shuriken. "Now, Hawlucha, break all of those with karate chop, then follow that up with x-scissor! Greninja, follow up with night slash!"

Hawlucha quickly struck a pose before his two forearms glowed white. Moving swiftly, the flying and fighting type sliced through the ninja stars before running at Greninja. "Lucha!" It cried, crossing its arms while they glowed.

Greninja, likewise, was already running forward as a purple blade extended from his hands. The two pokemon met halfway on the grass field as their two attacks collided. Both were known for their ability to take quite a bit of damage, meaning it could take a while before either of them tired out.

Ash watched as his two pokemon continued on with their training session. _"I only have a few weeks left to get ready. We've worked so hard for this. I need to make sure we're all prepared!"_ He thought to himself before both of the pokemon collapsed on the ground.

"Nice work, guys," Ash called out as he walked over to help them onto their feet. "Why don't you two take a break while the others train for right now?" He asked them, receiving an agreeing head nod from both of them.

"Gren, greninja," the ninja pokemon stated as he walked away to go sit under a shady tree. Once in the shade, the water type started to train its mind, knowing that it took more than just strength to win a match.

Hawlucha decided to stay nearby, wanting to continue to give advice to Noivern. Sure the dragon type had evolved, but Hawlucha believed it still needed a lot of training.

"Okay, Talonflame, Noivern. I want you two to dodge Pikachu's thunderbolt," Ash started to explain as he walked over to his two other flying types. "If we improve your speed and evasion, then no one will be able to hit you."

The two flying types nodded in agreement before taking flight into the air. The training may seem simple to some trainers, but, this had always worked for Ash in the past.

"Ready, buddy?" Ash asked as Pikachu started to spark off electricity. Taking that as a yes, Ash issued the first command. "Pikachu, use thunderbolt!"

"Pika. Chuuu!" The electric mouse cried out as bolts of electricity flew out of its body. The bolts danced around the sky as the two flying types continued to dodge them.

"Talonflame, use flame charge to dodge!" Ash called out right before a thunderbolt was to hit Talonflame. The flying type immediately burst into flames as it gained a burst of speed, allowing it to dodge the attack.

Noivern however, wasn't as lucky. The dragon and flying type had lost its attention for half a second, but that was long enough to be struck by the electric type attack. Being struck in the back, Noivern started to descend towards the ground.

"Hawlucha! Lucha, lucha!" The fighting type cried out to Noivern. It was reminding it to stay strong. It wasn't the cry baby it used to be anymore. It could pull through this.

Listening to Hawlucha, Noivern forced itself to fight through the pain. "Vern!" It cried out, opening its wings and gliding on a gust of wind. Doing so allowed it to avoid crashing into the ground, and got it to avoid another thunderbolt.

* * *

Sitting not too far away from him were his three friends from Kalos. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie had set up the groups table and cooking supplies so that Clemont could start working on lunch. But, they continued to get distracted by Ash's training.

"Look at them go," Serena called out as they all watched Ash's training session. "They're really getting into it now." She was sitting at the groups table, watching Ash with admiration.

"Well of course they are," Clemont responded as he fixed his glasses. The inventor of the group was sitting right next to Serena as he waited for his soup to finish. "The league is only a few weeks away. He doesn't have much time left."

"Big brother!" Bonnie yelled as she looked at her brother. "You don't have to say it like that. The way you're saying it, it sounds like you don't think Ash has a chance."

"B-Bonnie, that's not what I said!" Clemont answered as he waved his hands around frantically. "It's just... So many trainers enter the Vanquier Conference each year. If Ash isn't ready..." Clemont trailed off once he noticed his sisters glare.

"Bonnie, it's alright," Serena comforted the little girl as she looked back over to Ash and his training. "When has Ash ever let us down before?"

Hearing this statement, Bonnie started to forgive her older brother. "Serena's right. Ash defeated a Mega Lucario, plus he helped stop those Flare guys from controlling Squishy. There's no way he'll lose!"

"B-Bonnie… I didn't mean that!" Serena stated as it was her turn to be frantic. "I just meant that Ash will be giving it his all during the league." However, no matter how she appeared on the outside, on the inside she was worrying. _"Once the league is over... Then Ash will leave Kalos. I've known that that day will come soon, but I can't help but wish it doesn't,"_ she mentally thought before pushing those thoughts out of her head. _"Forget about those negative thoughts for now. He's still here, have fun until that day comes."_

Looking down at the field, the three friends noticed that Ash and the other pokemon had joined Greninja under his tree. It appeared that they were all hot from the sun.

Letting out a silent giggle at the scene, Serena grabbed a few bottles of water and headed down towards her crush. Walking across the field, she could now make out the torn up grass and burnt patches. _"He's really working hard. He's trained hard before, but not like this,"_ Serena thought while smiling.

"Here, Ash," Serena said warmly as she handed a bottle of water to the young boy. "I thought you would like some water," she added before sitting next to him. Serena then passed the extra bottles out among the pokemon, helping Talonflame and Noivern to get a drink.

"Thanks, Serena," he responded before taking a large gulp of the bottle. He must have been pretty thirsty as by the time he finished, the bottle was practically empty. "You know, I can't believe our Kalos journey is just about over. It feels like it was just yesterday when I arrived here."

Serena listened as the boy continued to talk. Thinking to herself again, Serena wondered if she would ever see Ash again after these next few weeks. It wasn't like she could just leave Kalos for another region. Her dream was to become a top Pokemon Performer and last she checked, the other regions didn't have showcases. She would love to travel with Ash to some other region, but it wouldn't be fair to her partners who put so much work into performing.

"I've learned so much here. Made so many new friends," Ash continued on, breaking Serena from her thoughts. "I never would have met Clemont, Bonnie or any of my pokemon. Plus, I never would have seen you again," he stated truthfully.

Serena could feel a slight blush start to creep onto her face. Looking away from Ash, Serena responded. "I-I'm glad you came to Kalos, Ash," Serena said as she twirled her fingers. "You've helped all of us so much. Without you, I don't think I ever would have started my journey to become a Performer."

"But look at how far you've come now, Serena," Ash responded as he took his hat off. Serena could now notice just how much he had been sweating during the training. His entire forehead was drenched. "Honestly though, I still think you should have won the Master Class. Your performance seemed better."

Serena shook her head back and forth. "No. I shouldn't have... Not yet anyways. My pokemon and I still have a lot of work to do before that. But before any of that, the Kalos League comes first," she said while handing Ash a face cloth. "I thought you would need this when I was coming over here."

Wiping his face off with the cloth, Ash smiled at Serena. The whole time he was in Kalos, it seemed like she was always supporting him. Clemont and Bonnie did as well, but it seemed like Serena always tried just a little bit more. From reminding him about his training during his very first gym battle to even trying to help him dance to get his rhythm strategy working. She never got disappointed, with the exception of her first showcase. Sure she felt defeated after losing the Master Class, but by the next day she was her usual self. Thinking it over one more time, his friends really helped make this journey very enjoyable.

Handing the cloth back over, Ash started to stand up. "Hey, Serena, let's see if lunch is ready yet. My nose is picking up a scent from something," he said, a large smile across his face.

"Sure, Ash," she replied while getting up as well. "I also made some macaroons and pokepuffs for desert."

"You did!" He cried out with joy. "Serena, your deserts are the best I've ever had. It's like sending your taste buds on an adventure where they never want to come back from."

"T-they're just like anyone else's," she replied as they made their way back to the table. "I'm sure if you had someone else's you couldn't tell the difference."

Ash shook his head this time. "That's not true, Serena. I've had Miette's treats while in Kalos as well as others from my many journeys, but yours leave a distinct feeling of joy."

Serena was about to respond, but Clemont interrupted her. "Guys! Hurry up before the soup gets cold!"

Looking to his left, Ash stared right at Serena. "Race you back to the table. Winner gets to have thirds."

Serena laughed at his remark. "Ash, it doesn't matter who wins. You'll still end up eating thirds," she stated before running towards the table.

"No fair, I never said to start!" He called out, chasing after the performer.

* * *

The group was now sitting at the table eating their lunch, or, Ash was still eating while everyone else watched him. Finally finishing his third bowl of soup, Ash placed the bowl down and leaned backwards a little.

Seeing that they could now talk to him, Clemont wanted to talk to him about his training methods. "Ash," he started, getting the trainer's attention. "You're really training hard right now. And, with such a different style of training, it should pay off."

"I wouldn't really call it different, Clemont," Ash stated as he looked over at his five pokemon. "We all work hard. There isn't much more to our training than that."

"Yeah, but, Ash," Bonnie stated as she climbed on top of her chair. "We've never seen you go for this long of a session with your pokemon before. You're putting in extra time for training."

This was the first time that hit him. None of his pokemon or himself had paid attention to how much they had trained recently. They've all just wanted to win the league. "Well, Bonnie, I didn't even notice how hard we've been working. You see, we always it give our best. This is my sixth regional conference I'll be competing at. In all of them, I've never placed higher than fourth and this time, I really want to win it for both my pokemon and myself."

"You've traveled through five other regions!?" Bonnie asked as she looked on in shock. Ash had mentioned traveling to other regions, but the whole group assumed that it was maybe one or two other regions besides Kalos. "You must have seen so many cute pokemon."

"Yeah!" Ash replied, smiling at the energetic child. "I've met so many pokemon. Some strong, some seen as weak. But, it doesn't matter. If you put your mind to it, anyone can become strong with the right amount of training." Placing his empty bowl down, Ash started to stand up only to be copied by his pokemon. "Now, how does some more training sound guys?"

The group of pokemon all cried out cheerfully as they followed after their trainer. Like Ash said, they all wanted to win this League Tournament. Over the past season, the group had overcome so many adversities. There was no way they would let it all go to waste.

"Ash!" Serena called out, causing the boy and his pokemon to stop walking. "You should really rest for a while. If you train too much, you'll be in no condition to compete."

Clemont nodded his head in agreement as he started to clean the dishes. "She's right, Ash. Remember the last time you over did it with your training. You came down with that horrible cold. I don't think you'd want to have something like that again right before the League."

Ash scratched his cheek as he remembered back to that day. They were right about him overdoing it then. At the time he was trying to figure out Greninja's strange transformation, and had stayed up the entire night training with it. By the next morning, he could barely stand on his own. Instead, needing help from his friends.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he sighed while sitting back down. "But," he started to say as a smile crossed his face. "I would have three great caretakers just like last time," he said, getting all of them to laugh. "Still, I wish there was a way we could train while relaxing. It just feels like a waste of time to just sit around."

"Hehehe," Clemont laughed as the sun glistened off of his glasses. Quickly pushing them back up, the gym leader pulled something out of his backpack. "I anticipated this very moment. I knew that Ash's intense training would conflict with the need of having to rest. I call this the Robo Ash Super Training Pokemon Partner!" He cried out.

Standing next to him was exactly what he just said, a mechanical version of Ash. The machine looked just like him, even having the same colors as his clothing. One could have mistaken them if they looked real quick, but after staring at it, it was obvious who the real one was.

"You know what, Clemont, the name could use some work, but this might be one of your best inventions yet!" Bonnie cried out as she walked over to the Robo Ash. "It looks just like him!"

"I don't know about this, Clemont," Ash muttered as he eyed the device. He was usually all for his friend's inventions, but a robot of himself made him feel uneasy. "Maybe we should just wait for another time to use it."

"Nonsense," the inventor replied as he pulled a remote out. "With the flip of a switch he turns on and from there you select the training difficulty. Let's start with easy," he explained before pulling the switches.

As Clemont finished his explanation, the Robo Ash started to move forward until it stopped at Pikachu. "Come on, Pikachu, it's time for some special training to improve your speed. Use quick attack!" It cried out in a voice similar to Clembot.

"Pika?" The electric type asked as it eyed the machine. Even he thought it was strange. Deciding to try it out, Pikachu used quick attack as it ran around the robot.

"Great job, Pikachu," Robo Ash applauded as Pikachu stopped running. "Next let's test out your electric attacks."

Clemont sat there with a smirk on his face. "With this, training pokemon will become much easier than ever before. My invention can do three times the amount of training that a normal person can. Now, let's test out the normal difficulty," he said confidently as he oved the switch forward.

There was a slight pause in Robo Ash's actions. Everyone could tell that it was receiving instructions to up the difficulty. "Pikachu, use electro ball on Hawlucha. Hawlucha dodge it then use karate chop on Pikachu," it said, only for smoke to start pouring out of its head. "U-U-Use electro... el-electro b-b-b-ball," it stuttered as even more smoke emerged.

Without warning, the Robo Ash glowed a bright white before exploding right in front of them all. With their hair all frizzy now and also covered in soot, everyone just sat there and looked at the remaining pieces of Robo Ash.

"And we have another failure," Bonnie muttered as she started to brush the soot off of her clothes.

"Well, there can only be one Ash," Serena stated before looking over at the boy. "No one can ever copy him."

"Yeah, but how am I going to train my pokemon if I also need to relax?" He moaned while placing his head down on the table.

Right at that moment, it seemed as if someone was listening to Ash. For right as he stated those words, a flier landed right on top of their table.

"What's this?" Serena asked as she picked up the piece of paper. Reading it over, a smile came onto her face. "Ash, it looks like you can do both. Look at this," she said, handing the paper over to Ash. "It says that it's a five star resort made specifically for training your pokemon while looking for a place to relax. Ash! This might be exactly what you're looking for!"

Ash eyed the flier over. It was what he was looking for. According to this, there were state of the art training gyms that the pokemon could use at their own want while the trainers could relax with different options like a pool, sauna or even the movie theater that was at the place.

"Serena, is this place nearby at all?" Ash asked as he continued to eye the flier. "It might be a good place to train."

"Plus we could all go swimming and watch a movie," Bonnie added in as she looked at the flier from over Ash's shoulder.

Looking through her travel guide, Serena searched the nearby area for anything that matched the description of the building. "I found it!" She cried out, showing the location to the others. "It isn't too far from here either."

Standing back up, Ash recalled all of his pokemon into their pokeballs and waited for Pikachu to get onto his shoulder. Once on, Ash motioned to head to it. "Come on, what are we waiting for?"

Unknown to the group however, the whole place was nothing more than a trap by a trio of familiar thieves. Sitting in one of the nearby trees, Team Rocket watched as the twerps left for their latest plan to capture Pikachu.

"That was too easy, those twerps won't know what hit them," Jessie bragged as she started to climb down the tree.

"It's amazing to see just how dumb they really are," James added as he pulled out more of the fliers. "Who just builds a training resort in the middle of nowhere?"

"We'll be on the boss's good side for sure after this," Meowth added as he pictured Giovani being amazed at all of the powerful pokemon. "We can't mess this one up!"

"Right!" The trio cried out before running off to make sure they beat the twerps to the building.

* * *

"I-Is this the right place?" Ash asked as he looked at the building before looking at Serena for an answer.

"It is the only building in the area..." she muttered before closing the travel guide. "It doesn't look anything like the picture, but maybe the inside looks nicer."

They were right, based on the picture, they were expecting a much better building than what they arrived to. Windows were broken, the paint on the building was peeling and it looked like the yard work had never been done based on the length of the grass.

Looking at the building, Ash decided that it would be best to enter the building. "We won't be learning anything about this place by just standing around," he told everyone before walking into the building.

"Hello, is anyone here!?" Ash called out as they stood in the lobby. The insides looked just as bad as the outside. The paint was peeling and there was a thick layer of dust everywhere. "We're here for the training resort!"

"Maybe we have the wrong place, Ash," Clemont said as the group started to make their way for the exit. "Anyway, we should really continue onto Vanquier Town so Ash can register for the league."

But, before they could leave, two bellboys appeared right in the lobby. "Sorry for keeping you waiting," the first said. He was dressed in an orange and yellow outfit with a matching yellow hat. He had purple hair and was wearing sunglasses.

"Yes, we're truly sorry," the second added. She was dressed in the same exact style, only she had magenta hair that reached down her back. "You see, we recently inherited this business from our father. We've been busy renovating it."

"Hi, my name's Ash and this is my partner Pikachu," he introduced himself as the group did their introductions.

"I'm Serena."

"My name's Bonnie. And this is Dedenne."

"Nice to meet you, my name's Clemont."

"Oh, please stay the night won't you?" The first bellboy asked as he got on the ground and pleaded with them. "Since reopening, we haven't had one person stay."

Getting on the ground next to the first one was the second bellboy. "Please, it'll be on us. Free of charge. We'll even throw in a free pokemon checkup."

"Well, it is starting to get late out," Clemont stated as he looked out the windows. "What do you think Ash?"

"I think we should try it. We did come all the way here," he said while giving a thumbs up to his friend.

"Oh thank you very much," the bellboys stated as they placed a tray in front of the trainers. "Please, allow us to give the checkup right now, it'll only last a few moments."

"And while she's taking care of that, why don't you all try out our new massage chairs," the first bellboy stated, bringing them over to four huge chairs. "We just had them imported from Unova."

"A massage does sound nice," Serena muttered as she sat down first, followed by the others.

Listening from under the lobby's desk was Meowth, waiting for the chance to strike. "Bingo! Now we got them," he stated, pressing a button that was under the desk.

"Now all of you head right into this room, the checkup will begin in one second," the female bellboy said, placing all of pokeballs down in a room along with Pikachu and Dedenne. "I'll be back in one second, I just need to go check on the sweets."

As if on cue, Chespin appeared from his pokeball, his mouth watering from the thoughts of treats. Deciding not to wait, the grass type followed the bellboy out the door, unaware that one of the pokemon left. Before Pikachu could follow him, the door was shut and locked.

* * *

"W-what's going on!?" Ash called out. They had all been enjoying a nice massage when these metal clamps pinned them to the chairs unable to move. "Let us go!"

"I'm going to leave a horrible review!" Bonnie cried out as she kicked her feet.

Both of the bellboys had returned to the main room, but something seemed different from before. They didn't seem to be as nice, instead, a look of pure joy was crossing their faces. Within an instant, they ripped off their clothes, revealing themselves as Jessie and James.

"Prepare for trouble, this business is a bust," Jessie started off as she pretended to sweep the floors.

"Make it double, your reviews won't bother us," James added in as he swept in the opposite direction.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"And James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffett!"

The four of them finished the motto before the walls around the building started to collapse. To the surprise of everyone, all of their pokemon were trapped inside of a glass box attached to Team Rocket's balloon. Team Rocket quickly jumped into their balloon as they prepared to leave.

"We hate to just leave you all tied up," Jessie started to say as she pointed down to the glass box. "But, we need to deposit our paycheck."

"So, let's get out of here before they become pains in our necks!" James added in as he watched the twerps struggle to get free.

"We'd love to talk some more, but you'll have to take a rain check," Meowth added in as he pressed a button to start the balloon's engine, only for nothing to happen.

"Meowth! Why isn't anything happening!?" Jessie cried out as they waited to move.

"I don't know," he replied before looking over the engines. "It says we're out of fuel!"

"But how?" James asked as he looked at the same readings. "I watched you fill them up this morning."

"Chespin, ches!" The grass type cried out as he walked from behind the glass box. "Chespin!"

"Chespin's saying he poked holes in our fuel tanks while were talking!" Meowth translated as they watched the grass type run over to his trainer. "Do you know how much work goes into maintaining this thing!?" He yelled at Chespin, only to receive no answer.

"Nice job, Chespin. But, we still need to stop Team Rocket," Clemont stated while Chespin picked the locks on all of the chairs.

"Oh no you don't! Gourgeist, shadow ball!" Jessie angrily yelled while tossing out a pokeball. The grass and ghost type emerged from the pokeball and immediately fired off the ghost type attack.

"Dodge it Chespin!" Clemont cried out. "Then use pin missile."

Chespin rolled to his left, barely avoiding the attack. Jumping onto his feet, Chespin stiffened the spikes on his head as they started to glow white. In an instant, a half a dozen white orbs engulfed in green light.

"Okay, Inkay, psybeam!" James yelled, tossing out his pokeball. The revolving pokemon emerged, immediately turning upside down and fired off a streaky blue beam.

The two attacks hit each other, causing an explosion to occur. Both Chespin and Team Rocket's pokemon were thrown backwards. Getting back onto his feet first, Chespin waited for Clemont's next idea.

"Gourgeist, shadow ball!" Jessie cried out. Her patience was being tested right now. They were all set to get away with everyone, but then Chespin ruined it all.

"Quick, Chespin, drop onto your back!" Clemont ordered quickly.

"Ches," the grass type responded before dropping onto his back. Doing so allowed him to dodge the shadow ball by sliding right underneath it.

"Now, Inkay, psybeam!" James continued on.

Inkay launched off the blue beam as Chespin laid on the ground. Clemont watched as the attack was about to hit Chespin and thought of a new idea.

Taking a cue from Ash, Clemont decided to try and adapt during the battle. "Chespin, spin while using vine whip!"

The spiny nut pokemon extended the two vines from the side of his head and hit them against the ground, starting his momentum. Now spinning, Chespin kept it going along with the vine whip attack, to create what appeared to be a twister made out of vines. Clemont watched on, hoping that the idea would work.

The psybeam crashed into the cylinder of vines, causing no damage at all to Chespin just like Clemont hoped for. Using the confusion to his advantage, Clemont went on the offensive.

"Now, Chespin, pin missile!" He cried out.

Chespin jumped onto his feet and launched off the white orbs. Clemont watched as Gourgeist and Inkay both destroyed a few, but the explosion knocked them back into Jessie and James respectively. But, that wasn't his target. The inventor let out a small smile when the remaining pin misses struck the glass cube, cracking it.

"Ash, here's your chance," he told his friend while pointing to the small crack.

"Alright!' Ash cried out as he pumped his right fist. "Pikachu, use iron tail!"

"Pika!" The electric type cried out as his tail glowed white and stiffened up Jumping into the air, Pikachu performed a front flip as his tail smashed against the cracked surface, completely destroying it.

"Chespin, grab the tray of pokeballs, Dedenne, and Pikachu with vine whip!" Clemont commanded.

Chespin moved quickly as his vines wrapped around Pikachu, Dedenne and the tray that held the other pokeballs. The grass type quickly pulled the vines back as Pikachu and the pokeballs landed in front of Ash and the others.

"Clemont, Chespin, nice work," Ash said as he looked at the duo. "Now, Pikachu, use thunderbolt!"

Pikachu jumped up into the air as his body started to glow with electricity. "Pika... Chuuuu!" It cried out as a bolt of electricity shot off of his body and struck Team Rocket.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The trio yelled out as they flew off into the distance with their pokemon.

* * *

The group had set up camp not too far from the building and had just finished dinner. Now sitting around a campfire, Bonnie decided to bring up the events from earlier today.

"Clemont, where'd you think of having Chespin spin?" Bonnie asked as she played with the grass type. "Wherever you did, that was great."

Clemont was a little embarrassed by the attention. "Oh... it was nothing," he said while rubbing his neck. "I just thought 'what would Ash do' in that situation and that's what I thought of."

"Clemont, thank you," Ash said as he looked over at the inventor. "Not only did you and Chespin save Pikachu and the other pokemon, but you reminded me of a few techniques I used while battling."

"I-I did?" He asked, surprised by Ash's statement.

Ash nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. When you had Chespin spin while using Vine Whip, it reminded me of what I used to call counter shield. You see, I would have a pokemon spin on the ground while using an attack. Like, Pikachu using thunderbolt. In doing so, it would launch an attack while also providing a shield from attacks."

"Maybe you could teach me how to use it in my performances," Serena asked as she thought of Pancham doing his spinning while launching an attack. "It could make for a good display."

"Sure," Ash responded before thinking about his other technique. "I could also show you spin dodging, but that might not be useful for performances."

"Spin... dodging?" Serena asked as she eyed the boy.

Realizing that he forgot to explain it, Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, spin dodging is when to head right at an opponent and at the last second you spin either right or left to avoid it and get behind the opponent. It leaves them open to be hit easily."

"Wow, Ash, if you had strategies like this, why didn't you use them during your gym battles?" Clemont asked as that thought hit him. "It could have come in handy during a couple of your matches."

"Well... To be honest, I kind of... forgot about them," he answered sheepishly, as he rubbed his neck. "I haven't used them in about two years now. But, it's better late than never to try out a new idea," he answered as he headed towards the open field.

"Ash, where are you heading? It's night time now," Serena called out as the boy started to make it further away from the campfire.

"Don't worry, I just want to do a little training with my pokemon," he said, flashing a smile. "I want to show them all the spin dodge and counter shield techniques."

"Can't it wait until the morning?" She asked even though she knew the answer.

Shaking his head while letting out a chuckle, Ash started to talk. "I'll only be training for a little longer."

" _You never change do you, Ash?"_ She thought while watching her crush train, using the light from the campfire to see tiny bits of his training.

* * *

 **That's chapter one. I'm not going to lie, some of the dialogue might be OOC for some of them. I had a hard time writing for Bonnie because, well, I just have no clue what to have her say, so sorry for that. Story wise, I don't know how many chapters it'll have. I know I want to cover the league and any events that take place after, but I have a few different ideas for things that may happen, but I'm still on the fence for some of them.**

 **Just a little explanation, I named the Kalos league as the Vanquier Conference because Vanquier is a respelling of the French word Vainqueur, or Champion. I wanted to continue with the French theme of Kalos while also tying it into the conference being equivalent to the League in game.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read this story, please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and what I can improve on.**


	2. Old Faces, New Places!

**Welcome back everyone. I am actually surprised at how many people actually read the first chapter in just a few days. I never expected that or the fact to have 10 favorites and eight followers after just one chapter. Thank you all. Anyway, onto the next chapter.**

 **But, before you guys read this chapter, you should probably go watch XYZ episode 22. It is now one of my favorites of this series. Just a fun episode.**

* * *

 **Ch 2: Old Faces, New Places**

"There it is! I can see the stadium from here!" Ash cried out as his small group emerged from a cave. They had been traveling through it during the day, as it was faster than going around the entire mountain. "Come on, let's get going!"

Serena emerged from the cave and saw exactly what Ash was talking about. At the bottom of the hill was a town sitting next to a lake and it looked like it was getting ready for the league. The shops and restaurants lined the streets, with a Pokemon Center right in the middle of it.

But, what really caught her eye was what Ash was looking at. Down on the lake was a bridge that attached to the mainland and went across to an island. On the island was a large white stadium, meant for the finals section of the League, but if you didn't know better you would have mistaken it for a castle. The building was made out of white polished stone and sat in the middle of the island. On the top, battlements ran around the entire structure, while a barbican was placed, an arched walk way having been built into it, as an entrance into the stadium. To top it all off, there were two stained glass windows right in the center, one of Xerneas and the other of Yveltal.

On the island were other buildings as well. From the main stadium, Serena could make out four smaller domed structures, those must have been for the preliminaries as they were smaller than the center stadium. Then, she noticed a small set of fenced in dirt fields and wondered what those were for. Deciding not to waste time, she continued to look around the island to see what else was on it. Directly behind the main stadium appeared to be a large Pokemon Center, probably filled with enough Nurse Joys to help out over the next week plus. Finally, not too far from the Center, she noticed hundreds of small square houses. All of them had been built out of the same stone that the main stadium was and the whole island created a picture of a medieval era.

Sighing, Serena started to walk towards Ash now that Clemont had made it out of the cave. _"Here it is,"_ she thought while flashing Ash a smile of excitement for him. _"The Kalos League. Once this is over... Ash will... leave,"_ she caught herself thinking. _"I can't think like that. I need to be strong for Ash, he'd worry if he saw me all upset. He doesn't need any distractions right now."_

Serena then let a genuine smile cross her face as she watched Bonnie pull Clemont along as they ran down the hill after Ash. "Look at him, he's waited for this for a long time, and he's already got his next plan ready to become a Pokemon Master," she muttered before letting a sigh escape. "I wish I knew what my next step was. Do I stay in Kalos, or do I travel to another region and learn more while training? But, do other regions even have showcases?"

At that moment, Ash looked around as he felt like something was missing. Just like his senses were telling him, something was missing. Serena had stopped walking down the hill and was just standing there, looking down at the sight of the League. Seeing this, Ash decided to walk back up the hill, walking past Bonnie and Clemont.

"Ash, where you going?" Bonnie asked as she let go of Clemont's arm. "The League is this way."

"She's right Ash," Clemont added in as he loosened his arm up. It had started to hurt after Bonnie tugged it, along with the rest of him, down the hill. "You need to go & register right away."

"We've got plenty of time, Clemont," Ash responded as he continued walking up the hill. "You guys go on ahead, I'll meet you in the town, down next to the bridge."

Unsure of what was happening, Clemont just nodded his head. "If you say so, Ash. We'll wait for you at the bridge." With that, the lemon siblings were gone.

"Pikachu, you mind joining them for right now?" He asked, but his best friend didn't even question it and instead chased after the Lumiose Gym leader and his sister.

* * *

" _I still have Palermo's offer..."_ Serena thought before being jolted from her thoughts. Looking around, she realized that the sound was none other than Ash. Serena looked at her crush and wondered just how long he had been there. "Ash, what are you doing?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he joked before rubbing the bottom of his nose. He turned to look at the same view Serena had, the entire conference grounds were right there. Everything he had worked for was right in front of him. "Serena, are you alright. The past few weeks, sometimes you get a little spaced out."

Mentally cursing herself for making it so obvious, Serena quickly thought up a reason. "It's about Palermo's offer to train me," she partially lied. That was on her mind often, but not as much as Ash leaving once the League ended. "I know it's a once in a lifetime chance, but, I also want to become Kalos Queen my way. Sometimes I wish I was as strong as you."

"Serena, you are strong," he said, surprising her a bit. "You know how many performers would jump at that offer just because Palermo is well known. They wouldn't care about doing it their way if it meant winning. That's where you're strong, being able to do what you think is best for yourself and not what everyone else thinks."

Serena listened to his words. She could tell that Ash meant everything he was saying. There were performers who would just drop whatever made them unique just to win. But, there was still something she had to tell him. "Ash..."

"Yeah, Serena?" He asked back, somewhat curious about what his friend could be thinking. He felt like there was more she needed to get off her chest, but he didn't want to push the issue too much.

"I-I'd just like to say... thank you," she said after pausing for a second. She was going to bring up about her worrying about him leaving, but reminded herself to not distract her. "This talk, it really helped me clear my head."

"Anytime. What are friends for?" He asked, flashing a smile at the young performer. "Now, we should really go meet up with Clemont and Bonnie. They're probably getting bored by now."

Ash wouldn't admit it, but, Serena had a calming effect on him right now. He was actually feeling a little nervous himself as well. Last year, he had traveled to Unova to compete in the Unova League and its Vertress Conference. He had just came off a top 4 finish in Sinnoh and felt confident about his chances. That confidence may have been his downfall, by the time the league rolled around, his Pokemon weren't trained nearly as well as he did in Sinnoh and ended up regressing to only the top 8. He believed that he let his Pokemon down. He knew he had to do better this time, but the reminder of how Unova ended still creeped into his mind.

* * *

"What took you so long!?" Bonnie asked as her arms flailed around wildly. "Do you know how many trainers already arrived!? You're going to miss out on registering."

"Relax, Bonnie," Clemont sighed as he lifted his little sister up with his aipom arm. "There isn't a set number of participants. No matter how many people register, Ash can still register up until 5pm of the night before the competition."

"Well, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Bonnie asked as she crossed her arms. She hated being lifted off the ground by this device. She hadn't even done anything wrong.

Clemont wiped a few beads of sweat off of his face before replying. "Because I didn't have a chance, with you proposing to every female trainer that walked this way."

"Well is it my fault you need someone strong to take care of you?" Bonnie retorted.

Ash and Serena realized they should have gotten there sooner, but there was nothing they could do about it now. Before speaking, Ash bent over so that Pikachu could climb up onto his shoulder like always. "Bonnie," Ash stated to try and get her to calm down. "It's fine, you were just looking out for me. Why don't we go and get registered. That way, we can go get settled in at our hotel room."

"Plus," Serena added as she walked forward from behind Ash. "I bet there's a lot of cute Pokemon all over the island."

"You're right," she agreed as another thought came to her mind. "Plus, I'll eventually find a wife for Clemont at the rate I'm working at."

"Bonnieee," Clemont moaned as he lowered his head. "Please, don't embarrass me here of all places."

With that, the entire group crossed the wooden bridge and made their way over to the Pokemon Center. Getting a closer view of the stadium only helped its beauty as the sight of the sun shining off the lake helped paint a beautiful background for the elegant stadium. They didn't stop to look however, heading straight for the Center so Ash could register.

* * *

"Hi, I'd like to register for the Vanquier Conference," Ash stated proudly as he handed over both his badge case and his pokedex.

Nurse Joy took both items and looked them over. She placed the pokedex into a scanner where it showed all the information Ash entered when he first registered for the League plus the badges he obtained.

Looking into the case to make sure the badges matched those registered, Nurse Joy smiled and handed the items back to their owner. "Congratulations, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, you have officially registered for the Vanquier Conference." She then reached under the desk and pulled out a keycard. "Here's the key to your hotel room. It's building number 97 in the Red block."

"Thanks," Ash replied as he reached for the key. He was about to leave so that he and his friends could place their belongings away, but a thought came to his head. "Um, Nurse Joy, you wouldn't happen to have extras for each room would you?"

"Well, we keep a second copy in the event you get locked out. Why?" She asked as she showed him the extra key.

Ash let out a light chuckle as he pointed over to his three friends sitting at a table. "You see, my friends came with me and I'd like them to have a key in the event we get separated," he stated.

Understanding the reasoning behind it, Nurse Joy didn't say anything as she handed the key over to the young trainer.

* * *

"This is our hotel room?" Bonnie asked as she entered the small house. Well, on the outside it looked small, but the inside made it seem huge.

Walking into the house, there was immediately a small living room with a computer, TV and a couch, though it was unlikely anyone competing would spend much time in their hotel room. Directly across the room was a dining room table big enough to fit at least five people and had a Kitchen attached to it. Down the hallway were three bedrooms, all with two beds in them and at the other end of the hall, there was a bathroom. The walls were all painted white and had hardwood floors.

"This place is ten times nicer than the hotel we got during the Master Class," Serena stated as she looked around the house. "Why would anyone need a hotel room this big?"

Ash laughed as he also toured the building. It wasn't the first time, but he learned that every League he competed in had different lodging. "The League committee likes to have us be nice and cozy. This is their biggest event of the year."

"That is a good point," Clemont stated as he placed his bag in one of the bedrooms and came back to the living room. "The majority of the League's income does come from the League each year. It would only make sense to reward the trainers somehow."

"Wait," Serena started to say as she came around the corner and sat down on the couch. "Why would the League be charging for people to watch the Conference championships?"

"They need the money to pay everyone who helped make it a success. From the referees all the way down to the gym leaders," Clemont explained as he fixed his glasses.

"Wait, you get paid Clemont?" Bonnie asked, having never heard about this before. "If that's the case, why does dad work at his shop?"

"Yes and no Bonnie. Since I'm technically underage, all of my earnings are placed into a trust fund until I become of age but dad could use it if he needed to. Why dad still works, I guess he likes it," he said, finishing his explanation.

As everyone else sat down, Ash came from out of the Kitchen with some food. "The best part is they give you this card," he said, flashing what looked to be a credit card with a pokeball logo on the front. "Everything is free for all trainers competing as long as you use the card. But, it gets returned at the end."

"Enough about all this money talk, I'm bored," Bonnie stated. At first she was fascinated that Clemont got paid while Clembot did his job, but once it got into funds and these money card things, it lost her interest. "Let's go do something fun."

"Well, I was going to get some last minute training in," Ash explained as he pulled a chair out from the table and sat on it.

Serena silently sighed at the statement. That was like Ash, these past few weeks had been nothing but training and instead of enjoying himself, he wanted to go train. "Ash, why don't we all go do something fun for today. Then you can train tomorrow?" Serena asked as she looked at him, practically pleading with him with just her blue eyes.

Ash could tell his friends wanted to do something with him, but when he saw Serena stare at him with her eyes, for some reason he couldn't say no. "Sure. I guess that sounds like a good idea. The league doesn't start for another two days anyways. But, what should we do?"

"Does that card work across the bridge?" Bonnie asked as she eyed the piece of plastic in Ash's hand.

"Yeah, I'd just need to show them my badges if they questioned me about it," he explained, pulling the badge case out, already getting an idea where this was headed.

"Well, on the way in I saw this small fair that was all built. It had a Ferris wheel and booths and games," Bonnie started to say, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "It looked like there was so much to do there."

"That does sound like fun," Serena added in as she went to grab her backpack.

Ash sighed as his three friends all left to grab their things. "They do make things interesting, don't they Pikachu?"

"Pika Pi?" It asked, confused by the statement. What was Ash meaning by that? Did he like all of the crazy antics his friends had, or was he growing tired of it?

"Not in a bad way Pikachu," Ash immediately explained as he saw Pikachu's face. "In the kind of way how you know you're always going to have fun with them." Right as Ash finished his sentence, his three friends had made it back, ready to go to the fair.

* * *

"Look, Clemont, that Ferris wheel is almost as big as Prism Tower," Bonnie said out of amazement. "Can we go on it next?"

"Bonnie, slow down, it isn't going anywhere is it? The man said the whole fair is opened until the end of the League. And, there is no way that is anywhere close in size to my Prism Tower," Clemont reasoned with his sister. She was having a ton of fun, well everyone was, but she was also hyped up on cotton candy.

Ash however appeared to be deep in thought no matter what he was doing. Whether it be the bumper cars or even his now melted ice cream, Ash had the same look on his face.

"Hey Ash," Serena called out, snapping him out of his trance. "We're all going on the Ferris Wheel now, you coming?" she asked. Truthfully, she couldn't have asked for a better time for them to go on this ride, the sun was just starting to set and the sky was beautiful. She was hoping to sit at the top once the sky got really pretty during the time between sunset and night.

"Huh?" He asked before shaking his head. What were they talking about? He had drifted off deep into his thoughts as he tried thinking of strategies to use in this Conference. "Sorry, Serena, I got distracted. Sure, let's all get on the Ferris Wheel."

With no line, the group made it all the way to the front rather quickly. In fact, most of the seats were empty on the ride.

"Mr. Worker, can I go by myself?" Bonnie asked the employee. She didn't really want to go by herself, but instead she had a little plan for Serena.

"Oh no, Bonnie," Clemont said as the duo walked forward. "You're too young to go by yourself. Come on, I'll sit with you," he said, unaware that he literally fell for Bonnie's plan.

"Hey, Serena, it's our turn," Ash told her as he made his way towards their cart. Getting in slowly, Ash climbed onto the far side while Serena was able to see the sun setting from her seat.

Thoughts started to run through Serena's head as she sat across from her crush. _"It's just us, up on a Ferris Wheel. With the sun setting behind us. Could I get any luckier?"_ She asked herself, only to see the same look Ash had on all day reappear on his face.

"Ash," Serena called out, hoping to get his attention. Unfortunately, he either ignored her or didn't hear her. She decided to try again, but louder. "Ash!" This time it worked, jumping out of his seat, Ash looked over at the girl who was holding back a laugh. "What's on your mind? Whatever it is, it seems to be bothering you."

Ash couldn't help but chuckle and scratch his cheek. "Well, you see Serena, I completely paid no attention to the fact that I have only five pokemon on me right now. I was so busy training Noibat until it evolved and then learning that strange transformation with Greninja that I never thought about another capture," he explained as the Ferris wheel came to a stop at the top.

The sun was now setting right at the perfect moment Serena had hoped for. The bright red and orange colors mixed in the sky with the blue night sky, creating a beautiful scene. But, Serena wasn't paying attention to that, instead she was trying to help Ash.

"But, Ash," she started to say before laughing at his dilemma. She felt bad for laughing, but how couldn't she? He was worried about having five pokemon, but back in Pallet Town he had the pokemon from his previous journeys to call upon. "You said you traveled to five other regions, why not use those pokemon as well," she explained, smiling at him.

Both Ash and Pikachu looked at each other, their jaws hanging open. How did they both not even think about using the others that were back at Professor Oak's lab? Mentally slapping himself, Ash pictured all of his pokemon ready to battle.

"That's right!" Ash cried out as he thought about all of the different team combinations he could do now. Not even thinking, Ash acted out of instinct next. Standing up as they were stopped still, Ash made his way over to Serena and hugged her. "Thanks, Serena, you're amazing! You don't realize how much I was thinking about it."

"I-it was... n-nothing," Serena managed to get out her face had turned so red, you might have thought she had a bad sunburn. She knew she wouldn't be able to say anything else, her heart was beating too fast now because of her joy. Here she was, sitting in a Ferris wheel during a sunset getting a hug from Ash, she had just asked if sitting with him could get any better and then this happened. Her whole body felt warm from the hug, almost like it could just melt from the heat.

Letting go, Ash acted like it was no big deal and sat back down on his side of the Ferris wheel. The two trainers sat quietly for the rest of the ride.

* * *

"So, Ash, you want to switch your Pokemon around?" Professor Oak asked as he talked over the video phone to Ash.

"Yeah," the young trainer responded as he pumped his fist. "Last time I did, I made it to the top 4 in Sinnoh. Hopefully this time I'll make it further."

"That's the spirit, Ash. I'll send over five random pokemon at a time, but first you'll need to send over some of your own."

Ash understood, he was only able to hold onto six pokemon at a time as stated by League rules and he didn't want to break any rules like that a day before the matches began. "They're all ready to be transported," Ash said as electrical energy surged through the pokeballs before they disappeared. Within a second, five new pokeballs replaced the four that just left. "I received them all safely."

"As did I," Oak replied as he looked at the pokeballs. "I've never had the chance to truly study pokemon native to Kalos. This'll be fun."

"Thanks, Professor Oak," Ash said as he ended the call. Walking outside to the Pokemon Center's practice field, Ash met his friends.

"So, Ash, did you switch out your team?" Clemont asked as he tried to keep an energetic Bonnie from knocking anyone over.

"Yeah, the best part is, Professor Oak didn't tell me which one's he sent over, so it'll be a surprise for me as well," he explained before tossing the pokeballs into the air. The capture devices opened up as a flash of blue light emerged from the pokeballs.

Ash waited until the light died down to even try and look at the pokemon. However, his pokemon didn't wait for him, charging right at him. Ash looked quickly to see the small stampede coming at him, but instead of getting out of the way, he let them get on top of him.

Among the first batch of pokemon were Bulbasaur, Kingler, Tauros, Gible and Noctowl. "Guys, it's great to see you all again," Ash stated as he got up from underneath the pile of pokemon. "Let me introduce you to my new friends, they're Clemont, Bonnie and Serena," he said, pointing at each one.

"Ash, this is an amazing group of pokemon, but what's with the disposable camera?" Clemont asked as he eyed the camera in Ash's hand.

"I like to take pictures of my pokemon before a big tournament. That way I can picture who to use in what situations and how my team looks when I use certain pokemon together," the boy from Pallet explained as he put the camera away for now.

"Oh, Ash, Gible is so cute," Bonnie cried out as she went to give it a hug.

"Wait, Bonnie!" he cried out, trying to stop her, but it was too late.

"Hey, let go!" She cried out as she tried to get Gible to let go of her hair. When she went to give it a hug, Gible had tried to bite her head like he does to Ash, but the girl pulled away. The dragon type was now hanging onto the loose end of Bonnie's hair.

"Yeah, I should have warned you sooner," Ash apologized as he walked over to the young girl. "Gible likes to nibble on things. Trust me, I've had him biting on my head plenty of times." He was then able to make Gible let go, without causing any harm.

Looking down at his five Pokemon, Ash couldn't help but get excited for this League. "Alright guys, we're going to start with some special training to get ready for tomorrow!" he explained, pumping his fist into the air, all of his pokemon copying in some form.

Before Ash could even say anything else, a small cube fell from the sky as it turned into a giant net, holding all of his pokemon hostage.

"Hey, what's the bright idea, I'm trying to train for the league!" Ash called out. He didn't know for sure who did it, but from all his experiences he had a good idea.

"Prepare for trouble, these leagues are a bore!" A familiar female voice called out.

"And make it double, we're banging down your pokehouse doors!" The male voice joined in as a Meowth shaped balloon became visible.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within out nations."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"And James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at a champion's speed of might"

"Surrender now or prepare for one elite fight"

"Meowth, that's right."

"Pancham use dark pulse!" Serena called out once they had finished their silly motto. She wasn't in the mood for it today. Ash was busying training for the league and then these clowns show up and try to take his pokemon. "Then follow up with stone edge on that rope."

Pancham threw the purple and black waves right into the front of the balloon, causing a hole to form on it. Without wasting anytime, Pancham slammed his fists into the ground, creating a large stone, tall enough to cut the rope that had Ash's pokemon attached to the Balloon.

Without anything weighing them down, Team Rocket's balloon started to fly all around in the sky until finally vanishing out of sight. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Ash ran over to the net that his pokemon were trapped in. He carefully made a hole large enough to get a few of them out before trying to make it even bigger. After a few minutes, the whole group was freed.

"Thanks for saving them all, Serena," Ash thanked her before heading off to train with his team. He wanted to make sure they were all in good shape after not being used for so long.

Serena smiled while watching Ash off in the distance. His determination was always contagious no matter how bad you felt. Just watching him could make you feel better. But today, Serena was feeling anything but upset. How could she be upset? She was hugged by Ash last night. Maybe something lucky will happen this week after all.

* * *

"Ash, there's still one more shot left on your camera!" Serena called out once they all returned to the hotel room. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Don't worry, I've got a plan. Just follow me, that includes you Clemont and Bonnie," he said, leading everyone outside. He then led them all the way down to the stadium in the center of the island. "Excuse me, can you take a picture of me and my friends?" He asked a passing trainer. He then lined up with his friends, right in between Serena and Clemont.

"Sure," the trainer replied as he looked through the lens. "On the count of three. One... Two… Three!" He said, pushing the button to take the picture.

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **UCCMaster: Thanks, I hope it can live up to the potential. Anyways, I never knew the anime actually gave it a conference name, I must have missed it. But, I'm keeping it as Vanquier.**

 **Guest: Thanks a lot. I've wanted to write an Amourshipping fanfic for a while, but haven't because I didn't want to write any kind of OOC moment.**

* * *

 **If the Amourshipping part of the story seems slow, that's because I want to build it up like how (hopefully) the anime does. If I were to just write Ash as having feelings that were obvious right away, it just wouldn't feel right to me. Also I got the idea for pictures from another story.** _ **Amourshipping: One Day Off**_ **by 123pearlshipping. You should check it out, it's a great story.**

 **Thanks for reading the chapter everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review saying what you like and how I can improve.**

 **Next Time: Hey there it's me Ash! The Vanquier Conference is just starting, but I can't help but feel so excited. Not only that, but I run into some old friends of mine from my Kalos journey. Next time "Let the Games Begin!"**


	3. Let the Games Begin!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we saw Ash finally arrive at the League and today, we begin the league portion of this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Ch 3: Let the Games Begin!**

"Here you go, Ash, the film's all developed," Nurse Joy stated as she handed over an envelope filled with the pictures from earlier in the day. He had gotten lucky, this Center had a place to develop photos, otherwise he would have been out of luck. "I also did the request you asked for."

"Thank you Nurse Joy," Ash responded as he took the envelope. Opening it up, Ash looked through all of the pictures. All of his pokemon were present, but that wasn't what he was interested in. Skimming through the pictures, he stopped when he came to a certain one. It was the last one they had taken, the one of him and his friends in front of the stadium. He counted the copies to make sure there were four and there were. Now relieved, he placed the pictures back in and walked to his hotel room.

* * *

"I wonder what's taking Ash so long," Clemont asked as he finished preparing dinner. "He should have been back from the Pokemon Center by now. We did tell him dinner would be ready by six o'clock."

"Relax Clemont," Bonnie started to say as she take a set of plates and headed outside. What no one noticed on their first say was that on the outside, the hotel rooms all had porches. With the wonderful weather, they had decided to eat outside just as they did every day. "This is Ash, he probably got distracted doing something. Like maybe bringing Oshawott back here for me to play with him."

Just then, the door to hotel opened up with Ash standing in the hallway. "Sorry I'm late. You wouldn't believe how busy the Pokemon Center was with last minute registration," he lied to them. He didn't like lying to his friends, but he also didn't want to ruin his secret. This was something he did every year since his first time competing at the Indigo Plateau Conference. It was just a little thing to remember where their journey took them.

Clemont smiled as he watched his friend take his hat off. "It's fine," he replied before handing a pitcher filled with juice to Bonnie. "I bet it was busy, you left at around three o'clock and it took you three hours just to get back here. But, you made it just in time, the spaghetti is just finished."

"Alright!" Ash said, fists raised in front of his body. There was nothing he liked more than a good meal, well, except for battling. He was lucky, every time he traveled somewhere, he always met someone who was a great chef. He never had to worry about making his own food, which was probably a good thing since he wasn't so good in the kitchen. "I can't wait for it, I'm starving!"

With that, the group headed outside where Serena was already setting the table. Everyone sat down at the table they used every night and started to grab some food.

They sat and ate, bringing up old stories from their time in Kalos and about the League, wondering who Ash would have to face while here. It was just like every night, where they forgot their worries and just had a meal like a real family.

Once finished, Ash wiped has face and hands off before he went inside, followed by Pikachu. Everyone wondered what Ash was doing, he was never the first to leave the table unless he was going to train. But he had already said he was taking the night off to rest up, since the competition started tomorrow.

Once inside the hotel, Ash walked over to his bag which was leaning against the table. "You ready Pikachu?" Ash asked his friend as he grabbed the envelope out of his bag and handed it over to Pikachu.

"Pika Pika!" It cried before walking alongside Ash as they headed back outside. Once at the door, Pikachu trailed behind Ash, making sure to hide the envelope.

"Ash, are you okay?" Serena asked as she looked at his plate. Sure, he had about two plates of pasta, but even that seemed like Ash hadn't eaten his usual serving. "You didn't eat as much as you normally do."

Letting out a light Chuckle, Ash made his way back over to the table with Pikachu. "Yeah I'm fine," he replied as he sat down. Truth is, he always ate a little less on the night before the competition. He didn't know if it was because of nerves or if it was to make sure he wouldn't get sick. But, he always thought it was a little of both. Sure, he had competed at many leagues before, but it still was a little nerve wracking with all of the people watching.

Nodding down to Pikachu, who had been standing by Ash's chair, the electric mouse understood the signal and climbed up and onto the table. He then placed the envelope down on the table, making it visible to everyone.

"Ash, are those the pictures?" Serena asked, wanting to look at them. Ash had quite a few pokemon, and a few of them she really liked such as Totodile, Buizel and Leavanny. "Can we look at them?"

"Yeah, that's why I had Pikachu grab them. I figured we could look at them tonight," he said, handing the envelope over to his traveling companions. "I just hope they all came out good."

The three Kalos natives looked through the pictures recognizing each and every pokemon of Ash's after meeting them for the first time yesterday. But, what really caught their attention was at the end of the set. It was the picture of the four of them in front of the stadium, but the reason it caught their attention was because there were four of them.

Seeing the looks on their face, Ash rubbed underneath his nose and smiled. "So, you found the extras?" He asked even though he already knew the answer. "Every year I take a picture with my friends in front of the main stadium at each Conference. It's just a way for us to look back and see where our journey together led us. I hope you guys like them," he said before remembering something. "Oh yeah, Bonnie, there's an extra copy of Oshawott in there, I know how much you think it's cute."

The three friends didn't know how to respond to Ash. Here he was, the night before the league started and he was doing things like this. This act of unselfishness stung a little for everyone. As best as they hid it from Ash, all three of the Kalos natives knew that these were the last few days with Ash.

""Ash, they're beautiful," Serena finally managed to say as she took her copy out of the pile.

"I'll treasure it forever," Clemont said as he took his copy. "It'll be a lasting memory of our friendship. Something that'll last the tests of time."

Bonnie then took her two pictures and placed them in her bag. Ever since Squishy left to be with its friend, her bag felt light. She had grown close to the Zygarde Core, but knew she couldn't keep it from being happy and let it go. "It's like we're one big family!" She cried out while smiling.

* * *

The rest of the night passed by rather fast, much to everyone's surprise. After diner they had asked to see some of Ash's previous League battles. Deciding to show them, Ash luckily found them on the League's website, where they streamed previous Leagues. He showed them some of the clips from the Silver Conference, Ever Grande Conference, the Lily of the Valley conference and bits from both the Indigo Plateau and Vertress Conferences.

Needless to say, they were amazed at how much Ash continued to improve over the years, never giving up in his dreams no matter what situation occurred to push him back a step. Eventually, the time for bed came and everyone went into their rooms. Serena roomed with Bonnie, while Ash took his own room, leaving Clemont by himself.

Ash had wanted to room with Clemont like they did camping, but the gym leader figured it would be better for Ash to have his own room. That way he couldn't distract Ash from anything he was doing, whether it was sleeping or thinking of a strategy. Giving in, Ash agreed with his friend and now they were all fast asleep.

* * *

"Pikachu is unable to battle," the referee declared as he pointed to the opposite side of the field. "That means Lucario and Cameron are the winners and will be advancing onto the next round!"

"Pi... ka," Pikachu muttered softly as Ash picked up his tired friend. He felt bad, he let Ash down at the most important moment. He tried with everything he had, but he just couldn't finish off Lucario.

"It's alright, Pikachu," Ash said as he carefully walked off of the field, making sure to keep Pikachu as comfortable as possible. "You and everyone else gave it their best shot, that's all that matters," he told the electric type.

But a part of him felt disappointed. Not in his pokemon, but in himself. _"How could I let this happen?"_ He thought to himself as he walked down the tunnel and back into the waiting room. _"I let them all down. I should have prepared better!"_ he told himself.

* * *

At that moment, Ash woke up from his dream. Looking around, Ash realized that he was just dreaming about that match again. Deciding it was pointless to fall asleep again, Ash quietly got out of bed, making sure to not wake Pikachu. Leaving his room, Ash headed for the kitchen to get a drink of water before deciding to head outside. Just staring at the night sky always helped to calm him before.

Opening the door, Ash quietly went out onto the deck and sat down, just using this time to look up at the stars and relax.

Serena couldn't fall asleep. It was almost midnight now, and she had been tossing and turning for almost an hour. Looking over at her nightstand, she saw the picture that Ash had given all of them and smiled. He was such a great person. _"I wish I could be as strong as you when it comes to telling you my feelings,"_ she thought before rolling onto her side and looking out the window. To her surprise, there was Ash, sitting out on the deck all by himself, not even Pikachu was with him.

Wondering what was up, Serena quietly got out of bed making sure to not wake up Bonnie. She slowly moved across the room, grabbing her sneakers and leaving. Once in the living room, she could move a little more normal now, not needing to worry about Bonnie. Slipping her shoes on, Serena quietly slipped out the kitchen door and onto the deck.

In front of her was Ash, the boy who never seemed fazed by anything. But, in this moment of time, he seemed just how she had at many points during her quest to become Kalos Queen, broken and worried.

Moving softly, Serena walked up to Ash and placed a hand on his shoulder. Jumping, Ash turned around and saw Serena standing behind him, much to his surprise.

"Oh, Serena," Ash said as he got up to get another chair for her. "I didn't wake anyone, did I?"

"No," she replied as she sat down next to him. "I was up and saw you out here. What are you doing, you should be sleeping."

"I can't," he said, letting out a slight laugh. "I have way too much excitement for tomorrow!" He exclaimed, before remembering what time it was. Quickly covering his mouth, he couldn't help but laugh. But, to Serena's surprise, his eyes were giving off another emotion.

"There's more to it," Serena said as she looked at Ash's eyes. "I can tell by the look in your eyes. I had that same look before the Dendemille Town Showcase and the Master Class. It's one of nervousness, excitement, even a little bit of worry."

This time Ash let out a decent laugh. It wasn't a chuckle or a small laugh, but his usual one. This one was full of energy. "I can't fool you, can I, Serena?" Ash asked before sighing. "You see, I've competed in five other League Conferences, but no matter how hard I try, I keep falling just short. I'm worried about that happening again. I don't want to disappoint my pokemon after everything they went through."

"Ash," Serena started to say before looking up at the bright moon. "You should know that none of your pokemon will ever be disappointed in you as long as you give it your all. They adore you."

"Huh," Ash replied, he was a little confused. Yeah, he knew his pokemon all cared for him, but wouldn't they get annoyed if after a whole year of working hard it amounted to losing. "Still, it must get frustrating for them."

"Ash, like I said, they all adore you," she repeated herself as she thought back to the very beginning of their journey. "Look at how they look up to you. Talonflame evolved just to protect you from Moltres. You helped Hawlucha overcome its biggest problem even if he wasn't your pokemon. You and Greninja share a deep bond, causing that transformation and Noivern sees you as his father. Not to mention what you did for Goodra. Ash, no matter what happens, they'll always care for you because they are just like you."

Hearing these words helped to calm his nerves a little. Even though Unova stung, he knew his pokemon weren't disappointed. His mind was just making him nervous, but Serena helped him see the truth. "You're right, they are just like me, all of them. And together we're going to win this!" He then looked at Serena, she always knew what to say at the right time. "Thank you."

"Ash, I didn't do anything. I just helped you remember why you and your pokemon are so close. And how nothing will ever break that bond," she explained, turning to look at the raven-haired trainer with a smile. She was about to stand up and head back inside, but something was keeping her from moving. Looking down, she noticed that Ash was holding her arm, making it impossible to go anywhere.

Looking sheepish, Ash looked up to Serena. "Do you mind staying out here for just a little longer?" He asked while using his free hand to scratch his face. He couldn't explain it, but right now he wanted Serena right next to him.

"Sure, Ash," Serena replied, a small blush on her face. She figured that the way Ash was acting was because of nerves, but she didn't care. She was going to use every chance she had to spend time with him until he went back to Kanto.

* * *

A few hours passed as the duo just sat there in silence, looking up at the night sky. Ash had finally relaxed for the first time since getting to Vanquier Town. He liked this feeling, this calmness, if he could, he'd like it to last forever Sighing, Ash looked over to Serena to see that she had fallen asleep in the chair.

"Let's get you somewhere comfortable," he muttered, making sure to not wake her. Lifting her up carefully, Ash carried Serena as gently as he could, placing her back on her bed. "Good night, Serena," he said softly before closing the door to her room.

Ash made his way back to bed, finally able to get some sleep. Laying in his bed, he thought back to his entire Kalos journey. Remembering every gym battle they went through, the friends they made, the lessons they learned. It had all led up to this very day. In less than six hours, the opening ceremony would begin.

"This time, I'm winning it all!" He softly cried out before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"This is so exciting," Bonnie said, leading everyone to the stadium for the opening ceremonies. "I've watched them before on TV, but Clemont would never take me to it in person."

"Bonnie, that's because I couldn't leave the gym unattended, even if we were closed. Think about Helioisk and the others," he answered as Bonnie came to a stop. In front of her were two pathways. One said competitors and the other said spectators.

"So, this is where we split up," Ash stated as he looked at the signs. "After the ceremonies, meet up at the Pokemon Center, that way we don't get lost."

"Good idea, Ash," Clemont said as they started to head down the pathways for spectators. "Just don't forget about it."

"Don't worry, Clemont," a familiar voice stated from the crowd. "I'll make sure he gets to the Pokemon Center." Dancing his way through the crowd, Tierno emerged right in front of the group with Trevor and Shauna making their way over as well.

"Tierno!" Ash cried out once he noticed the dancing trainer. With him were Trevor and Shauna. "You guys made it in time!"

"Yeah, we made it here last night," Trevor stated before rubbing the back of his head. "We would have been here sooner, but I saw a rare pokemon and just had to take a picture of it."

"But now that we're here, I'm going to win the whole thing," Tierno proudly stated as he finished with a pose. "I'll be waiting for the chance to beat you Ash."

"I don't know who you are, but you'll have to get in line," another voice cried out. Looking around, Ash and the others noticed a young boy fighting his way through the crowd, but was having a difficult time. "If anyone will be beating Ash, it'll be me."

"Sawyer, you're here as well! I was getting worried since I hadn't seen you yet," Ash cried out. He was really looking forward to facing off against this boy ever since their last battle where he revealed that Sceptile could mega evolve.

"Of course and now that we're all here, I can't wait for our match Ash!" Sawyer cried out, his excitement was taking over and he could hardly control himself now. "Just wait until Sceptile and the others show off their new strength."

"Don't be counting me out either," Trevor joined in, only to receive shocked expressions from everyone but Tierno and Shauna.

They were all surprised that Trevor had also earned the required number of badges to enter the league. He was a decent battler, but he always seemed more fascinated in other aspects about pokemon.

"I didn't originally have plans on competing, but I decided to for Charizard," Trevor started to explain as he opened up his badge case. Ash had never seen most of the badges in there, the only exceptions being the Bug badge and the Plant badge. "He and my other pokemon help me out every day while taking pictures. So, I decided to enter due to Charizard's love of battling."

"It doesn't matter who we have to face, Pikachu and I will win the whole thing!" Ash cried out. All this talk about battling was only getting him even more excited.

"Guys, I'd love to stand around and talk," Tierno stated as he looked around at the crowd starting to die down. "But if we don't get in there soon, we'll miss the opening."

"Tierno's right," Shauna said as she looked around. "And we'll end up with bad seats. You boys get going, we'll be looking for you out there." Shauna then started to walk into the stadium, Serena right beside her. The two had already started talking about their performances and how they could be improved.

"Good luck, Ash," Bonnie cried as she dragged Clemont along with her. "Try and find us in the stands."

* * *

Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and Shauna made their way up into the stands, fighting through the crowds while they searched for seats. The group of four continued their search until they finally found four seats.

"The view's great from here," Serena stated as they all sat down. The seats were right in the middle of the stadium, allowing them to see the entire field without having to move their head too much. They were also right in the middle height wise. "We'll be able to see everything from right here."

"Yeah, we'll be able to see Tierno, Trevor and the others perfectly from here," Shauna added in as she sat down next to Serena. She was about to say something else, but the sound of fireworks caused her to stop.

"It's starting now," Clemont said as he watched the fireworks explode over the field. Red, white and blue colors covered thee sky as each rocket exploded with a loud bang.

"They're so pretty," Bonnie added in as she watched the last of them go off, creating the League symbol in Blue, white and red.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice started to say over the loudspeaker. "The Kalos League opening ceremonies are officially underway! This is where the top trainers and their pokemon in Kalos come to prove their skill, strength and spirit. These hopeful competitors will compete against each other in hopes of being victories!" The person explained as the trainers all walked out of the four tunnels, each set lead by an attendant holding a sign marked A, B, C and D out of the tunnels.

"Look, there's Tierno!" Shauna cried out as she saw him walking in with group A. It wasn't too hard to miss the dancing trainer. While everyone else was walking in normally, he couldn't help but show off his dance moves to the crowd, who were loving it. "That's Tierno for you, always using any chance he gets."

"And there's Sawyer," Clemont added in as he noticed the boy from Hoenn coming in with group C. Sawyer stuck out like a sore thumb as he was standing rigidly due to nerves. "He must be pretty nervous about being in his first Pokemon League."

"Look, I can see Trevor as well," Bonnie added in, seeing the photographer walking in right behind Sawyer. He too looked nervous, but walked normally unlike Sawyer, his face being a slight shade of red.

"But, where's Ash?" Serena asked as she eyed the crowd of trainers. After searching for a while, she finally saw him. Walking out of the furthest tunnel, he was in group D. He walked out onto the field with a large smile and Pikachu looked just like him while on his shoulder. "Look, there's Ash on the other side."

"Go, Ash!" Bonnie cried out as she stood up in her seat, hoping he would see her.

"Bonnie please sit down," Clemont pleaded. Bonnie's little outburst had drawn the attention of the people sitting next to them, and embarrassed Clemont a little.

"The competitors you see before you have all proved their worthiness by winning the required eight gym badges from gyms all across this region," he said while the four groups came to a stop in the middle of the field.

"Clemont, who's that guy," Bonnie asked as she pointed to a man in a track outfit who was carrying a lit torch. "And why's he running?"

"That's the torch runner Bonnie. The League can't start until the central torch at the top of the stadium is lit," Clemont explained as he pointed at a large bowl at the top of a set of stairs.

"Now, the official torch runner will make his way up the stairs while carrying the flame of Moltres," the announcer stated, repeating what Clemont just explained. "From there, the flame will burn all throughout the entire League."

The torch runner made his way through the stadium until he reached the stairs. Stopping for just one moment to catch his breath, he started his journey up the stairs. Once at the top, he handed the torch over to an old man who had long gray hair and a long gray beard. He was dressed in a red jacket and beige shorts along with a blue hat which he wore backwards.

"Now, Mr. Goodshow, the president of the Pokemon League Committee will light the central torch," the announcer explained before the entire stadium became silent.

"Here it is, Pikachu," Ash said to his best friend as he looked up at the elderly man he had met by accident during his very first league. A large smile crossed his face as Mr. Goodman slowly moved the torch towards the central torch.

"With the lighting of the central torch, I commence this League to officially begin!" he cried out through the stadium. Loud applauses were heard as trainers and spectators felt a huge wave of joy cross over them at the sight of the flame. "May Moltres watch over all of you during your matches!"

"W-what's that?" The announcer cried out as what appeared to be a large mechanical Metapod with six legs climbed over the stadium wall. It was now sitting right next to the central torch. "It looks to be some kind of machine."

"Not them again," Ash muttered through grit teeth. He was really growing tired of them messing everything up. Every League, they find a way to cause trouble. "They won't get away with this." He then made a sprint for the stairs. Seeing him run, Trevor, Tierno and Sawyer followed him.

"Prepare for trouble, it's a blast from the past!" Jessie yelled out through the machine's speaker system.

"Make it double, this time it'll last!" James said next.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people with our nations."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"And James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffett," the psychic type added in at the end.

"I-It's you three. The one's who tried to steal the flame of Moltres back in Kanto!" Mr. Goodshow cried out as he watched the giant Metapod grab onto the central torch. "You can't take it! Without it, we can't begin the League."

"Spare me the pity party, old geezer," Jessie stated while the Metapod machine placed the torch on its back. "Do you really think we care about your silly League?"

"Team Rocket!" Ash cried out once he reached the top. Coming to a stop behind him were the others who followed him. "We won't let you steal the torch."

"Maybe it's our lucky day," Meowth stated as he pressed a button. The Metapod's arms started to move again as they reached for Pikachu. "We'll grab Pikachu and the other pokemon for the boss."

"I like the way you think," James told the feline as they started to picture the boss giving them praise. "I can already picture our promotion."

"Then what are we waiting for," Jessie stated as she pushed a lever forward, causing the machine to walk towards Ash and Pikachu. "Let's grab them."

"Pikachu use iron tail!" Ash called out as he jumped out of the way, barely avoiding the arms.

Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder as his tail started to glow white. Spinning in the air, his tail collided with the Metapod machine, but it seemed to do no harm.

Team Rocket couldn't help but laugh. "Please, do you think we'd cheap out on our biggest machine yet?" Jessie asked as they lunged for Pikachu again. "We went all in on this plan."

"You have no idea how many days I spent working on this," James added in before yawning. "Looking over the old design, we found some weaknesses in the structure and reinforced it. This time nothing will destroy it, whether it be Pikachu or the flame of Moltres."

"Maybe it can withstand one pokemon, but how about two, Sceptile come on out!" Sawyer cried as his starter appeared next to him. "Use leaf blade on that machine!"

"Scep," the grass type stated before charging at the machine. Once he was within striking distance, the blades on the side of his arms stiffened and became razor sharp. Slicing against the side of the machine, but even its attack did nothing.

"Trevor, we should try as well. Blastoise, rapid spin!" Tierno yelled as he tossed out his pokeball.

"Right. Charizard, use dragon claw!" Trevor asked of his pokemon as he tossed a pokeball.

The two final stage pokemon appeared and immediately attacked the machine. Charging right into it, both pokemon bounced off of it. Neither of their attacks seemed to have worked either.

"Not even a scratch. Any ideas?" Tierno asked as he watched Blastoise stop one of the arms by grabbing it himself. "Hold in there Blastoise!"

"Pikachu help him out with Iron tail!" Ash quickly commanded. Pikachu leaped forward once more, but even in a different spot on the machine it had no effect.

The three Team Rocket members started to laugh once again. "Go on and waste your time attacking," Jessie told them as another arm lunged at Sceptile this time. "None of your attacks will harm us."

"That's right," Meowth added as they started to celebrate prematurely. "We based the design off of a Metapod's hard shell. None of those attacks will even leave a scratch. Just keep tiring yourselves out."

Hearing Meowth's explanation brought an idea to Trevor's mind. "Ash!" he called out right as Charizard caught an arm headed straight for him. Despite the situation, he was really enjoying this. It gave him a chance to have fun by fighting.

"What is it, Trevor?" Ash asked as he rolled out of the way of another arm. It appeared Team Rocket was now trying to grab the trainers as well.

"I-I think... I think I figured a way to beat them," He managed to get out after ducking under an arm. This was starting to get tiring for all of them. Every time they dodged one arm, it seemed two more were coming right at them. "A Metapod has amazing defense, but its special defense isn't so great. Since they said they based it off of an actual Metapod..." Trevor trailed off as everyone understood him.

"Then its body should be weak to special moves!" The others all cried out, looks of determination in their eyes.

"We just need to get close enough to hit them with our full strength!" Ash stated as he looked at the machine.

"Ash," Tierno stated as he started to dance a little with Blastoise. "We'll keep them occupied while you and Pikachu get in close."

"Right," Ash agreed as he and Pikachu started to make their way over to the machine without alerting Team Rocket.

Seeing these looks, Team Rocket didn't like them one bit. "Meowth, use our secret weapon," James told the normal type, unaware of the twerp's movements.

"Right, Team Rocket's super sticky string shot cannon coming up." Meowth then pushed a button as the front of the machine opened up and revealed a cannon.

The cannon immediately started to shot out large globs of what appeared to be Team Rocket's homemade version of string shot. The giant balls started to land all over the place, making it hard for them to avoid it.

"Look at them all dance!" Jessie cried out as she laughed at the situation. Little did she know that one of them wasn't there anymore. Having snuck underneath the machine while firing, Ash waited for his chance to strike.

* * *

"Clemont! Go and help them right now!" Bonnie cried out as they watched the situation unfold. "They need your help." Bonnie was right. From their view in the audience, they had no clue of Trevor's plan at all. To them, it looked like they were actually having a hard time.

"R-right!" Clemont stated as he went to stand up. Looking at the long distance from his seat to the torch, Clemont reached for a pokeball. "Luxray, I need your help!" He yelled right as he was about to call upon the electric type. However, something caught his eye that made him.

"What are you doing, Clemont!?" Bonnie yelled as she flailed around in her seat. "I said to help them, not pretend to help!"

"Bonnie, they don't need help, look!" Clemont yelled as he pointed at the giant Metapod machine. The thing that caught his eye appeared again, only this time it was much clearer. To Clemont, it looked similar to a thunderbolt attack.

* * *

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded once they were completely out of Team Rocket's eyesight. Jumping off of Ash's shoulder, Pikachu landed right next to him.

"Pika... Chuuuu!" It cried out while unleashing a huge amount of electricity. The one bolt of electricity made contact before surging all through the machine due to it being made from metal.

Looking up, Ash, could make out what appeared to be Team Rocket getting electrocuted from his attack. Deciding to end it, Ash called out to Pikachu. "Oaky, Pikachu, one more thunderbolt!"

Pikachu nodded in agreement as he charged up even more electricity. The thunderbolt surged through the entire machine, causing it to short circuit and shut the cannon off.

"Sawyer, Tierno, Trevor, all together now!' Ash called out as he ran from underneath the Metapod machine.

"Of course, leave it to a twerp to ruin everything," Jessie weakly stated once they noticed Ash run from underneath their machine.

"I thought you made us as tough as a Metapod, James?" Meowth asked as he tried not to pass out from his fatigue.

"I did..." James muttered as he looked at Metapod's information on Team Rocket's computer. "But I must have made it too similar."

"What's that mean!?" Jessie yelled, obviously frustrated by this news.

"It means our goose is cooked," Meowth answered as he pointed at the four trainers and their pokemon.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!"

"Sceptile, use dragon pulse!"

"Blastoise, use hydro pump!"

"Charizard, use flamethrower!"

The four pokemon all launched their attacks at the same time, causing them to combine with each other's and create one large beam attack. The multicolored blast traveled across the platform before Team Rocket could even react, crashing right into the machine and causing it to explode, with them being launched off to who knows where as a result.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The three members cried out as they vanished from view off into the distance.

Luckily for them, the central torch landed safely from the explosion, back onto the platform that it had originally been taken from. The four trainers were then surprised by the sound of a roaring applause coming from both spectators and their fellow competitors. Not knowing what to do, the four stood there, somewhat embarrassed by the attention.

"Now that that's been straightened out, the opening ceremonies may now continue," the announcer spoke as Mr. Goodman made his way down the steps and towards a microphone they had placed for him.

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Engel2902: Thanks for the support. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of chapters coming out.**

 **Guest: Thanks again. I'll try and do my best.**

* * *

 **I want to address something about this story before anyone asks, no Team Rocket will not be in every chapter. I just needed them in it for these first three and as of right now they don't appear for a while. And, the Kalos League officially kicks off with the next chapter.**

 **Update wise, I don't have a set schedule planned, but I'd like to try and upload at least every two to three days. I just can't make any promises of keeping that right now because I have finals approaching for college plus I have a few other things going on right now, but, I'll make sure for at least one new chapter each week.**

 **Thanks for reading this new chapter and for the continued support. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and what I can improve on.**

 **Next Time: Clemont here! Just as I thought, this League was going to be a big one. Thanks to all of the competitors, Mr. Goodshow is having them all take part in screening battles to make sure only the best make it through. Oh man, I hope Ash does fine. Next time, "The Screening Test! What will you do, Ash?"**


	4. The Screening Test! What'll you do Ash?

**Welcome back everyone. Like I said last time, the League officially begins from here. Buckle up for the ride.**

* * *

 **Ch 4: The Screening Test!What'll You do Ash?**

"Now that that's been straightened out, the opening ceremonies may now continue," the announcer spoke as Mr. Goodman made his way down the steps and towards a microphone they had placed for him. "Mr. Goodshow will now greet our competitors."

Making it to the microphone, Mr. Goodshow fixed the height of it so that it was at speaking level for him. "Welcome one and all!" He started off, receiving applause from the crowd. Mr. Goodshow had been running the League Committee for quite a few years now, and always made sure that every League ran smoothly. "This stadium is a very special place. A place where those who truly love pokemon come to compete. Here the glow from the flame of Moltres burns brightly to brighten up our hearts and our spirits. Battle valiantly and keep that fire alive in your heart and your spirit!"

The crowd once more broke out into applause. Everyone could tell this man cared for these events deeply. Anyone could run the Committee, but only someone who truly cared would visit foreign regions for every single Pokemon League each and every year.

"Thank you," Mr. Goodshow replied as he kept his composure calm. He then signaled for the crowd to please stop clapping for the time being. "Now, before the League can commence, I must first read off the rules of the competition," he explained as he grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket.

"This year's competing class of trainers is the largest that Kalos has ever seen register for their region's conference. For that, I say we give all these hard workers a nice round of applause," he told the crowd, starting the applause up himself. After about a minute, the clapping died down to the point where he could continue on. "A total of 384 trainers qualified for the League. As you can guess, that number is too high to allow everyone in. As much as I'd love to allow it, it would make planning the rest of the tournament extremely difficult for everyone involved."

"Clemont, you were right," Bonnie said as she pulled on his to get his attention. "You said there would be a lot of trainers."

"Y-yeah," Clemont responded with a gulp. He expected a lot, but almost 400 trainers is crazy. He just wondered where Mr. Goodshow was headed with this.

"What do you think they'll do about the high number of participants?" Serena asked as she watched Ash standing down there.

"I don't know," Shauna replied before looking at Clemont. "What do they normally do when there's a lot?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure," he answered truthfully. "As a gym leader, I only hand out badges to trainers who have beaten me in battle. I have no knowledge of how the League creates rules like this."

"Now," Mr. Goodshow's voice started to say as it rang through the crowd. "To make sure that only the strongest trainers make it into the Kalos League's semi-final rounds, we will be holding screening battles where every trainer will take part in three one on one matches which will be judged. Following all matches, the judges will meet and add up their scores. The top 128 will advance on. These battles will take place on the dirt fields out back and will not be broadcasted or have public access to keep the advancing 128 trainers a surprise."

" _So that's what those fields were for,"_ Serena thought as she clutched the ribbon on her chest. With 383 other trainers to face, she was worried for Ash. She couldn't bear to think about him possibly losing after what he told her the previous night.

"So, it's set up similar to Johto, Pikachu," Ash said as they watched on, a hint of determination in their eyes. This was it, their moment they've been waiting for. It was time to show Kalos just what Ash Ketchum was made of. "It doesn't matter who we face, we'll battle with everything we've got."

"Pi Pika Pi," the electric mouse replied, throwing his right fist into the air.

Mr. Goodshow's voice could be heard again, making Ash to decide to listen again. It would do him no good to get eliminated for not following the rules. "If you're one of the 128 lucky enough to move on, you'll have to compete in four, three on three matches which will take place in the four smaller arenas, each one representing a different field. One each ice, water, grass, and rock."

"And that section is like Kanto's League," Ash added in for himself and Pikachu. He started to think that maybe Mr. Goodshow was reusing old ideas now that he had started to get up there in age. He had been shocked to not see him at all in Unova, but was told that he had come down with a serious illness and couldn't attend despite trying to leave the hospital.

"If you continue to prove yourself and win four matches on the small arenas, then you have earned yourself a spot in the Champions' Tournament," he continued on, his voice booming with energy. Whatever came over him last year was far gone by now. "For your first match, it'll be a three on three, but if you win and move on to the top 16, prepare for harder matches. Starting with the top 16, all matches will be six on six until only one trainer remains. After today's screening, all matches will be held once a day. This is to allow both trainers and pokemon to rest up."

"Seems simple enough, right buddy?" Ash asked as the two of them shared a smile. "We have every working hard, there's no way we'll lose."

"Pi Pika chu," Pikachu agreed as a few sparks of electricity accidentally flew off of his cheeks. He was just as excited as Ash was and couldn't control it in any longer.

"But, some rules regarding out of battle," Mr. Goodshow stated, his attitude and demeanor changing from his fun and easy going self, to one of dead serious. "We here at the Pokemon League Committee pride ourselves on these events and the young trainers who compete in them. If you cannot control yourself or hold responsibility for your actions, then we do not want to be associated with you. In that case, any pokemon battles held outside of League sanctioned matches will result in immediate disqualification. However, training sessions are allowed, as long as they take place in secluded areas or the Pokemon Center's training field. Also, entering Vanquier Town is allowed, but if any trouble is started over there, the same punishment will be enforced." His demeanor immediately changed back to his old self once finished with his rules. "Now, let the Kalos League begin!"

The crowd of spectators and Trainers couldn't hold their excitement in any longer. Cheers of excitement spread through the entire stadium. If you weren't excited before, there was no way you still weren't excited.

"Um, excuse me," Mr. Goodshow started to say. As the crowd was celebrating, one of his assistants had reminded him about something. "I forgot to mention that the screening battles in begin in exactly one hour. All trainers have been broken into four blocks which you were organized into during the opening ceremony. Those in group A will head to Block A on the dirt fields. This is the same for the rest of the groups."

* * *

"I wonder what's taking them so long," Ash asked as he sat inside of the Pokemon Center. He had told his friends that they should all meet up here one the ceremony was completed, but that had been almost forty minutes ago and there was still no sign of them. Sawyer, Tierno and Trevor had waited as well, but Ash had told them to go along without him, which they did.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried out as he started to pace back and forth. He was usually patient, but this was the one time of the year where his patience never lasted long.

"I know, buddy, but we told them to meet up here. We can't leave before they show up," he stated, but just like his best friend, he too was now pacing back and forth. "But they need to show up soon!"

Just then, the doors to the Center opened up. Walking into the Pokemon Center were his three friends, but they all looked exhausted.

"What happened?" Ash asked as he walked over towards them. He knew the crowds could get bad, but he never saw them tire people out like this.

"W-We... we ran into some fans," Serena stated as she sat down on the Center's couch. She looked the worst out of all of them. "As we left the stadium, some people recognized me from the Master Class Showcase. At first it was okay, but then they started to get packed."

"From there we got separated from the crowd," Clemont finished up before taking a sip of water. "I never realized how many people watched the Master Class."

Bonnie started to look around the empty Center, hoping to see the others or just any pokemon that may be around. "Hey, Ash, where is everyone?"

"They already headed over to do their screenings," he explained. He then sat down on the couch next to Serena. Looking at each of his friends, Ash was curious to see if they were ready yet. Sure, they just got here, but he didn't have much time to get over to the battlefields for his screening. "You guys ready?"

"Ready for what, Ash?" Serena asked as she took a sip of water. She really had no clue what he was talking about. What were they supposed to be ready for?

"To go head over to the screenings," he answered with his familiar smile on his face. "The battles will start soon, so we need to get going."

"But, Ash, Mr. Goodshow said that only participants are allowed to be there," Clemont reminded him. He mentally sighed at Ash's forgetfulness. Sometimes he wondered how Ash could forget simple things, but always remembered his complex battle strategies.

Ash laughed at his response. He wasn't trying to be mean, but, what would they say if Ash really brought his friends with him. They had allowed it in all of his previous Leagues, heck, they were allowed to be on the field with him during actual battles. "It doesn't matter if you're there," he explained to them. "It'll be fine, come on." He then headed straight for the exit.

"Okay, when you put it that way," Serena said, getting a wave of energy as she followed Ash to the exit, followed by Bonnie and then Clemont. Hearing this really excited her, she had thought she wouldn't be able to see him battle for a while.

"So, Ash," Clemont started to say as they left the Center. "Aren't you just a little nervous about all the competition? You don't seem to be even a tiny bit nervous about it."

Serena couldn't help but feel worried about how Ash may respond. He was already nervous about letting his pokemon down, but now Clemont brought up all the competition. Deciding to butt in, Serena spoke up. "There's no need for him to be nervous, he'll do fine."

"Yeah, as long as Pikachu and the others give it their all, I couldn't ask for more," Ash answered truthfully. Though, he was glad Serena didn't seem to hesitate to support him. It seemed like she really believed in his chances.

"Gosh, Clemont, why do you always have to bring the mood down!?" Bonnie scolded him as if he was the younger child. It really was funny. Despite Clemont being older, it was sometimes Bonnie who acted like she was the eldest sibling. "Everyone here believes in Ash and then you ask that question."

"I-I was trying to do anything," Clemont pleaded to try and get Bonnie off his case. "I was just a little nervous for Ash. I really want to see him go far in the League. I believe in him just as much as you do."

A small smile came to Ash's face as he heard his friends talking. "It's fine, Clemont. It was just an honest question, no harm done. I'd be lying if I didn't say that 383 other trainers wasn't a lot. But like I said before, when all my pokemon give it their all, no one can beat us."

"Yeah!" Bonnie agreed as she threw her arms up in the air. "Ash is going to beat everyone here!"

Continuing on, the group finally made it to a large set of battlefields. Hundreds of trainers were all gathered around a few official looking people carrying clipboards. "These must be the location of the screenings," Clemont stated to the group as he fixed his glasses. "It appears that they're calling trainers off based on numbers assigned to them."

"Hm, then it makes sense why they handed this to me," Ash stated as he pulled a crumpled up piece of paper from his pocket. Opening it up, the number 97 was revealed to be written on it. "I just thought they were counting how many trainers were lining up."

"Ash and Pikachuuuu!" A voice screamed through the crowd of people as guitar chords soon followed after. The whole group recognized the voice immediately. It was none other than Jimmy, the boy they had met while Ash was sick. Finally making it through the crowd, the guitar playing trainer walked right up to Ash. "I knew you'd be here. I've been waiting for our rematch!"

"Jimmy?" Ash asked out loud as he saw the Pikachu trainer. It had been a while since he last saw the boy, but he still looked exactly the same. He was still covered in face paint to look like a Pikachu and he carried around his guitar and amplifier. "Why are you here?"

"To beat you of course," Jimmy stated before playing a few strings of music. "We never had a real battle between our Pikachu. How am I supposed to become the greatest Pikachu trainer out there if I don't beat yours?" He asked, eyeing first Ash and then his Pikachu.

That was right, the first time they had met, Ash had been sick and Serena had filled in by pretending to be him. "Well, it doesn't matter," he stated confidently as he returned the stare to Jimmy and his Pikachu. "Pikachu and I will beat you."

"We'll have to see about that, Ash," Jimmy said, once again playing his guitar. This time it was getting on everyone's nerves. Did he have to play that instrument every time he spoke? "We've grown even stronger since facing off with that cutie over there," he stated as he winked at Serena. The action, causing her to blush a little out of embarrassment more than anything else.

Ash noticed it, and for some reason it didn't sit right with him. Something about seeing the way he acted with Serena made Ash a little upset. Sure, Tierno acted this way with her, but Shauna also said he did it to a lot of people. But, Jimmy, they didn't really know him.

Seeing Ash's reaction, Jimmy smirked. "What, afraid that Serena can battle better with your Pikachu than you can?" Jimmy asked as his self-confidence went through the roof. He had the situation wrong however. While he thought Ash was worried about losing, he was really annoyed about his previous situation with Serena. "So, Serena," Jimmy started to say as he walked over to the honey-blonde girl. "How about after I beat Ash, we go into town together?"

Serena didn't know what to say. She didn't really want to spend time with Jimmy, her entire plan was to spend as much time with Ash as she could. However, she also couldn't be rude to the boy. "W-well... I... I don't..." she started to say, only to be surprised when she was cut off by Ash.

"You shouldn't be thinking about winning, Jimmy," Ash declared proudly. He had his usual smirk across his face like whenever he was in a battle. His determination was already there, but something about the boy just made it go even higher. "Pikachu and I can win easily."

"Really?" Jimmy asked with a smile across his own face. He was hiding something, but whatever it was it was about to be revealed. "Did your Pikachu earn all eight of your badges like Tongari did for me?"

Ash was about to respond, but the voice of a judge caused him to stop. "Trainer number 97," the judge called out as he read off of a clipboard. The man was dressed in a usual referee's outfit, a blue long sleeved shirt with a black collar and brown pants. "Please report to field four. Your battle against number 112 will be starting shortly."

"Well, I guess we won't have to wait long to battle," Jimmy stated as he pulled another chord. While Tongari thrashed his head around, Jimmy pulled out a piece of paper, revealing that he was trainer number 112. "Just remember, I'll be victorious."

"Serena," Ash started to say as they made their way over to field four for his first screening match. "Is there anything special about Jimmy's Pikachu?"

Thinking back, Serena tried to remember the battle. Most of it was kind of cloudy due to the hecticness of the situation, but a few things stuck out to her. "Well, it can use dig," Serena said before remembering one more piece of information. "And it can also use thunder punch."

"Dig and thunder punch?" Ash asked as he finally reached the field. This might be a little harder than he first thought. Unlike Serena, he never got a chance to see how Jimmy battled, "We'll just do our best to counter it out, won't we, Pikachu?"

"Pi Pika Pi!" It cried out triumphantly as the group of four reached the fenced in area. It was ready for a fight, the last time it battled against Tongari, the match had been interrupted. It wanted to prove just how strong it is.

"I'm sorry, but only registered trainers are allowed entrance beyond this point," the judge stated as he blocked Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie from entering. "You can wait at the Pokemon Center for your friend."

"They can come in," Ash stated to the judge. "What harm will it do if my friends see me battle? They came all the way here to watch, what happens if I get knocked out now?" He asked seriously. Ash wasn't one to go around breaking rules, but right now he wanted his friends to watch. He told them they could, and he didn't want to break his word to them.

"W-well, I guess I can overlook it this one time," the judge said as he lowered his arm so Ash's three friends could make their way into the field. After they were all inside, he closed the gate behind them as he stood outside, a thought racing into his head. _"That boy looked like the one who jumped off Prism Tower. It couldn't be the same boy, could it?"_

"This screening match between Ash Ketchum and Jimmy will now commence. Both trainers are allowed the use of one pokemon each. The first to faint will lose and their trainer will be eliminated from the Vanquier Conference," the judge explained as he raised two flags, one green and the other red. "Begin!" He yelled before dropping both flags down to his sides.

"Clemont," Bonnie started to say as she tugged at her brother's jumpsuit. "I thought Mr. Goodshow said that the scores of trainers will be added up to decide who moves on. They never said losing here will result in elimination."

"I know, but that must have been to keep the tournament a secret for the next time an amount of trainers like this happens again," Clemont responded as they waited for the battle to begin. Even Clemont could tell that there was tension in the air. Letting out a deep breath, he wished for the best for Ash.

"Pikachu, you're up!" Ash cried as he pointed out towards the field. The electric mouse jumped off of Ash's shoulder and landed on the field, ready to battle.

"Tongari, you know what to do," jimmy stated as his Pikachu walked onto the field, pretending to thrash around to a song.

"Use thunderbolt!" The two trainers called out at the same time. Both Pikachu leaped forward into the air as static electricity built up inside of them. The two trainers watched as sparks started to bounce off of their respective Pikachu.

"Pika... Chuuuu!" The two electric types cried out as their built up charges shot out of their bodies. The two blasts collided at the center of the field, causing a small explosion and dust to pick up.

His vision clouded, Ash tried to fight through the cloud of dust as he looked for Tongari. "Pikachu, be ready, they could attack at any time!" He called out. He was right, but he was also hoping that they were having a hard time seeing as well. Ash's hope was crushed when he heard Jimmy speak.

"Now, Tongari, attack!" Jimmy cried out as he played his guitar again. Looking over to Serena, the guitarist smirked as he continued playing. "This song is for you, Serena."

Once again, Ash couldn't explain this feeling, but he was growing upset at Jimmy. He didn't know what about the boy annoyed him, but it seemed like every time he talked to Serena like that, he was growing more and more upset.

Distracted by his own confusion, Ash paid no attention to the battle at hand. Before he knew it, Tongari had emerged from under the ground, ramming his body into Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out as his partner was launched across the field. Luckily for him, a gust of wind came along to dispose of any lingering dust clouding his vision. Ash watched as Pikachu stood back up. "Okay, use quick attack!"

"Pika pika pika pika," Pikachu cried out as a white light emerged behind him as he ran. He didn't know why, but he could tell something was upsetting Ash. Pikachu, however, thought that it had more to do with Jimmy believing to have a better Pikachu and was not going to let Ash down.

"Tongari, time for a new chord," Jimmy stated as he started a new chord of his own. "Double team then thunderbolt!"

"What!" Ash cried out while Tongari split off into multiple copies of himself. Before Ash could even issue another command, Tongari and his copies had already launched their attack.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as he was shocked with a thunderbolt. But, after being hit by dig, he was feeling a little weaker than usual. However, he fought off the thunderbolt and stood back up, shocking Jimmy a little.

"Pikachu, let's end their attack with our own thunderbolt!" Ash stated as he threw his right fist forward.

"Pika... Chuuu!" Pikachu cried out once more as he released a thunderbolt wide enough to hit the entire double team. However, once the attack ended, there was no sign of Tongari. Looking around, Pikachu also kept his ears listening for another surprise attack from underground.

"Now, thunder punch!" Jimmy cried out, sounding as if the battle was already over. To their surprise, Tongari had hidden underground just as Pikachu thought, but instead of attacking with dig, Tongari punched up through the ground, striking Pikachu.

Pikachu flew across the field until he came to a stop in front of Ash. He had taken a lot of damage so far, all of Tongari's attacks had been direct hits on him. But, no matter how much pain he was in, he wasn't backing down. Ash had promised to him and the others that they would all try their best and he planned on keeping that promise.

"What's with Ash?" Clemont asked as he looked over at the Kanto native. To his surprise, Ash seemed to be tensed up, something he hadn't seen from him since losing four straight battles to Alain, Diantha, Sawyer and Wulfric. "He's battling not like himself."

"Hmm?" Bonnie asked as she looked over at her friend. She wasn't as skilled at picking up on battling strategies like her brother, but even she could tell Ash was battling different. "What's wrong, Clemont?"

Clemont shook his head as he watched Pikachu barely dodge a thunderbolt attack by rolling off to the side of it. Pikachu was panting now and Clemont didn't know how much more it could take. "He's sloppy. He isn't battling like he normally does. As if he's trying to prove something and his judgment is clouded."

Smirking, Jimmy started to pick up the pace with the notes he played on his guitar. Looking over to Serena, he once again winked at the girl who he gained a crush on after meeting her. "Serena, I'll wrap this up now, then we can go and get something nice to it. My treat," he stated before facing back towards the battle. "Tongari, thunder punch!"

Ash watched as Tongari rocketed across the field towards Pikachu. The conditions of them were quite obvious, his Pikachu was tired and worn down while Jimmy's was still fresh, having not taken one hit yet.

"Think Ash!" He yelled at himself through grit teeth. He hated what was going on right now, for some reason he was upset at Jimmy, but he couldn't understand why. If he did, then maybe he could start to think clearly. Then there was that image of Serena blushing at Jimmy's wink. Why was that bothering him?

"Ash!" Serena yelled as she watched his little internal struggle. She didn't know what was going on with him, but someone needed to snap him out of it. "What are you doing!? Is this what you trained for, to lose in the very first match of the screenings!?" She was right, was that really what he trained for, was he going to let everything going on outside of the battle ruin his shot at winning? "Remember! Don't give up until it's over!"

Smirking, Ash looked over at Serena. "Thanks, I just needed a little reminder," he stated before his entire demeanor was gone. He now stood more relaxed, his body actions didn't seem as forced either. "Pikachu! Block that thunder punch with iron tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in agreement as his tail stiffened up and started to glow white. Moving quickly, Pikachu swung his tail around as it collided right with Tongari's thunder punch, cancelling it out.

Seeing how Serena acted towards Ash, Jimmy couldn't help but smirk. _"I guess I had no shot at all. Oh well, but this battle is far from over!"_ He mentally thought, only to be welcomed with the sight of Tongari hit by iron tail.

"Great! Once more, iron tail!" Ash cried out. He was battling like his old self now, calm and composed. Whatever Serena did, it seemed to help and Jimmy had taken notice to it as well. Pikachu spun his body around as he slapped Tongari with another iron tail.

Jimmy's Pikachu flew across the field before coming to a stop at Jimmy's feet. "Tongari, can you continue on?"

"Pika!" It cried out as it made a little rock and roll hand gesture before thrashing his head back and forth. It wasn't ready to give up either. It was going to win no matter what!

Seeing Tongari get back up, Jimmy played a new set of notes on his guitar. "Alright, let's play them a song they'll never forget! Let's end this with double team and thunder bolt!"

The Pikachu clones surrounded Ash's Pikachu once again, but this time, Ash didn't worry. Waiting until the perfect chance to counter, Ash watched Tongari and his copied store up electricity. Seeing his chance, Ash took it. "Pikachu, drop on your back and use thunderbolt!"

Knowing exactly what Ash had planned, Pikachu dropped onto his back and started to spin while electricity started to build up inside of him. Electricity started to flow off of his body until he finally released it all at once. Due to the way he was spinning, Pikachu's thunderbolt managed to hit every single copy of Tongari before they could fire off their own attack.

"Tongari dodge with dig!" Jimmy cried out following his attack's failure. Despite the setback, he was already on the offensive again. He was ready to end it right here and now. Jimmy knew that if Pikachu took another direct hit from either dig or thunder punch.

"Pika!" Tongari cried out while his tail twisted to form what appeared to be a drill like shape. Spinning his entire body, Tongari dug deep under the field, waiting to strike.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out as sweat started to form on his forehead. "Pay close attention, he could attack from anywhere!"

"Pika!" Pikachu called out, knowing exactly what to expect. Pikachu then pointed at his tail, reminding Ash of the same tactic he reminded Serena of when they faced them.

"Of course!" Ash cried out once he recognized Pikachu's plan. It was bound to work, if not, he'd rather not think about it. "Pikachu use iron tail on the ground!"

"Pika, chu!" The electric type cried as his tail stiffened up. Once ready, Pikachu jumped into the air and performed a front flip as he slammed his tail into the ground.

The field completely shattered in the spot where Pikachu hit, causing debris to fly all around the field. Among it was Tongari, who had been caught in the attack. Seeing his chance to end this, Ash called out one final attack. "Pikachu use electro ball!"

Pikachu landed on all four of his appendixes following the iron tail and focused on the next attack. Putting all of his remaining strength into it, Pikachu charged up an electrical sphere on its tail. Despite exhaustion setting in, Pikachu wasn't ready to stop. Jumping up into the air, Pikachu spun its entire body around as he launched off the electro ball.

"Tongari, you have to dodge it!" Jimmy cried out as one of the strings on his guitar broke. Seeing the symbolism behind the surprise break, Jimmy knew what was coming next, it was over. Before Tongari could respond to Jimmy, the electro ball crashed right into the tired Pikachu, causing a mini explosion and kicking up dust.

Everyone waited to see if Tongari was still able to battle, but the dust made it impossible to see anything. After about a minute, the referee could start to make out the shape of one Pikachu standing while the other wasn't. Now with the dust completely gone, he could tell that Tongari had fainted. Raising the green flag, he started to speak. "Tongari is unable to battle, that means Ash and Pikachu are declared the winners of this match!"

"We did it Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he ran onto the field to pick up his exhausted partner. Following the referee's decision, Pikachu had collapsed as well, completely drained from the battle. "You were great out there, buddy."

"Pi... ka," it replied softly as he tried to rest a little. It was completely drained, but it was worth it to move on in the Kalos League.

"How's Tongari," Ash found himself asking. Even though something about this boy annoyed Ash at times, he didn't want to feel responsible for hurting a pokemon. "Will he be alright?"

Lifting the passed out Pikachu into his arms, Jimmy gave a smile that only meant yes. "Tongari will be fine. When he wakes up, he'll be disappointed though, but otherwise he'll recover quickly," Jimmy explained as he extended a hand out to Ash.

Taking it, the two trainers shook, signaling the end of their battle. Releasing each other from the handshake, the two trainers were met by Serena, Clemont and Bonnie waiting for them.

"Congratulations, Ash," Serena stated happily. She was about to burst with joy from seeing Ash win. Clemont and bonnie were both excited as well, but compared to Serena at the moment, their excitement could have been considered none existent. "I knew you'd win from the beginning."

"So, Jimmy," Clemont started to say as he looked at the guitarist and then his Pikachu resting in his arms. "What are you planning on doing now?"

"I'll be hitting the road first thing in the morning," he explained quickly as Tongari started to move a little in his arms. Seeing that the Pikachu was still tired, Jimmy looked down at him and gave him a look which meant to just rest.

"You're leaving already!" Bonnie asked, surprised by the fact that Jimmy had no plans on staying at the League even after his defeat. "Why don't you stay a little?"

Shaking his head, Jimmy had a huge smile on. "I can't, both Tongari and myself are already getting anxious. Plus, Ash has shown me today that I still have a while to go to become the strongest Pikachu trainer." The guitarist then turned to Ash, locking eyes with his somewhat rival. "I may have lost to you twice today, but next time I will win, in both of our battles."

"Twice?" Ash asked confused. He had no idea what Jimmy was talking about, and even his reaction caused Jimmy to look at him and see if Ash was kidding around. After seeing that he wasn't, Jimmy could only laugh. "What do you mean by both battles?"

"Ash, just remember to take care of Serena, Okay. Not every girl will sit next to you all day while you're sick," Jimmy stated as he walked away from Ash and the League, making his way over to the bridge.

"Wait!" Ash called out, hoping to get some answers out of the boy. "What did he mean by that?" Honestly, from the moment he went to bed the night he got the cold, he had no memories of that day until waking up to see Clemont and Bonnie standing over him with medicine.

Serena was now blushing a bright red, but luckily Ash paid no attention to it. When she was taking care of Ash, she never realized just how hard she was taking care of him. Finally getting herself under control, Serena started to speak.

"W-well, you see," she started to say, her nerves making it hard to speak. "When... Clemont and Bonnie left to get your medicine, I stayed right next to you, trying to make you as comfortable as possible."

Ash had no idea she had done that. He had assumed she had been in the tent originally, but then left it and would come back in and check on him. He didn't realize she was sitting in there the entire time. Then to add on to it, she pretended to be him, just to battle Jimmy so he wouldn't be disturbed.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash stated as a smile crossed his face. "I had no idea you did so much," he stated as a thought came across his mind. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I... didn't think... it was important," she answered, trying to hide her blushing face. She could feel the heat rising in her face and could only imagine what she looked like. "Y-you were better and that's all that mattered.

"Yeah?" Ash asked. He thought it was strange. If someone had helped him the entire time he was sick, he would like to know, that way he could properly thank them. "Well, nothing is even unimportant. Let me know next time, that way I can properly thank you. The same goes to you Clemont and you too Bonnie. Now, let's get to my next battle!" he stated before making his way over to his next field.

* * *

Ash's other two matches flew by easily. In the second match, Ash had decided to use Hawlucha against his opponent's Watchog. The battle didn't last long, Hawlucha showing off his superior speed and strength against the Unova pokemon. He had managed to win using his signature flying press attack. In Ash's third and final match, he had decided to use Greninja. The ninja pokemon made quick work of his opponent, a Machoke, defeating it with a double team and water shuriken combo.

Now the group had arrived at the Pokemon Center, looking to see if Ash had advanced onto the next round. Looking at the list of trainers, everyone started to grow worried as they couldn't find Ash's picture. The list had been set up to show every trainer from their respective group that had moved on to the semi-finals portion of the conference.

"Where's Ash's picture!?" Bonnie cried out. She was growing frustrated by the fact they couldn't find his picture. He had won all three of his pictures, but they couldn't find it anywhere. "He should be here he won every match!"

"Relax, Bonnie, we'll find him," Serena said as she placed a hand on the overactive child's shoulder. However, despite how confident she seemed, she too was getting nervous. They had looked through most of the list by now and still hadn't found it yet. Clutching the ribbon on her chest with her free hand, she pulled Bonnie off to another section. "Why don't we split up from Ash and Clemont, then we can find it faster."

Looking through the lists as well, Clemont saw some names her knew, but not the one he was looking for. "Ash," he said, getting his friend's attention. He motioned for Ash to come take a look at the part of the list he had seen. "It looks like both Trevor and Sawyer moved on."

"Yeah, good for them, I also saw Tierno's name as well earlier," Ash stated truthfully. The way everything was going right now, someone could have thought he was upset about them being on the list and he still couldn't find his. But that wasn't Ash, he really meant it when he said he was glad. "Now we just need to find my name!"

Ash started to walk away when a thought came to his head. Turning around to face Clemont, the pokemon trainer had a sheepish grin on his face. "Clemont," he started to say as he looked at the tops of the lists they had looked at. "You don't think these lists are all organized by the groups we were assigned to, do you?"

Clemont almost fell over from the thought. That would make perfect sense, they hadn't even thought to see if the lists were organized that way. They had just looked right at them, going down every sheet of paper. "You're probably right, Ash. Now that you said that, it makes sense why each page had a large letter above them. Let's go find group D."

"Found it!" Bonnie's voice exploded through the entire Pokemon Center. Looking across the room, Ash and Clemont spotted Bonnie jumping out of joy. She had found Ash's name along with his picture. "I found him, he's over here!"

Everyone else made their way over to Bonnie. They just had to see it for themselves as well. Once they reached the paper, they saw Ash's name and the picture they had taken upon registration sitting near the top of group D

"Wow, Ash, you almost scored perfectly in all three of your matches. You must have done really well to finish in the top seven of group D," Serena said, sounding extremely happy for her crush. Now he was guaranteed at least one more match, now in an actual arena. "But, how does this decide your next match up?"

"I can help with that," Nurse Joy stated as she signaled for everyone to make their way over to her. On her front desk she had a large monitor along with a red button. Ash recognized this immediately from his time competing at the Indigo Plateau Conference. "All Ash needs to do is hit this red button to stop the pictures above from changing. Whatever it lands on will be his first field."

"Easy enough," Clemont stated as he looked at the machine. It really did make picking matches easier for everyone.

"Alright, let's see what we get, Pikachu," Ash stated as he and his best friend made their way over to the counter. Watching as images of water, ice, grass and rock all flashed over the screen, the duo pushed the button not worried about which field they landed on.

The pictures started to slow down until eventually they came to a stop, landing on the grass field. Everyone was happy, the grass field was probably the easiest one. Even with that, they knew Ash would have been fine battling on any other field as well.

"Okay, so you'll be battling on the grass field at 1pm tomorrow, Ash," Nurse Joy told the boy as she typed the information in the computer. She then turned the other monitor next to her and typed away at that one. Within a few seconds, a new image appeared on the screen facing the group, surprising them at who it was. "You'll be facing off against this boy, Trevor from Lumiose City."

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest: Yeah, I guess it did and again this chapter. Things will only continue to pick as the story continues.**

* * *

 **And now that he's advanced, Ash has to face off against one of his friends immediately. How will this match come to be and will Ash win? Find out next chapter.**

 **About the bit with Jimmy, it was meant to help move Ash's realization at his feelings along, but while also keeping his denseness. He didn't really understand that he was getting jealous of Jimmy flirting.**

 **Thanks for reading the new chapter and for the continued support. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**

 **Next Time: So, my first battle in the semi-finals will be against Trevor. I can't wait! But, I also know just how powerful a Charizard is so I'll need some strong Pokemon as well. Wish me luck! Next time, "Charizard vs Charizard: A Battle of Might!"**


	5. Charizard v Charizard: A Battle of Might

**Welcome back everyone. I don't have any real news today, except that the new legendries for sun & moon may have been leaked. At least the names have. Solgaleo and Lunaala, which sound to have some Spanish influence, at least with the aala part of Lunaala. It makes me think this region will be what South Kalos used to be only they broke off from Kalos to create their own region due to different views.**

 **Anyway, enough about that, let's get to what you really came her for.**

* * *

 **Ch 5: Charizard vs Charizard: A Battle of Might**

"Okay, so you'll be battling on the grass field at 1pm tomorrow, Ash," Nurse Joy told the boy as she typed the information in the computer. She then turned the other monitor next to her and typed away at that one. Within a few seconds, a new image appeared on the screen facing the group, surprising them at who it was. "You'll be facing off against this boy, Trevor from Lumiose City."

"Trevor!?" They all cried out as they looked at the picture on the screen. Ash continued to look at it as a smile crossed his face.

"This is going to be a great battle," Ash stated as he pumped his fist out of excitement. Trevor didn't seem like a strong battler, but where he lacked skill, he made up with his knowledge of Pokemon. Knowing that, Ash knew he was going to have an interesting battle ahead. "Knowing Trevor he's already prepared."

"What do you mean by that?" Bonnie asked as she stared at Ash. Out of everyone they knew here, Trevor was the one they knew the least about. In fact, Ash had only faced him once, and that was back when he had Charmeleon.

"What he means is that Trevor is very knowledgeable when it comes to Pokemon," Clemont stated as he tried to help explain. "He's probably thought up of strategies that go perfectly with his Pokemon."

Speaking of strategies," Serena started to say as she faced Ash. "Do you have any ideas on who to use?"

Crossing his arms against his chest, Ash started to think about possible pokemon he could use. "Nope," he answered while letting out a laugh. Before he could continue on, Ash's stomach decided to speak up. Catching everyone by surprise, his stomach let out a loud roar to tell everyone that it was time to eat. "I guess it'll be better for me to think after dinner."

Everyone laughed at Ash, sometimes it seemed as if his stomach was the one with the brain. If he wasn't training, then he was probably looking for something to eat.

"I'll even make some macaroons for you and pokepuffs for Pikachu and the others," Serena told him as the group all left the Pokemon Center. The promise of Serena's treats excited Ash as he broke off into a sprint for their hotel.

* * *

Sitting down for dinner, Ash finally had a chance to think about his match the next day. Putting his fork down, Ash appeared to have entered a deep thought. _"This is going to be hard,"_ he thought to himself as he tried to picture Pokemon that the photographer would have. The last time they had met was when Fletchinder evolved while fighting Moltres, but that was a while ago and back when his Charizard was a Charmeleon.

"Ash," Serena started to say once she noticed the determined look on his face. She liked seeing that face, something about it excited Serena. It might have to do with the way that Ash never gave up, no matter what situation he was in. This had been something passed onto Serena. "Have you finished thinking about your team?"

Ash shook his head. "No. It's harder with Trevor than I think any of us thought," he explained before rubbing his hands through his hair. He really was getting nowhere with any possible teams. "Without any ideas for his other Pokemon, I don't know how to counter any strategy he might use."

"You know about Charizard," Bonnie said, causing Ash to look at her with a confused face. He had no clue how knowing one Pokemon could be helpful. "Well, this way you know that he'll have that one."

Clemont understood what she was getting at and nodded in agreement. "She's right. From what I understood, Trevor didn't battle much. If that's the case, then it should be safe to assume that Charizard is his strongest."

Ash was starting to get what they were saying, but building a plan to beat a Charizard and actually beating one were two different things. He knew just how strong a Charizard could be. "I guess you're right. I'll probably sleep on my decision. The match isn't until the afternoon tomorrow."

* * *

"Okay, Pikachu, time to put in some thought," Ash told his partner as they sat up at night. Reaching towards the nightstand, Ash turned on the lamp before grabbing his stack of pictures. "We need three Pokemon who can stand up to a Charizard. Got any ideas?"

"Pi, Pikachu!" It cried out, his tiny paws searching through the pile of pictures before coming to a rest on one. It had been waiting for Ash to think of this Pokemon, but during the entire night, he never once mentioned it.

"How could I forget about him, he'll be good as well," Ash asked as he slapped his forehead. Taking the picture that Pikachu picked, he moved it over to the side of the bed, making sure that it wouldn't get misplaced. "Now that that's settled, we only need one more," he said before a yawn escaped his mouth. Feeling a bit drowsy, Ash placed the pictures back where he got them from and shut the light off. "We'll figure the other two out in the morning."

* * *

"Ash still isn't awake, should we go get him?" Bonnie asked as she placed some plates on the table for breakfast. She had offered to help Clemont while Serena went off to the Pokemon Center to practice her performance routine. Even with the Showcases over, she wanted to be ready for next year.

"Ash will get up when he's ready," Clemont answered as he flipped some pancakes onto a plate. Normally he would have told Bonnie to go and wake the boy up, but with them not needing to travel to any cities Ash could sleep in. "Besides, it's best we don't disturb him right now. He needs to concentrate for his match."

Understanding the situation, Bonnie nodded in agreement before smelling the pancakes. Wiping the droll from her mouth, Bonnie continued to eye the breakfast Clemont was making. "But, if he isn't up soon, can we eat without him?" She asked, feeling somewhat bad about it after. They always ate as a group, but Ash was also usually up by now.

Looking at the clock, Clemont noticed that it was roughly two hours later than what they usually ate at. Understanding where Bonnie was coming from, Clemont sighed. "If Ash isn't up in thirty minutes, Bonnie, then we can start to eat."

Bonnie jumped out of joy. She didn't want to eat without everyone, but the smell of pancakes was also making her impatient. "Thanks, Clemont," she replied while finishing the table. Looking at it, it appeared to be like a piece of art to the young girl, but to Clemont it appeared that she just placed the utensils wherever.

* * *

"So, Ash, your first official Kalos League match is this afternoon," Professor Oak asked as he talked to the boy who had grown up just down the road from him. Professor Oak still remembered the day that both his grandson Gary and Ash left to become pokemon trainers. Sure their paths went in different directions, but their love for Pokemon never changed. They reminded the professor of himself when he was younger.

"Yeah, and I was wondering if I could make a few transfers with you," Ash asked before realizing that there was probably a major time difference between the regions. When he had made the call, he didn't even put something like different time zones into thought, instead just calling away. "Also, I'm sorry if I woke you up."

Laughing, Professor Oak smiled at the boy. "Nonsense, Tracy and I are already up this early in the morning. If we didn't, it would take us all day to take care of the pokemon." He then pulled over a tray of pokeballs from a nearby table. "I just so happened to have your pokemon nearby after the other day. Now, who is it that you were looking to have sent to you."

Ash quickly told the Professor the pokemon he was going to need for the match later today and waited patiently for the pokeballs to be transferred. Once in his grasp, Ash showed them to the professor. "They all made it, Professor. Thank you for the help."

"I also received your pokemon," he said while raising the newly received pokemon to the screen. "It was my pleasure to help, now go out there and give it all you can!"

"Right!" He said, pumping his fist in the air, Pikachu copying his motion. "We'll all do our best today," he told the professor before ending the call. Ash wondered how today would go for them, it had been a while since the pokemon he asked for were involved in an actual battle. Walking out of the Pokemon Center, Ash heard a familiar voice and decided to check it out.

"Okay, now Braixen will use flamethrower while performing a flip. Pancham you do the same but with dark pulse. Then, Sylveon we'll dance underneath the display and you'll wrap it up with fairy wind," Serena explained as they all walked to the spots Serena just explained.

Seeing that Serena was working on her performances, Ash decided to walk over silently. He didn't want to interrupt anything on her. Serena started off the performance with a simple, yet captivating stone edge yet lifted the four of them off of the ground.

From there, Braixen and Pancham performed their respective parts that Serena explained. The two attacks collided together once launched, creating a dazzling display of lights. Orange and purple filled the sky as Serena danced underneath them with Sylveon. As the dust started to fall around them, Ash couldn't help but stare, something about the scene couldn't get him to look away. Finally, Sylveon finished off the performance with fairy wind, scattering the entire dust throughout the "crowd" as Serena and her pokemon posed.

"That was great, Serena!" Ash called out clapping as he walked towards them. Seeing Ash her surprised Serena, who had a light blush appear from the shock. "I really liked what you did."

"T-thank you, Ash," Serena muttered. She could have sworn this place was empty when they started. She was just hoping that he wasn't there the entire time or that he hadn't heard everything they were talking about. When she had first got to the Center, Serena had talked to her pokemon about how she could tell Ash about her feelings, but they couldn't figure anything out. "We've really been working hard."

"Yeah, I can see," he said while rubbing underneath his nose. He didn't know why, but for some reason he found himself doing this quite often around Serena. But, what he did say was true, you could really see just how far she had come. "Everything about your performance is better. You're including more combinations and even just your dancing with Sylveon is a nice touch."

"Yeah, we've been training extra hard," Serena told him as she gave him a warm smile. "We plan on becoming Kalos Queen next year, and nothing will stop us," she explained, only to stop when a thought entered her head. "But, Ash, why are you here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for your match? It's in a few hours."

"I already did," Ash stated as he patted the side of his belt where his pokeballs were attached to. "I thought about who to use and once I made up my mind, I came right here to talk with Professor Oak. All the pokemon I plan on using against Trevor are on me right now."

Having been out practicing for a while, Serena decided to take a break. Seeing what was going on, Serena's pokemon and Pikachu ran off to the other side of the field wanting to give them some time alone.

Seeing that they were now alone, Serena didn't really know what to say to Ash. Deciding to go with what would make him excited, she decided to talk about his upcoming match. "So, Ash, who'd you decide to use?" She asked, folding her arms behind her back and taking a step closer.

Ash however didn't want to give away who he was using to anyone. Shaking his head, he could only smile at the performer. "Sorry, Serena, but it's a secret. You'll just have to wait like everyone else," he teased, placing a finger up against his lips. He enjoyed it, it was easier to just have fun with her than with previous friends. Sometimes they would yell at him, but outside of Serena's concern for his wellbeing, she never yelled at him. "But, I'll say this. I did take your advice."

"My advice?" Serena asked as she tried to think back to last night. She couldn't really remember anything that she told him, but just the fact that he listened to her made her excited, causing her to smile.

"Yeah... I thought about it, and... Well decided that maybe it was the best decision," he replied while scratching his cheek. Noticing Serena's smile, Ash couldn't help but smile as well. Something about her smile always made everyone around her happier, but this time, this one felt a little better to Ash. "But, do you mind watching Pikachu during my match today?"

The question caught Serena by surprise, causing her to look at Ash as if he was sick. Did he really just ask her to watch Pikachu? "S-sure, but, why aren't you using him today?"

"I want to keep him rested for when the fights get even harder," he answered truthfully before walking towards Pikachu. "Pikachu, I want you to stay with Serena today. She's going to watch you while I'm battling," he explained to the electric mouse. Without another notice, he appeared to have started to walk away. Stopping for a second, he turned around and flashed his all too familiar grin. "Serena, I'm going to head back. I want to eat something before my match. But, promise you'll root for me?"

"Yeah, and I'll take good care of Pikachu today!" She yelled back as Ash walked away. She was a little confused now, even when Ash didn't use Pikachu, he was still next to Ash during gym matches. Why have him sit up in the stands now? Turning to face Pikachu, Serena sighed. "Any idea why he isn't having you down on the field?"

"Pi Pikachu?" It replied back while shrugging. It honestly had no idea either. There were a few times in the past where this happened, but it hadn't been this way for a while.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you here today to the first round match up on the grass field," the announcer told the entire crowd. The entire arena was filled today, but luckily Clemont had grabbed them all seats right on the front row, directly behind Ash. "In this match, we'll see Trevor of Lumiose City square off against Ash of Pallet Town from all the way in Kanto!"

"Wow, Ash and Trevs, right away," Tierno stated, sounding surprised. "Ash better not get too confident."

"What do you mean by that?" Bonnie asked the dancing trainer as she looked at the field. She didn't understand what Tierno was hinting at.

"Trevor's smart. Knowing him, he's already came up with a strategy to overcome Ash," Tierno explained in a simpler way. Or at least he thought he did. Seeing that she didn't understand still, he gave up. "Clemont, you mind helping me?"

"Bonnie, what he's trying to say is that Trevor took Ash's battling style into consideration when he planned how to face off against him," Clemont started to explain as the sun shined off his glasses. "Trevor probably believes he found a way to stop Ash."

"But Ash will do fine!" Serena joined in. "He's always found a way to overcome any problems he's faced." That was true, some of the things she thought about were the time he overcame rock tomb against Grant and trick room with Valerie.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out in agreement. It seemed that the duo were much closer, with Pikachu spending time with Serena when Ash wasn't around.

"Now, both trainers will choose their first pokemon!" The referee called out, causing the group to stop talking. The referee raised his green flag, signaling for Ash to send his pokemon out first. "Ash Ketchum has won the coin toss and will choose first!"

Smiling, Ash reached for a pokeball. He had no idea who Trevor was going to use, but he knew the pokemon he was choosing would do fine. "Tauros, I choose you!" He yelled out as he threw the pokeball forward as the wild bull pokemon emerged with a loud cry.

"Ash has a Tauros!" Sawyer yelled as he nearly fell out of his seat. Reaching for his notebook, the beginning trainer started to scribble away as he wrote down this revelation. "When did he catch that?"

"Back during his time in Kanto," Serena answered as she waited for Trevor to choose his first pokemon. "Ash figured it would be best to use all of his pokemon this time around."

"This is great!" Sawyer cried out, his eyes filled with excitement. He had already came up with a plan on how to stop Ash's Kalos pokemon, but the challenge of creating a new one based around his other ones excited him.

"Yeah, but will Trevor's plan hold up now?" Shauna asked as she looked over at her friend. "He was assuming that Ash only had the pokemon during his journey through Kalos on hand."

"Trevor's smart. He'll figure something out," Tierno stated, showing that he had full trust in his friend. "Besides, Ash is so unpredictable, that no matter how much you try and prepare for him he'll just surprise you with something new."

Trevor was surprised to see a Tauros chosen first. Taking a step back out of surprise, Trevor readied himself as he picked his first pokeball. _"Even if he's using other pokemon, my strategy should still be fine,"_ he thought to himself as he tossed his pokeball. "Lairon, it's your turn!"

"A Lairon?" Serena questioned as she pulled out her pokedex. She had never seen one of these pokemon before and wondered what had to be said about it.

Opening up, pokedex scanned Lairon before distributing data on it. "Lairon, the iron armor pokemon. Lairon is the evolved form of Aron. They show off their strength with the sparks they create by ramming into boulders."

"Yeah, we were just as surprised," Tierno said as he waited for the first move to happen.

"Turns out, when he got sidetracked while heading to Anistar City it was because of that guy," Shauna added in. It all made sense now, Shauna had mentioned that Trevor was coming to Anistar to watch her showcase, but had run into a pokemon he'd never seen before.

"This will be a tricky match up for Ash," Clemont stated as he rubbed his chin. By the looks of it, this first match in the semifinals could turn into a real good one. "Tauros is a pokemon known for its wide array of powerful moves, but Lairon has tremendous defense not to mention its steel typing."

"A Lairon," Ash stated as he looked at the pokemon. The look of shock quickly left his face as one of joy quickly replaced it. "Trevor!" Ash yelled out as he caught the photographer's attention. "Let's have a great battle. I'm looking forward to this!"

Trevor smiled at Ash's words. He hadn't entered to win the League, but to give his pokemon a chance to battle. He wasn't ready to head home so soon. "Yeah! But, Ash, don't expect me to go easy on you!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" He yelled out as he threw his fist forward. "Tauros use your take down attack!"

Tauros ran right for Lairon as a trail of white light emerged behind it. The speed that Tauros was running at surprised those who watched it, showing why Ash had went with it. Once in striking distance, Tauros lowered his head and rammed right into Lairon.

"Great job, Tauros, now push it back!" Ash cried out, only to see that Tauros was having a harder time than he thought. Despite landing the hit, Tauros was unable to move his opponent, instead just running in place.

"Lairon, let's show them our strength. Use iron head!" Trevor called out as he quickly snapped a picture of the scene before him. Even if they were in a battle, he couldn't pass up a picture like this.

Lairon roared out in approval as his head started to shine brightly. Then, to Ash's surprise, Tauros started to lose his footing before finally being pushed backwards. With one final push, Lairon slammed his head right into Tauros, knocking the wild bull pokemon onto its side.

"And just like that, Lairon delivers a powerful iron head to counter Tauros' take down. Both pokemon are showing an enormous amount of power!" The announcer cried. Even if it was just the first move, he was getting into it.

"Now, Lairon, when we have our chance," Trevor called out, causing Lairon to nod in agreement. Trevor knew this was the best shot at getting their strategy set up. "Use stealth rocks!"

* * *

"Stealth rocks!" Clemont cried out from the stands. This wouldn't be good for Ash. "This is bad," he muttered as sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Why's that, big brother?" Bonnie asked. She had been the first one to notice Clemont's worry, but now the entire group had seen it. "How could one move be so bad?"

"Bonnie, stealth rocks is a move that is active during the entire battle," Clemont started to explain as Lairon shot rocks all over the field. "Now, whenever Ash chooses a new pokemon, they'll be inflicted damage upon switch in."

"There has to be a way around that?" Serena asked as she stared at the field. There were now pieces of jagged rock scattered all around now. Tauros seemed to be unaffected, but what about the other's.

"No way, Serena," Tierno answered as he nodded in approval of Trevor's decision. The boy really came through on his strategy this time. "The only way to get rid of them is through a select few moves."

"I just have to takes notes about this," Sawyer added in as he wrote away. "A move like this could do wonders for me." It was true, Sawyer was always trying to find new ways to make him and his pokemon stronger.

* * *

" _So, that's Trevor's plan,"_ Ash thought to himself as he watched Lairon finish shooting off thee stone fragments. Looking around the field, Ash noticed the jagged rocks everywhere.

"And now Trevor continues his attack with the use of stealth rocks! What will Ash decide to do next?" The announcer stated, causing the crowd to applaud Trevor. The attention embarrassed the trainer, who let off a slight blush.

Looking at the situation, Ash took a deep breath. Switching out wouldn't do him any good right now, but Tauros also wasn't doing much damage against Lairon. Was it time to play his hand yet? _"No, I need to save him for later. How about I show them Tauros' strength."_

Swinging his arm across his body, Ash pointed straight at Lairon. "Now, Tauros let's show them one of our new tricks! Use bulldoze!"

Tauros cried out in agreement as he slammed his hooves onto the ground. The entire field started to shake as the field started to crack around the wild bull. The shockwaves shot all over the field until finally hitting Lairon, knocking the pokemon over and onto its side.

"Great, now continue that with another bulldoze and keep them coming!" Ash confidently called out as Tauros continued to slam his hooves. The shockwaves from the attack only continued to grow stronger every time Tauros slammed his hooves.

"And it appears Ash has turned the tides of this battle rather quickly!" the announcer called out as Tauros was making it impossible for Lairon to counter. "With this deadly bulldoze, Lairon might be done for!"

"Think Trevor..." the young boy muttered as he watched Lairon continue to struggle. Finally, he looked at the placement of the stealth rocks and figured out an idea. "Lairon, use rock slide!"

Lairon cried out as his entire body started to glow a bright white. Then, upon another roar, the same white light appeared above an unaware Tauros. Falling out of the light were large boulders which shocked Ash.

"Quick, dodge those stones, Tauros," Ash had cried out. He had been so occupied with continuing his attack, that he had stopped paying attention to Lairon itself.

Tauros tried to dodge the falling rocks, but they were falling to fast. Eventually, Tauros was eventually hit and crushed under the rocks.

"Tauros!" Ash cried out in concern. "Tauros, come on! I know you can continue on!" Just as he thought, the normal type managed to escape from under the rubble of rocks. However, it was obviously tired from the attack. "Okay, we'll end this right here! Use take down!"

"Lairon, we'll use our take down as well!" Trevor called out, knowing that this would probably be the final attack for whoever didn't land theirs.

Both pokemon broke off into full on sprints, using every ounce of energy they had remaining. Reaching the middle of the field at the same time, both pokemon collided against each other. Neither side was willing to back down.

"This truly is a battle of wills here folks! Both pokemon are unwilling to give in to their fatigue!" The announcer cried out. The crowd roared in approval as they were enjoying the battle.

"Come on, Tauros! I know you can do it!" Ash cried out.

"Lairon, I believe in you pal!" Trevor also yelled out.

With their trainer's words driving them on, neither pokemon was willing to lose. But, the rock slide was still causing pain for Tauros, who couldn't help but flinch in pain from the previous attack. This was the chance that Lairon needed, with one final push, the iron armor pokemon pushed Tauros back and right into the pile of rocks.

"Oh no, Tauros!" Ash cried out as he looked at his pokemon. There was no denying it, Tauros was done. He had given it his best, but Lairon was just too much of a challenge.

"Tauros is unable to the battle, the winner is Lairon!" The referee declared once he saw Tauros passed out in the pile of rocks. "Please choose your next pokemon!"

"Tauros..." Ash muttered as he raised its pokeball. "Thank you, you did an amazing job today. Take a nice rest."

* * *

"Ahh!" Ash's three friends gasped as they saw Tauros be defeated. Sure, they had only seen it training with Ash for a few hours the other day, but they had been impressed with it just from that.

"Wow, Trevor really raised that Lairon well," Sawyer stated as he looked on in shock. He wasn't one to judge, but when he first met Trevor, he didn't really expect him to do this well against Ash. "I have got to talk to him after the match."

"Well, it's only one pokemon. Ash still has two more left!" Serena reminded everyone, bringing Clemont's and Bonnie's spirits back up. "He still has a good shot at this!"

"That's right!" Bonnie agreed as she grabbed Pikachu, who had jumped onto the railing in front of them all. "Ash isn't out of this yet. He'll show Trevor just how good this'll turn out to be!"

* * *

"Trevor, I have to admit, using that rock slide caught me by surprise," Ash said as he reached for his second pokeball. "But, I won't be fooled that easily, Noivern, I choose you!"

"Vern!" the dragon and flying type screeched as the stealth rocks jabbed into its wings. Ash felt bad, but there was nothing he could do. Right now, he wanted to save his last pokemon until he absolutely needed it.

"Thanks, Ash," Trevor stated as he rubbed the back of his head from embarrassment. "It just came to me when I was backed into that corner. Now, Lairon, use rock slide!"

Once again, rocks started to fall all around Noivern, but unlike with Tauros, Ash kept his cool. While Noivern flew around avoiding the attack, Ash was thinking of a way to counter it.

" _Okay, got it!"_ Ash mentally shouted once he saw a way around the attack. "Noivern, spin and use boomburst!" His idea was simply, blow the rocks away from Noivern.

"Vern!" The flying type cried out as large sonic waves shot out of its ears. Noivern sat right under the falling rocks as it started to spin. Picking up speed, it appeared that an invisible wall separated Noivern from the rock slide as the rocks couldn't touch him.

The rocks started to slow down until no more fell. Seeing this, Ash issued the next attack. "Now, use dragon pulse!"

Noivern opened its mouth as a large purple dragon emerged. The strength of the attack was amazing just based off of how large the image of the dragon was. Trevor had never seen a dragon pulse at that size.

"Quick, try and dodge it, Lairon!" Trevor asked as he watched his tired pokemon struggle to dodge the attack. Just barely getting out of the way, Lairon and Trevor both looked up to see Noivern charging at them.

"Now, end this with acrobatics!" Ash called out as he pumped his fist out of excitement. This was just what he was hoping for, an intense battle that pushed him.

Noivern swooped in as it started to glow white. Then, in a blink of an eye, the sound wave pokemon disappeared completely before reemerging right in front of Lairon. It then let off a barrage of attacks, each one landing directly.

"L-Lairon, are you alright?" Trevor asked once the attack seized. Looking at his pokemon, the look on its face said it all.

"Lairon is unable to battle, Noivern is the winner! Choose your next pokemon!" The referee declared.

"Thank you, Lairon. You helped get our strategy perfectly set up," Trevor praised as he reached for his second pokeball. "Okay, this one's my newest capture. Maybe a little beginner's luck will help us! Florges, go!"

The fairy type emerged on the field, as it eyed Noivern. Just from the look of it, this wasn't going to be an easy battle for them. They had to move fast and they had to strike first.

"Okay, Noivern, start it off with acrobatics," Ash said. He decided to go on the offensive first. They needed a quick win, especially since Trevor had his Charizard waiting.

Noivern soared through the air as the familiar white light surrounded its body. The sound wave pokemon got in close to Florges and struck the fairy type before circling back around for a second hit.

"Florges, stop it with moonblast!" Trevor called out. Florges jumped out of the way right as Noivern came right at her. Charging up the moonblast, the fairy type launched the large ball of energy right at Noivern.

"Quick, dodge that Noivern!" Ash commended as he watched the ball approach. Noivern quickly changed course as he veered off to the left, just dodging the moonblast.

"Now catch it with vine whip!" Trevor called out. He had never felt like this, the adrenaline running through his body was a welcome feeling. Now he understood why his pokemon enjoyed this so much. He was not going to let them down."

"Florges," the fairy type agreed as two vines shot off the end of the leaves that were present at the sides of its lower body. The vines extended until finally wrapping around Noivern, keeping the flying type from moving.

"Now, weaken it with fairy wind and follow it up by tossing it into the ground!" He yelled out, his voice filled with excitement.

* * *

"I've never seen Trevor act this way," Shauna said, sounding completely surprised. Everyone had the same exact thought. Trevor had always been quiet unless he talked about his pictures, but here he was controlling the battle.

Serena smiled as she already knew the reason why. "That's because Ash knows how to bring the best out of everyone," she explained, causing the group to look at her. "Ash treats every battle like it's the last he'll ever be in. When his opponents see the intensity he brings, they can't help but be influenced by it."

"You could say that," Clemont agreed as he fixed his glasses, they had gotten a little smudged and he needed to clean them. Thinking back to his gym match with Ash, Serena's words spoke the truth. "When I faced Ash for his Lumiose Gym battle, something about facing him made me want to push beyond my boundaries. My pokemon and myself were pushed to new levels I never thought I'd reach, but that short time facing him I felt the urge where I never wanted it to finish because I was enjoying it so much."

"Yeah, but you don't want to mess with that Florges," Tierno stated as he sat there dead serious. It was as if he knew something about it that the others didn't. "I took the thing lightly right after Trevor caught it. Challenged him to a battle for fun, that Florges beat Blastoise easily."

"Y-you're kidding!" Bonnie cried out as she waved her arms around. Blastoise was Tierno's ace, his strongest pokemon. "There's no way Blastoise lost."

Tierno sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "I wish it was a joke. I lowered my guard because it was both a new capture and the fact that Trevor was the trainer. Even he was shocked at the outcome."

"So... Ash and Noivern..." Bonnie started to say as she sat down.

"Could be in trouble," Clemont finished for her. The entire group was on the edge of their seats. "Trevor really planned his team accordingly."

* * *

"Noivern try and break free!" Ash cried out as he saw the powdery dust from fairy wind approach. He knew that the attack wouldn't end well if it hit Noivern. Ash watched the sound wave pokemon struggle to get free as every time he moved, the vines only tightened around Noivern. Seeing that they weren't going anywhere, Ash quickly thought up a new idea. "If we can't dodge it, we'll just blow it away! Use boomburst!"

"Noivern!" It managed to cry out as soundwaves emerged from its ears. The large blasts soared through the air, colliding right against the fairy wind. Despite the situation he was in, Noivern managed to create a boomburst strong enough to push the fairy wind right into Florges, followed by the remaining boomburst.

"Ash managed to turn a bad situation into an opportunity! Let's see how Trevor responds!" The announcer explained for everyone sitting in the stadium and watching on TV.

Trevor didn't seem worried, his plan was still working. "Ash, don't get so excited just yet. Now Florges, throw him!" Trevor yelled out as Florges whipped its vines downward, sending Noivern crashing into the ground. "And, moonblast!"

"Floorrr! Gessss!" The fairy type cried out as she charged up the moonblast. The large blast was then tossed across the field until colliding with Noivern, causing dirt to kick up into the air.

"Noivern!" Ash cried out in concern. He was hoping to hear something back, but only silence filled the stadium. "Noivern! Are you alright!?"

The dust startled to finally settle, showing the fainted Noivern sitting on the ground. "Noivern is unable to battle! The winner is Florges! Choose your final pokemon!" The referee declared as he raised the red flag in his hand.

"And just like that, Trevor manages to knock out another one of Ash's pokemon!" the announcer cried out. Based on the way he was talking, this might have been the most exciting match of the day. "Who will the Pallet Town native turn to for his last chance?"

* * *

"I-it beat Noivern!" Sawyer cried out, sounding both surprised, but also expecting that outcome. "Fairy types are strong against dragons, but I thought Noivern would have put up a better fight."

"Ash really is in a tough situation now. Not only does he have to handle Florges, but Charizard is waiting for him," Shauna added in. She was rooting for Trevor to win, but it was hard to not give Ash some support, he was her friend as well.

"Yeah, Trevor!" Tierno yelled as he cheered for his oldest friend. "Never would have thought of you as battling like this, but keep it up!"

"Come on, Ash!" Bonnie yelled out, trying to out cheer Tierno. "You can do it!" She added in before poking Clemont. "Join in, Clemont. Cheer Ash on!"

"R-right!" Clemont responded nervously. He did not want to upset his sister right now. Who knows what she could cause. "Come on Ash, it isn't over yet!"

"Yeah, we all believe in you!" Serena added in as Pikachu jumped on top of her head.

"Pi Pikachu!" The electric type yelled out as a few sparks of electricity flew off of his body.

* * *

"Thanks, Noivern," Ash said as he recalled the defeated pokemon. "You did a great job. Not only did you beat Lairon, but you also did some good damage to Florges. Take a long rest," he said as he switched the pokeballs in his hand. It was time to bring out the big guns, one of the pokemon he trusted the most. "Charizard, I choose you!"

"Rawwwwrrrrrrr!" The flame pokemon cried out as the stealth rocks pointed themselves into his body. Brushing the pain off, the fire type looked to Ash, nodding before facing forward.

"W-wait!" Trevor called out as he threw his hands forward. He was shocked at all of the different pokemon Ash had. He had no idea he was using all of them. "You have a Charizard as well?"

"Yep, Charizard was one of my first pokemon ever!" Ash cried out enthusiastically. At this point, with the exception of Bulbasaur and Pikachu, it was his longest owned pokemon. "I always call on him whenever I need someone strong."

* * *

"Ash has a Charizard!" Sawyer cried out, nearly falling over the safety railing. He had thought he planned accordingly, but now it was all ruined by the fact that Ash was calling upon his other pokemon. "I'll have to take notes on how they battle together. That way I can figure out a way to stop them."

Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena didn't pay much attention to the young boy. Instead, they were amazed at seeing Charizard before them. When Ash was training with his other pokemon, he had done only limited training with Charizard since he believed that Charizard would be fine.

"Serena, did Ash mention anything to you about using Charizard today?" Clemont asked as he eyed the fire and flying type. Ash had told them before that he always trusted Charizard when in a bind, but never even mentioned who he was using.

"No, I had seen him earlier this morning at the Pokemon Center, but he wouldn't tell me who he planned on using. All he said was that he took my advice," she said, finally realizing what he meant by that.

* * *

Flashback

"Agghhh!" Ash cried out as he rubbed his hands through his hair. Leaning backwards in his chair, the young trainer looked away from the computer screen. "It's useless, I'll never figure it out."

"Never figure what out, Ash?" Clemont asked as he walked over to the computer. Looking at the screen, it showed Trevor's profile, but besides Charizard, it had no pokemon on it.

"There's no information on Trevor except for his Charizard!" Ash explained as he sighed. After finding out that he was facing Trevor, he had hoped to find some information that would be useful in building a team to face him. "There's no way to build a team to counter him."

"Ash, haven't you been in this situation before?" Serena asked as she got up off of the couch. Her and Bonnie had been watching the rerun of the opening ceremonies when she heard Ash cry out. "You said that in previous battles you've had difficulty picking the right team."

"Yeah, but back then there was also information on the trainers I was facing," Ash added in to Serena's statement. "This time, all that they have on Trevor is his Charizard. Which I know from first hand experiences, those are tough pokemon."

"Charizard?" Bonnie asked as she joined in the conversation. There was no way she was being left out. "Like the super cute one you had?"

"Yeah, I remember so many times when I needed help, Charizard was always there to come through for me. During the Silver Conference and the Battle Frontier. It seemed that with every battle he went through, he was the pokemon I could trust on the most besides Pikachu."

"Then why don't you call on him to battle?" Serena asked as she took all of the pictures of Ash's pokemon. "If you don't know who else Trevor has, build a team around your own Charizard."

* * *

"And Ash's final pokemon is a Charizard! How will Trevor react to this?" The announcer asked as he waited in anticipation.

"Okay, Charizard, let's show them your flamethrower!" Ash cried out, punching his right fist forward. There was no time to hold back, Charizard was all he had left, but he knew the fire type wouldn't go down easily.

"Rawwrrrr!" It cried out as a stream of fire erupted out of his mouth. Shooting across the field, Florges had no time to react as it was blasted backwards by the fire.

"Florges, are you alright?" Trevor asked as he watched his pokemon get back up. Noticing that it was fine, he was ready to continue. "Great! Use a moonblast!"

"Florrr... Gessss!" It cried out, the large blast forming in front of its body. With a small flick of its wrist, Florges launched the blast right at Charizard.

Not worrying, Charizard smirked as he watched the blast soared towards him. Once within range, Charizard lifted his hands up and caught the blast, shocking everyone in the stands. The strength was a little more than what the flame pokemon expected and was pushed back a few inches, but stood strong.

"Amazing! Charizard caught the entire blast with just his hands!" The announcer cried out. He didn't know how much more he could put up with this battle. This was exactly what every battle should be like.

"Now, Charizard, throw it away!" Ash called out as his Charizard roared in approval as the blast was tossed back at Florges. "Speed it up with a flamethrower!"

Charizard nodded as he fired off his signature attack once more, causing the moonblast to increase in speed while also having it gain a fiery exterior.

"Florges, dodge it!" Trevor worriedly cried out. He was starting to lose his cool, everything that he had planned was getting ruined now. Taking a deep breath, he looked up to see Charizard flying right at the fairy type.

"We have more than just flamethrower," Ash said as he threw his open pal out towards Trevor. Watching Charizard fly across the field, Ash decided it was time to play his hand. "Steel wing, now!"

Charizard's wings glowed a bright white as they stiffened up. The fire and flying type didn't seem fazed by the change in his wings and continued his trajectory. Leaving no time to react, Charizard gained a burst of speed as his wings slashed against Florges' body.

"End it with a flamethrower!" Ash cried out, balling his hands into fists. He knew he couldn't mess around with Florges, Trevor still had his Charizard. His own Charizard was going to need all of its strength to win this.

Nodding, Charizard straightened himself out before turning around. Timing his attack perfectly, the fire type pokemon launched a flamethrower, hitting the falling fairy type pokemon.

Completely consumed by the flames, Florges had no way to react as she crashed into the ground. Looking at the defeated pokemon, the referee made his decision. "Florges is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner! Choose your final pokemon!"

* * *

"Ash did it!" Serena cried out as she held onto Pikachu. She was growing excited, just one more pokemon left for Ash to beat. "He just needs to beat Trevor's last pokemon."

"Yeah, but it won't be easy," Clemont stated, bringing the truth to the situation. "We all know that his last pokemon is a fully healthy Charizard."

"Ash's on the other hand took some damage during the last battle," Tierno pointed out, everyone noticing the panting coming from Ash's Charizard. "This will be an interesting final battle."

"Ash will do fine, he always does," Serena muttered as she grabbed her ribbon with one hand while keeping Pikachu wrapped with her other one. "Come on, Ash."

* * *

"Okay, we've come so far. I'm putting all my hope into you, Charizard!" Trevor yelled as he threw out his final pokeball. Emerging from the device was a Charizard just like his own. The two fire types immediately stared each other down, a rivalry to show who was the strongest was forming.

"Just like I thought," Ash laughed as he fixed his hat. Trevor's final pokemon was his Charizard, but now he wondered how his own Charizard would hold up. He knew he could get very competitive at times. "Charizard, you ready for this?"

"Rawwwwrrrrr!" It yelled, shooting a flamethrower up into the sky. It had been waiting for a good fight. The pokemon back at Oak's lab were fine, but nothing beat the feeling of a heated battle against one of its own kind.

"Great! Use flamethrower!" Ash called out, his voice filled with excitement. Just like Charizard, he had been looking forward to a battle like this.

"We'll use our flamethrower as well!" Trevor countered.

Both fire types launched off their respective flamethrowers as the attacks met midfield. The two fire type moves collided as they formed a giant sphere of fire. Finally, the blast exploded as the explosion sent both Charizard backwards.

Getting up, neither of them were going to be defeated that easily. Both Charizard let out roars, trying to show who was the dominate one.

Ash was having a great time out there. He couldn't believe just how great this match had been. But, knowing that he couldn't waste time, he decided to strike. "Charizard use slash!"

"Charizard you use dragon claw!" Trevor commanded.

Once more, the two Charizard were off and flying. Ash's Charizard's claw glowed white while growing in size. Trevor's also grew, but were light green in color and also had scales. The two attacks collided as both Charizard pushed off of each other.

"Sparks are flying down on the field as neither Charizard is backing down!" The announcer told all those watching. "Right now they're in a stalemate, their claws locked against each other's."

He was right, both of them had their claws locked with their opponent. Looking at the situation, Trevor decided to try something risky. "Use fire fang!"

Understanding what he wanted, Charizard lunged forward as his mouth caught on fire. Not wanting to get hit at such a close range, Charizard lowered his claws and backed off. Using this to their advantage, Trevor's Charizard swung his claws right across Charizard's face, causing the fire type to stumble backwards.

Getting back up, Charizard wiped the area on his face where he was hit. Looking back at Ash, he signaled that he wanted to go back in and try their last attack one more time. Trusting Charizard, Ash merely nodded as the fire type flew towards his opponent.

With his slash attack ready, Charizard swung at his opponent only to be blocked by Dragon claw. Not seeing that this was a trap, Trevor's Charizard went back in with another fire fang. This time however, Charizard was ready.

Launching a flamethrower, Trevor's Charizard was caught off guard and was blasted backwards. This gave Charizard his chance, lunging forward, his claws slashed against his opponent's stomach, causing them to tumble backwards onto the ground.

"What do I do..." Trevor muttered as he watched his Charizard get back up. _"No matter what we've done, Ash's Charizard has shown to be able to handle it,"_ he thought to himself as Charizard turned around and smiled at his trainer. Trevor understood, Charizard had enjoyed this battle, but even he knew their skill was at a different level. _"We could always use our best move, but Ash might be expecting it. I thought I could counter his battle style, but he's just too unpredictable,"_ Trevor thought as he lowered his head.

"Charizard, flamethrower!" Ash called out, continuing the assault.

Trevor looked up to see a stream of fire heading right for his Charizard. "We won't give up! Charizard use flamethrower!" Trevor cried out as the two attacks collided. _"Charizard has always been there for me. I won't let him down!"_

"Now Charizard, use slash!" Ash just wouldn't let up. His full on assault continued, giving Trevor no time to think.

"Do you best! Counter with Dragon claw!" Trevor cried out. He had to be strong, for Charizard and his other pokemon. Trevor watched as the two fire types met at midfield, both of them were locked in a heated battle, neither able to land a hit. "Keep at it, Charizard!"

"Don't let up!" Ash told his Charizard.

The two fire types continued their fight, their claws colliding every few seconds, only for neither one to make any gains against its opponent.

Sweating from the excitement, Trevor couldn't help but feel a wave of excitement fill him once more. _"This is the joy Charizard feels while battling. Now I understand why he's so brash at times. Okay, we'll use that move to win right now!"_ Trevor thought as he watched his Charizard back off. Both of them were now panting, as were Ash and his Charizard. "Ash! I want to thank you for this battle, it truly was a great one, but now I'm going to win! Use flare blitz!"

Charizard erupted into blue flames as he flew at Ash's Charizard at an alarming speed. Despite the situation of the battle, Ash didn't see worried. Instead, he looked to be thrilled, smiling at the oncoming attack. The strangest part was, Ash's Charizard looked to be just as excited.

"Trevor! I'd like to thank you as well. Charizard truly enjoyed our match, but your attack won't work!" he explained as swept his arm across his body. "Now Charizard, catch Charizard then use seismic toss!"

"S-seismic toss!?" Trevor called out. He never knew a Charizard could learn that move.

Charizard nodded as he planted his feet deep into the ground. Huffing out a small amount of fire, Charizard braced himself. Once ready, he anticipated the attack and caught his opponent right before they could strike.

Shocking the other Charizard, Ash's flew upwards into the sky with a tight grip, making sure to not let go. Then, Charizard started to spin around until starting his free fall back to the ground. Once he was within a few feet of the field, Charizard launched his opponent back onto the ground, causing a crater to form.

"C-Charizard!" Trevor called as he looked into the crater. To his surprise, Charizard had fainted upon impact with the ground.

"Charizard is unable to battle, the winners are Charizard and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" The referee declared as Trevor jumped into the crater to help Charizard.

"There you have it folks! After a long and hard battle, Ash Ketchum is victorious!" The announcer declared as the crowd erupted in applause for the two trainers.

* * *

"He did it!" Bonnie cried out as she celebrated with Serena, Clemont, Pikachu and Dedenne. "See, Clemont, we told you he'd win."

"Yeah, Ash always knows how to pull off the most impressive victories," Clemont said while sighing. He could now relax, this entire battle he was on the edge of his seat.

"Tough break for Trevor though," Shauna stated, sounding disappointed that her friend lost. "But, I'm sure he's happy to just have given his pokemon the chance at a great battle."

"I better watch out, if Trevor can get that good, he'll be passing me soon," Tierno joked as started to clap for the two trainers. "I'll have to start training even harder now."

* * *

"Charizard, you were amazing," Trevor stated softly as he helped the tired fire type out of the crater. Charizard seemed disappointed that he lost. "Hey, don't feel bad, they just had a little more experience than us. But next time we'll win for sure."

"Charizard you did it!" Ash cried out as he leapt into its arms. Ash was ecstatic, they had won the first match and were now moving onto the second round of the semi-finals. "We couldn't have done it without you!"

"Rawwwrrr!" It cried out in joy, launching a flamethrower right at Ash. The young trainer was caught in the blast, his face turning black from the fire.

"That... never gets old," he muttered as he fell backwards after the attack

"Ash," Trevor called as he walked over with his Charizard. "We would like to thank you for that battle. Charizard... no, Charizard and I truly enjoyed it," he said, extending a hand forward, his Charizard copying his action.

Ash grabbed Trevor's hand and shook it as did his Charizard. "Trevor, we should be thanking you and Charizard. You guys pushed us into a corner. We needed years of experience from hard fought battles just to beat you. If it weren't for that, we would have lost. Isn't that right Charizard?" Ash asked as he tapped the fire type with his free hand.

Charizard nodded in agreement before launching another flamethrower on his trainer. Following his example, Trevor's Charizard launched his own flamethrower at Trevor, causing both trainers to collapse.

"C-Charizard... I... I thought it was just once every time we battle?" Ash asked jokingly as he got up. As much as it hurt, he wouldn't change the way Charizard showed his affection one bit.

* * *

 **Sorry about the long chapter this time. Those that have battles will probably be longer than others. I want to try and create battles that would actually be in the show (hopefully) and not just quick two-three attack battles. How'd you guys like the battle? I hope I did a Charizard vs Charizard battle proper respect. Charizard is my favorite pokemon of Ash's and just my favorite overall out of the franchise and I only wanted to do it justice after what BW did to it.**

 **Thanks for reading the new chapter and the continued support. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**

 **Next Time: I can't believe Ash won his first match! Now, if only there was something special I could do for a celebration for him? Hopefully I figure something out before his next match. Next time "Serena's Surprise!"**


	6. Serena's Surprise

**Welcome back everyone to another chapter. Nothing to say except enjoy**

* * *

 **Ch 6: Serena's Surprise**

"Bayleef, finish it off with body slam!" Ash yelled out. Today, he had been in a tough match on the ice field, having been down to his last pokemon. Muk and Staraptor had already been beaten, but his opponent was also down to their last pokemon as well. It was Bayleef versus a Machoke.

"Bay!" The grass type yelled out as vines shot out of the leaves on its neck. Using them to help her jump off of the ground, Bayleef soared high into the sky.

"Machoke, try and dodge it!" Ash's opponent cried out as they both watched Bayleef start its descent. Machoke however had no time to react as Bayleef had already descended right on top of the fighting type, crushing it.

Getting off of Machoke, Bayleef jumped backwards ready to fight more. However, Machoke had been defeated by that body slam. "Machoke is unable to battle, the winners are Bayleef and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town who will be moving onto the third round of the semi-finals.

"You did it Bayleef!" Ash cried out in joy as the grass type tackled him onto the ground. "You were amazing out there," he said while laughing. Bayleef was also celebrating as she wouldn't get off of him.

* * *

"Ash did it, he's moving on again!" Serena cried out in joy. Today it was just Clemont, Bonnie and herself watching as both Tierno and Sawyer had matches at this very moment. "Now he just needs two more wins."

"Yeah, then after that he'll make it into the finals portion of the Conference," Clemont added in, a large smile crossing his face. Who would have thought all of this would have happened thanks to a chance encounter with Ash all those months ago.

"I really wish Bayleef would play around with me like that," Bonnie said, not even paying attention to the others conversation. Instead, she was jealous that Ash was always the one who pokemon wanted to play with. "I want to be tackled like that."

"When you're older, you'll be able to capture all kinds of pokemon to play with," Clemont told her, hoping to make her settle down a little. "But right now, taking care of Dedenne is a lot of work."

"No it isn't!" Bonnie argued back as she picked Dedenne up out of her little bag. "I take good care of Dedenne."

"I never said you didn't," Clemont responded back. He didn't want to argue, but if Bonnie left him no choice to then he would.

Serena noticed this and sighed. Did they always have to fight, couldn't they just get along for one day? "Guys, shouldn't we go and meet up with Ash?" She asked even though she already knew the correct answer. "If you guys want to stay here and fight, I won't stop you," she said while picking up Pikachu and walking away, the two siblings not even noticing that she was gone.

* * *

" _Congratulations, Ash! No, something a little better than that. How about, you did great out there? Ughhh, I wish I knew what to say,"_ Serena thought to herself as she walked down to the hallway that led to the field. Once at the spot where they all met Ash yesterday, Serena stood there waiting. "You must be excited Pikachu," Serena asked as she placed the electric type down on the ground.

"Pika Pi! Pikachu!" It cried out happily. Despite not being used yet, Ash was doing just fine so far. It just couldn't wait to battle itself.

"Yeah, well I'm sure you're going to get plenty of chances to battle yourself," Serena responded. She didn't really know what he was saying, but she had a good idea that it had something to do with battling. She was about to say something else, but that was when she heard someone coming.

"Hey, Serena!" Ash called out as he walked down the tunnel. He didn't even seemed fazed by the fact he just won. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that they were at an arena people probably wouldn't have been able to tell he just battled.

"Hi, Ash!" Serena called back as the boy walked out into the open area. Immediately, Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder, claiming his usual position. "That was a great battle out there. You and your pokemon did amazing."

"Hehehe," he said, laughing at the compliment. "I didn't do anything really, it were my pokemon did everything," he answered, staying modest to the fact that he was doing well at the Kalos League. That was something she liked about him, he never let his ego get too big.

"But, Ash, your pokemon all look to you to lead them. Without you, they need someone to guide them when times get hard," she reasoned with him. She was right, she did see all of his pokemon. Some of them were a little wild and needed to be reminded to fight.

"I guess you're right a little bit," Ash said, finally taking the compliment. Looking around, he noticed that Clemont and Bonnie weren't with Serena. "Hey, what happened to the others?"

"They started to argue again, so I came down here to wait for you," she answered. Now though, a new thought came into her head. She should do something special for Ash to celebrate his victory in the league.

"Well, that's them for you," Ash answered as he laughed at the situation. "Why don't we go and find them now, they should be just about done arguing by now."

* * *

"Ash, that idea to use vine whip to create a higher jump was genius!" Clemont stated as they all sat at the dining room table. "By increasing Bayleef's height, its final velocity increased causing massive damage to that Machoke."

"Well, let's just say that's what I was thinking," Ash joked. He didn't understand all the science aspect of his strategy, but he knew the higher Bayleef could get the stronger the attack would be. "But, I wonder who I'll be facing tomorrow. The competition will only be getting harder."

"Yeah, but you can beat them all, Ash," Bonnie told him as she took a bite of her cake. They had ordered it from a shop following Ash's victory this afternoon.

"Yeah!" Ash cried out in joy as he jumped out of his seat. He just could never sit still for too long. "Together, my pokemon and I are going to win the entire league!" He cried out, noticing Serena putting her shoes back on. "Hey, Serena, where are you heading?"

Serena jumped at Ash's question. She was hoping that no one would notice that she was leaving. "Oh! Um... I'm just... heading to the Pokemon Center. To Practice a little. You can never practice enough," she lied. She knew it was a horrible lie, but she couldn't think of anything else.

"Can I come along?" Ash asked as he got out of his seat. "I'd really like to see what you're working on for your next performance."

"No!" Serena yelled as she threw her hands forward and waved them around. _"Calm down, Serena,"_ she told herself once she realized how she reacted. "Well, what I mean is, it's going to be a surprise for the next showcase. I want to surprise all of you."

"Oh," Ash said, he sounded a little disappointed but knew that it was for a good reason. "Well, we might go walk around later. Do you want us to swing by and see if you want to come with us?"

"Y-yeah, that will be fine," Serena replied as she walked out the door, shutting it behind her. Serena sighed once she was outside, she couldn't have them come with her. If they did, it would ruin the surprise she was planning for Ash.

* * *

"Please pick up..." Serena muttered as she looked at the number in her hand. She hoped that it was correct. She knew that she wasn't calling too early or late because she timed her call to be during the day. _"B-but, what do I say?"_ She thought as the call continued to ring. She hadn't really thought it all out yet.

"Hello?" A voice asked on the other end of the call. "Ketchum residence, may I ask who's calling?"

Realizing that she had to speak now, Serena decided to just wing it. "H-Hi, Ash's mom," Serena started to say as she felt sweat forming on her forehead. This was going to turn out to be embarrassing. "Um... I'm one of Ash's friends," she started to say, only to see the screen turn on.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Delia said as she sat down in front of the machine. Standing next to her appeared to be a Mr. Mime, who was holding a broom. "I haven't heard from Ash since he first got to Kalos, but, it's nice to finally see his friends. Where is my Ash?"

Serena felt her face heat up a little, something that Delia noticed. "W-well you see. H-he doesn't know I'm calling you," Serena started to say before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "He's currently competing in the Kalos League and I was wondering if you wanted to come out to Kalos?"

"Huh?" Delia responded. She was shocked by the question. The last time she went to one of his Leagues was when he competed in Johto. All of the others were just too far away for her to travel to. "You mean, come all the way out to Kalos?"

"Yeah!" Serena responded while smiling. "You see, everything is taken care of and I figured it would be a nice surprise for Ash if his mother was here cheering him on in person. But, it has to be a surprise, so if he calls you, don't tell him."

Delia laughed at the idea before thinking about it. "I've always wanted to see Kalos. Plus, I'll be able to see my Ash battle in person," she stated before looking at a small calendar. "I can fly out of her by tonight and make it into Kalos for the day after tomorrow."

"Perfect," Serena replied, her familiar smile never once leaving her face. Then, a new thought crossed her mind. With her face turning a slight shade of red, she forced herself to speak. "D-do you think you could bring recipes for Ash's favorite foods with you? I wanted to make them, but didn't know how to."

"Of course, I can even show you how he likes them as well," Delia said, smiling at the young girl. This was going to be a fun surprise for Ash. "Thank you for setting this up. I don't get to see Ash as much as I'd like to."

Serena started to have a small blush on her face because of the thanks. She was always blushing due to the smallest of thank yous or compliments. "I-it was nothing. I just thought it would be a nice little surprise."

"Yeah, I'll see you all in a few days then. I better go pack," she replied before hanging up the phone.

Serena sighed out of relief. That ended up being easier than she thought. "Okay... just one more call," she muttered while typing in the number. Like before, she sat there staring at the screen waiting for someone to answer.

"Oak Laboratory, Tracey speaking," a voice said on the other end, causing Serena to jump from surprise.

"Uh... Y-yes, I'm one of Ash's friends and was wondering if Professor Oak was available," She asked, her voice full of nervousness. "I just have a question for him."

"Just one sec," Tracey replied as the screen turned on, revealing a boy dressed in red shorts, a green t-shirt and an orange headband. Walking away from the phone, Serena could hear the boy yell something out. "Professor Oak! Someone's on the phone for you!"

"Who is it Tracey!" Serena could hear a second voice yell out. This one sounded much older and so it had to be Professor Oak. Serena wondered if he would remember her from his summer camp.

"A friend of Ash's! They said they wanted to talk to you about something!" He replied as their little conversation continued on. As she listened, Serena wondered if they always yelled while talking.

"A friend of Ash's! Tell them I'll be right there!" He finished saying as Serena saw Tracey walk back in front of the screen.

"Sorry about that," he said once he realized he left the microphone on. Rubbing the back of his neck, the assistant bowed. "We're currently studying how raising different Jigglypuff in different ways can change the strength of their voices. But, Professor Oak will be hear in just one moment," he started to say as the mentioned professor walked into the lab.

"So, this is the friend?" He asked, getting a nod of approval from Tracey. Sitting down in front of the video phone, the professor gave Serena a large welcoming smile. "Hello there. You're one of Ash's friends, how may I be of assistance?"

"W-well, you see," Serena started to say while twirling her thumbs. This was going to be harder than she thought. She had forgotten about Oak's assistant. How was she going to ask him without asking the other? "I-I was wondering if you two would like to come out and see Ash compete in the Kalos league?" She said, the words starting to ramble off at the end of her question.

Professor Oak looked at the young girl, never breaking his smile. After a few seconds, the smile turned into a frown however. "I would love to come and watch, but my research is keeping me from it," he answered truthfully. How he sometimes wished that Ash would challenge either the Kanto or Johto leagues again, that way everyone could go and watch him in person.

"Go ahead, Professor Oak," Tracey said as he placed a hand on the professor's shoulder. Tracey knew the situation, they haven't been invited to any of Ash's previous leagues but from what they saw on TV was always exciting. Tracey only wondered what they would look like in person. "I'll be able to get the research finished. Besides, Gary's coming over to help. Remember?"

"But it wouldn't be right, Tracey. I can't just leave my work here for everyone else," Oak stated, but he sounded like he was torn. He just needed a little push in the right direction.

"Professor Oak," Tracey started to say, his voice raising for the first time since ever working for the professor. "How many times have you helped everyone else out? It's our turn to help you, so you're going!"

Hearing the words come from his assistant, the professor let out a laugh. "Thank you, Tracey. And thank you... um, I'm sorry but I never got your name," he said, looking at Tracey and then the girl who called.

"Serena," she replied as she gave him a warm smile. She wondered if the name would remind him of the summer camp.

"Thank you, Serena," the professor replied as he gave her a smile of her own. "I'll be on the first plane to Kalos. I'll see you then," he said while ending the call.

With the screen black, Serena couldn't help but throw her hands up into the air. She was excited, Ash would be even more excited about them showing up. She had also wanted to call some of his other friends, but wasn't able to get their numbers and didn't want to ask Ash for them as it could ruin the surprise.

* * *

"Ughhh!" Ash cried out as he sat down on the couch in his hotel room. That's if you could call it one. Ash considered this hotel to be more of a house than anything else. He had to admit, it was the nicest housing of any of the leagues he competed in. "I can't believe I'm not scheduled until later today!"

"What time's your match, Ash?" Clemont asked as he looked up from his current invention. This one was going to be his best one yet. He had taken the old blueprints from his robo-trainer and was fixing the problems he found in it.

"Not until 7pm," he moaned while slouching in his seat. He hated the late matches. Yeah they were fun because you got to battle under the lights, but also meant he had to be bored all day. "You wouldn't happen to have a machine to speed up time, would you, Clemont?"

"Ash, at this point in time, time travel is scientifically impossible," Clemont answered as he sighed. He once tried to build his own time machine when he was younger, but it only caught on fire when he turned it on. He probably shouldn't have designed it with a microwave being the base component. "We don't have the technology to create such a machine."

"Why don't you just do something to pass the time?" Bonnie asked. She got bored at times, but even she could find ways to end that boredom. "There should be plenty of things to go and do."

"Yeah, but I don't want to do anything. I just want to have my battle!" He cried out like a little child not getting a new toy. Everyone in the room laughed at his outburst. This was a new side of Ash.

Laughing, Serena stood up from the table and walked to Ash. "I was going to head into town for the day, why don't you come along?" She asked, a light blush forming on her face. This could be a way to celebrate Ash's latest victory in the league. "It could be a good way to pass the time," she said truthfully.

Getting up off of the couch, Ash thought of Serena's offer. It really could pass the time, but was there really that much to do in the town? Deciding he didn't really have any other choices, Ash decided to go. "Yeah! It sounds like a good idea."

"Yeah, I heard there's a lot of things going on in town with the League going on," she explained while pulling out her travel guide.

"Clemont, Bonnie, you guys coming?" Ash asked, crushing Serena's idea. She had hoped to be just the two of them today. That way it could be a congratulations from just herself and she hoped it could help her show how she feels for Ash.

"I'm going to keep working on this invention, Ash," Clemont responded, not even looking up from the machine as he tinkered away at it. "Bonnie, are you going with them?"

Bonnie knew there was a reason Serena asked Ash. She knew of her crush, but hadn't said anything out of respect for the performer. Sitting up on the couch, Bonnie answered. "No, I was going to watch some of the previous Leagues on TV."

Serena sighed at the responses. Now it would be just Ash, Pikachu, and herself for the day. Walking out of the hotel, the small group made their way over towards the town.

"So, Ash," Serena started to ask while she walked right next to him, a smile firmly planted on her face. "What do you want to do?" She hadn't really thought this through. She had just planned on asking Ash if he wanted to head into town, she never really thought what to do.

"I thought you already had an idea," Ash answered, confused by Serena's question. If she didn't have any ideas for what to do, why ask to come with her?

Serena shook her head back and forth while looking at Ash. "I had one thing in mind, but I didn't know if you wanted to do anything specific."

"Well maybe we can-" he started to say, his sentence getting cut off by someone else. Looking around, the two friends noticed that Sawyer was running in their direction.

"Ash!" He cried out while sprinting towards them. Once he reached them, the Hoenn native practically dropped on the ground gasping for air. "Y-you'll... never... never believe what I saw."

"Huh. What was it Sawyer?" Ash asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Ash really wondered what could have gotten Sawyer in such a rush.

After catching his breath, Sawyer started to speak again. "T-there's a trainer who won his first round matchup with just a Charizard," Sawyer stated as he shook with excitement. "He's actually battling right now! Could you imagine how fun it would be to face him."

Ash had also caught Sawyer's excitement. "Yeah! Hopefully I get to face off against him!" He cried out, both himself and Pikachu pumping their fists. Ash had a slight idea for who it could be, but wasn't sure about it.

"That won't happen, because I'll face him and beat him before you can! Hopefully," he added to his little outburst. He then grabbed Ash by the arm, dragging him off to arena.

Looking behind him, Ash gave Serena a small smile. "You don't mind if we check out this battle first, do you?"

"No, go ahead. I'll catch up in a minute," Serena answered as she felt a little disappointed. Her chance at being alone with Ash ended before it could even start. But, this was Ash, if he heard about an exciting battle there was no way he'd miss it. Letting out a sigh, Serena couldn't help but laugh about the situation after before following after Ash.

* * *

"Serena! We're over here!" Ash cried out as he waved to Serena. They had managed to get decent seats despite showing up to the match with it already halfway over.

Walking down to where Ash and Sawyer were, Serena took a seat next to Ash as she watched the battle. Down on the field were a Charizard and a Swampert. "Ash, are they both down to their last pokemon?"

"Well, the guy with the Swampert is, but the cloaked guy has only used Charizard through the whole match," Ash explained as he looked on with excitement. It didn't matter if he was the one battling or not, Ash could easily get excited about a battle. "He's good. Even at a type disadvantage, he's had Swampert on the run."

"Charizard, use dragon claw," the cloaked figure said calmly. The trainer didn't seem too excited about the battle, instead seeming to be bored.

The Charizard flew off, slamming his green claws right into Swampert. The water type stumbled backwards as he tried to recover from the hit, but Charizard gave it no chance. The fire type continued the assault as he slammed his claws consistently into Swampert.

"Stop him with brick break!" the other trainer called out. He was growing nervous, Swampert was his last pokemon and Charizard seemed to not be breaking a sweat.

"Swam!" It cried out as its hands glowed white. Raising them up in front of its body, Swampert blocked the dragon claw attack before hitting Charizard backwards. Thinking that it had an opening, Swampert charged after the Charizard.

"Blast burn," the cloaked figure stated. Despite Swampert coming right at his pokemon, the trainer didn't seem to care.

Charizard nodded as he steadied himself. Now fully standing, the fire type roared out as blue flames engulfed his entire body. Focusing on one single point on the field, Charizard slammed his fist into the ground.

The blue flames disappeared immediately and in its place, the ground started to crumble. Fire shot through the cracks until it exploded where Swampert was standing. The water type was caught in the explosion, smoke covering the field.

Everyone waited to see if Swampert was still able to battle. The fans all sat on the edge of their seats, waiting for the referee's decision. "Swampert is unable to battle, Charizard and A are the winners!" He declared, raising his flags to show everyone.

"Did you see that!" Sawyer called out as he wrote a few notes down. "That Charizard had the type disadvantage and still won the match single handedly. I've never seen such a powerful pokemon!"

Ash felt the same exact way. Despite it being as powerful as it was, Ash couldn't help but want to face it. "Yeah, that Charizard sure is powerful. Hopefully we get to face it. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" It cried out, confirming Ash's suspicion. Pikachu was ready for a real match after sitting out the last round.

Serena watched Ash as he grew more and more excited about the Charizard. Watching him, she couldn't help but let out a light giggle. He really was cute when he got all excited. The performer then looked down at her watch, noticing the time, she tapped Ash's shoulder to get his attention. "Ash, it's getting late. If we're going to make it to town, we need to leave now."

"Oh, right," he replied, having completely forgotten about heading into town. Turning to face Sawyer, Ash started to speak. "Sawyer, I'll talk to you later. Right now Serena and I are heading into town."

"Yeah, I'll see you around," Sawyer said, his head still in his notebook. "I think I'm going to try and find some more information about this guy. That way I'll be able to build a great strategy to counter him with."

"Good luck with that," Ash told the young trainer as he and Serena made their way out of the stadium and back towards the town.

* * *

"So, Ash," Serena started to say once they made to the bridge that connected the island to the town. "I heard about this great restaurant that has the best tasting food. I thought we could go there first," she explained to him as she pulled the place up on her travel guide.

It appeared Ash had the same thoughts about food as well, because at that moment his stomach let out a loud rumble. "That sounds like a great idea. I could go for a nice meal before my match."

Walking over the bridge, the two young trainers finally made it into town. Looking for directions in her travel guide, the duo finally stumbled upon the restaurant which was already packed.

"The Miltank Roundup?" Ash asked, unsure if it was the right place after all. To him the name sounded a little silly but if the food was good he didn't care.

"Yeah," Serena replied as she placed her travel guide away. She was thinking the same exact thing as Ash was about the name. "The name is kind of silly, but according to the travel guide they serve amazing hamburgers and milkshakes made with fresh Miltank milk."

The thought of Miltank milkshakes made Ash's mouth water. He had had many different foods made from Miltank milk and all of them were delicious. "Well what are we waiting for. Let's go order."

"So I'll have two Bacon Cheeseburgers, a large fry and a large chocolate milkshake please," Ash said as he read off of the menu. Serena was right, this place seemed to have amazing food. From the moment they walked through the door Ash's mouth couldn't stop watering, the smell was too much. He only wondered what it would all taste like. "Oh, and can I get the Jr. Cheeseburger for Pikachu," he added, only to feel a light shock on his arm. "With bacon."

"Pika," the electric type cried, nodding his head in approval. He too had been enticed by the smells coming from all of the foods and there was no way he was missing out on it.

"I'll just have a hamburger," Serena said as she read the menu. She really wasn't that hungry, having had a late breakfast but knew that Ash would enjoy eating here. "Could I also have a small fry and a large vanilla milkshake?"

"Sure thing," the waiter replied as he wrote down the orders. "Now, I'll be back in a few minutes with your orders." With that, he was gone, heading off into the kitchen to deliver the orders.

"So, Serena," Ash started to say once the waiter left. He had a question on his mind ever since they first left for the town, but never had the chance to ask it. "Why did you want to come into town today?"

Serena seemed shocked by the question. She hadn't expected him to ask her anything like that. Thinking, a light blush appeared on her face as she figured out what to say. "Well, after you won two matches so far, I wanted to think of a way to congratulate you. I know we say it all the time, but I wanted to do something special as well."

It was Ash's turn to be caught off guard. He never figured that they would try and so some big celebration for him. Outside of his first ever Pokemon League, even his mom had never thrown him a party. Then again, he was always leaving Pallet town before she could. Smiling, Ash started to speak again. "You didn't need to do anything like this. Everything you've been doing so far is more than enough."

"W-well, there's more to it," Serena mumbled as her blush darkened a little. Luckily for her, the sun was coming in through the window making it seem that she was just hot. "I... I know that once the League ends that you'll be heading back to Kanto. I guess I just wanted to spend some time with you before you went home."

"Serena, no matter what happens, I'll never forget about our journeys through Kalos," Ash started to say as he reached into his backpack. "This handkerchief will always remind me of our journey together and nothing can take that away from me. But, let's not worry about the future, because right now I have my sight on winning the Kalos League," he stated boldly, but even his words sounded kind of forced to himself. He hadn't even thought about what would happen once the League ended. He forgot that his friends wouldn't be returning to Kanto with him. He was more determined than ever to win this League now, not only for himself but for his friends in Kalos and for every friend he had ever made during his travels.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third round matchup between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Michael of Geosenge Town is about to begin. The match will be held on the water field today, giving both trainers a new challenge," the announcer explained to the crowd.

"Ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked as the electric mouse jumped off of his shoulder. "You'll be going up first today. I'm sure that this guy will use water types on this kind of field."

"Pika Pika. Pikachu!" Pikachu readily agreed as he pretended to throw fake punches at an invisible opponent. He was fired up today, finally getting the chance to battle after sitting out the first two rounds.

"Both trainers please choose your first pokemon!" The referee asked as he raised both flags into the air. "The match will be a three on three and the winner will be decided once all the pokemon on one side has been defeated."

"You're up, buddy," Ash said excitedly. His starter ran out onto the field, landing on top of one of the multiple floating rings. He was lucky they had them, otherwise it would make fighting a whole lot harder.

"An electric type?" Michael asked as he looked at his opponent. Michael wasn't that different from Ash, both the same height and wore similar clothing. The only difference was that Michael didn't have a jacket like Ash's, instead he had an orange sweatshirt instead. "We aren't scared by that. Go, Barbaracle!"

"And the two trainers have chosen their pokemon. I wonder how these choices will affect the outcome of this battle." The announcer asked as he looked at the two pokemon. At the moment, Pikachu was the clear favorite, but Barbaracle was also part rock type.

* * *

"This is great, Barbaracle is a water type. Pikachu's electric moves will be effective against it," Serena stated as she looked at the two pokemon.

Clemont didn't seem as excited. Looking at the entire situation, he shrugged. "I wouldn't get too excited just yet."

"Huh, why not, big brother?" Bonnie asked. She had had the same thought that Serena did. Everything she had been taught pointed to this being an easy match for Pikachu.

"Because. Barbaracle is also part rock type and can learn some powerful ground type moves. Moves that are super effective against an electric type like Pikachu," Clemont explained. He knew that this Michael had to be good to get this far. There was no way he overlooked a major detail like a water type's weakness to electric attacks, especially on the water field.

"So, Ash," Serena started to say while gripping the railing in front of them out of nervous. "Could be falling into a trap?"

"It could be very likely. Unless he is already thinking the same way we are," Clemont finished as he took a deep breath and smiled. "These matches are always so stressful."

* * *

"Pikachu, start off with thunderbolt!" Ash cried out as he did one of his familiar poses. He wanted to test out an idea he had. He remembered back to when he helped Sanpei battle off against a Barbaracle. Back then, he was informed about it also being a rock type and how it could learn ground type moves.

Pikachu leaped high into the air as electricity flowed through his body. "Pika... Chuuuu!" He cried out before launching the attack.

Michael watched the attack approach, but didn't appear to be fazed by it at all. "Barbaracle, counter with mud-slap!" Michael countered calmly, proving Ash's suspicion to be correct.

The water and rock type cried out as mud started to shoot out of the holes that were on its rock body. The mud flew through the air, making contact with the thunderbolt. The two attacks collided, but the mud-slap managed to overpower the thunderbolt and crashed right into the falling Pikachu.

Pikachu took the attack head on as it collided with his body. The electric mouse tried to plan a landing, but he landed on some of the remaining mud causing him to slip into the water.

"Don't give him a chance to react, use ice beam on the water," Michael called out as he threw his left fist forward.

"Bar," the collective pokemon replied as two light blue balls started to form on its hands. Bending forward, Barbaracle launched the two orbs, causing a trail of blue to shoot right at the water.

Upon impact, the trail of blue light caused the water to freeze. Looking around, Pikachu watched as the ice surrounded him. Unable to move, Pikachu tried to think of a way out of it.

"Pikachu, return!" Ash cried out, shocking everyone. He didn't want to switch Pikachu out, but if he was frozen in place, it would do no good. Walking onto the ice, he helped Pikachu get out of his imprisonment before selecting his next pokemon. "Kingler, I choose you!"

"Kokee, kee" Kingler cried out as he swung his claws around. He was excited to battle again for Ash. The last time he had fought was all the way back during the Whirl Cup. This time, he was going to do much better.

"And Ash's second pokemon appears to be a Kingler! I wonder how this switch can help change the battle." The announcer asked as the scoreboard showed a picture of Kingler now.

"Okay, Kingler, start off with crabhammer!" Ash cried out with enthusiasm. Kingler had always been one of his trump cards just waiting to be used.

The pincer pokemon made his way over towards Barbaracle and swung its large claw at Barbaracle. The fellow water type dodged the attack, but it didn't deter Kingler. The pincer pokemon kept up the attack as he continued to swing at Barbaracle no matter how many times it dodged.

Growing frustrated with the relentless attacks, Michael let out a low growl. Thinking things over, he decided to fight back at the moment. "Barbaracle, counter with your razor shell attack!"

Barbaracle nodded as he raised his two arms, his hands growing in length as they also sharpened. Swinging them down, the two hands collided with Kingler's claw causing the two water types to be locked in a stalemate with neither side backing down.

"Kingler, jump backwards!" Ash called out, having seen a possible attack from their last clash with Barbaracle. Everything would have to go right, but if it did they would be in a great situation.

"Don't let them get away, after them, Barbaracle!" Michael called out. He had no idea what Ash had planned, but it wasn't going to stop him. "Another round of razor shell!"

" _Perfect,"_ Ash thought to himself as he watched Barbaracle approach Kingler. Smirking, Ash knew now was the right time to attack. "Now, Kingler! Hyper beam!"

"Kokee," it replied, raising its left claw up and pointing it straight at Barbaracle. Orange particles started to form inside of the claw and by the time Barbaracle could react, Kingler had already launched the attack.

"Barbaracle!" Michael called out in concern as he watched his water type be engulfed by the blast. Waiting for the smoke to clear, Michael was relieved once he saw it alright. "Okay, go in with poison jab!"

"Baracle!" It cried out. Running across the platforms, the collective pokemon made it to Kingler in no time at and jabbed his hand, now glowing a deep shade of purple, into the pincer pokemon's body.

* * *

"What's wrong with Kingler?" Serena asked, not knowing about the side effect of hyper beam. "It didn't even try to dodge."

"That's what happens when someone uses hyper beam," Clemont responded as something else caught his attention. Looking at Kingler, it appeared that the water type was in severe pain. It had probably been poisoned by the last attack. "When you use a move like hyper beam, the pokemon has to rest after and is open to any follow up attacks. It's extremely powerful but also is dangerous for the user. But, Ash has more to worry about now. I believe Kingler's been poisoned!"

* * *

"Kingler are you good to continue?" Ash asked as he watched the water type recover from the last hit. It didn't seem to do much damage, but for some reason Kingler seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Ko...Kokee kee," It replied calmly, but its breaths were more strained.

Something was up with Kingler and Ash couldn't tell what. In an instant, Ash noticed something. It was small, but he could swear he saw a few purple bubbles appear off of Kingler. Knowing that the water type had been poisoned, Ash had to end this battle fast.

"Kingler, use bubblebeam!" Ash cried out. He was going on the offensive and needed to move quickly. He knew Kingler was strong on his own, but wondered how strong Barbaracle was and if it had even been trying up to this point.

"Pop all of them with razor shell!" Michael commanded.

Barbracle's arms sharpened once more as Kingler released a stream of bubbles. Moving quickly, Barbaracle popped every single bubble causing a layer of mist to form.

Ash smiled. This was an unexpected surprise. Deciding to use it to his advantage, Ash moved fast. "Now, crabhammer!"

Looking around the mist, Barbaracle tried to spot Kingler, but was unable to. The mist was just too thick for him to see. Then, without any notice, Barbaracle felt a rock hard object connect with its body. The force was more than enough to send it flying backwards.

"We're not finished! Now, hyper beam!" Ash called out. Kingler didn't wait one second, launching the orange beam, it made contact with Barbaracle. The blast was so strong that the collective pokemon ended up against the stadium wall, unable to battle.

"Barbaracle is unable to battle, the winner is Kingler!" the referee declared, only to stop himself once Kingler collapsed as well. Quickly alerting the fans, he corrected himself. "It appears Kingler is unable to battle either! Both trainers must now select a new pokemon.

"It appears Kingler took just too much damage from all those attacks. Still, it gave an excellent match with Barbaracle, putting both trainers in an excellent position to win this match," the announcer explained to the crowd, unaware of the fact that Kingler fainted from the poison.

* * *

"Ash knew Kingler didn't have much time left," Sawyer stated as he sat down behind everyone. He had been making his way down the stairs when he saw Ash's last move.

"Sawyer!" Clemont and Serena cried out in shock. They had been slightly frightened by the Hoenn native's surprise arrival.

"Hi, Sawyer," Bonnie greeted him. She had been the only one not surprised by his entrance, having seen him walking down the stairs earlier. "Did you win your match today?"

"Sure did," he stated proudly before focusing on Ash's match. "But, it seems like Ash is having a hard time. That Barbaracle seemed to be raised well. I wonder who else his opponent will use."

"It would make a difference in this battle though," Clemont stated as he grabbed ahold of his chin. He was thinking now about possible pokemon this guy could have brought to a water field. "Ash already used Pikachu and recalled him. Plus his other pokemon is a Leavanny."

"Leavanny and Pikachu?" Sawyer asked as he pulled out his notebook. It seemed like Ash was always surprising him with the pokemon he had. "Ash keeps showing off all these new pokemon, I'll have no way to know which ones to counter during our match."

Serena couldn't help but sigh at the statement _. "They haven't even made it into the finals portion of the conference and he's already planning his match with Ash,"_ she thought while waiting for the trainers to pick their pokemon.

* * *

"Go, Leavanny!" Ash yelled out as he tossed the pokeball out onto the field. The grass and bug type looked around, waiting for its opponent.

"Alright, Ludicolo," Michael countered with as he tossed out his second pokemon. The water and grass type began to dance around on the field, enjoying its time in the spotlight.

"And the second battle is about to take place! It's a battle of dual grass types as Leavanny and Ludicolo square off!" the announcer told everyone, causing them to get pumped up.

"Leavanny we'll make the first move! Start off with razor leaf!" Ash called out. He had seen a few Ludicolo before, but most of them weren't big on battling. He wondered how this one could be different.

"Counter with your own razor leaf," Michael called out. He knew Ludicolo weren't known for their strong battling skills, but his was different. In fact, his had a secret attack ready for the perfect opportunity.

The two grass types launched their respective attacks. Blades of leaves scattered across the sky as they collided against each other. A few managed to get by, striking each other directly.

"Go in with an X-scissor!" Ash cried out. He wasn't thinking right now, instead he was focused on a full frontal offense.

Leavanny charged forward, his arms glowing blue. Once he had made it across the field, the bug and grass type folded them, forming an X and slashed them against his opponent.

"And a direct hit from a super effective X-scissor! It appeared that Ludicolo had no way to avoid that one!" The announcer cried out.

"Now, continuous X-scissor!" Ash cried out, wanting to keep Ludicolo on its toes. This time however, the grass and water type appeared to be dodging much better than the first strike.

* * *

"Hmm, something doesn't seem right," Clemont muttered as he watched Leavanny swing X-scissor after X-scissor at his opponent. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"You noticed it too, Clemont," Sawyer asked as he watched the same scene play out. Why would Michael allow Ludicolo to get hit by a super-effective attack? It just didn't add up. "I think Ash is falling into a trap."

"What?" Bonnie asked as she got up out of her seat. "There's no way. Leavanny is doing so good."

"Bonnie, take a look at the battle now," Sawyer stated as it now looked like a different battle. "I think Michael allowed that first hit to lower Ash's guard. I think something big is coming now."

"Ash..." Serena muttered under her breath as she listened to Sawyer. Grasping the ribbon on her chest, she looked on worriedly.

* * *

"Great job, Leavanny, that training we did payed off!" Ash called out. Still, a voice in the back of his head was telling him something different. This battle seemed way to easy especially after the last one.

Smirking, Michael felt that now was his best chance to attack. "Now, Ludicolo, fire punch!" There it was, the feeling everyone had about this battle. Michael was hiding a move like that for the right moment.

Ludicolo dodged the X-scissor before throwing his own fists forward. This time, they caught on fire. Shocking Ash, he had no time to warn Leavanny as Ludicolo's fists connected with the bug and grass type.

"Leavanny!" Ash cried out as the nurturing pokemon fell backwards. Getting up slowly, Leavanny left itself not much time to react. Before Ash could give a command, Ludicolo was already swinging at Leavanny. The water and grass type's fist making contact with the nurturing pokemon "Quick! Spin and use string shot!"

Leavanny listened to Ash and started to spin on the ground. Moving at a decent speed, Leavanny created what looked to be twister made out of string shot. With it, Leavanny created a defensive barrier for itself, blocking all of Ludicolo's fire punches.

"Great job, Leavanny. Now, use electroweb!" Ash cried out, shocking everyone in attendance. This boy had been full of surprises through the first few days of the conference and he wasn't finished yet.

The white twister of string shot slowly changed shape and color as it started to look more like an electrical whip. With no way to properly dodge the attack, Ludicolo was constantly being hit by the electrical attack.

"Ludicolo use water gun!" Michael yelled out. He was out of ideas on what to do and was just desperate now.

Ludicolo launched off the water attack, but it might have been better if he hadn't. Once in contact with the electric type attack, the electricity in the webs traveled through the water and into Ludicolo. The shock of the attack was enough to knock the water and grass type backwards.

"Now, finish it with razor leaf!" Ash called out as the nurturing pokemon stopped spinning. Getting up off of the ground, Leavanny fired off a dozen leaves with each one of them striking Ludicolo.

"Ludicolo is unable to battle!" The referee declared as Ludicolo fell over from the attack. "The winner is Leavanny. Now, Michael choose your final pokemon."

Michael didn't seem to be worried at all. Instead, he calmly recalled Ludicolo into its pokeball and reached for his last pokemon. "Braviary, go!"

The valiant pokemon landed on one of the platforms and spread its wings before taking off high into the sky. Flying around the field, the flying type waited for a command.

"Michael is down to his last pokemon. How will Braviary change the tide of this battle?" The announcer asked as he watched Braviary circle Leavanny from high in the sky.

"Braviary use brave bird," Michael commanded of the flying type.

Braviary appeared to dive bomb as it dropped from the sky. Racing right at Leavanny, the flying type was covered in fire as those flames were replaced with blue ones. Without even a chance to issue a command, Ash watched as Braviary collided with Leavanny, knocking the pokemon out on contact.

"Leavanny is unable to battle, the winner is Braviary. Ash, send out your last pokemon," the referee declared, waving his flag in the air.

* * *

"I-it took Leavanny out in one hit..." Serena muttered as she watched Ash recall the bug and grass type.

"That speed alone is incredible," Sawyer added in as he seemed in awe by how one hit, despite it being on a pokemon with a four times weakness, was more than enough to win a battle. "Add in that speed and it's a tough pokemon to beat."

"Pikachu can handle it. He always comes through for Ash," Serena stated once she felt the change in mood. No matter how bad things looked, she wasn't ready to give up on Ash. He always pulled through and he was going to do it again.

* * *

"Okay, Pikachu, you're up again," Ash told the electric type, pointing out towards the field. Pikachu followed Ash's fingers and ran out onto the field, his cheeks sparking with electricity. "We have to be careful. Braviary is fast and has some powerful moves."

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out, nodding his head in agreement. No matter what happened, Pikachu wasn't ready to lose. It was going to give it everything he had and then some.

"Please, Braviary is fully rested while your Pikachu is still tired from his earlier match," Michael pointed out as he gave Ash a smirk. This had been a part of his entire plan. Use his first two pokemon to tire Ash's pokemon out and then finish it off with his Braviary. "Go and use superpower!"

"Brav!" The flying type cried out as its entire body started to glow blue. Ash watched as the glow grew in size, showing just how powerful the attack would be. As Braviary came flying at Pikachu, Ash tried to think of an idea.

"Counter with iron tail!" He cried out, remembering a battle from earlier during his travels through Kalos.

Pikachu's tail stiffened and then started to glow white. Waiting for Braviary, Pikachu knew exactly what Ash was thinking. Right as Braviary lunged forward with its talons, Pikachu blocked them with an iron tail attack causing the flying type to be pushed backwards.

"Grhhhh," Michael growled through grit teeth. He was not going to lose to a little mouse. "Braviary! Continue using superpower!"

"That's fine with us, Pikachu, continuous iron tail! Don't stop!" Ash countered with.

The two pokemon continue their clash as their attacks struck each other. It didn't matter how many times they tried to attack, neither one could land a blow on anything but the other's attack. Then, to the surprise of Michael, Pikachu's iron tail broke through and knocked Braviary backwards.

* * *

"Of course!" Clemont cried out in joy. He too was shocked by Braviary being pushed back, but then noticed what was happening. Braviary's last attack had seemed weaker than the others but it wasn't because of fatigue. "That's the drawback of using a move like superpower."

"What do you mean, Clemont?" Sawyer asked as he looked up from his notebook. He had just written some information down about Ash's continuous iron tail attack and how it was similar to him having Hawlucha continuously attack with karate chop.

"Superpower is an extremely powerful move just like brave bird, but both moves have drawbacks to using them too often," he started to explain, only stopping to notice Braviary dodging another iron tail by flying up into the sky. "With superpower, the user's attack and defense weaken due to the strain of using a move like it. Brave bird on the other hand inflicts recoil damage."

"So in other words Ash just has stall this battle out until Braviary is too weak, then have Pikachu end it," Bonnie added in as she watched Pikachu land a quick attack, knocking Braviary out of the air.

"No, because even with the advantage, both of those moves can still be a problem for Ash. Not to mention we still haven't seen the other two moves," Clemont responded as he sat back down. This match was just starting now.

* * *

"Braviary, use brave bird!" Michael called out. He had come in with a plan and he was sticking to it. He just had to trust that Braviary could hold out long enough.

Braviary nodded as it flew right at Pikachu, his body getting covered in the blue flames once more. Ash however was ready for the attack.

Waiting until Braviary got close, Ash revealed his plan. "Jump on its back, Pikachu!" Ash cried out as Pikachu leaped high into the air, causing Braviary to miss its opponent. Landin safely on Braviary's back, Ash gave out a small smirk of his own. "Now, thunderbolt!"

"What!?" Michael asked as he noticed the flaw in his plan. By coming so close to Pikachu, he had given the electric type a chance to get his powerful electric moves off at a close distance.

"Now this is something new, folks! Ash has had his Pikachu jump onto Braviary's back. I wonder how this could be used to their advantage." The announcer asked.

Pikachu held his grip on Braviary as his body started to spark with the flowing electricity. "Pika... Chuuuuu!" he cried out as the electricity flowed from his body onto Braviary. Pikachu jumped off of the flying type as it crashed onto one of the platforms.

"Finish it up with quick attack!" Ash cried out. It was time to end this right now.

Michael however wasn't worried. Instead he was standing there smiling. Ash wondered what the guy had planned. "You really think we'll go down that easily? I wanted to save it for latter in the conference but oh well. Braviary use hyper beam!"

This shocked Ash. He didn't think it had another powerful move like that just waiting to be used. He watched as the flying type charged up its own hyper beam, but instead of the orange color like Kingler's, this one was a dark purple in color.

"We still have a few surprises of our own!" Ash shot back as the hyper beam was fired off. He watched as Pikachu continued running straight at the beam, not even fazed by it. "Now, Pikachu! Spin to the left!"

This command shocked Michael. He wasn't expecting someone to change directions like this. Watching, he say Pikachu jump into the air and start spinning his body to the left. Doing so, he managed to glide right past the hyper beam and land next to his exhausted Braviary.

"Pikachu, use electro ball!" Ash cried out, wanting to end the match before Braviary could recover any more. Pikachu leaped into the air, charging a large ball of electricity on his tail. Then, with one swift movement he launched it right at Braviary, striking the flying type head on.

The referee waited until the smoke caused from the attack vanished to make his decision. Looking onto the field, he started to raise his green flag. "Braviary is unable to battle. That means the winner of the battle is Pikachu and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town will advance onto the fourth round!"

"And there you have it! Ash Ketchum wins on the water field, allowing him to advance onto the next round of the competition. With one more win, he'll qualify for the finals portion of the Kalos League!" The announcer explained to the crowd.

* * *

"That was an amazing battle, Ash," Serena said while they were all sitting down for dinner. Sawyer had also joined them for it tonight.

"Yeah, the way you calmly told Pikachu to dodge that brave bird by jumping on Braviary's back was great," Clemont added in. It always seemed like they were amazed with Ash's battling skills, complementing him at every chance they got.

"It was nothing more than just quick thinking," Ash answered, feeling a little embarrassed by the attention. He didn't mind it earlier, but now it seemed like they were just piling it on.

"Ash, you definitely have to teach me that spinning dodge technique. That one was amazing, you should have seen the entire audience when they watched Pikachu dodge like that," Sawyer added in as he pulled out his notebook, hoping for a few quick pointers.

"Maybe later, Sawyer. Right now I'm just tired," Ash said while letting out a light yawn. The last battle had taken a lot out of him even if it didn't look like it to the others. "But, I couldn't have done it without Pikachu, Leavanny and Kingler!"

The three pokemon cried in joy that they had won, but following it Kingler immediately rubbed the back of its head. After spending so much time at Oak's lab, the water type had picked up some of the professor's personality and being humble was one.

"Ash, have you looked to see who you're facing tomorrow on the rock field?" Serena asked as she started to pick up all of the remaining plate.

"Nope," Ash answered seriously. This shocked everyone as they thought he would have ran over to the Pokemon Center right as his match ended. "I'll go and check in the morning."

* * *

 **And another one's finished and it's another long one. Sorry that this one took so long to get out, but I've been busy with school and work lately. Hopefully I can get the next chapter finished sooner, but for now expect about 1-2 new chapters each week.**

 **Thanks for reading the new chapter and the continued support. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**

 **Next Time: Ughh, why did it have to rain today? Because of an unexpected thunderstorm, my fourth round match has been postponed! Now what am I going to do with my day? Next time, "An Unexpected Day Off"**


	7. An Unexpected Day Off

**Welcome back everyone. Nothing new to say, so let's get right into the chapter.**

* * *

 **Ch 7: An Unexpected Day Off**

"Why did it have to rain today...?" Ash moaned as he slouched on the couch. He had been expecting his final semi-final match today, but awoke to see it down pouring. He had immediately turned the TV on to see that all matches were cancelled for the day. "I was really looking forward to my battle today."

"Ash, you didn't even see who you were battling," Serena reminded him. It was true, after his last battle, he was just too exhausted even for his standards to go and see the matchups. He was supposed to check them today, but the rain had cancelled those plans. "There must be other things around here for you to do."

"Yeah, but I don't want to. I just want to have my battle!" Ash cried out like a spoiled baby. His reaction caused everyone to laugh from his little outburst.

"Ash, there has to be something you want to do," Bonnie said as she got up off of the couch. Even Bonnie had to admit that she was acting more behaved than Ash at the moment.

"I don't know. Right now my mind is just stuck on battling," Ash replied as he got up off of the couch and headed for the window. Looking out it, he noticed that the rain had finally came to a stop. Unfortunately, the League had already issued a statement cancelling all matches for the day. "At least the rain stopped."

"Hey, Ash," Clemont said as he looked up from his current invention. This one was going to be his big break, he just knew it. It was going to be a capture heling device. You load the pokeball into the launcher and then the machine locks onto the pokemon before firing. "Why don't you use this time to have Nurse Joy look after your pokemon?"

"That's a great idea, Clemont!" Ash cried out as he started to walk out the door. Serena then let out a cough, making him stop. Turning around, he saw that he was missing his jacket and hat. Reaching for them, he grabbed them from the performer and let out a nervous chuckle. "Thanks, Serena. Why don't you guys come along. Maybe we can find something to do."

The three friends agreed with Ash. Although they didn't show it like the trainer, they were all just as bored as Ash was. Gathering their belongings, the group left for the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"Your pokemon are doing just fine," Nurse Joy told Ash as she handed his pokeballs and Pikachu back over to the trainer. They hadn't waited for long. The Pokemon Center was empty as most trainers went into town for the day.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Ash responded as he grabbed the pokeballs and had Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder. Walking over to the bench, Ash sat down as he tried to think of something to do. He just couldn't picture anything to do.

"Ash!" Sawyer's voice rang through the Pokemon Center. The green haired trainer had been looking for him the entire day with some news. Panting, Sawyer tried to catch his breath to speak. "T-the... guy with... the guy with... the Charizard, it can mega evolve!"

"What! Are you serious!" Ash cried out in shock. Now this just got him even more excited to potentially face off against him. If that Charizard was strong before mega evolving, imagine what it would be like while mega-evolved. "How'd you find this out?"

"Well, I was walking by the preliminary fields when I overheard a battle," sawyer started to recall. It had been earlier this morning while Sawyer was out doing his morning training before the rain was supposed to hit. "Yeah, he was battling against this guy with an Absol. The two seemed pretty even and then they both mega-evolved! From that moment on, Charizard just took over the battle. I never saw anything like it, Ash!"

"I wish I could have seen it," Ash replied as his eyes started to shine with excitement. Serena had noticed that they always seemed to do this whenever Ash talked about a tough opponent, battling or just anything that excited him. "Still, someone who can mega-evolve isn't one to take lightly... But I really want to face him!"

"Ash, you should focus on your next match before anything else," Serena reminded the boy. Sometimes it seemed like he was too eager for a battle and just stopped paying attention to everything else around him.

"You're right, Serena!" Ash cried out, agreeing with the girl, but his excitement was just too much. "But I really hope I can face him," he added in, causing everyone else to sigh. As they started to talk, another familiar face entered into the Pokemon Center.

"Thought you would be here, Ash," Tierno said as he walked over to the group of five. He appeared to be a little tired, as if he had been running around the entire compound. "Shauna sent me to find you guys. I guess the League has some event going on over in the town. She thought that we should all go to it since nothing else is happening."

"That sounds like a great idea," Clemont responded as he shifted his backpack. He answered truthfully, but his mind was thinking about something else. Was it just a coincidence that a powerful trainer using a mega-evolving Charizard entered the league? It couldn't possibly be the person he was thinking of.

"Yeah, we were just wondering what we could do," Bonnie added in as she jumped up. Hearing about events held by the League meant two things to Bonnie, cute pokemon and possible keepers for her brother. "Sawyer why don't you come along too?"

"Me?" Sawyer asked, shocked by the invitation. "I couldn't possibly intrude on your fun. Go and enjoy yourselves," the boy answered nervously as he waved his hands in front of his body. Truth was, he felt comfortable around Ash and his friends, but he knew nothing about Tierno and the others. Ash did tell him about Tierno and the others, but it felt rude of him to just go with them.

"Nonsense," Tierno answered as he wrapped an arm around Sawyer's shoulder. "The more that come just means more fun," he explained truthfully. He may not have known Sawyer all that well, but if he was friends with Ash then that meant he must have been alright.

"Stop talking and let's get going!" Bonnie cried out as she started to grow impatient. All of the cute pokemon would be gone by the time they got down there. "Bonnie wants to see the pokemon."

"Bonnie, calm down," Clemont told the girl. Sometimes he wondered where all her energy came from. One moment she's sweet and quiet, the next she's running around and causing havoc for him. "The pokemon won't be leaving for a while. But, no one ever mentioned pokemon being there."

"Let's stop wasting time and get over to the town," Ash added in as the group left the Pokemon Center. He had decided to give whatever this event was a try. Who knows, maybe it would be exciting after all.

* * *

Making it into the town, Ash and the entire gang saw Shauna and Trevor waiting for them. Shauna looked to be bored while Trevor was busy taking a picture of the different forms of Furfrou. He was mesmerized by the fact that each of their coats were styled in a different way. Looking up, Shauna noticed the group making their way over.

"You guys finally made it!" She yelled out to them while waving. Shauna didn't know how much longer she could listen to Trevor continue on about the different coats of Furfrou. Yes, they were friends but sometimes his knowledge on the slightest differences in pokemon could get annoying. "I thought you weren't coming," she playfully teased.

"It just took a while to find them," Tierno said before acknowledging Sawyer. Pointing to the boy from Hoenn, he started to introduce him. "Shauna, this is Sawyer. He's a friend of Ash's and he'll be joining us."

Smiling, Shauna walked over and shook Sawyer's hands. "You're the boy from Ash's first match. The one who sat with all of us. I'm glad you came."

"Thank you," Sawyer responded. He had no idea how else to answer, but knew he had to say something. Following the introduction, the green haired boy moved back towards Ash and the others as they waited to continue on.

"Shauna, what exactly is going on in town?" Serena asked as she caught up to her fellow performer. She had looked through her travel guide, but there were no activities listed in there.

"Well, it's kind of like a carnival," Shauna responded as she pointed to all of the booths and shows going on around them. "There isn't really just one thing, but instead a bunch of different attractions. Like that Furfrou show from earlier, that was one of them."

"I still can't believe I got a picture of all the different coats of a Furfrou at once," Trevor could be heard saying as they walked on.

"Yeah, but anyways," Shauna started to say as she heard Trevor's comment. Sometimes she wished he would put the camera down once in a while and look at the world through his own two eyes. "Everything here is free for the public. Except food that is," she added in at the end once she heard Ash's stomach.

"I say we start with this one," Tierno said as he pointed at what appeared to be a target based game. The stand was set up with four guns that shot out rubber pokeballs. Across from it were rows of cardboard Ducklett that were moving on a belt. "I'll win it for sure!"

"Not if I'm facing you," Ash shot back as the two rivals got in each other's face. Even if this wasn't a battle, the two of them weren't backing down. They both wanted to prove that they were the better of the two.

"Please, as if either of you could beat me," Sawyer proudly proclaimed as he got between the two of them. Making his way over to the game, Sawyer grabbed the first seat and sat down. He was soon followed by the other two, both ready to prove Sawyer wrong.

"Too bad that my big brother could beat you all," Bonnie cried out as she dragged Clemont into the fourth and final seat. After hearing all of the competitive chatter, she just had to throw her brother into it as well.

"Bonnie, I don't want to," Clemont pleaded as he tried to get up out of his seat, only to be stopped by Bonnie.

"Come on now, Clemont. Don't you want to show everyone just how good you are?" Bonnie asked as she stared at her older brother. "Or would you rather me start looking for keepers?" Gulping, Clemont gave in to his sister's request. Sitting back down, he grabbed onto the gun and waited for the game to begin.

With a quick countdown, the Ducklett started to move across the belt. Within seconds, rubber pokeballs started to shoot at them as each time they were hit, the Ducklett would fall over.

"Clemont what are you doing!?" Bonnie cried out as she looked at the score. At the moment, there was a three way tie for first with Ash, Sawyer and Tierno having knocked over five Ducklett each while Clemont had only knocked over one. "Are you trying to lose?"

"Bonnie please, I'm doing my best," Clemont responded as he managed to knock over one more. This was a lot harder than it looked and it didn't help that Bonnie was constantly down his neck.

"Just a few more seconds everyone," the attendant stated as he looked at the clock on the wall. The seconds continued to tick away until it finally reached zero. "And who's the winner?" He asked before looking up at the board. The scores were all lined up from highest to lowest. "It's Ash with eight, while Tierno and Sawyer tied with seven and Clemont finished with two!"

"Yeah! See, I won't be beat that easily," Ash told his two rivals as the attendant caught his attention.

"Now, please pick your prize," the attendant told Ash as he pointed to all of the prizes that lined the back wall. Ash had no clue what to pick, mainly because he didn't even notice all of the prizes when he agreed to the game. Looking around, he was about to make his choice when something hit him.

"Eevee!" The cry from the normal type rang out through the group as it appeared from nowhere and struck Ash in the chest. The blow was enough to knock Ash off of his chair and land on the ground. "Ee. Vee, Ei!" It cried out happily as it ran around Ash.

Looking at the normal type, Ash stood up and wondered why it was so happy. "Um, Pikachu, we wouldn't know this Eevee, would we?" He asked while trying to think back to anyone he knew with an Eevee. The only ones who popped up were May and Serena, but both of their Eevee had evolved.

"Pi, Pikachu," it replied, shaking his head back in forth. Pikachu was just as confused as Ash was. This Eevee seemed to know them from somewhere, based on the excited look on its face.

"Eevee!" A new voice cried out. It appeared to be getting louder as whoever it was approached them. "Eevee, come on, this isn't funny! Where are you!?" The voice continued to cry out until the person came into view. The person was a young boy who had short black hair which was spiked in the front. For clothes he had a red t-shirt on underneath a gray sweatshirt and also had on blue jeans. For shoes he had white sneakers.

Seeing the boy, Eevee stopped its joyous running around Ash and Pikachu, and jumped up onto the boy's shoulder. "Eevee!" It cried out excitedly.

"There you are, Eevee," the boy said to his pokemon. "You know better than to run off by yourself. You could have been lost in this crowd," he said, causing the normal type to lower its head. Seeing this, the boy started to scratch Eevee behind its ear causing it to perk up. "I'm so sorry for any trouble Eevee might have causss-," he started to say, only to look shocked by the person in front of him.

"Eevee, vee!" The normal type cried out as well. For whatever reason, the two of them looked to be extremely excited about whatever was happening.

"Eevee, can you believe this!" The boy cried out as he pumped both his fists in excitement. "We actually found him! I mean, we actually found you, Ash Ketchum!" The boy cried out as he ran over to the Pallet Town trainer.

"Hi... Have we ever met?" Ash asked, kind of caught off guard by the boy's enthusiasm. Ash tried to picture if he had ever met him along his journey through Kalos, but was drawing a blank.

"Oh, right. Let me introduce ourselves first," he said while pulling out a notebook. Clearing his throat, the boy started to speak again. "My name's Nick and it's a pleasure to meet you. As the president of the Ash Ketchum Fan Club, I'd like to ask for your autograph!" He cried out, his voice rising in volume the longer he talked.

"Ash has a fan club?" Serena asked as she walked up next to the duo. She knew Ash had traveled through many regions, but she wondered why Ash had never mentioned anything about it before.

"I have a fan club?" Ash asked, thinking the same exact thing as Serena was. Was he really that popular of a trainer?

"Of course! I run the Mt. Silver chapter of the fan club!" Nick responded back as he handed over the notebook. "Is it too much to ask for yours and Pikachu's autographs?"

Taking the notebook from the eager boy, but still appeared to be shocked by the whole situation. Realizing that his friends were still waiting for him, Ash turned to them first. "Why don't you all go on ahead? I'll catch up in a little."

"Sure thing," Tierno answered as he did a quick little dance move. "But, the next game we play, I'll be beating you!"

"You're on, Tierno!" Ash yelled back as everyone except Serena left. Noticing this, the young trainer looked over at her. "Serena, don't you want to go with the others?"

"Y-yeah," she quickly responded. Truthfully, she would rather wait for Ash. This way, she could be alone with him for a short amount of time. "But, I know how bad your sense of directions can be. I figured you'll need help finding your way."

"Yeah, you're right," Ash embarrassingly admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. Somethings he just could never learn. One of those were following directions. "Thanks, Serena," he said before remembering about Nick. "Oh, right. Your autograph," Ash said as he signed his name and had Pikachu give a paw print before handing it back.

"Oh, thank you!" Nick cried out as he placed the notebook back into his backpack. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Hey, no problem, it's the least I could do," Ash replied as he rubbed under his nose. He wasn't used to this kind of acknowledgement. "So, how many chapters are there?"

"Just one," Nick quickly replied as he shocked Ash and Serena. By the way he talked about the fan club, it seemed that there would be many of them. "And right now, I'm the only member," he continued on, shocking them even more.

"Wait, if there's only one person in this club, what exactly did I do to make you form it?" Ash asked as he recovered from his shock. It really was too good to be true.

"Just being yourself!" Nick replied as he thought back to the first time he saw Ash battle. "I was eight years old when I saw you in person during the Silver Conference. The way you battled, it energized me and Eevee. You never gave up during those matches even when it was just you and Charizard having to fight against three of Gary Oak's pokemon. That was probably one of the best matches ever. Since then, I followed your journeys through Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova. After many failed attempts, I finally found you in Kalos," he explained before taking a breath.

"Really? You followed me through the other regions?" Ash asked. He seemed a little confused. Should he feel a sense of pride for having such a loyal fan or should he feel creeped out.

"Well, not exactly. Once I turned ten, I left for Kanto and competed there," Nick explained as he pulled out pictures of his travels. "Unfortunately, you were off in Sinnoh then. After Kanto, I left for Sinnoh only to learn that you were in Unova. This time, I called up Professor Oak and he told me you were traveling Kalos. So, I challenged this league in hopes that I would get to face you."

"Wow, you must be determined to face me," Ash responded. Now, he felt a little admired for the boy. He had based his journey around wanting to face him.

"You have no idea! You and Pikachu are the ones who helped me decide on what kind of trainer I wanted to be. That was, a great one!" He told his idol. He then looked at the time and realized that it was getting late. "Sorry to run, but I need to get going."

As Nick started to leave, he was stopped by Ash. Extending his hand out, Ash motioned for Nick to take it. "I'll be waiting for our battle," he said while Nick took his hand.

"Right. But I'll be victorious against you, Ash," Nick responded before a thought came over his mind. He was actually shaking Ash's hand. Once finished, he and Eevee bowed politely before taking off.

"That boy seemed to really admire you, Ash," Serena said as she watched him run off. Nick seemed a little different, but in a nice different. He was like that younger brother you always wanted, the one who would look up to you all the time.

"Yeah, but we really should find the others. They're probably wondering what's taking so long," Ash stated. The two were about to leave only to be stopped by the attendant from the game.

"Sir, you still need to pick your prize," he said, motioning towards all of the prizes. Looking at them, Ash couldn't make up his mind. Finally, something caught his eye as he pointed at it. "That's a nice choice," the attendant said as he handed it over.

"A Fennekin?" Serena asked as Ash took the stuffed doll from the attendant. She never pictured Ash as the kind of person to collect anything like that.

"Yeah, I... thought you would like it," he said while scratching his cheek. He didn't know why, but something was telling him to take the stuffed Fennekin for Serena while he was making his choice. Part of him was saying that it was to pay her back for yesterday, but another part wasn't agreeing on that. "It's kind of like a thank you... for yesterday."

Taking the stuffed Fennekin from Ash, Serena hugged it. She had been looking at it since it reminded her of when she first started her journey, but she wasn't going to ask him to pick it. Blushing a little, she faced the boy who just gave him the gift. "Thank you, Ash. I'll treasure it forever," she said while giving off a large smile.

Chuckling, Ash continued to scratch his cheek. Why, he couldn't tell. To him it had turned into a reaction to whenever he felt a little embarrassed, but he had caught himself doing it more often in Kalos than during his other travels. "Why don't we go find the others?"

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Ash cried out as he and Serena finally found them. They were sitting in front of another booth, but this one looked to be different. It was an open area instead of a closed off booth.

"Ash, did your fan club keep you busy?" Bonnie asked teasingly as she walked over to him. "How many people are actually in it?"

"Well," Ash started to say as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Only one," he said, causing everyone to collapse from their shock. He knew they would react that way as well. "Turns out he's a huge fan of mine."

"Too bad," Tierno stated he walked up to Ash. Ash didn't really care though, he wasn't too big on the idea of a fan club. Yet. Maybe when he won a league it would be different. "But, you guys showed up at the right time. We were about to try this game but you need to do it in pairs."

"Pairs?" Serena asked. The idea got her excited about the idea of being partners with Ash in this.

"Yeah, I guess the point is to knock as many of those 'pokeballs' into the bucket," Tierno explained as he pointed to the stuffed pokeball dolls and then the buckets. "But there's a catch. One partner hits the pokeballs while the other tries to catch it with the bucket, but with fans blowing the pokeballs around it makes it hard to catch them."

"That sounds different," Serena said as she looked at the game. She wasn't really interested in participating at first, but once she had heard there were partners involved that changed her mind. _"Maybe... Ash and I can be partners,"_ she thought to herself as her faced turned a light pink. "A-Ash... would... would you like…" she started to say only to be cut off by Sawyer.

"Ash, we should team up and beat everyone else," the green haired boy said excitedly. After losing the last game, he knew his best chance to win would be to partner up with Ash.

"Well, you see," Ash started to say as he backed away from the Hoenn native. "I was going to see if Serena wanted to be my partner for this," he finished before looking at Serena. "So, want to be partners?"

A small smile made its way onto Serena face. Grasping onto her blue ribbon, Serena started to speak. "Yeah, it'll be fun."

"Well, I'll partner up with Bonnie," Clemont stated. He didn't really want to have Bonnie cause anyone to lose. "So that just leaves you four to decide."

After a few minutes, Tierno and Shauna decided to partner up while Trevor and Sawyer decided to try their luck while working together. As the groups lined up, Ash, Clemont, Tierno and Sawyer grabbed their buckets and headed out under the fans. Once on, they felt just how strong the breeze was. Serena, Bonnie, Shauna and Trevor also lined up and grabbed their mallets and pokeballs. Placing them onto the launch pad, everyone hit their first ones and watched as their partners reacted.

"This is going to be easy," Ash said as he watched the ball approach him. Getting underneath, Ash expected it to fall right into the bucket. To his surprise, the wind blew it off target and caused it to fall to the ground. "Huh, what happened?"

"Ash, the fans. Remember!?" Serena yelled out as she pointed to the large fans. She looked over and noticed that everyone else was having just as hard of a time. Bonnie wasn't able to put enough strength behind her hits, causing Clemont to always end up too far away from them. Also, Shauna couldn't get them close to Tierno. They would either be too close or too far away for the dancing trainer to get them while Trevor and Sawyer were doing a horrible job communicating with each other.

* * *

"Just about done," the attendant stated as he handed all of them their last pokeball each. Looking over at the score, Serena noticed just how close it was.

" _We're tied with Sawyer and Trevor, but Tierno and Shauna are only one behind us. I have to be perfect with this one,"_ she thought while placing the ball onto the launch pad. Taking her time, she watched as Sawyer missed his final ball and Tierno caught his. "Okay, ready, Ash?"

"You bet!" He said, giving her a thumbs up. Ash readied himself as he waited for Serena to hit the pokeball. Nodding in agreement, Serena gave it a tap. It wasn't too light, but also not too hard. Ash watched the ball as it soared through the sky. He quickly got underneath it, but like the first time, the wind knocked it down. This time however, Ash reacted correctly and dove to the ground, catching the ball in his bucket.

"And we have the winners!" The attendant replied as he handed the prize over to the two trainers. Once again, Ash was surprised by such a prize, but took it anyway. "You two were lucky enough to win a free all you can eat buffet!"

"How does he always win?" Sawyer muttered as he placed his bucket on the ground. Giving up, the Hoenn native dropped to the ground, annoyed that he lost again to Ash.

"Tell me about it," Tierno agreed while sitting down next to the boy. Both of them knew this feeling of losing to Ash quite frequently. "But, this just means I'll be even more excited when I beat him in the League."

"So, it's all you can eat?" Ash asked as he felt his mouth water a little. He was growing hungry, but had forgot his card back at their hotel room. Looking at the tickets, he realized that they expired tonight. "Serena, these need to be used by tonight."

"Huh, who gives out a free meal that expires in one night?" Serena asked as she looked at the tickets. Shrugging, she knew there was nothing she could do about it. "So, what do you plan on doing about it?"

"Let's use them. We did work hard to win them," Ash responded as he gathered his pokeballs. "Clemont, do you mind watching over my pokemon tonight? I figured they deserved a fun time as well."

"Ash, you can leave it to me," Clemont responded as he took the five pokeballs. Outside of Kingler and Leavanny, he had no idea who the other three were.

"Ash, could I also look after them?" Bonnie asked as she tugged at his jacket. That was Bonnie for you, always wanting to get involved with any pokemon.

Smiling, Ash knelt down next to the excitable girl. "Of course you can, Bonnie. I wouldn't expect Clemont to take care of them all by himself."

"Bonnie," Serena stated as she handed her pokeballs over as well. "Do mind watching over my pokemon as well? I think they would enjoy tonight also."

"Of course," the young girl cried out as she grabbed the three pokeballs. More pokemon to watch just meant more fun for her. "I'll even give them a nice grooming."

"Thanks," Serena responded as she stood back up. "So, Ash, are you ready?"

"Of course!" ash cried out. He was always ready for free food. "Clemont, we'll meet back up at the hotel."

"Sure, and don't worry about anything. Bonnie and I will keep a close eye on your pokemon," he responded back.

* * *

Ash and Serena were now sitting down in a booth at the restaurant. When they said all you can eat, Ash took you up on the offer. Already, he had eaten close to four plates worth of food and was finishing up his fifth. Serena on the other hand was still working on her first, choosing to use table manners while eating.

Looking at the amount of food Ash and Pikachu ate, Serena started to laugh. Noticing the stares that the duo were giving her, she started to explain herself. "It's just... You two eat so much. But, there's never any proof to all the food you eat. It's like it just disappears."

"Well, we burn it off just as soon as we eat it," Ash reasoned. He took a look at his plates and also laughed. He never thought of all the food he ate. Usually if it tasted good, he ate it and would eat a lot of it. "All that training really pays off. In more than one way," he joked, causing the three of them to laugh.

"That must be it," Serena responded as she sat back. She could really get used to this. It was the second straight day that the three of them had eaten together. It was almost like a date to her.

"I really enjoyed this," Ash stated, snapping Serena out of her thoughts. Noticing her confusion, Ash decided to clear the situation up. "You know, the three of us eating. It's fun."

"It really is," Serena replied. She didn't know what Ash was hinting at, but it was probably just him being his usual self. "We should do it more often."

"Yeah, I'll have to show you some of the great foods Kanto is known for," he replied before putting hi plate down. Finally feeling full, Ash leaned back in the booth. "But, for now, we should probably head back to the hotel room. It is getting late."

Looking at her travel guide's clock, Serena noticed that it really had gotten late. It was now almost 9pm. The time really flew by as they were eating. "We should. On the way back, you should check your match for tomorrow."

"That's right!" Ash cried out as he grabbed his head, Pikachu copying his reaction. "I completely forgot about seeing my opponent for tomorrow. We really need to get going them."

Getting up, the small group of three made their way to the exit and started their decent walk back to the hotel. The night was quiet and peaceful. The moon was bright and it reflected off of the water beautifully. If it wasn't for Ash's denseness, Serena would have thought it was perfect. The sounds of local wild pokemon filled the town, only to grow soft as they crossed across the bridge.

"Serena, I'd like to thank you," Ash said as they stopped at the edge of the bridge. They had made it all the way across, but Ash had stopped right at the end. "You've really helped me out during my time in Kalos. Without yours and everyone else's help, I don't know if I'd be here."

"Ash, I didn't do anything," Serena replied as she moved a little closer to Ash. Tonight was the perfect chance for her to try and do something. She continued to move closer to Ash as he was distracted by the moon's reflection. "You did everything. We just supported you along the way. But, I should be thanking you, without your help and support I don't think I'd be where I am today. And because of that I just wanted to tell you-" she started to say only for a mechanical arm to snatch Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he watched Pikachu get placed in a giant box. Following the box, he noticed the familiar Meowth shaped Balloon that has been following him forever. "Team Rocket! Can't you ever just leave me alone!"

"Prepare for trouble, we'll never leave you alone," Jessie started to recite their motto.

"And make it double, taking Pikachu is like tossing a stone," James continued it as they got into a groove.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people with our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"And James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right," the cat scratch pokemon added in.

"Wobbuffett!" The psychic type chimed in.

"Seriously, don't you have anything better to do!?" Ash yelled out. Once again, he was growing frustrated with the group of three Team Rocket agents. Every day, they would show up to try and steal his pokemon, but the past few days they had actually stayed away.

"As if. Why would we ever give up on stealing such a powerful Pikachu?" Jessie asked as they all leaned over their basket. "With this one Pikachu, Team Rocket will grow much stronger."

"We do what the boss wants!" James yelled out as he added in to Jessie's comments. "And what he wants are powerful pokemon, which your Pikachu is considered!"

"It's time for a celebration!" Meowth cheered as the three agents started to cheer with oriental fans.

"We captured Pikachu. We captured Pikachu!" The three continued to chant until they pointed at Ash and Serena. "And there's nothing you can do!"

Clenching his fists, Ash watched as the balloon started to fly away. Running after it, Ash didn't take his eyes off of it at all. There had to be a way to stop them, but by the time he got to the hotel and got his other pokemon Team Rocket would be long gone.

"Lucario, use aura sphere!" A new voice cried out. Ash looked up as the blue sphere of energy flew across the sky and crashed right into the box that contained Pikachu.

"What!" The three agents cried out as they saw Pikachu escape their trap.

"Who did that!?" Jessie cried out as she scanned the area. They couldn't make anything out, but somehow Pikachu was now free.

"That box wasn't cheap you know. It cost quite a pretty penny," Meowth yelled out. He could tell that it was a pokemon attack, but didn't know which one.

"Hey, Ash, long time no see," A boy in an orange shirt, blue shorts and a red headband. He also had what looked to be a brownish gray hair color.

"Cameron!?" Ash cried out. What was that boy doing here? "It's great to see you, but why are you in Kalos?"

"Well, I came to challenge this league. Just so happens that I ran into you," Cameron replied as Lucario jumped down from a nearby tree.

"Pikachu, let's end this. Use thunderbolt!" Ash cried out as Pikachu jumped into the air.

"Lucario, you use copycat!" Cameron ordered.

Pikachu launched off his thunderbolt first as electricity shot off of his entire body. Watching from below, Lucario copied Pikachu's exact movements as his own body exploded with electricity.

The two blasts flew across the sky as it collided with Team Rocket's balloon, causing it to explode. The three agents flew through the sky, a feeling of defeat coming over them.

"We were so close this time!" Jessie whined as she looked back at the twerps.

"Yes, but the horrible stench of defeat just means the sweet, sweet smell of victory will be that much nicer!" James added in.

"But for right now," Meowth continued.

"We're blasting off again!" The three screamed as they flew out of sight. Hopefully never to be seen again.

"So, Cameron, you said you're competing as well?" Ash asked as he turned to his one time Unova rival. Out of all the people who could have rescued Pikachu, he didn't expect it to be Cameron.

"Right you are, Ash," Cameron responded as both he and Lucario gave him a thumbs up. "I couldn't fall asleep because I'm just too excited for our match tomorrow! You better be ready!"

"Wait, what do you mean by 'our match'?" Ash asked as he looked on confused. He then started to put two and two together. "Wait! Are you telling me we're facing off tomorrow!?"

"That's right, Ash," Cameron said as he and Lucario started to laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow. Even if I can't sleep, I should try to. Good luck tomorrow!" he cried out before running off.

"Cameron, I won't hold back. And tomorrow, when we face off, I'll beat you," ash said, his fists clenched from the excitement.

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest: Thanks for the support.**

 **KaliAnn: I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far. Don't worry, she'll get her chance with him... Eventually.**

 **Cypress Oury: Thanks for the enthusiasm. I won't say who will or won't battle, but with three arcs planed out, everyone will get a chance at some point.**

 **And the chapter is finished. Can you spell filler? In all seriousness though, I needed a chapter to break up all of the action. Also, just a few things I need to bring up. Chapter wise, those that don't involve major battles will be shorter than others, expect about 5000-6500.**

 **Also, about bringing Cameron into this, I had a little talk with my editor (also myself) it went like this:**

 **Editor: Potat, we need you to write something crazy in this story. It's just way too simple.**

 **Writer: But, Potat, I thought I was doing some interesting things.**

 **Editor: This is a fanfiction. Write a random old character into the story, they don't need a good reason. Just someone to face off against Ash.**

 **Writer: The chapter's finished. How do you like it?**

 **Editor: Exactly what I wanted. But tone it down with the next few chapters when it comes to jumping the shark.**

 **Writer: B-but... I was... doing what you asked of me.**

 **Editor: Shouldn't you be working on the next chapter.**

 **Writer: Yes sir.**

 **Thank you for reading the chapter and for the continued support. Please leave a review saying what you enjoyed and how I can improve.**

 **Next Time: Cameron of all people is my opponent. I don't know why Pikachu, but I'm both excited and nervous. It's strange, but I couldn't still be upset about Unova, could I? Next time "Defeat the Unstoppable Beast!"**


	8. Defeat the Unstoppable Beast

**Welcome back to another chapter. Last time we left off, Ash found out that his fourth round battle would have him face off against Cameron his old Unova rival.**

* * *

 **Ch 8: Defeat the Unstoppable Beast**

" _Cameron's our next hurdle,"_ Ash thought to himself as he pictured back to his Unova League match with the boy. The collision of electro ball and aura sphere kept playing through his mind. "This time... it'll end differently," he muttered under his breath. His hands were clenched by his sides, but Serena noticed how they were also shaking a little.

"Ash," Serena started to say as she moved closer to the boy. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Ash replied as he snapped out of his thoughts. No matter how much he tried to pump himself up, Ash just couldn't stop picturing the end of that battle. Seeing Serena looking concerned for him, Ash put on his best fake smile. "I'm fine, I just can't wait for tomorrow."

Sighing, Serena shook her head. Why did Ash always act like everything was fine? It's fine to admit there was a problem. "Ash, your hands are shaking. And it isn't one that happens with excitement. It looks more like nervousness." She was right, for some reason, Ash was acting more like that night before the League began. He didn't seem as sure of himself by his body language and there even seemed to be an air of doubt surrounding him.

Now it was his turn to sigh. Walking away, he motioned Serena to follow him until they found a bench. "We might as well sit down. It might take a while," he said as the two of them sat on the bench. Looking out at the lake, the moon reflected off of the surface and painted a beautiful scene. "The truth is, I told you how I lost in the Unova League. Well, Cameron knocked me out of it. I guess you could say I'm still upset about it."

"Ash, it isn't like you to hold a grudge against someone who beats you," she replied as she continued to listen to the story. She had seen Ash lose a few times while in Kalos, but each time he got over it and moved on. For some reason, this loss seemed to haunt him.

"There's more to it," Ash stated, starting to prove Serena's thoughts correct. "Unova was the fifth regional Conference I competed in. I was sure that it would be the one, but then I messed up. By the time the League rolled around, we weren't ready except for Pikachu and a few others. After fighting extremely hard, we barely made it into the Top 8. That's when we faced off against Cameron. The match started out bad, I lost two pokemon quickly but then we made a turn around and it was a three on two situation. Or so I thought. Cameron had thought that a full match consisted of five pokemon each only to find out that a full match is made up of six pokemon each. His Lucario that you just saw, it evolved from a Riolu during our match and defeated all three of my remaining pokemon," he explained before pausing for a second.

Silence filed the area as Ash sat there. Serena wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure what. But she did know that she wanted to help Ash out in some way.

Ash then sighed as he leaned back on the bench. Looking up to the moon, he let out a small frown. "Do you know how much it hurt?" He asked, not waiting for an answer he continued on with this confession of sorts. "He only needed five pokemon to beat me, and out of those five, two of them took out five of my own pokemon. Imagine how that looked, Ash, the trainer from Pallet Town who finished in the Top 4 of the Sinnoh League being defeated by just two pokemon. This may have been my fifth League, but the loss stung as much as my first. Once I got home, I was ready to start again and left immediately for Kalos," he finished his story before looking over at Pikachu. Seeing the electric type nodding in approval, Ash could tell that he felt the same exact way.

Serena sat there while nodding. Everything Ash said made sense. Putting it into the thought of performances, how would Serena feel if she lost in Master Class before matching her position from last year? It would hurt, but it would also drive her to become better.

"Ash, I think that loss was a good thing," she answered while receiving a confused look from Ash. Looking up at the moon, Serena continued on with her reasoning. "Without that loss, you wouldn't have that extra drive you have this time. You may not have realized it, but you've been using that loss as fuel to compete even harder. You want to prove to everyone just how good Ash Ketchum really is. It's this determination and drive that makes us all believe he can win. You've grown stronger since then, you'll win for sure!" She finished explaining while smiling. It felt weird to see Ash in this situation. It was usually the other way around with Ash providing the support.

Ash was caught off guard by this. Could that loss really have been a blessing in disguise? Despite any confusion he was feeling, Ash believed that Serena was right. She hadn't been wrong yet during their adventures through Kalos. "Thank you, Serena," he said while letting out a laugh. "I guess I was just getting nervous. Letting doubts get into my head, but come tomorrow, I'll win for sure!" He proclaimed while raising a fist in the air. His expressions then started to change from his excited appearance to a more sincere one. "But, seriously, thank you Serena. You always know how to cheer people up. You're always there for someone who needs help."

"Ash, just as I told you the other night. Out of everything you've done for everyone else, this is the least I can do. I wish there was more, but I really don't know," she told her crush as he started to get up. Knowing exactly what that meant, she followed his lead as well. "It's getting late, we should probably head back to the hotel now. You still need to think of who you'll be using."

"You're right, Serena," Ash replied as he started to stretch. He had gone a little stiff from sitting on the bench. "There's no way I can lose now. Not with you and the others all cheering me on."

* * *

Mmmm..." Ash muttered as he tossed and turned in his bed. It was almost 10 am, much later than what Ash normally slept to. But after last night, he had decided to sleep for just a little longer. He had been up late trying to figure out what three pokemon he could use, and he had finally figured it out.

Likewise, Pikachu was also sleeping. The electric type had tried to stay up with Ash, but as the night transitioned into the earlier hours of the morning he just couldn't stay awake. But now, the electric type started to stir, his nose being aroused by a familiar smell.

"Pancakes... and sausage," Ash continued to mutter. Whatever Pikachu had been smelling, it had also filled Ash's nose as well. All the boy could think about was the thought of food. Something about the food smelled different though. It seemed familiar, but he hadn't smelt it for the longest time. "Yes, I'll have thirds. Thanks, Clemont."

Pikachu had now woken up and was watching his best friend sleep talk. Deciding it was best to get him up now, Pikachu released a small electric shock that jolted Ash awake.

"Ahhh!" The boy from Pallet Town cried out as the electricity flowed through his body. The sudden jolt had also caused him to jump off of the bed and was now sitting on the ground. "You didn't have to do that, Pikachu," Ash muttered as he got back up. But still, that smell he thought was a part of his dreams was still lingering in the air. "You smell it too, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika," it replied while nodding its head. The smell was also familiar to it as well, but couldn't figure out from where. While Ash opened his bedroom door, Pikachu took off for the kitchen finally realizing why it smelt so familiar.

"Pikachu it's nice to see you too," a familiar voice stated. Ash heard the voice and wondered if he misheard it. She couldn't be in Kalos, could she? Walking into the kitchen, Ash was greeted by the sight of his mother and Professor Oak getting breakfast ready.

"Mom!?" Ash cried out as he felt his entire body get wrapped in a hug. That was his mom, always surprising him. Finally letting go of her boy, Mrs. Ketchum backed up so that Ash could talk. "What are you and Professor Oak doing here?"

"We came to cheer you on, Ash," Professor Oak stated as he scratched behind Pikachu's ear. It had been a while since he last saw Pikachu and he had to admit, it looked like it was in its best condition ever.

"He's right, dear. Watching your Leagues on TV just aren't the same as being there in person," she lied, keeping Serena's secret safe. "So, we came to Kalos to surprise you," she said while handing over a plate of food. "Now, go eat because your match will be starting before you know it."

"Thanks, mom and you too Professor Oak," Ash replied as he bit into the pancakes on his plate before sitting down. He now had even more determination to win, if that was even possible. His mom and Professor Oak came out to watch him, he couldn't let their time here be a waste. "I'll make sure to win the entire League for you!"

Standing down the hall, Serena watched the interactions between Ash and his mother. He really seemed to enjoy them both being here, she made the right decision after all. "Good luck today Ash. I'll be rooting with all I've got," she muttered under her breath before heading into her room to wake Bonnie up.

* * *

"Welcome once again ladies and gentlemen as we get ready to start our fourth round battle on the rock field!" The announcer cried out while fans everywhere got to their seats. "In today's match, we have Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town squaring off against Cameron, a trainer from Unova! These two young trainers last faced off in the Top 8 of the Unova League where Cameron won. Let's see if Ash has what it takes to create a different outcome or will Cameron move onto the Champion's Tournament!"

"My, I forgot just how packed these Leagues get," Professor Oak stated as he sat down next to Clemont. "But, this match will be an exciting one. Two former rivals facing off against each in a fierce and fiery match. Two vying for one spot in the Champion's tournament."

"The battle will turn into quite an exciting one indeed," Clemont responded as they watched Ash walk out onto the field. _"But if Ash lost to this guy before, how has he prepared a strategy to beat him?"_

"Oh there's my little boy," Mrs. Ketchum stated as she took a camera out of her purse. "I just have to get a picture of him and Pikachu. They look so determined out there."

"They have been training nonstop for this League," Serena admitted. Sometimes she had wished Ash had taken a short break from his training to spend time with all of them, but she would never push the issue. This was what he came to Kalos for, Serena would never get in the way of his dream. "I'm sure he'll win and move on to the next round."

"Hey, Ash!" Cameron called out to his rival as they waited to start the match. "This time I have the right amount of pokemon on hand! But, the result will be the same as last time!" He joked around. After the Unova League, Cameron had read up on a few of the rules and now understood exactly how many pokemon would be used per round.

Shaking his head, Ash smiled towards his rival. "Not this time, Cameron! I'll be the one winning today!" Ash yelled back as the referee was about to begin.

"Cameron won the coin toss and so he will select the first pokemon!" The referee declared as he pointed his red flag at the Unova boy.

"Hmm, who should I use first?" He asked himself before slapping his head with his headband. A jolt of pain shot through his head as an answer came to him. "Let's start things off real strong, Hydreigon!"

The dragon and dark type emerged from its pokeball and floated over the field. Letting out a loud roar, the brutal pokemon rocked the entire arena.

" _So, he did go with Hydreigon. That's no problem, we'll just fight back with someone even stronger,"_ Ash thought to himself as he reached for a pokeball. If Cameron was starting out strong, so would he. "Greninja, I choose you!"

The water and dark type pokemon emerged from the pokeball as he took a ninja stance. Standing straight up, the water type eyed his opponent as he prepared for battle.

"And it'll be Greninja versus Hydreigon! How will the aerial advantage play out for Hydreigon and will Greninja even be able to land a hit?" The announcer asked as he looked over the two pokemon. From looks alone, Hydreigon appeared to have the advantage.

"Hydreigon, start off with dragon pulse!" Cameron commanded.

Opening its three heads, purple energy started to form until it combined into a massive dragon. If someone thought Noivern's attack was strong, this one would put it to shame. Finally take shape of a dragon, Hydreigon launched the attack right at Greninja.

Staying calm, Ash waited for his chance to dodge the incoming attack. Seeing his chance, he started to issue a command. "Greninja, use double team!"

Greninja nodded as his entire body glowed white. Then, in a flash, multiple Greninja appeared all over the field causing confusion for Hydreigon and Cameron. The dragon pulse continued to soar across the field until it made contact with a few of Greninja's copies.

"Now, water shuriken!" Ash called out, striking while the iron was hot. The remaining copies of Greninja all slapped their hands together as shuriken shaped water formed in between them.

"Quick, counter with tri attack! Take out as many as you can!" Cameron ordered. He wasn't used to a double team attack and was being thrown off by it.

Hydreigon once again opened all three of its heads while the attack charged. Lighting formed in its right head, fire in the center head and ice in the left head. Before Greninja could launch the attack, Hydreigon fired off the three beams and destroyed all of the copies.

"Hey, where'd the original go?" Cameron asked as he looked around the entire field. They destroyed all the copies, but there was still no sight of Greninja.

"Look up," Ash replied right as Greninja launched the water shuriken. Looking right at him, Cameron watched as the attack struck Hydreigon directly. "Now, aerial ace!"

Greninja started a free fall descent right for the dragon type. As he did so, his feet started to glow white as he prepared to strike.

"Block it with double hit!" Cameron called out, shocking Ash. Both of Hydreigon's side heads glowed white as he used them to block Greninja's attack. Then, before the water type could dodge, both heads were swung right into Greninja knocking him straight into the ground.

"And Greninja's attack was stopped by a powerful double hit. Just when it seemed like Ash had an opening, it was taken back by Cameron!" The announcer explained to the crowd.

"Greninja, can you continue on?" Ash asked as he watched Greninja get up off of the ground. He knew that one hit wouldn't be enough to finish Greninja off. The water type had been through much worse than that. "Let's show them our true strength! Double team once again!"

"This same move?" Cameron asked as copies of Greninja filled the battlefield. What was Ash trying to do? Last time, it didn't really work out for him as they managed to stop his attack. "We'll just have to show them that it won't work twice. Use dragon pulse!"

Just as he did the last time, Hydreigon launched off the powerful dragon type move and destroyed all of the copies of Greninja. Instead of looking around, both it and Cameron looked directly above them only to see that Greninja wasn't there.

"Now, use aerial ace!" Ash cried out. To Cameron's surprise, Greninja had hid underneath Hydreigon during the previous attack. Before anyone could react, Greninja had already kicked Hydreigon in its chin during its ascent. While on the way down, the water type kicked the top of the brutal pokemon's head.

"And not backing down, Ash uses the same strategy to land a powerful hit onto Hydreigon!" The announcer cried out.

* * *

"That was a smart idea by Ash," Professor Oak stated as he watched Greninja vanish as soon as he landed on the ground. "Using double team twice in a row caused Cameron to believe he was going for the same attack again but instead, he attacked from underneath and landed two blows. But still, I don't think it'll work a third time."

"Still, Hydreigon must be getting tired by now," Clemont asked as he noticed the dragon type wasn't breaking a sweat. "All of those direct hits must have hurt it even if just a little."

"No way," a new voice stated as it caused Clemont to jump. Why were people always joining in on their conversations? Turning around, he noticed that the boy from yesterday was now sitting behind him. "That Hydreigon is extremely powerful."

"What do you mean by that?" Serena asked as her eyes darted back and forth between Ash and Nick. "There must be a way to beat it."

"There is, but back in Unova Ash needed three pokemon to just defeat that thing," Nick explained as he looked at the difference between pokemon. Greninja had only taken that one hit, but was growing tired from all of its constant running. Hydreigon on the other hand seemed absolutely fine. "Playing this kind of game will only last for so long. Sooner or later Greninja will tire out."

* * *

"Okay, Greninja double team once again!" Ash said as he thought his strategy was working. As long as they couldn't hit Greninja, he was fine.

"Not again. How many times does he think we'll fall for it?" Cameron asked as he looked at all of the copies. He knew by now that they were just all a distraction. "His whole idea is to out speed us, so let's slow him down! Use thunder wave!"

"Thunder wave!?" Ash cried out as Hydreigon launched a blue electrical wave out of its mouth. The electrical current flowed through the entire battlefield, destroying every copy on contact.

Then, it finally hit the real Greninja. Falling to his knees, Greninja struggled to stand up due to the paralysis. Finally standing up, Greninja felt his whole body give out as a jolt of electricity filled him.

"Now that he can't move, use double hit!" Cameron ordered.

Hydreigon went in for the attack as its two side heads glowed white. Greninja watched as they were swung at him. The water type dodged the first head, but when he went to jump over the second, he felt his whole body give out. Being hit backwards, Greninja struggled to get back onto his feet.

"Greninja appears to be struggling with the effects of that thunder wave! What will Ash do now that his speed is gone?" The announcer asked.

"Greninja, return!" Ash cried out as the water type was returned to its pokeball. Ash wasn't expecting a move like thunder wave. He had to be careful now that Greninja could barely move. Thinking for a second, Ash decided on his next pokemon. "Gible, I choose you!"

* * *

"Gible?" Bonnie asked as all she pictured was the pokemon who had bit her hair. "Why would he choose that? It isn't fast like Greninja at all."

"No, but it actually is a good idea by Ash," Professor Oak responded as he looked down to the field. Ash always was pulling out surprises.

"Huh, how come, Professor Oak?" Mrs. Ketchum asked. She had never seen Gible battle before, but even she thought it wouldn't be a good choice.

"Because, Delia, Gible is a dragon and ground type pokemon," Professor Oak began to explain as Clemont picked up on his reasoning.

"So that means it's quite effective against a fellow dragon type like Hydreigon," Clemont finished. Professor Oak nodded his head in agreement, but the inventor had left out one other important piece of information.

"Not only that," Nick started to say, getting everyone's attention. "But it is also immune to thunder wave and with a move like rock smash, it'll be effective not only against Hydreigon but also Cameron's Lucario."

"He also has a Lucario?" Clemont asked, sounding shocked. This battle was only going to get harder for Ash.

* * *

"And Ash has switched Greninja out for a Gible! How will the little dragon type handle going up against Hydreigon?" The announcer asked. This battle was starting to look like David and Goliath to him.

"Okay, Gible, let's show them what you can do. Use twister!" Ash cried out, throwing a punch forward with his fist.

"Gible," the land shark pokemon replied as he started to spin his hands at a fast rate. To everyone watching, they were surprised that once Gible had reached a fast enough speed that a twister actually formed. The tornado was then launched by Gible, straight at Hydreigon.

"Dodge it and then use thunder wave!" Cameron called out.

Hydreigon tried to fly away from the twister, but the strength of it was too strong for the brutal pokemon. Being pulled into it, Hydreigon could do nothing as it was thrown around. Finally, the dragon type found itself crashing onto the ground as the twister vanished.

"Okay, now use thunder wave!" Cameron ordered again. This time it would work.

Ash smirked at the issued command. Pointing his hand forward, he started to issue the next command. "Run straight through that thunder wave and then knock Hydreigon up into the sky with rock smash!"

"Gib," the dragon type replied as he ran right at his fellow dragon type. He then pulled his right fist back as it started to glow white.

Hydreigon lifted its heads off of the ground just in time to fire off the thunder wave. But to its and Cameron's surprise, Gible just continued to run right through it, completely unharmed by it.

Swinging its arm upward, Gible launched Hydreigon high into the sky. "Now, end this with draco meteor!" Ash called out as he watched Hydreigon fall back towards the ground.

Gible opened his mouth as a large orange ball of energy started to form. Leaning his head back, Gible fired the attack straight up at Hydreigon. The ball of energy connected with the brutal pokemon, exploding upon impact.

Hydreigon continued its descent before crashing into the ground. Before it could even get out of the way, the remains of the ball fell down onto Hydreigon knocking it out.

"Hydreigon is unable to battle! The winner is Gible!" The referee declared as he raised the green flag.

"And Gible overpowers Hydreigon with a barrage of attacks. Who will Cameron choose as his second pokemon?" The announcer asked as everyone waited for the answer.

"Hydreigon, return!" Cameron called out as he recalled the defeated pokemon. "Hey, Ash, how come Gible wasn't affected by thunder wave?"

Ash was caught off guard by the question. Almost falling over, Ash stopped himself and fixed his position. "Gible is also a ground type. Electric moves have no effect on him," he responded back. He couldn't help but wonder what else this guy didn't know about.

"Really!? I always thought Gible were pure dragon types," Cameron responded as he rubbed the back of his neck. He then quickly snapped his headband as he thought of his next pokemon. "Alright, I have a good idea for this one. Carbink, go!"

Appearing in front of the trainer was the small rock and fairy type pokemon. This one appeared to be as slow as his trainer was, based solely on the way its facial expression was.

"A Carbink?" Ash asked as he pulled out his pokedex. It seemed familiar, but he was a little unsure about it.

"Carbink, the jewel pokemon. Carbink are rock and fairy type pokemon born from temperatures and pressures deep underground. It fires beams from the stone on its head," the pokedex explained before Ash put it away.

"A fairy type..." Ash muttered as he looked over to Gible. From what he remembered, dragons were weak to fairies. Maybe it would be best to swap Gible out. "Gible, return!"

The dragon and ground type was recalled into its pokeball, leaving the crowd to wonder what Ash was planning.

"Okay, Pikachu, you're up," Ash told his best friend. Jumping off of Ash's shoulder, Pikachu landed on the field ready to battle.

"And Cameron has chosen Carbink as his second pokemon while Ash chooses Pikachu as his third pokemon. Let's see how this battle plays out," the announcer declared.

* * *

"Interesting," Professor Oak stated. He had never seen a fairy type pokemon from up close before. "This will give me a good chance at studying the newly discovered fairy type.

"If you want, you can study Dedenne after," Bonnie offered as she lifted up her little bag. Dedenne however was fast asleep much to her disappointment.

"Why thank you, Bonnie. I would love to study Dedenne if you two would allow me," he replied back, giving the young girl a smile.

Nick however didn't really care about all of this. Looking at the field, he didn't seem worried at all. "This will be over with real quickly. Then the real battle begins," he stated truthfully. That Carbink didn't seem like much of a challenge.

"How are you so sure about that?" Delia asked as she looked at the young boy. He reminded her of Ash when he first left for his own journey, always filled with enthusiasm. Ash was still like that to this day.

"Because, Carbink is a rock and fairy type pokemon," he started to explain, pausing only a second to see Carbink dodge a thunder bolt attack. "Those two types are weak to steel type moves. All Ash has to do is land an iron tail and he should be fine."

* * *

"Pikachu, keep him on the run. Use thunder bolt again!" Ash cried out as the electric type shot off another thunder bolt attack.

"Block it with ancient power!" Cameron countered as Carbink glowed white until that light then moved in front of its body. The sphere of energy was then launched at Pikachu, crashing right through the thunder bolt attack.

Pikachu leapt out of the way of the attack, but to his and Ash's surprise, Carbink was already waiting for the electric type.

"Moonblast!" Cameron called out as Carbink formed a sphere of pink energy in front of its body. Without giving Pikachu any time to react, Carbink launched the attack which collided with Pikachu.

Pikachu was thrown backwards until coming to a stop by Ash. "Pikachu are you alright?"

"Pika," it cried out while standing back up. Both Ash and himself had the same question running through their minds. How did Carbink get so fast?

"You like that, Ash?" Cameron asked as he pointed at Carbink. "That's an effect of using ancient power. It has a slight chance of increasing all stats of a pokemon. Now, continuous ancient power!"

Carbink once again shined a bright white as the light quickly transferred to the front of its body. Launching the attack off, Pikachu had next to no time to dodge.

Gritting his teeth together, Ash watched as Pikachu had trouble dodging each of the attacks. It also seemed like Carbink was getting the added effect each time, as his attacks were becoming much faster. "Pikachu, get in close with quick attack! Then use iron tail!"

Pikachu nodded in agreement as he made a break for it. With a trail of white light behind him, Pikachu's speed increased to the point where he dodged all of the attacks with ease. Jumping into the air, the electric type spun around as his tail started to stiffen up and glow white. Swinging it onto Carbink, both it and Ash believed to be a solid hit.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked as he saw Carbink was fine. How could it survive an attack at that close of a distance?

"Now, Carbink, send Pikachu flying with a stone edge!" Cameron called out. Carbink slammed its entire body into the ground as rocks shot up as a reaction.

Being caught in the blast, Pikachu went flying across the field. Ash already knew the outcome. To his surprise, Pikachu wasn't able to inflict much damage at all to Carbink.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, the winner is Carbink!" The referee declared, signaling that Carbink won.

* * *

"That Carbink is stronger than I thought," Nick muttered as he watched Ash pick up Pikachu. Nick had believed that one hit from Pikachu's iron tail would have been enough to win.

"No. You were correct in believing that Pikachu was more than strong enough to win. But once ancient power's effect started to kick in, that's when the battle started to change," Professor Oak explained as everyone waited for Ash to make his next choice. "If Carbink never got that boost then Pikachu's iron tail might have defeated it."

"But now he's in a tough spot," Clemont responded as he looked up at the scoreboard. If what Nick said was right, then Cameron's last pokemon would be a Lucario. Both Greninja and Gible were tired from their previous fights, so it would only get harder for him.

* * *

"Gible, you're up again!" Ash yelled out as he tossed Gible's pokeball. The land shark pokemon appeared from the device, ready to fight. "We'll start off first. Use rock smash!"

"Dodge and then use moonblast!" Cameron countered.

Gible had already made it halfway across the field only to notice Carbink had disappeared. Looking around, the dragon type noticed that it was behind him the entire time. Without a chance to dodge, Gible was struck with the moonblast attack and landed on the ground.

"Gible!" Ash cried out as Gible got back up, showing he was fine. "Great! Use rock smash once more!" This time, Gible turned around and smashed Carbink right in the face with rock smash. It wasn't a lot of damage, but it was some.

"Moonblast!" Cameron yelled out. Getting struck by the blast again, Gible was launched even further. "Now we have them on the run! Continuous moonblasts!"

"Gible watch out!" Ash yelled as he watched Gible be constantly on the run. This wasn't good. Sooner or later they would tire out and then it was over. Closing his eyes for a second, he heard a familiar voice call out.

"You promised to win!" Serena yelled out, her voice echoing through the arena. She noticed just how much Ash looked to be struggling and couldn't sit back any longer. "You promised everyone you would win the entire Kalos League. Don't go back on it. Don't give up until the end!"

Laughing, Ash couldn't help but feel sorry for himself. How could he already be tossing in the towel? This fight wasn't over yet. Looking up, he saw a large moonblast coming straight for Gible. "Counter that with draco meteor!" Ash called out as he swept his arm across his body. "We aren't giving up, Gible!"

"Gib!" The land shark cried out as he leaned his head back. The familiar orange attack started to form in his mouth before being launched straight up. The two blasts collided as smoke filled the arena.

* * *

"What is he trying to do?" Nick asked as he looked through the smoke. Ash should have known by now that dragon type attacks have no effect on fairies. So what was he doing?

"I don't know, but if it's Ash, then it must be something interesting," Clemont responded as the smoke faded away. To everyone's surprise, Gible had dug underground during the blast and was now right behind Carbink.

"Look there he is," Bonnie cried out as she pointed onto the field. With one swift movement, Gible's fist collided with Carbink. The jewel pokemon was then launched across the field before getting back up.

* * *

"Way to go, Gible! We're right back in this!" Ash cried out, only to see Gible start to glow blue. Could it really be happening here? "Gible?"

Gible's body started to change shape and size as its entire body grew in size. His arms extended in length as did his legs and tail. The fin on the back of his disappeared, instead being replaced with two oval fins on the sides of his head and a large fin on his back.

"Gabite," the dragon type stated as it looked at itself. Even Gabite was surprised that he evolved here of all places, but it wasn't complaining.

"Gible... I mean Gabite, you evolved! This is amazing!" Ash cried out in joy as his new pokemon cried out in agreement. This couldn't have happened at any better time. Right as they were backed into a corner, Gible pulled through and delivered some damage before evolving. "Now, let's get them! Use rock smash!"

But instead of rock smash, Gabite used a different move. Lowering his head, the cave pokemon charged straight at Carbink. As he approached, his head turned into a sheet of steel as he collided with the jewel pokemon.

"What move was that?" Ash asked himself as he looked it up in the pokedex. Reading that Gabite had learned iron head, Ash was excited. "You learned a new move! Congratulations, Gabite!"

"We aren't done yet! Carbink use moonblast!"

"Gabite use iron head!"

Both pokemon were ready to attack, but before Carbink could fire off the attack it could feel itself being rammed into the ground. To Cameron's surprise, Gabite had reached Carbink faster than he expected and knocked its head right into the jewel pokemon. Carbink was sent flying backwards, defeated by the attack.

"Carbink is unable to battle, the winner is Gabite!" The referee declared as he raised the green flag. The scoreboard was updated to show that Ash was left with Gabite and Greninja while Cameron had one unknown pokemon.

"Ash, this really has been exciting. Who would have thought your Gible would have evolved?" Cameron remarked as he recalled Carbink. Reaching for his third and final pokemon, Ash already knew who Cameron was using. "But, you still haven't faced my strongest pokemon! Go, Lucario!"

"And Cameron's third pokemon is a Lucario! How will it stand up against Ash's two remaining pokemon?" The announcer asked as the aura pokemon emerged from its pokeball.

" _He's using Lucario. Just like I thought"_ Ash thought to himself as he looked at Gabite. The cave pokemon was panting heavily, two battles were a lot for it. But, Ash couldn't switch it out. He needed Gabite to pull through here. "Use draco meteor!"

"Gab," the dragon type responded as he got ready to attack. Pulling his head back, the orange sphere of energy started to charge up.

"Not this time," Cameron responded as he pointed forward. Following his finger, Ash noticed that Lucario was already in front of Gabite. This display of speed shocked both Ash and Gabite, who barely even noticed Lucario reach them. "Aura sphere!"

Lucario cupped his hands together as the aura inside of his body manifested itself in the shape of an orb. When finally ready, Lucario threw the attack right into Gabite's chest. The blow causing Gabite to fly backwards and into the arena's wall.

"Gabite is unable to battle!" The referee declared as the smoke from the collision disappeared. "Lucario is the winner!"

"Thanks, Gabite," Ash said as the dragon type was recalled into its pokeball. What power, one hit and Gabite was done. Still, the newly evolved dragon had put up an amazing fight. It managed to take down both Hydreigon and Carbink. Knowing it was his only chance left, Ash reached for the injured and paralyzed Greninja. "Greninja, it's your turn again!"

"Gren!" The water type cried out as he emerged from the device. Upon entering the field, Greninja's paralysis acted up, causing it to drop to one knee.

* * *

"Greninja still seems to be bothered by that paralysis," Clemont muttered as he watched the ninja pokemon get back up. It seemed to be having trouble, barely avoiding a metal claw attack. "Ash has to work fast."

"That's true, but will Cameron give him a chance to fight back?" Oak responded as they watched the battle unfold. Lucario had Greninja on the run the entire time. "Cameron has been a worthy opponent today, keeping Ash on the run constantly. Tiring out his pokemon to the point where they can't defend."

"Ash can win," Serena muttered as she gripped her blue ribbon. But right when she did, Lucario landed a power-up punch right to Greninja's face. It didn't look good. "He has to win, he promised us that he'd win the entire Kalos League."

"And Ash never goes back on a promise," Bonnie reminded everyone. They were all worried for their friend. Lucario just seemed too powerful for the tired Greninja. He couldn't use his full strength due to being paralyzed from the thunder wave.

* * *

"Greninja, are you okay?" Ash asked as the ninja pokemon recovered from the last attack. This wasn't going well, Lucario was just too fast right now. If only Greninja hadn't been hit by that thunder wave.

"Gren! Greninja!" It cried out, raising a fist. Nodding in agreement, Ash understood. They never let this get to them before, they wouldn't let it get to them now. Running straight for Lucario, Greninja awaited for the next command.

"Use night slash!" Ash cried out as Greninja pulled a purple blade out of thin air. The blade took on the appearance of a sword as Greninja slashed down on Lucario.

"Block it with metal claw!" Cameron ordered as Lucario's fists turned to metal. Raising them over his head, the aura pokemon blocked the attack before punching Greninja backwards.

"We won't give up! Once more, Greninja!" Ash cried out. No matter how many times they got knocked backwards, they would continue to attack. They wouldn't stop until they couldn't move anymore.

Running in once more, Greninja tried for the same attack, but the outcome was exactly the same. Lucario blocked the attack before knocking the water type backwards.

"Lucario, use aura sphere!" Cameron called out as Lucario launched off the aura based attack. Ash and Greninja both watched as the ball approached, waiting for their chance to strike.

"Break it in half with night slash!" Ash ordered as Greninja formed another purple blade. This time, Greninja stood still as he slashed right through the orb, cutting it in half. But, looking up above them, Lucario had already charged up another aura sphere. Launching it, Greninja went to slice it in half, only for his paralysis to activate.

Getting hit directly by the attack, Greninja was thrown backwards. Still not giving up, Greninja got back up off of the ground. Showing his determination, Greninja was ready to continue.

"We'll show them, Greninja!" Ash started to say as the duo's movements began to be in sync. "We'll show them just how strong we really are!"

* * *

"It's happening..." Serena muttered as she grasped her blue ribbon even tighter. Yes, Ash had mastered the form, but seeing him use it still worried her due to the pain he received. "Be careful..." she stated silently.

Clemont nodded in agreement at Serena's first statement. The transformation was just about complete now that the water geyser had appeared. They watched as Greninja's body also changed colors slightly as he appeared to look a little more like Ash.

"Clemont, what's happening?" Oak asked as the water changed shapes from a Geyser to that of a large shuriken on Greninja's back. Looking at Greninja's face, Professor Oak was shocked to see the change in appearance. "Is this what mega evolution is like?"

"No," Clemont responded as he kept his eyes on Greninja. "This is something else completely. I don't know how to fully explain it, but when Ash and Greninja's hearts are in sync this transformation occurs. It's caused from the close bond they share."

"Wow..." Nick muttered as he stared at the Greninja and listened to Clemont's explanation. "Is there anything Ash can't do!?" This was amazing, Ash had discovered a brand new kind of transformation and it was because of his strong bond.

* * *

"And it appears that Greninja has undergone a strange transformation. Whatever this means, I have no idea. But as soon as I find out, I'll relay the information!" The announcer told everyone. He was stumped, never before had he seen something like Greninja's transformation.

"Greninja! Go in with night slash!" Ash cried out as Greninja rocketed off. To everyone's surprise, Greninja didn't seemed to be fazed by his paralysis any longer. Reaching Lucario in a split second, the ninja pokemon sliced across the aura pokemon and landed a powerful blow.

"What speed..." Cameron muttered as he witnessed Greninja's true strength. But he wasn't going down without a fight. "Lucario use power-up punch!"

"Greninja dodge and use aerial ace!" Ash countered with.

Both pokemon ran at each other until they met in the middle of the field. By now, most of the rocks on the field were destroyed making it more of an empty wasteland than a rock battlefield. The two pokemon collided as Greninja's foot met Lucario's arm.

Both pokemon were locked in a battle, their two attacks colliding as neither could land a hit as they both parried each other's blows.

"Now, use your second foot!" Ash called out as Greninja revealed that both of his feet could use aerial ace. Shocking Cameron, the trainer immediately thought of an idea.

"Catch that foot!" Cameron called out as Greninja lunged for the aura pokemon. To Ash's surprise, Lucario managed to grab ahold of Greninja and stopped the attack. "Now throw him and then use aura sphere!"

Lucario did as he was told, tossing Greninja into the last few rocks on the field. Upon impact, Ash flinched a little as he felt the pain from the landing. Looking up, he watched as an aura sphere hit Greninja right in the chest. The blow causing Ash to clutch his stomach in pain.

* * *

"What's wrong with my Ash?" Delia asked as she noticed his breathing had become heavier. She also noticed that the last two times Greninja was hit, Ash had reacted in the same exact way that the water type had. "Greninja's battling, so why is he getting hurt?"

"It's the drawback of this transformation," Clemont explained as he pulled out data they had previously collected on it. "Due to the link they share while in this form, any pain Greninja feels Ash will feel it as well."

* * *

"G-Greninja!" Ash cried out as he forced himself to stand up. He thought that he could handle this after all the training, but even now it was still a lot. As he saw Greninja stand back up, Ash continued to push through the pain as well. "Double aerial ace again!"

"Lucario, block it with metal claw! Then catch those feet again!" Cameron ordered. The boy sure was forgetful. Despite Ash pulling something like this earlier in the match, Cameron didn't even realize this was a trap.

Greninja ran across the field as his feet glowed white. Once in striking distance, Greninja lunged at the aura pokemon only to have his attack blocked by Lucario's metal claws. Before he could react, Greninja felt himself being grabbed by his feet again.

"Now, water shuriken!" Ash cried out before Lucario could toss Greninja. Before Lucario could finish its attack, Greninja grabbed the large shuriken on his back and blasted Lucario with it. Now free, Greninja jumped backwards, ready to attack.

"Gren!" It cried out, pumping his fist just as Ash did.

"Great! Now use aerial ace to finish this!" Ash cried out. His vision was starting to get blurry from the transformation. They needed to end the battle quickly before the strain was too much. He had also noticed that his breathing had only gotten harder as the match continued.

"We won't let you! Lucario, use copycat!" Cameron cried out. Lucario stared at Greninja as he remembered exactly how the ninja pokemon used aerial ace. Recreating the flying type move, Lucario's feet glowed white as he raced across the field.

Once in striking distance both pokemon leapt as each other, their glowing feet connecting with their opponent's face. Ash gasped for a second as he forced himself to stay standing up. He couldn't pass out now, not until Lucario was defeated and he was declared the victor.

Both pokemon landed on the ground facing their opponent's trainer. Landing on one knee, Greninja seemed to have the worst of it. Then, the water type stood up, letting out a mighty cry as Lucario collapsed on the ground defeated.

"Lucario is unable to battle, the winners are Ash and Greninja who will advance onto the Champion's tournament of the Vanquier Conference!" The referee declared as he raised his flags.

Ash let out a sigh of relief. It was finally over, but before he knew it, everything went black. The stress of using the form for too long and the added pain of the attacks were too much for Ash. He collapsed on the ground, passed out. Greninja changed back to normal as he rushed over to help his trainer.

* * *

"Ash!" Delia called out as she watched her son collapse. Her face was full of worry as she had no clue what was happening. "W-what just happened?"

"I-It's the drawback of the form..." Serena replied as she tried not to worry. She hated it when Ash pushed himself too far with that transformation. "When they overdo it, Ash can't handle the pain and passes out," Serena finished as she got out of her seat and headed down to where they met Ash after each of his matches.

"It's like I explained earlier," Clemont explained as he followed Serena. Getting up with him were Bonnie, Professor Oak, Delia and Nick. "Ash feels the pain from any attacks Greninja takes. After a while, as it is for anyone, the pain is just too much."

"Why would he put himself in that kind of harm?" Delia asked as she followed everyone else.

"Because he's Ash!" Nick cried out. He may not have known the trainer as much as everyone else, but there was no way he wasn't going with them. "He never backs down from a challenge. As long as he can stand until the battle ends, he'll keep going!"

* * *

Opening his eyes, Ash found himself in a bed in some room. Wondering what exactly happened, he started to look around until he noticed his friends were all passed out around the room. Bonnie was laid across a couch as Clemont slept in a folding chair right next to her. Across from them was Professor Oak who had slept in what appeared to be a rocking chair, but didn't appear to be that comfortable. Then, in the chair next to his bed was his mother. Despite sleeping, he could see the worry on her face and it made him feel bad.

But, he then felt something wet on his sheets as he moved his hand. Looking down, he noticed that Serena had fallen asleep in a chair that she had pulled up next to the bed. He could tell that she had been crying for some reason because her face was also wet. Ash tried to wipe the tears away with his other hand, but couldn't move it. Looking down, he noticed that it was being clasped by Serena's two hands.

"What happened today?" Ash asked himself as he tried to remember everything. The last thing he could remember was the referee declaring him the winner. Everything else was a blur. Finally realizing that he was in a hospital room, Ash wondered what could have happened.

Not being able to sit around without knowing what happened, Ash softly removed Serena's hands from around his left hand before getting out of bed. Moving over to the closet, he pulled out a blanket and covered Serena with it. He then made his way out of his room and down the hall for a walk.

* * *

Serena was deep in her sleep as she felt something warm be placed over her. Moving a little, Serena felt that Ash wasn't in his bed anymore. How she could tell, she couldn't explain but for some reason it felt like something was missing. Opening her eyes, her suspicion was correct, Ash wasn't in his bed and she had a blanket around her.

Getting up, Serena walked out of the room as she looked around. Noticing that the door to the balcony was open, Serena decided to check it out. As she made her way to the door, she noticed Ash standing out on it.

"Ash?" Serena called out as she walked out onto the balcony. "Ash, what are you doing out of bed?"

Turning around, Ash noticed Serena. She was still in her clothes from earlier in the day as were everyone else, but hers seemed to be more of a mess when he originally looked around the room. "I didn't wake you, did I?" He asked as Serena came closer. "I woke up and well, needed some fresh air. But, what exactly happened today?"

"You don't remember?" Serena asked as the image of Ash fainting after the battle ran through her head again. Serena fought back the tears, but couldn't hold them back any longer. "You collapsed again because of that transformation. You've been out since your match ended this afternoon!"

Ash listened as he watched Serena react. She seemed really upset about this. Not only was she crying, but her body seemed to be shaking a little, from what, Ash didn't know. Ash felt bad about it himself now, he had no idea that he had put his friends through so much stress and worry today.

"Ash, you scared me! You scared all of us!" Serena continued as the tears flowed down now. Ash had never seen Serena like this. Yeah, she gave him a hard time because of his reckless behavior, but she never cried about it before. "It wasn't like last time either, you were passed out for a good amount of time. We didn't know if you were going to wake up! I thought we lost you this time!"

Seeing her tears continue on, Ash felt even worse. He was so focused on winning the battle, he didn't care about what the transformation was doing to his body. Shocking Serena, Ash pulled her into a hug. It wasn't like the one on the Ferris wheel where he pulled back. This time, he had pulled her in close, allowing her tears to be dried up by his jacket.

"Serena, it's alright," Ash started to say as he felt the wetness of his jacket against his chest. He didn't care, right now he needed to make Serena feel better. "I'm right here. I'm all better now. I'm not going anywhere just yet," he reassured her as her tears started to slow down.

"I-I just wish you weren't so reckless, Ash," Serena said as she wiped the remaining tears from her face. She had been a nervous wreck the entire day following Ash's collapse, not leaving his bedside except to eat, and even then she was right back there once finished.

"I'll try, Serena," Ash responded as he rubbed underneath his nose. He felt a little better now that she had stopped crying. Still, he felt bad for how much stress he put her through. "It's just... That's how I am. I don't think sometimes before I act," he continued on as he laughed about the situation.

Serena joined in with Ash's laugh until a cold breeze blew through the night. Shaking, Ash took it as a signal to head back inside.

"Come on, we should get back before the nurses start looking for me," Ash joked as they headed back inside.

* * *

"Finally! I was wondering when they would let me out!" Ash cried out as he checked out of the League's hospital. It was now about 10am, but he had been ready to leave at a much earlier time. The doctors however had wanted to make sure he was fine, he had been out since nearly 5pm. But, when they checked him out, he showed no signs of any injuries or internal problems at all. He was fine just as he had told them.

"Ash, even if they said you were fine you still need to rest!" His mother scolded him as she made sure he didn't try to do anything to reckless right now.

"I'm fine, mom," Ash replied as he continued back towards his hotel. "This isn't the first time I've passed out from it. But, I'll be more careful. I'll only use that form in extreme emergencies."

"I'd rather you didn't use it at all, but I can't stop you," Delia replied as she pulled Ash into a tight hug. She had been so worried for her little boy once he passed out yesterday. "You've always been this reckless."

"Ash," Professor Oak stated as Ash was released from his mom's hug. "I'd like to talk about that transformation between you and Greninja when you get the time."

"Yeah," Ash replied as he continued his little stretching. "There aren't any matches today because the League is getting ready for the finals. After I go to the Pokemon Center we can talk. But, where did Cameron go? I wanted to thank him for the great match."

"He said he needed to get going," Clemont explained as they walked towards the Pokemon Center. "Something about being invited to take on a series of competitions known as the Battle Frontier. He said to let you know that anytime you want to battle, just to find him."

* * *

 **Reviews**

 **Climax Kid: Thanks for the compliment. I just can't write Ash showing obvious feeling without being confused. This is because he's just so dense. Hope you enjoy the rest.**

 **UltimateCCC: Yeah, Ash will be using some of his old tricks**

 **Nexxus176: Glad you enjoy this. I'll try to update sooner, but I can't make any promises.**

 **MeganRouth: Glad you found this story. I've been waiting a while to write an Amourshipping fanfic because I just want to do it right. I want to keep it as close to the anime while also changing it a little. About Sawyer's Sceptile vs Ash's Sceptile, maybe it will maybe it won't. Don't want to spoil anything.**

 **KaliAnn: Yeah it was for Serena. Ash on the other hand probably would have rather been battling**

 **And Ash defeats Cameron, who didn't see that happening? Also, Gible evolved into Gabite. This is one of two evolutions I have planned for Ash's reserves. But, not everything turned out good, the stress from Ash-Greninja got to him and made him pass out for a while. It was more or less an excuse to not use it in every single battle Greninja takes part in. Otherwise he'd destroy everyone. Ash-Greninja will still appear, but only in important battles.**

 **Sorry this chapter took a little longer to get out. I'll try to have the next chapter up by sometime between Saturday night and Monday night.**

 **Once again, thank you to everyone who supports the story. Please leave a review telling me what you liked and how I can improve the story.**

 **Next Time: Following my victory over Cameron, I now have to wait another day before the Champion's tournament can begin. But now they're holding a dinner for all the finalists and I can bring a guest. Next time "The Final's Congratulation Dinner"**


	9. The Final's Congratulation Dinner!

**Welcome back. Last time we left off, Ash had just beaten Cameron but also passed out from exhaustion.**

* * *

 **Ch 9: The Final's Congratulation Dinner!**

"Serena, you don't have to help me cook," Delia said as she grabbed the finished toast. She then handed it over to Serena to place onto the table while she checked on the sausage. They still needed a little longer, so Delia decided to start making some scrambled eggs as well. "I'm used to cooking for a lot of people whenever Ash would return from one of his journeys."

Placing the toast down on the table, Serena walked back into the kitchen. "It's no problem at all. Ash told me how you work in a restaurant, so you really shouldn't have to cook while out in Kalos. It should be a vacation for you."

Delia smiled at the young girl before making her way back over to the sausages. They were just about finished by now, but there was still no sign of Ash or the others. While Ash had went to the Pokemon Center with Professor Oak and the others, Serena and Delia had returned to the hotel to make breakfast.

"Do you think we have enough time for me to make one more thing?" Serena asked as she reached into the egg carton and pulled out three eggs. She was going to make a few omelets if she had the chance. "After how yesterday ended, I figure that Ash will be starving. I wanted to make him and Pikachu some omelets."

"Knowing Ash he'll be a while," Delia responded as she pulled the needed materials out. Taking the now finished scrambled eggs and sausage off, Delia covered them to make sure they didn't cool down too quickly. "We should have plenty of time to make them."

"Great!" Serena stated as a smile formed across her face. She really wanted to make sure he ate, especially after what he went through yesterday. She knew he could eat a lot, but she also wanted to make a little something that was from her. Grabbing some peppers and ham, Serena chopped them up.

"You know, I don't see Ash very often," Delia started to say as she sat down. She was going to help Serena with the omelets, but the young performer wouldn't let her. "Why don't you tell me about how he's been in Kalos." Delia really wanted to see what Serena thought of him. Ever since she arrived, she could tell something was different between them compared to his previous companions.

Pausing for a second, Serena thought to herself. "Well, first off he's extremely determined," Serena started off with as she continued to make the omelet. "No matter what situation is in front of him, he doesn't give up. If he gets knocked down he'll just get up and try it again until it works. Not only that, but he's so passionate about his goal of becoming a Pokemon Master. He'll use any opportunity to improve himself, even what appear to be unimportant tasks. He's taught me so much on this journey and it's helped me become a better trainer and performer. But the one thing even more incredible is his selflessness. Ash is always going out of his way to help others. Whether it's someone he knows or just a complete stranger. He'll help them out without a second thought. I could probably go on for hours, but those are the most important," she answered as she placed everything into the skillet.

Smiling, Delia took a sip of her tea. "It sounds like Ash means a lot to you. He must have been a big help to all of you," she asked the girl. Delia was starting to get a better idea of the relationship between the two.

"Yeah, he actually postponed his eighth gym badge so we could head to my most important showcase. The Master Class," Serena explained to the older woman. This shocked her as Ash had never done something like this for his other friends.

"I can tell you mean a lot to Ash as well," Delia responded as Serena finished up the omelets. Placing them onto two plates, she put them down on the table and sat across from the woman. "In all the stories I've been told, never has Ash once postponed a gym battle willingly for his friends."

Before Serena could reply, the sound of the front door opening filled the hotel building. "Sorry we took a while!" Ash yelled out as everyone else followed in behind him. "There was a small line at the Pokemon Center and then we ran into Sawyer," he explained before the smell of breakfast filled his nostrils. "Is that for us?"

"Yes, dear!" Delia called back as she turned around in her chair. "It was just finished. Sit down and eat before it gets cold." Not having to be told twice, Ash took the seat next to Serena and sat down.

"It smells great!" Ash replied as he started to pile food onto his plate. Noticing the omelet in front of him, Ash looked around to see if it was for anyone.

"Ash, that's for you," Serena told him as she slid the plate closer to him. Without even questioning it, Ash took a bite out of it and immediately felt his taste buds explode with joy. With a large smile on his face, he couldn't help but dig into it again.

"Mom, what'd you put in this omelet?" Ash asked as he took another bite. Pikachu as well had started to eat away at his, nibbling at a slower pace than Ash. "This is delicious! I've never had anything like this!"

Delia shook her head at her son's question. Pleasing Ash with food wasn't difficult, but what surprised her was the fact that he had nearly finished the omelet and still hadn't touched her eggs or sausage.

"I didn't make that, Ash," she answered his question before taking a sip of her tea. Placing the cup down, Delia finished answering her son. "Serena made it."

Finishing the omelet off, Ash let out a sigh of content. "Serena, thank you. It was the best one I've ever had, right up there with my mom's. Maybe even better."

"It... It was nothing," Serena replied while blushing a little. "I didn't expect you to like it that much. I just thought you'd be hungry after not eating anything yesterday and would like something different," she answered truthfully. She never expected him to devour it the way he did though. If she had expected that, she might have made a bigger one. "Do you like yours, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" It cried out in joy. It had stopped nibbling on it and started to lick the ketchup off of the top. Serena figured he would have liked that added topping to his and was right.

"So, Ash," Clemont stated as he swallowed a piece of toast. "Have they said anything about your next round matchup?" He was curious about how the rest of the rounds would play out. Would it be like a bracket style or randomly picked?

"No, but now that you mention it, Nurse Joy told me to check my email today," Ash said as he got up from the table. He made his way over to the computer and logged into his email. It wasn't very frequent he checked it and if he didn't need it to receive updates from the League he probably wouldn't even have one.

Looking through his inbox, Ash found multiple pieces of junk mail which he deleted. Okay, maybe his entire inbox was junk mail, but he didn't have the time to go through and clean it today. Maybe another day, if he remembered. Finally finding one sent from the League's official email account, Ash opened it.

Reading it over, Ash was unsure of what to do. Noticing his confusion, everyone made their way over to him to see the email but he had already logged out. "It said I was invited to a recognition dinner for advancing to the Top 32. They said the matchups for the next round will be revealed there. Plus, I can bring one person with me."

" _A fancy dinner?"_ Serena thought as an image of her and Ash going to the dinner appeared in her mind. It would turn out too perfect, of course Pikachu would be there, but that was fine. She would have time alone with Ash, for the entire night. _"But, if anyone should go, it should be his mother. She's out here visiting him. It would mean so much to her to go."_

"Have you decided who to take?" Bonnie asked as she pushed her way to the front. Sometimes she could be a little bit of a pain.

Not wanting to upset anyone, Ash just shrugged. "I think I have an idea," he lied as he shut the computer off. _"How am I going to invite one of them without including the others?"_ He thought to himself. How he wished they didn't see his reaction at all. "I'm going to take a shower," he told everyone. He had taken one early in the morning before leaving the hospital, but this way it would give him time to think.

* * *

"I wonder who Ash picked," Serena muttered as she sat outside on the deck. It was pretty nice out today, maybe later she would go and practice one of her performances again. You could never practice too much.

"Serena," Ash said as he walked outside. His voice shocked her, causing Serena to jump out of her seat. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just have a question for you," he said while sitting in a chair next to her. "I have no clue who to take tonight. I don't want to pick someone and then disappoint someone else. Who would you take?"

Serena wanted to say you to Ash, but knew it wasn't the correct way to answer. Leaning back in her chair, Serena pretended to be thinking about the question. After what seemed like a few minutes, the performer turned and faced Ash. "If I were you, I'd ask your mom. She came all the way out to Kalos just to watch you compete. Plus, she doesn't see you that often. It could be a good time for the both of you."

That made sense. His mother did come all the way out to see him, plus she never had the chance to do anything with him. "That's a great idea, Serena," Ash said as he stood back up. "I'll go ask her now. She'll be excited for it," he continued on before walking back into the hotel.

"Mom!" Ash called out as he searched through the hotel. Stopping for a moment, Ash wondered why they all continued to call it a hotel when it was more of a house. Shrugging his shoulders he thought it was probably just what they were all used to calling it. "Mom!" he called again, this time getting a response.

"I'm down the hall, Ash!" Delia yelled back as she followed her son's voice. Whatever he had to tell her he seemed excited about. Coming around the corner, she noticed the smile on his face. "What's the emergency?"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to come to the dinner with me tonight?" Ash asked. The thought never once crossed her mind about going. She had assumed that he would have asked Serena to go. "I figured that you don't get to see me often, so we could go to the dinner."

Delia couldn't help but frown. She didn't know what to say. When she first arrived in Kalos she had no idea that there would be a dinner like this for the competitors and had already made plans. "Ash," she started to say, sounding a little disappointed. "I would love to go with you, but I can't."

"Huh?" Ash asked, the smile on his face being replaced with a confused expression. What could have possibly popped up that would prevent her from going with him. "Why, is there something wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing's wrong," she reassured him before pulling a brochure out of her pocket. "I had scheduled a tour of the town and surrounding area for tonight. I can't go because of that."

Hearing that Ash slouched a little. Now what was he going to do? Knowing his mom, she already got a spot for Professor Oak as well meaning he couldn't go. Now he had to do what he didn't want to. Choose between his three friends. "Now what am I going to do?" He asked himself while holding his head.

"Hmm. What's the matter, Ash?" Delia asked as she watched her son struggle over a choice.

"I don't know who to take," he answered before sitting down at the table. "I don't want to upset any of my friends by not taking them to this event." They had all helped him get to this moment, it wouldn't be right to single one of them over the others.

"Well, if you asked me, I'd say you should take Serena," Ash's mom replied while winking at her son. He had no idea what the wink was for, but figured she was right. "She would probably like it the most."

"You think so?" Ash asked as he started to picture his friends in the same situation. He pictured Clemont just inventing during the night while Bonnie would be way to hyperactive for him to control. Maybe Serena would enjoy it the most, she did seem to like these kind of things. Smiling, Ash looked up to his mom. "Thanks, mom. You made my decision so much easier," he said before running back outside.

" _A mother always knows best,"_ she thought to herself with a smile. _"He cares a lot for her. If only he wasn't so dense. Oh well, maybe one day,"_ she thought before walking off. It wasn't her job to make him less dense. He would have to do that on his own.

* * *

"Okay, let's work on our big finale," Serena said to her three pokemon. Shortly after she had talked to Ash, Serena decided that now would be a good time to practice a little. They had already gone over the simple parts, but now was the hard part. They had to try and make their finale look even better than it did at the Master Class Showcase.

With all her pokemon in position, Serena motioned for them to run the performance all the way through like normally. Once at the finale, Serena started to give commands.

"Okay, Pancham use stone edge. Sylveon jump on them and use fairy wind!" Serena commanded.

Pancham slammed his fist into the ground, creating the pillars of stone. This allowed Sylveon to run across them and on the final one she jumped off of it and launched a powerful fairy wind. The strength was enough to lift all of them into the air while keeping them airborne long enough to finish.

"Now, Braixen, fire blast! Sylveon, swift! And Pancham, once they finish sprinkle a dark pulse straight up!"

The three pokemon did as they were commanded and the flower that was created during the Master Class was replicated only it also had particles of a dark pulse flying out of the center. For some reason, it just didn't feel right. It was almost as if something was missing.

"It needs a brighter color," Ash stated, causing Serena to be surprised. He seemed to be doing this lately to her. Whether he realized it or not, Serena couldn't tell. "The dark pulse is too dark and clashes with the brightness created by the rest of the moves. You need something to brighten it up."

"You think so," Serena asked as she tried to picture what exactly they could do with a brighter color. Despite how easily she normally came up with performances, she couldn't picture a brighter color being used. This might have been due to the fact that she used the same moves during her performances.

"Why don't you take a break?" Ash asked as he made his way over to a bench. Serena shortly made her way over to the same bench, sitting down next to Ash. "You know, Serena, your performances get better every time."

"Yeah," Serena replied as she looked at the young trainer. Taking his words into thought, she continued to think of brighter attacks that would work. Finally, something came to her when she eyed Pikachu. "Electric attacks! That would work better at the end! A controlled electric attack to create what looks like pollen on the flower. That's what is missing!"

"Is that all?' Ash asked teasingly. To him, her original performance with the flower as her finale was good enough. Sometimes adding extra stuff wasn't always better. "But, before you run off again, can I... Talk to you?" He asked, somewhat nervously.

"Uh... Sure, Ash," Serena replied. She was confused now. What could Ash possibly have to talk to her about? And why would he sound nervous about it?

"Well. I took your advice," Ash started to say, he was starting to sound more like himself now with any nervousness now gone. "I asked my mom if she wanted to go with me."

"That's great. You two will have a great time," Serena said, interrupting Ash's sentence. She just knew they should go together. What better way to spend time with your mom then at a recognition dinner.

"About that," he said while rubbing his neck. "It turns out that my mom is already got something planned out for tonight and can't go," he explained, pausing for a second before continuing. Bringing his right hand to his cheek, Ash started to scratch at it. "So I was wondering if you'd like to go instead?"

Serena just sat there. She didn't know how to reply to Ash, but on the inside she was shaking from excitement. Ash was actually asking her to go with him. Sure his mom was his first choice, but she also thought it would be best. She never thought she'd be going instead. Calming herself down, Serena replied. "I'd love to go tonight."

"Really!?" Ash asked, sounding relieved. He had been worried that Serena may have had plans as well. Then he would have asked Clemont, hoping that Bonnie wasn't around when he did. "The dinner starts at 8pm, but I was told to be there for 7pm," Ash explained as he got up off of the bench. "I figured if we left by 6:30pm we'd get there in time."

"Sounds like a plan," Serena replied while smiling at Ash. Once again, Ash rubbed his cheek out of embarrassment.

Something about that smile right then made him feel weird. Asking Serena to come tonight had felt weird. To be honest with himself, Ash had kind of hoped his mom couldn't go. That way he could have asked Serena, but he couldn't tell why. Walking away, Ash stopped on a dime and turned around. "Oh! I almost forgot. The email said to dress nice and formal." With that, the boy from Pallet Town headed straight for his hotel.

* * *

"Pikachu, what do I wear?" Ash asked his best friend as he laid his clothes out on his bed. He never was the best at dressing up, instead he always wore his jacket and pants nearly every day. "I have no clue how to dress for a formal event."

"Pika pika," the electric responded with a shake of its head. How was it supposed to know what to wear, it never wore clothes anyway.

Understanding his partner's confusion, Ash let out a sigh before laying across his bed. Whoever said picking out clothes was easy. He had asked Bonnie for help earlier, but what she brought back seemed kind of too much. Laying on the opposite bed were two tuxes, one black and one blue with matching dress pants. Where Bonnie found them, he had no idea.

"I wish this wasn't so hard," Ash muttered as he rubbed his head out of frustration. Normally he didn't care how he looked, but for some reason he wanted to look real nice for tonight. "Okay, time to decide," Ash finally stated as he looked at the two tuxes. After staring at them, Ash decided to go with the blue one. "It'll be just like my jacket."

After getting changed, Ash looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't have much of an idea on how to dress, but he had to admit he did look good in these clothes. They also seemed to be a little bigger of a size, allowing Ash some room to move freely. Looking at the clock on his night stand, Ash realized it was time to get going.

"Come on, Pikachu," Ash motioned as the electric mouse climbed onto Ash's shoulder. They had to go see if Serena was ready to leave yet otherwise they might be late. Walking out of his room, Ash saw Serena sitting there waiting. She was in a dress that was exactly like the one she wore for Monsieur Pierre's dance party, only she didn't have a bow. He could feel his face heating up a little, but he was unsure of why it was happening. "Ready, Serena?"

"Yeah, let's get going," she said while standing up. She was worried that she had overdressed, but after seeing Ash she figured they both had a difficult time figuring out what to wear. "You don't want to be late tonight."

With that, the duo exited the building as they made their way over to the main stadium. Pikachu however stayed behind, choosing to spend time with the other pokemon instead. The invitation had said the event was being held there. In fact, it turned out there was a dining hall inside of the stadium itself.

Once there, Ash handed over the invitation he had printed out earlier in the day. The attendant looked it over and realized he was all set, letting the duo inside.

"I wonder what is going on tonight," Ash asked as they made their way towards the hall. On the outside he seemed to be fine, but on the inside he seemed nervous. Something just seemed different. When he had seen Serena in that dress, he had felt different. Not one of those bad different, but like his insides were all warm. He was just having a hard time figuring it out.

"There must be something important to hold it," Serena replied as she walked side by side with Ash. She really was enjoying this even if it hadn't even started yet. Just walking next to Ash was enough right now.

Finally making their way done the hall, Ash and Serena saw the banquet room and entered. Much to their relief, everyone else had dressed the same way as they had. Some trainers were showing off their pokemon while others were eating away. In the center appeared to be a large dance floor, much to Ash's surprise. How he hoped it didn't have anything to do with tonight.

"Ash!" Nick's voice rang out as he walked across the room. It appeared that the trainer from Mt. Silver had qualified as well. However, he appeared to have missed the message about dressing properly. He was still dressed in his sweatshirt and normal pants. He was also wearing an official Pokemon League hat, something he must have picked up sometime between Ash's match yesterday and now. "You made it! I was wondering if you'd be alright. I went over to the hospital to check on you today, but you were already gone."

"Yeah, I was getting restless in there," Ash responded as he rubbed the back of his neck. While everyone was making a big deal out of him fainting yesterday, Ash himself didn't seem to be bothered by it. "But both Greninja and I are ready to battle tomorrow."

"I'd hope so," Sawyer's voice joined in as he made his way across the room. The boy was dressed in a suit similar to the ones worn at Monsieur Pierre's dance party, but was green in color. They were now forming a small group as Ash noticed Tierno enter as well with Shauna and waved them over, but the dancing trainer was too busy doing what he loved, dancing. "I heard about what happened yesterday and I'd hate it if the only reason I won the entire Kalos League was because you had to drop out."

"Nothing will keep me down," Ash replied as a smile crossed his face. Over the years he had been through a lot worse than just fainting from the stress of battle. "Every time we get knocked down, my Pokemon and I will get back up even stronger!"

Him and Sawyer locked eyes as they stared each other down. They knew that they would have to battle eventually and that was just what they wanted. "Well, Ash. You won't get up once I'm done with you," Sawyer proclaimed as they broke eye contact.

"So you're Ash Ketchum?" A condescending voice asked as a person made his way towards Ash. Pushing Sawyer and Nick out of the way, a tall man dressed in a fine white tux and matching white pants looked down at Ash. He had dark black hair that had been trimmed neatly and was combed back to keep it out of his eyes. Nick didn't seem too pleased by this man's actions and looked about ready to snap. Serena thought Ash was tall, but compared to this guy, he was only at his nose. "I expected more from the boy whose name is being passed through the Kalos League."

"Who do you think you are?" Nick asked as he pulled the man backwards. Bigger than him or not, Nick wasn't going to be pushed around. He didn't even care if the guy was talking with Ash. He made it personal by pushing him out of the way. "Didn't you see me standing there? Plus, that's the Ash Ketchum. Future Pokemon Master!"

Eyeing him, man gave a yawn of boredom before turning to face Ash once more. "I wonder how they let the trash get in here. Based on your appearance and manners, you were awarded with easy drawings to make it this far. But, little boy, I don't waste my time on insignificant people," he said sounding full of himself.

Grabbing his shoulder, Nick forced the guy to look him in the eyes. "I asked what your name was," Nick repeated himself as he kept his eyes on the man. He didn't like him one bit at all. "If you had manners you would have gave it then asked what mine was."

Sighing, the man removed Nick's hand from his shoulder. "If you must know. I am Ricardo Abney, future Kalos League champion. Please, stop wasting my time and allow the real competitors to talk."

Now Nick was upset. "Listen here!" Nick yelled, actually managing to get Ricardo's attention. Even Ash and the others were shocked by his outburst. Backing away, the three trainers gave Nick enough space to talk with Ricardo. They all wondered what happened to the polite and kind kid from the other day. "Me and my pokemon gave it our all to make it here. We deserve recognition for our hard work just as much as you do. If you don't think we should be here, why don't I prove you wrong?" He asked while raising a pokeball in front of him.

Waving his hand, Ricardo showed he had no intention to battle. "Such are the actions of an unworthy competitor. Unable to remember that non-League sanctioned matches can only be held at the Pokemon Center otherwise risk disqualification. Next time, don't run your mouth so much," he said before facing Ash. "You on the other hand, I dream of the chance to face you in battle. When we battle, prove to me that you really are worthy of the praise from the others."

Ash didn't respond. He just kept a stare going with the man. He may not have done anything to Ash, but when he called out one of his friends, even one as new as Nick, that's when he got upset. Nodding his head, Ash waited until Ricardo walked off elsewhere.

"What was with that guy?" Serena asked as she watched him walk away. Even while walking away, he carried a sense of grace like one of royalty. "It was like he came to start with something."

"It doesn't matter. Let's just enjoy tonight, then when I face him I'll wipe that smug look from his face," Ash responded as he smiled at Serena.

* * *

The night continued on as Ash and the others sat down to eat the dinner prepared by the League's cooks. It was one of the best meals Ash had. The food seemed to be never ending as every time Ash finished something, they were ready to bring him more. After eating his fill, Ash leaned back in his and looked at the others at his table. Also leaning back were his three remaining rivals, Sawyer, Nick and Tierno.

"Even in an eating competition, we still lose," Sawyer muttered as he looked at his plates compared to Ash's. He had eaten four plates of food, but somehow Ash managed to eat six.

"He's got to have a black hole in there," Tierno said as he looked at his five plates. He had kept a close pace with Ash, but by the end he couldn't eat anymore. "There isn't any other way he can store all that food in him."

Laughing, Shauna and Serena couldn't help but see the situation as extremely funny. What was it with those boys and always competing with each other? Didn't they know that not everything in life was a competition?

Just then, the lights in the banquet room dimmed as the stage lights turned on. To everyone's surprise, Mr. Goodshow was standing before all of them. But to no one's surprise was the fact that he was still wearing his normal clothes. Picking up the microphone before him, the Committee President started to speak.

"I would like to congratulate all of you," he started off, pausing to give the thirty two trainers before him a round of applause. "it takes hard work, determination, and the spirit of a champion burning inside of each and every one of you to make it this far. But, the battles are only going to get harder. For the sixteen of you who win tomorrow, you will then move onto the full battle rounds. I wish you all the best of luck in all your battles. Please, enjoy the rest of the night, the hall will stay open until midnight," he said before the lights shut off and he left.

Looking up to the stage, Ash noticed what appeared to be a board that had everyone's pictures on it. "That must be the matchups for tomorrow first round," he said while getting up. Following him were Nick, Sawyer and Tierno.

Once up to the stage, the group realized that no of them had to face each other, yet. But, the board did help them figure out how the matchups would work from here on out. The pictures had been set up in a tournament bracket style allowing them to figure out who they could potentially face off against in the future.

"Well, Ash, just win tomorrow and then we'll be able to have a real battle," Tierno stated as he threw his arm around Ash's shoulders. Looking at the board, Ash noticed what Tierno had pointed out. If they both win their matches tomorrow, then they would face off in the Top 16. "Me and my rhythm battle style will keep you guessing just how to counter. We've added a few more steps since the last time we battled."

"How disappointing," Ricardo's voice could be heard from the crowd. He appeared to be sounding upset about something. Perhaps he had been matched up with someone he was hoping to avoid? "Out of everyone I have to face, I get stuck with the backwoods trainer."

"Hey!" Nick could be heard yelling. I guess that answered everyone's question about who he was facing. "I didn't grow up in the woods! It was a village on Mt. Silver! Get it right! And besides, I'm no easy opponent," he said, his attitude taking a 180 as he spoke. His anger seemed to disappear as it was replaced with calmness and he appeared to be collected. "I told you before, my pokemon worked hard for this. We won't go down easily."

"Please don't. My pokemon need a good warm up before the next round," Ricardo replied as he started to leave the hall. He had gotten what he wanted out of this event. He knew who he was facing and believed that he had also figured out any weaknesses with his opponent.

"I'm out of here," Nick told everyone as he took one last look at the board. "I have to prepare for this match," he explained while a smirk crossed his face. Today couldn't have gone any better.

"Yeah, I should be calling it night as well," Sawyer said as he gathered his belongings. He figured that at this point, he could use his remaining time to prepare. "I'll see you around, Ash. Tierno," he said to the two other trainers before leaving.

"Ash," Tierno started to say as everyone else left. He had noticed Nick's change in tone during his conversation with Ricardo and wondered if he had picked up on it.

"Did I notice the change in his tone?" Ash asked as he saw Tierno's nod. He was glad that he hadn't been the only one who picked up on it. Nick had seemed different for those last few seconds. "I wonder if there's more to him than he lets on."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Tierno said as the duo made their way over to their table. They hadn't known Nick for long, so he could be hiding something from them. "But for now, I'm going to call it a night as well," he said as Shauna got up and followed him.

Looking over at Serena, Ash noticed she seemed tired. "Serena, you ready to head back?" he asked her. If she was tired, maybe it was best for them to head back as well.

Yawning, Serena shook her head. Not yet, there was something she was waiting for. While Ash had left to go and check the matchups for tomorrow, she had made her way over to the DJ and made a request. It should be playing any second now. As if on cue, a slow song started to play.

"Actually," Serena started to say as a blush formed on her face. She tried to fight her nerves back as this could be her only chance. "I... I was... wondering if you wanted to dance. Since we didn't get a chance at the dance party," she said, looking down at the ground. Her entire face was red and she didn't want Ash to see it.

Ash listened to the question and thought about it. Part of him said to do it since it would make Serena happy, but a larger part of him seemed hesitant. It was telling him how he didn't know how to dance and he didn't know why, but he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Serena. Deciding to listen to the smaller part of him, Ash slowly reached his hand out.

"Sure... It could be fun," he said truthfully before letting out a nervous chuckle. Now he just had to make sure he didn't step all over Serena's feet. Putting his left hand in her right, he then seemed hesitant to place his right hand on her side.

Noticing this, Serena placed his hand there herself before putting her left hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, I'll lead," she offered. Even though she always pictured Ash leading, she knew he wasn't the best dancer.

"I think that would be best," he said as a smile crossed across his face. At least now he wouldn't mess up that much. The duo continued their dance in silence with the exception of the occasional laugh whenever Ash would mess up.

Finally, the song came to an end and Serena let out a light yawn. "I think we should head back now," she said while letting out another yawn. She had gotten what she wanted, they could leave now.

* * *

"You know, that was a lot of fun," Ash said as they made the walk back to the hotel room. He wasn't normally for all that dressing up fancy stuff, but tonight actually seemed fun for some reason.

"Yeah, I had a great time too," Serena replied as she smiled at the thought that she actually danced with Ash. "I'm glad you invited me, although I wish your mom could have gone."

Ash laughed at the statement. "Yeah, too bad my mom couldn't come, but I think she would have felt out of place there. I think it was a good thing that you came though."

Now in front of their hotel, Ash and Serena stopped for a second to look at the sky. It appeared to be the same as the night before the entire Kalos League began. The sky was clear and the moon was bright. You could even make out some of the constellations in the sky.

"Look!" Serena cried out as she pointed up into the sky. To their amazement, a shooting star was flying across the night sky. Thinking quickly, she tried to come up with a decent wish. There were many things she wanted to wish for. Being Kalos Queen, having Ash not be so dense, the list could go on and on. But, she wondered what would make her the happiest. Closing her eyes, she made up her mind. _"I wish Ash will win the Kalos League,"_ she thought to herself as the shooting star vanished from sight.

"Did you make a wish?" Ash asked as he saw Serena open her eyes. Nodding her head in agreement, Ash wondered what she wished for. "Well, are you going to tell me?"

This time, Serena placed her hands behind her back and shook her head. "You know how it works. If you tell someone, then it won't come true," she playfully teased as they made it to the front steps. "Thank you again, for tonight. I really enjoyed it," she said one last time before entering the hotel.

Ash however stayed outside for a little longer. Looking up at the moon, he wondered just what exactly he was feeling right now. It was strange, he had been feeling this way the entire night while with Serena. But, he couldn't figure out what exactly he was feeling. It was a nice feeling, one that made him feel warm inside. He just wished he knew what it meant. Shrugging at his thoughts, Ash made his way back inside and prepared for tomorrow.

* * *

 **Reviews**

 **UltimateGundamFighter: Thanks for the support, hope you enjoy the rest of this story. I'm honored that you think so highly of this story, but I could name at least a dozen fanfics better than this off the top of my head.**

 **Bleachedred shingami pokemon: He may or may not get one. Don't want to spoil anything just yet.**

 **Jordanlink7856: Yeah, but I liked the title I had made for the story. There's a lot more coming, but it won't be spoiled in the titles. Also, everyone loves bacon even Pikachu.**

 **Loveanime93: Thanks for reading. I'll try to do my best.**

 **Guest: thanks for the continued support.**

 **What? The new chapter is already finished? What witchcraft is this? This is what happens when your first finals of the semester get cancelled because someone called in a bomb threat. So I used my extra time to finish this a day in advance.**

 **What could Nick be hiding and does he actually stand a chance against Ricardo? And what about Ash and these "feelings"? Is his density finally gone? Nope, but his dense shell does have a few cracks now. Just have to keep chipping away at it.**

 **Once again, thank you to everyone who supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**

 **Next Time: I'll show that Ricardo just what I'm made of. There's more to me than just a huge fan of Ash. Next time "The Strategist of Mt. Silver"**


	10. The Strategist of Mt Silver!

**Welcome back everyone. The finals portion of the Kalos League begins this chapter but instead of Ash, we get to see someone else battle. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Ch 10: The Strategist of Mt. Silver!**

"Clawitzer is unable to battle! The winners are Torterra and the green trainer, Ash Ketchum!" The referee announced.

Ash then let out a sigh. It had been a hard fought battle. In the beginning he had lost Corphish almost immediately and then Infernape managed to even things up before being taken down himself. But, Torterra came through, taking out the last two pokemon on the other side. Now, making his way back out of the tunnel, Ash met his friends who were already waiting. But, with them this time was Nick, who appeared to be nervous for some reason.

"A-A-Ash... Since y-your match is over..." Nick started to say while shaking. For some reason he appeared to be nervous, the others had an idea why but Ash had no clue. "C-Could you come and... W-Watch my match this afternoon. It would mean a lot to me!" He yelled out while bowing.

"E-Eevee V-Vee!" Eevee cried out as well, copying his trainer's actions. Both of them were waiting nervously for Ash to decline.

"Sure, I'll watch," Ash replied happily. It was just like him to want to watch anything pokemon related.

"Thank You!" Nick cried as he left to get ready for his match this afternoon.

* * *

"You ready, Eevee?" Nick asked his trusty partner as he tightened his shoelaces. It was time for his match against Ricardo in the Champion's Tournament. Taking a short breath, Nick readied himself as reached into his backpack.

"Vee!" The normal type cried out in agreement. It was waiting to battle again and with Ash and Pikachu watching today it was ready to give it his all.

"That's the spirit!" Nick cried out as he pulled a case out of his backpack. Opening it up, Nick looked at the emptiness in surprise. "Where are my glasses?" He asked while opening and closing the case again. "Where are they!?"

Searching through his backpack, Nick tore it apart as everything from a map to his spare clothes were thrown onto the ground. Starting to become nervous, Nick paced his breathing to try and calm himself.

"Think Nick, where did you have them last?" He asked himself while trying to picture where he left them. Normally he didn't wear them, but when he was in a pokemon battle he couldn't see a thing without them. "Eevee! I remember now! They're on my sleeping bag in our tent! Can you go and get them! I'll stall during the battle as best as I can!"

"Eevee! Eevee eei!" The normal type responded before dashing off out of the tunnel. It had no time to waste, it needed to find those glasses and get them to Nick real soon. Otherwise it might mean the end of their time in the Kalos League.

"And competing all the way from Mt. Silver in the Johto region, please welcome the green trainer, Nick!" The announcer's voice could be heard from the hall. Gulping, Nick started to make his way out to the field.

"Godspeed Eevee. Godspeed," he muttered while walking out of the tunnel. He couldn't show Ricardo any signs of weakness right now. He had to keep up the charade that he was alright. But, without his glasses would he even be able to put up a decent fight?

* * *

"I wonder what pokemon Nick has," Clemont asked as he watched Nick walk out to the field. He had noticed that Nick was already nervous despite not even starting yet. Perhaps the crowd was getting to him.

"Hopefully he has a really cute pokemon," Bonnie said as she pictured a lot of different pokemon.

Ash however had noticed that something was up with the boy. "Something is bothering him."

"Huh," Serena replied as she turned to face the boy from Kanto. How could he tell something was wrong with Nick by just looking at him. "Maybe he's just nervous. I mean, look at all the people in the stadium."

"That's not it," Ash replied back as he stared intently at the boy. Something was missing, but Ash couldn't put his finger on it. Then, seeing Pikachu in front of him, Ash realized what it was. "Eevee isn't there!"

"You don't think something bad happened to it, do you?" Bonnie asked as she tried to not imagine something happening to the pokemon.

Ash shrugged his shoulders as he continued staring at Nick. He appeared more nervous than worried. "No, look at the way he's acting. He isn't worried about Eevee, but he's nervous about something. But what?"

* * *

Standing across from Nick was Ricardo. Dressed in a suit similar to the one he had on last night, the trainer stood there with a smug on his face. To Nick, he didn't look to have changed clothes with the exception that he was dressed in all black. Staring at him in confusion, Ricardo grew annoyed with the boy's antics.

"What is it?" Ricardo asked as he crossed his arms. In his opinion, they should have just handed the victory to him already.

Shrugging, Nick didn't really know how to answer. Taking a deep breath, he decided to go for it. "Well, why would you wear all black to a battle? You'll get pretty hot with the sun on us."

"Because, I'll be attending a funeral after this match," Ricardo replied as he got ready to begin. Looking at Nick, he noticed that the boy looking sympathetic. "What is it now?"

"I'm sorry for your loss. Even if we're competing against each other, I still send my condolences," he replied while bowing before his opponent. He hadn't understood exactly what Ricardo was hinting at.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Ricardo asked as he stared at the boy from Johto. He wasn't serious about attending a funeral. "I just like wearing different clothes. But, the only funeral that'll be happening today is one for your dreams of the Kalos League." Ricardo had been playing around with Nick, but never realized just how dumb he could be.

"This match is about to begin. Ricardo had won the coin toss so he'll send out the first pokemon," the referee broke in. He had been listening the entire time and figured that he better get this match going.

"One pokemon is all I'll need to win. Go, Hitmonchan!" Ricardo yelled as the punching pokemon emerged from the pokeball. Standing in front of its trainer, Hitmonchan started to throw punches in the air.

" _Okay, fighting type. Just need something that it can't hurt,"_ Nick thought as he squinted to make out the image of the fighting type. Luckily for him, Ricardo had yelled out his pokemon. Searching through his pokemon, Nick finally decided on one.

"Okay, I'll counter fighting with frightening!" Nick replied as he tossed a pokeball out. "Go, Phantump!" the pokeball then opened up and revealed the ghost and grass type.

"And the first battle will pit Hitmonchan against Phantump!" The announcer cried out. "Will the powerful fighting type be able to land any hits due to Phantump's immunity to fighting type moves?"

"Phan!" The stump pokemon cried out as he latched onto Nick. Phantump started to cry a little while pushing its head into Nick's chest.

Rubbing the back of Phantump's head, Nick gave out a light chuckle. "It's nice to see you as well. But right now we have a battle so I need you to give it your all. Okay?" He asked the grass and ghost type. Letting go, Phantump turned back towards the field and was ready to begin. "I'm sorry for that. You see, Phantump was abandoned by his previous trainer. I found him and took him in as my own. Since then he's been a little clingy. More like he's afraid I'll leave him behind like his last trainer."

"Does it look like I care?" Ricardo asked as he stood there with an unconcerned look on his face. Why would it be important to tell him about Phantump? They were in a battle, all that was important was to fight.

"Geez, the least you can do is feel sorry for the little guy," Nick muttered as he crossed his arms across his chest. Phantump had gone through a big event like that and this guy just shrugs it off. What was wrong with him? Before he could even issue a command, Nick noticed that Hitmonchan was already on the move.

"We have more than just fighting type moves!" Ricardo yelled out as he threw his left arm forward. To Nick, the guy gave off no emotions. It was almost like he was here for something other than the joy of battling. "Hitmonchan, show them your fire punch!"

The punching pokemon dashed across the field as his fists started to burn up. Without even a moment's notice, the fighting type's fists connected with Phantump. Like a machine gun, Hitmonchan's attack continued as each blow appeared to become stronger with each successful hit.

" _Keep it up for just a little longer,"_ Nick thought as he watched Phantump put up with the attack. He had an idea in place to slow down Hitmonchan, but everything needed to go just right. _"We just need to draw Hitmonchan in. Then we can attack."_

"Phant!" Phantump cried out again as he was knocked backwards. Getting back up, it watched as Hitmonchan was getting ready to close the gap between them again.

" _Now!"_ Nick yelled to himself. He had no idea just how much of a distance there was between the two, but they couldn't miss out on this. "Phantump! Use will-o-wisp!" Nick cried out. This was his plan, burn Hitmonchan to weaken it over time.

"Phantump, phan!" The ghost type agreed as he raised his hands in front of his chest. A blue ball of fire started to form in his hands, the fire flowing off into multiple directions as the flames increased. "Tump!" It cried out before launching the ball of fire at Hitmonchan.

The ball soared towards the approaching fighting type, but Nick had misread the distance between them. It was actually much further than he thought and it allowed Hitmonchan ample time to jump over the blast. To both his and Phantump's horror, they watched as the punching pokemon landed in front of them and delivered a powerful fire punch to Phantump's face.

Flying backwards, it looked as though Phantump would continue on and crash into the stadium wall. But, the collision never came. Instead, Nick dove to his left and caught his pokemon before any more damage could happen to it.

"Phan..." It muttered while looking up at Nick. It had tried everything it could, but that Hitmonchan was just too fast and strong. There was nothing it could do to hurt it.

Nodding, Nick understood just what it meant. Phantump was never one of his strongest, but he still gave it chances to battle and prove itself. But by just looking at him, Nick could see that Phantump couldn't take much more. "Phantump's done battling for today," he told the referee.

"R-really?" The referee asked while breaking his professionalism. It didn't seem to take too much damage today. Quickly becoming professional again, he raised his red flag. "Phantump is unable to battle, the winner is Hitmonchan!"

"Phan... Phan," It continued to mutter while hanging its head. It felt terrible for what it caused. Nick was depending on it, but he couldn't do anything to Hitmonchan.

"It's alright, little guy," Nick told Phantump as he rubbed its head again. Looking up at its trainer, he noticed the large smile Nick was giving him. "You gave it your best shot, besides, I messed up with our timing. I called for will-o-wisp too soon. I'm missing my glasses, so I can't really see," he explained while pointing up to his face. If he had them on, Nick might have allowed Phantump to continue on. But, since he had the least experience of all of his pokemon, he didn't want to risk any injuries.

"Phan!?" It asked once he noticed the missing eyewear. Nick let out a light chuckle as he raised Phantump's pokeball.

"Yeah, I goofed up big time," he joked while returning Phantump into its pokeball. "But you did great today. Take a nice rest." Now reaching for his second pokeball, Nick glanced towards his tunnel hoping that Eevee was coming back yet. Seeing nothing, he reached for his second pokeball. "Okay! You're up now, Malamar!"

The overturning pokemon emerged from her pokeball with a loud cry. Then, just like Phantump, the psychic and dark type turned around and wrapped her tentacles around Nick. "Mal! Malamar!" It cried out happily as she embraced her trainer.

"Not now, Malamar!" Nick pleaded as he tried to unwrap himself. It was one thing with a little guy like Phantump, but Malamar practically suffocated him whenever she did this. Finally being freed, Nick was able to breathe freely again and got ready to battle again.

"Are all his pokemon like this?" Ricardo asked, obviously not pleased with their reactions to being let out of their pokeballs. But still, there was one thing that was bothering him. "Answer me this!" He yelled out, getting Nick's attention. "Why did you dive to catch Phantump? You put yourself in harm's way for a pokemon. It was dumb if you ask me," he asked, noticing the confused expression on Nick's face.

"It isn't hard to explain," Nick started to say as the intensity in his voice increased with every word. "Phantump and all my other pokemon are my family! We train together, we battle together, we do everything together! And for that, I'll put myself in harm's way if it means keeping them safe! But, just from your question I can tell you don't view your pokemon as family."

"Of course not!" Ricardo shot back as he stared at his Hitmonchan. Yes, it was an excellent price he paid for the fighting type but with the money he had he could afford any pokemon he wanted. "Pokemon are nothing but tools. If they can't do the job correctly, then you replace them."

"What!?" Nick asked, anger apparent in his voice even with just one word. Nick was growing to hate this guy more and more every time he talked. "So, tell me then, why become a trainer? If you don't care about your pokemon why spend all this time raising them?"

Shrugging, Ricardo had a smirk cross across his face. "Who ever said I raised them? The best pokemon are the ones raised to their max potential by someone else. That's when you buy them for a great deal. Then, if they lose, you can always sell them and find new pokemon."

"You're sick!" Nick cried out as he balled his hands into fists. He was about ready to go over and knock some sense into Ricardo, but knew he'd be disqualified if he did so. "Why bother entering this League then!? So many trainers enter to see their dreams become a reality with their partners and then there's you!"

"Why, it's a business reason," Ricardo explained as he raised his hands in confusion. Who wouldn't enter the League to help expand their brand name. "I own a small company, or, it's small to me. Others would consider it large, but it's relatively unknown in these parts of the world. Winning the League would help spread my company's name and get new stores built all over this region. Everything in life revolves around money."

That was it! This guy couldn't act like this any longer. Deciding to drop the charade, Nick's entire demeanor changed. From the glad annoyed child, a new person seemed to be standing there. Or, at least personality wise. "You're the kind of person I hate. The one who uses pokemon for their own personal gain. The one who doesn't put their feelings first. You don't deserve to call yourself a trainer if all you're interested in is money!" Nick's posture now of someone who appeared to be in full control of his emotions, but anger was seeping off of him. Still, he wished Eevee was here.

"Are you not the doing the same?" Ricardo asked as he placed ne hand in his pocket. "Do you not abuse your own pokemon? Using them to fight in the League against their own desire just to reach your dreams?"

"We're different," Nick shot back as he looked at Phantump's pokeball and then at Malamar. They had both chosen to travel with Nick. "I told you before, we're a family who all share the same dream. To win the Kalos League and then become a Pokemon Master! And we won't let someone like you stop us!" He yelled out, only stopping when he heard the announcer start to speak.

"What's this!" The announcer could be heard saying as everyone turned to look at Nick's tunnel. "It appears a wild pokemon has made its way into the stadium! And it's carrying… Glasses!?"

"Ee... Eevee! Vee!" It cried out despite the exhaustion. On his forehead was Nick's glasses. Just like he said, he had forgotten them on their sleeping bag. You see, by the time Nick registered, the League had run out of hotel rooms so Nick decided to camp out instead of sharing with someone else.

"Eevee!" Nick cried out as he ran over to the normal type. Jumping into his trainer's arms, Nick caught the evolution pokemon in his arms and removed the glasses. "you made it right in time. Thank you, pal," Nick told him before placing the rectangle rimmed glasses on his face. This was much better. He could actually see the battle in front of him now.

"It appears that Eevee belongs to Nick and it brought him glasses for some reason!" The announcer continued to explain as Nick walked back to his box.

Bowing to the referee, Nick explained the situation. "I'm sorry for that interruption. You see, I forgot my glasses in my tent so Eevee went to get them."

"No worries," the referee replied. Although it had been a problem, there was nothing he could do about it right now. "The match will now resume!" He cried out while raising both flags into the air.

"This is much better," Nick said calmly as gave a thumbs up to Malamar. He could see everything so clearly now. If only he had them earlier, then Phantump would have done much better. "Now, let's see how you do against me when we're all trying. Psybeam!"

"What!?" Ricardo asked as he took a step back. This had to be a bluff. There was no way they weren't trying before when Phantump got utterly destroyed. But still, something about him seemed different. He was giving off a different feel to him. "Dodge Hitmonchan!"

Malamar placed her two arms in front of her body as the blue beam started to charge. Then, firing it off they watched as Hitmonchan dodged it with ease. He was still too fast for them. At least for now.

"Malamar! We'll use the technique we practiced! Just follow my lead." Nick called out excitedly. It appeared that despite the calm demeanor he was giving off, he was still the excitable boy from before. Even Malamar appeared to be excited for this. "Charge up a psybeam!"

The entire stadium watched as another blue beam was charged up, but this time it was much larger and was still growing.

" _That power! This kid wasn't bluffing after all! But, Hitmonchan can still defeat them before they can even launch the attack,"_ Ricardo thought to himself as he stared at the charging psybeam. "Hitmonchan, use drain punch!"

Hitmonchan nodded in agreement as his fists started to glow a light green in color. With them raised in front of his body, the fighting type charged straight for Malamar.

"Dodge by going into the air. Stay a good distance away," Nick commanded of his pokemon. Even the audience noticed how the battle appeared to change sides as Nick was the calm one now while Ricardo was worrying.

Taking to the sky, Malamar floated high above Hitmonchan. Now impossible to be hit, Malamar continued to charge up her attack which was now covering most of her chest.

"We can still hit you," Ricardo stated as he tried to hide his nervousness. By the size that the blast was already at, one hit from it and that was the match. "Use focus blast!"

Cupping his two hands together, Hitmonchan formed a large ball of energy. Nick was actually surprised by this; he wasn't expecting Hitmonchan to have a range based attack. Finally ready, the fighting type threw the attack into the air before charging up another.

"Dodge them all," Nick told the overturned pokemon. Agreeing to the command, Malamar appeared to be dancing across the sky as she dodged every single blast with ease. Then, it caught sight of a nod from Nick. Getting blasted in its legs, Malamar fell to the ground.

Acting quickly, Malamar used the tentacles on her head to catch herself and reposition herself to face Hitmonchan. The psybeam was still charging, now covering a large majority of her body.

"Now we got you! Your legs must be hurting after that attack so we'll get you now that you can't run!" Ricardo cried out. He was getting annoyed with this boy and wanted to put him in his place. "Drain punch!"

"Double team," Nick ordered as Hitmonchan approached Malamar. In a second, copies of Malamar emerged all over the field and confused Hitmonchan. Just which one was the real Malamar? Only Nick knew the answer as they all had the psybeam charging as part of the illusion.

"I don't care how many there are! Hitmonchan get rid of them with comet punch!" Ricardo cried out as Hitmonchan continued to punch every copy. Punch after punch they all vanished as Hitmonchan couldn't find the original.

Growing upset, Hitmonchan picked the pace up as he tried to hit every Malamar there. But, it was growing fatigued and worried due to the size of the psybeam. Then, to its shock, Hitmonchan found itself unable to move.

"Nice catch," Nick joked as everyone noticed that Malamar's tentacles were wrapped around Hitmonchan, making it impossible for the punching pokemon to move.

"B-but how!?" Ricardo asked. He hadn't even thought of anything like this happening. So, was the psybeam just a trick to lower their guards?

Seeing the confusion, Nick let out a light laugh. "You see; the whole point was for you to tire yourselves out trying to hit Malamar. While you did that, Malamar waited to strike until Hitmonchan lowered his guard. We even purposely allowed ourselves to be hit by that focus blast to give you a false sense of hope. It's an old technique I've taught other pokemon. It's a pretty simple idea, but most don't see it. Now! Fire that super charged psybeam!"

"Mala!" Malamar cried out. To everyone's surprise, the psybeam had still continued to charge despite Hitmonchan being tied up. The attack was now covering Malamar's entire body. Launching the attack off, Malamar held on tight to Hitmonchan until the blast was right about to hit the fighting type.

An explosion occurred on contact, but everyone knew just what happened. There was no way anyone could survive that blast. "Hitmonchan is unable to battle!" The referee declared, proving everyone in the stands.

"And with an amazing strategy, Nick manages to tie this match up!" The announcer cried out as he watched on. Just what did they just watch? Never before had they seen a trainer plan so far out in advance like that.

* * *

"Nick seems to be battling much better now," Serena said as they watched Ricardo return Hitmonchan to its pokeball. After watching Phantump get thrashed around, she had worried that this was going to be a quick battle for the young boy.

"It's like he's a completely different person now," Ash muttered as he stared at the boy. The excitable boy he had met wasn't standing down there anymore. Instead, there was a calm and collected trainer who didn't seem worried.

"He wasn't battling at his full strength," Clemont realized once he put two and two together. Everything made sense now. His timing with Phantump was off and Eevee had brought him glasses. "Nick was battling blind earlier! It all makes sense why he was nervous. He knew that without his glasses he wouldn't be able to give proper instructions to his pokemon."

"But now he can," Ash continued on, realizing what Clemont was hinting at. "Come on, Nick!" He yelled out from the stands. He was curious to see just how good Nick could be.

* * *

"Tell me, have you finally figured out who I am?" Nick asked as he fixed his glasses and gave his child like smile. Despite how much more mature he sounded, Nick still kept his childlike actions. "Or do I need to spell it out to you?"

"Y-Y-You can't be him!?" Ricardo cried out in shock. He had heard stories about a boy who managed to knock out two of Tobias' pokemon last year in the Top 32, but it couldn't be this boy. Could it?

"Oh, but I am!" He cried out, his smile growing even larger now. "I am The Strategist of Mt. Silver!" He continued on before striking a pose. He wasn't one to show off, but right now Ricardo had to be put in his place. "I might not be the strongest trainer, but when I use everything I've learned into ideas for unorthodox attacks, it allows my pokemon to be even stronger! To confuse the opponent until plan comes to be, that's how I battle." He then started to rub the back of his head as he was embarrassed. "Just please don't tell anyone! I'd like it to be a secret!"

Nearly falling over, Ricardo caught himself. "You just told the entire stadium!" He yelled out, clearly frustrated by the boy. Strategist of Mt. Silver or not, he wasn't losing to this boy. "Go, Haunter!"

"I-I did!" Nick yelled out in shock. He hadn't even noticed Haunter yet as he was too busy looking at everyone that knew his secret now. "I hope not too many people heard me."

* * *

"What's Nick talking about?" Ash asked as he looked at his friends. They were watching the match when they had overheard something about a 'strategist of Mt. Silver'. Ash remembered that Nick told him he was from Mt. Silver, but how was that important.

"I don't know, but something about it sounds familiar to me," Clemont responded as he started to rack his brain for where he heard it from.

Meanwhile, Serena was searching for it on her travel guide, having accessed the internet. "I found something about him here," she said while showing everyone the page. On it, there was a picture of Nick shaking hands with Tobias. "It says here that Nick managed to knock out eventual winner Tobias' Darkrai and Empoleon during the top 32 of the previous Sinnoh League through the use of crazy strategies."

"Now I remember!" Clemont cried out as he heard Serena's last sentence. He had heard about this boy from somewhere.

"Well, are you going to tell us or not?" Bonnie asked as she tugged on Clemont's jumpsuit.

"Oh, right," Clemont said while shaking his head. "Anyway, what I heard was that he's a trainer who can find a way to win using strategies he comes up with. Of course, I also heard that they also blow up in his face sometimes."

"So he's pretty strong," Ash said, excitement evident in his voice. He now couldn't wait to have a chance to face off against this guy. "Now I can't wait to face him!

"Yeah, but also he can be reckless at times. His recklessness has led to many loses for him. Not to mention he can be forgetful, evident by the fact he forgot his glasses and that he forgot about all the people in this stadium," Clemont responded as he fixed his own glasses. Still this match was just starting now.

* * *

"I can't believe I just said that in front of everyone," Nick muttered to himself. That was the reason he never wore his glasses outside of battle, hoping that no one would question him about his techniques. Truth was, people thought he came up with crazy ideas, but no one cared.

"Shadow punch!" Ricardo called out while Nick was still looking up at the crowd. Moving quickly, Haunter threw his fists right into Malamar, who likewise was looking at the crowd, and knocked it onto the ground.

Hearing the thud, Nick turned and looked at Malamar. "Malamar! Are you alright?"

"Mal," she replied while getting up off of the ground. She had been through a lot worse than just a little punch. It wouldn't go down that easily.

"Great! Grab that Haunter with your tentacles!" Nick called out. Listening to her trainer, Malamar managed to wrap the tentacles around Haunter. However, the ghost type managed to disappear right when it was wrapped up. "Huh! Where'd it go?" He asked, obviously forgetting the fact that ghost type pokemon can phase in and out of this plane.

"Shadow ball," Ricardo ordered. Upon command, Haunter appeared behind Malamar and fired off the ghost type attack. Exploding upon impact, Malamar fell forward. Haunter then used this chance to phase away before reappearing over the downed pokemon and launching another shadow ball.

Getting hit again, Malamar got up slowly. Catching its breath, Malamar signaled to Nick that she could continue on. "Thanks, Malamar!" Nick cried out in joy as he noticed something. Haunter was just too fast for them. "We need to slow down Haunter! Use trick room!"

Malamar's eyes glowed blue for a second as a large box started to form around the entire field. Once finished, Malamar's eyes changed back to normal, but something different seemed to be happening.

"Malamar, use psybeam!"

"Stop them with sucker punch!" Ricardo cried out, but to his shock, Haunter was blasted backwards before it could even attack. "What!"

"You obviously don't know anything about trick room," Nick replied as Malamar fired off another psybeam, only to miss this time. "As long as it's active, the slower pokemon moves first. Now, finish it off with another psybeam!"

"If we can't beat it, I'll cause a double knock out! Use destiny bond!" Both pokemon glowed black for a second before returning to their normal colors. Hearing the order only worried Nick however.

"C-Cancel the attack! Cancel the attack!" He cried out, waving his arms. But it was too late, the psybeam had already been launched. Colliding with Haunter, the ghost type was defeated upon impact. But, Malamar also fainted at the instant Haunter did.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle! Both trainers, choose your final pokemon!" The referee declared while holding both flags up in the air.

"It appears even with some quick thinking, Nick still caused his own undoing!" The announcer cried out as both trainers recalled their pokemon.

"Thanks for everything Malamar," Nick said to the pokeball as he replaced it on his belt. "You did amazing today and we'll make sure to win this for you and everyone else," he continued before facing Eevee. "You ready to go?"

"Eevee!" The normal type cried out before running onto the field. It might be tired from running all the way to the tent and back, but it wasn't going to miss out on this battle. Not with Pikachu and Ash watching.

"That Eevee looks like it can barely stand, let alone battle by this point," Ricardo said as he ran a hand through his hair. It had fallen a little onto his face during the battle. "It won't be a match for any pokemon I choose. But, I want to crush you so I'll use this one. Go, Magnezone!"

"And the final battle is now beginning! It's Eevee vs Magnezone, but there's a clear difference in stamina between these pokemon," the announcer cried out as he looked at Eevee panting and Magnezone being fine.

"Eevee use shadow ball!" Nick called out as they took the offensive.

"Counter with flash cannon," Ricardo shot back. He was going to completely crush Nick to the point that he wished he never met him.

The two pokemon charged up their respective attacks and fired them. The ghost type attack collided with Magnezone's beam attack, but due to Eevee's fatigue it was pushed back.

"Quick, dodge it Eevee!" Nick cried out as Eevee rolled to his left, barely avoiding the flash cannon. The attack continued on until it collided with the stadium wall. "That was close," Nick muttered as Eevee stood back up.

"Lock-on," Ricardo continued his attack while Eevee got back up. A red beam shot out of Magnezone's eye's and locked on to Eevee, leaving a red target on Eevee's forehead.

"Lock-on?" Nick asked, having never heard of such an attack. Still, Eevee didn't seem to be in any pain. With that being the case, Nick and Eevee decided to attack and try to figure out a plan. "Start off with quick attack!"

Eevee dashed across the field, a white light trailing behind him. However, once he was about to attack, Ricardo appeared to be smirking. It was almost as if he wanted Nick to attack

"Zap cannon, Magnezone!" Ricardo yelled out as he pointed his index finger at the normal type. "I want it at full power so that he can't get back up!"

"What!" Nick yelled out as he saw a large electrical beam charge up from Magnezone. By the size of the blast, if Eevee was hit then they would be done for. "Quick, dodge it be diving to the right!"

Following the command, Eevee forced its entire body to roll his right. Barely dodging the blast, both Nick and Eevee let out a sigh of relief. Their relief only lasted a few seconds however as the blast managed to change directions and was now heading for Eevee again.

Seeing the confused look on Nick's face, Ricardo started to laugh. "Don't tell me that someone like you doesn't know what lock-on causes?" He asked despite knowing the answer. "Lock-on is a move that allows Magnezone's next attack to hit no matter how much you avoid it."

Gritting his teeth, Nick tried to think of an idea. Looking down the field, he watched as Eevee ran around trying to avoid the blast. _"There has to be something we can do! At this rate Eevee won't be able to outrun it much longer!"_ He thought to himself as he continued to watch Eevee run. Finally coming up with something, Nick decided to try it. "Eevee! Run straight at Magnezone!"

"Vee!" It cried out in exhaustion. Using all of its might, the normal type sprinted straight for the electric and steel type pokemon as the electrical beam gained on it. Not sure what Nick's plan was, Eevee wondered if this would actually help them out.

"Now jump right over Magnezone!" Nick cried out right as the two pokemon were face to face. Listening to his trainer, Eevee leapt right over Magnezone and landed on the other side. Watching Eevee, Magnezone had no time to react as the zap cannon crashed into it.

"Why you!" Ricardo screamed out as he watched Magnezone get blasted backwards by his own attack. This boy was making a fool out of him and he needed to end this. What would people think of his business if they saw this match? "Magnezone, show them we don't play around. Gyro ball!"

"Magne!" It cried out while spinning at an intense rate. The electric and steel type moved right for Eevee, but the normal type wasn't moving.

"Wait just a little longer, Eevee!" Nick called out as he thought up a plan. He remembered facing off against gyro ball in the past. The slower the user was compared to the opponent, the stronger the attack would be. Watching the rotation, Nick decided to try a Hail Mary. "Eevee use iron tail to give yourself some spinning momentum!"

The crowd seemed confused by the order. Eevee was in no condition to put up with gyro ball directly. What was Nick trying to do, lose?

Eevee however understood exactly what Nick wanted. Nodding in agreement, Eevee jumped into the air and straight for Magnezone. As he did so, his tail stiffened up and glowed white before striking Magnezone. But, just as everyone thought, Eevee's attack was no match for Magnezone and bounced off harmlessly, but what they didn't notice was Eevee's follow up.

Spinning in the air, Eevee dove straight towards the ground, creating a tunnel deep under the field. That had been Nick's plan the entire time. Using Magnezone's momentum, Nick wanted Eevee to use dig. Without even issuing a command, Eevee sprung back up and struck Magnezone causing the electric and steel type to fly backwards.

"Great job, Eevee!" Nick cried out as both of them started to pant. This had been a long and stressful day for them, but it would end real nice. They just had to finish off Magnezone.

"And by using Magnezone's momentum from gyro ball, Nick and Eevee managed to land a powered up dig!" The announcer cried out. It had really been some quick thinking by Nick, a normal dig at this point in the battle wouldn't have done much. But, by speeding Eevee's momentum they had managed to cause more strength to be behind the attack.

"Now I'm getting really angry!" Ricardo yelled as he pointed his index and middle fingers right at Nick. It appeared that he was pointing at Eevee as the normal type was in front of its trainer, but his eyes said otherwise. "Magnezone, flash cannon!" He cried out as Magnezone charged up the steel type attack.

Launching off the beam, Eevee looked ready to dodge. The attack wasn't as strong as the previous ones, a sign that Magnezone was growing tired. They just had to keep chipping away at it. But, as he was about to dodge, Eevee noticed that if he dodged the beam that it would collide with Nick.

"Dodge it, Eevee!" Nick cried out as he noticed the hesitation. He had also seen the beam coming right this way, but wasn't worried about it. Their first concern was to win. They came here to have a battle with Ash and Pikachu, their idols. Seeing that the pokemon still wouldn't' move, Nick snapped at the pokemon for probably the first time ever. "I said dodge! Do what I say! We didn't come all this way to lose! Dodge and hit it with shadow ball!"

"Vee..." It softly cried while dodging the attack. Not looking back, Eevee fired off the shadow ball as it struck Magnezone directly. Knowing that the attack was over, Eevee turned around and saw Nick getting up off the ground.

"And it appears that the flash cannon strayed off course and accidently struck the green trainer!" The announcer cried out, unaware that the attack was on purpose. "He appears to be fine, but that must have hurt!"

"That's how you plan on winning?" Nick asked as he first eyed Ricardo before smiling down at Eevee. "See, it all turned out fine. Now, go in with iron tail!"

"Why would you have the pokemon dodge? You knew the attack was coming," Ricardo asked as he watched Magnezone get smashed into the ground. Getting back up, Magnezone shook the attack off and waited. "Use flash cannon!"

Once again, Magnezone charged up his attack before firing off the steel type move. This time however, Eevee was still in mid-air following the previous attack and had no way to dodge. Getting blasted, Eevee flew across the stadium.

Bracing for the feeling of the hard stadium wall, Eevee never felt the impact. Instead, he felt a soft impact and when he looked up, he noticed that he was sitting in Nick's arms. It turned out that the blast had launched Eevee right at Nick.

"You aren't ready to give up yet, right?" Nick asked as Eevee jumped out of his arms. Facing Magnezone, he duo were ready to finish this fight. "Ricardo, you asked why I would take that hit head on. Well, the answer is simple. We're a family just like I told you before! Phantump gave it his all! Malamar did everything she could! And Eevee surely won't back down no matter how bad things are! How would I look if I cowered behind them! We all worked hard for this moment and we won't lose!" Nick cried out as he threw his right fist out. "Now, Eevee! Shadow tail!" He yelled, ordering a command no one had ever heard of.

"Vee!" Eevee cried out happily. It had been waiting forever to use this little combination they had practiced. Charging up a shadow ball, the normal type fired it straight up into the sky.

"That last attack must have knocked your brain around," Ricardo taunted as he threw his left fist out. "Magnezone finish this with zap cannon!"

Magnezone charged up the electric type attack and fired off the beam. Eevee however paid no attention to the beam, instead he was watching the shadow ball fall back into view. Once able to see it, Eevee jumped over the beam and towards the descending shadow ball.

Likewise, Nick jumped to his left as the zap cannon crashed into the stadium wall. This battle was getting out of hand now. This Ricardo guy was crazy! Watching the sky, Nick smiled as Eevee started using iron tail.

"Eee!" It cried out happily while slicing up the ghost type move into smaller shapes. Then, one by one he launched them right at Magnezone by striking them with his tail.

One by one, each piece of the shadow ball crashed into Magnezone exploding on contact. Upon the final impact, a dust cloud formed as Magnezone crashed into the ground. Fighting to get back up, Magnezone managed to float in the air again, only to see a spinning Eevee coming right at him. With one swift strike from Eevee's iron tail, Magnezone collapsed on the ground defeated.

"No! it can't end like this!" Ricardo yelled as he dropped to his knees in frustration. He had spent so much money on these pokemon. He was supposed to win the entire league not lose to some boy from the mountains.

"Magnezone is unable to battle! That means that Eevee and the green trainer Nick are the winners of this battle!" The referee declared while raising both flags into the air.

"W-We did!" Nick cried out before dropping onto his butt. He was exhausted from this battle, but now he was one step closer to facing off against Ash. Looking up, he watched as Eevee leaped into his arms. "You were amazing, Eevee! I couldn't have asked for more!"

* * *

"So, Nick, how did you receive your title as 'The Strategist of Mt. Silver'?" Clemont asked as the entire group ate their dinner. Following Nick's match, they had congratulated him on a hard battle and invited him to eat with them.

Nick rubbed the back of his neck once they asked the question. He was also blushing a little, but it was hidden due to the bandages that covered his body. "Well... about that," he started to say while chuckling. "The truth to that is I made it up one day."

The answer wasn't what everyone expected as they almost fell out of their chairs. Recovering from their shock, they decided to continue on about the subject. "How'd you make it up, it must be true if you defeated two of Tobias' pokemon," Ash responded as he took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah..." Nick started to say while trailing off. The problem with that was the news never covered that battle properly and so false information was spread everywhere. "Tobias had told me before the match that he was using weaker pokemon to train them, but after seeing how well I was doing said he didn't want to hold back any longer and used Darkrai. But about the name, people asked me how I came up with my strategies and I told them I'm a master strategist!"

"But you're not really. Right?" Bonnie asked while grooming Eevee. It had taken quite a beating in the match and Bonnie offered to clean it up.

"I'm about as much of a strategist as rock types love being in water!" Nick joked as he caused everyone to almost fall down again. "But, the strategy I used with Malamar is real and so is shadow tail. But everything else is just quick thinking!"

* * *

 **Reviews:**

 **Climax Kid: Yep, a stereotypical butt-head indeed. But, at least he gets what he deserves.**

 **Guest: thanks for the continued support.**

 **UltimateCCC: Right now, I doubt Ash-Greninja has anything to do with Aura. The anime is making out to be some huge bond between them. Thanks for the support.**

 **And Nick wins. Kind of a different chapter by focusing on the friendly league rival. But, every league since Hoenn has spent an episode where they show a rival's battle so I decided to do that and break up the string of Ash battles. No, Nick is not OP. Like he admitted, he just thinks on his feet. But, as shown this chapter, that recklessness can be problematic and he is also forgetful.**

 **Anyway, don't know if anyone saw them, but they revealed the new starters and region. It's based on Hawaii and the starters are a grass/flying Owl, a fire cat and a water seal like thing. I hate to say it, but I don't like any of it. It reminds me too much of gen 5. (which I hated) and Hoenn (which was fine until you had to surf everywhere). Hopefully I'm proven wrong come November.**

 **Thank you to everyone who supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**

 **From now on, I'll be stopping the next chapter preview. I don't want to ruin any surprises that are coming up.**


	11. Movin to the Rhythm

**Welcome back! Last time we took a break from Ash and had Nick battling instead. Now we're back to the XY gang.**

* * *

 **Ch 11: Movin to the Rhythm**

"So... Ash," Nick started to say as he swallowed the food that was in his mouth. "Who exactly are you facing tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure," Ash replied as he crossed his arms across his chest. He knew that it all depended on who won between Tierno and his opponent, but he never thought to check. "I didn't look to see who won the other match."

Serena was already ahead of them all. Pulling out her travel guide, she pulled up the information on today's matches. "It looks like Tierno won after all. You'll be facing him tomorrow."

"Tierno?" Nick asked as he tilted his head. He had heard that name the other night, but couldn't put a face to the name. "Um... was he... the dancing guy?" He asked, completely unsure if he had the right guy in mind.

"Yeah, he's really skilled as a trainer," Ash replied as he leaned back in his chair. So the day finally came. He'd be facing off against Tierno tomorrow afternoon to determine who would move into the Top 8. "He's trained all of his pokemon extremely well. It'll be a hard battle for sure."

"And he's an excellent dancer," Bonnie added in as she pictured Tierno and his team of dancing pokemon. They had all been trained in what Tierno called rhythmic battling style.

"Dancer or not... He's... nothing compared to me..." Nick muttered as he continued to eat. He had never had something this good before. He had a tendency to burn anything he cooked and so when he had a chance at a real meal he took it. Wiping his mouth, Nick pumped his fists into the air. "You better win, Ash! I expect to face off against you and show you exactly how strong I am!"

"Yeah, I'll be waiting for our battle," Ash replied as he stared at Nick. They may have only known each other for a few days, but Nick reminded Ash of himself when he first started his journey. Granted Nick did vow to become a trainer just like Ash, but still, Ash saw a lot of his younger self in Nick. "You just have to keep winning as well."

"As long as my pokemon and I give it our all, no one will stop up!" Nick cried out as he stood up. He was already getting excited at the prospect of facing his idol.

"Just don't forget your glasses when you two battle," Bonnie remarked as she sighed at how alike the two trainers were. If someone didn't know better, they would have thought Nick was Ash's younger brother.

Laughing, Nick waved off the remark. "Don't worry. I have them right here..." Nick replied as he reached into his pocket, only to feel nothing. "Where's my glasses!?" Nick asked as he started to search through his pockets and backpack. "I know I put them in here! Eevee, I did put them in here, right?"

"Vee. Eevee?" Eevee replied as he sighed. Nick was always losing those glasses. It would eventually be their undoing. He really needed to get contacts or even eye correction surgery.

"I'm sorry to just eat and run," Nick started to say as he bowed to the four friends. "But if I don't find my glasses by tomorrow, then I'll be in big trouble," he said while pushing his chair in. He and Eevee then bowed one more time before they left.

"I swear that guy would lose his head if it wasn't attached," Bonnie muttered as she picked at her remaining vegetables. "For someone who acts so calm in a battle, he sure is a wreck outside of it." Everyone except Ash laughed at her remark. The Kanto trainer however seemed to be deep in thought.

"What's the matter, Ash?" Clemont asked as he started to clean up the table. He had noticed the look on Ash's face and wondered what could be wrong. "You didn't forget something as well, did you?"

"No," Ash replied while shaking his head. Smiling at the inventor, Ash threw his hands behind his head. He had actually been thinking about which pokemon he could use tomorrow. "I'm just trying to think of who I should use."

"Well, why don't we try to help," Clemont said as he put the dishes in the sink before walking back to the table. Ash had helped all of them out, so now it was their turn to help him. "With the four of us, we should be able to put together a team."

"Yeah, we'll help you," Serena added in as they all sat down at the table again. "How hard could it be?"

* * *

"I can't believe how hard this is..." Bonnie muttered as they cleaned the table off once again. They had been using the pictures Ash had taken of his pokemon, but after six tries they still couldn't make a team that looked good.

Ash ran a hand through his head as he looked at the last team they put together. It had been Pikachu, Hawlucha, Totodile, Unfezant, Torkoal, and Snivy. Just none of them seemed to fit together. Sighing, Ash placed all of the pictures back onto the table so they could try again.

"This is becoming just like my Silver Conference match with Gary," Ash stated as he reached for Sceptile's picture.

"Gary?" The others all asked. Ash had told them about his previous travels, but outside of his old highlights from previous Leagues he never talked about who he faced.

"Yeah, Gary," Ash replied as he thought back to that battle. A smile crossed his face as the memories of that battle ran through his heads. "He was my first ever rival. We actually both left Pallet Town on the same day. After traveling through two regions, we faced off in the Top 16 of the Silver Conference. You should have seen me the night before," Ash joked as he remembered staying up the entire night. "No matter what, I couldn't decide on who to use."

"So what did you end up doing?" Clemont asked. The story had intrigued him; it wasn't every day they heard stories about his previous travels.

"Well, after staying up the entire night before, I finally decided on choosing my six strongest pokemon," Ash said as he thought back to that team. Unfortunately, the same logic wouldn't work here. "But, going with raw strength won't work against Tierno. Plus, besides Snorlax and Charizard, the rest of my team got destroyed."

"Well, I think I found out a part of your problem," Serena said as she lined all the pictures up. While Ash had been talking, Serena had decided to group the photos together based on the regions the pokemon had been caught in. "You're missing a photo."

"I am?" Ash asked. Looking over the photos, he realized that a few of his pokemon, Squirtle and Primeape, weren't included. But unlike the other pokemon, they were too hard to contact due to their obligations of being a part of a fire fighter squad and training for the P1 Grand Prix respectively. "Can you tell who, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" The electric type cried out as he realized immediately who was missing. How could they forget about him!

Seeing that Ash wasn't getting it, Serena decided to tell him. "Goodra. You never thought about using Goodra at all."

"That's right!" Ash cried out as he looked at the pictures. Goodra, his first and so far only fully evolved dragon type wasn't included at all. Amidst his excitement, Ash had forgotten to even think if Goodra could return for a few battles. "I wonder if he'd like to battle?" He had meant to ask the dragon type the last time they visited, but due to a rampaging Carbink, he had forgotten.

"Yeah, I was thinking," Serena started to say, only to grow silent. She had an idea for Ash's team, but was it really her place to say anything? Sighing, she decided to say what was on her mind. "I was thinking... Why don't you use the pokemon you caught in Kalos? They all fought hard to get here and they also know Tierno so it would make the match interesting."

"That could work..." Ash muttered to himself. It appeared that he was talking more to himself than to the others by that point. "Most of them know his style of battling already. Plus, the only one who hasn't met him or his pokemon is Noivern."

"You finally make up your mind?" Bonnie asked as she swung her feet around. Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was getting late now. Now knowing the time, Bonnie felt a sudden feeling of tiredness sweep through her body.

"Yeah!" Ash replied back, still as enthusiastic as ever. Now that he had a team planned out, he could go to bed without worrying about who to use. "I'll use my Kalos pokemon just like Serena said to do!"

* * *

"Did you already get Goodra?" Bonnie asked as she practically jumped at Ash as he walked through the front door. Ash had left earlier in the morning to call Keanan and had been gone for a while, but just returned and with Nick as well.

"Of course," Ash replied as he raised the pokeball in front of him. Keanan was more than happy to help out and the transfer went smoothly. "Once I asked Goodra if he wanted to come and battle, he got so excited. I can't wait to use him today."

"And why is Nick with you?" Bonnie asked, eyeing the young trainer. The boy was nice, but some of his antics got on her nerves easily.

"What! I can't spend time with my idol and follow him around?" Nick asked the young girl, not even aware of how awkward his sentence sounded. If someone had heard it out of context, they would have thought Nick was crazy.

"Well, when you put it that way it makes you sound like a stalker," Bonnie replied as she walked away. She was right though; ever since Nick's last match he had been following Ash around quite a bit. It almost seemed like he was obsessed with Ash.

"Whatever!" Nick shot back as he took a seat at the table. Truth was, not only did he want to spend time with his idol but he also really enjoyed Clemont's cooking. Speaking of Clemont, the young inventor paid no attention to the commotion as he continued working on an invention. Professor Oak also seemed interested in this invention as it was an automatic feeding device to make taking care of pokemon easier.

Ash let out a nervous chuckle as he hoped to diffuse the situation. "Bonnie, he asked to come along. He didn't just follow me, there's a difference," Ash said as he sat down next to Nick.

"Ash, you're finally back," Delia said as she and Serena came out of the kitchen area. Delia was carrying a tray of food that looked extremely familiar to him. He hadn't seen them in a while and the sight brought back memories. "I figured you'd like an old treat. I don't know when you last had these."

"Ah yeah!" Nick cried out as he looked at the tray. His mouth watered as he saw the tray be placed down in front of him. "I haven't had a jelly filled donut in a long time!"

The rest of the people all stared at him like he was an idiot. Did he really just mistake rice balls as jelly filled donuts? Noticing the stares that were directed his way, Nick looked at everyone.

"What?" He asked as he reached for the 'jelly filled donut'. They were acting like they had never seen a jelly filled donut before. "I used to eat these all the time at home."

Bonnie couldn't help but laugh at his remark. "Even I know they're rice balls and they're not common around here." Seriously though, these rice balls didn't even look like a donut. What went through his head sometimes?

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked back as he bit into the 'donut'. It was just like he remembered them. "My gram told me these were jelly filled donuts."

"Nick," Delia called out as she pulled out the bowl of unused rice and put it in front of him. "It's always been made from rice. It's a rice ball."

The revelation shocked Nick, dropping his rice ball onto the ground and hung his head in shame. "My whole life's a lie..." he muttered to himself as Eevee ate away at the dropped rice ball. He had always thought they were donuts and that's what he called them. Getting up from the table, Nick looked at the clock. Seeing the time, he picked Eevee up. "Thank you for the donuts... I mean rice ball," he said while bowing. It would take some getting used to the new name of one of his favorite foods. "I hate to run, but I need to leave for my match," he said before leaving.

"Finally..." Bonnie muttered as she watched the door shut. Nick was finally gone... for the time being anyways.

"That boy is a handful," Professor Oak joked as he looked back at Clemont's invention. He had to admit, if this worked, it would make his and Tracey's job a whole lot easier. "But, Ash, if you ever face off against him you can't underestimate that boy."

"Yeah," Clemont added in as he stopped working. He still remembered just how quickly Nick managed to swing his last match in his favor yesterday. Who knows just how good he could be. "Remember, Ash, he isn't afraid to try anything crazy either. It also seems like he doesn't go in with a set plan so it's hard to plan a counter strategy for him."

Delia just laughed at the thought of the boy. "Honestly, he reminds me of you, Ash."

"Huh? He reminds you of me?" Ash asked, obviously caught off guard by the question. Finishing off one of the rice balls, he eyed his mom as if asking for more information.

"He's always in a rush. Crazy and unpredictable during a battle. Plus, he's kind of loud and overconfident," his mother told him as she thought up different traits. "Of course, he's more like you when you first started compared to now. I still can't believe just how much you grew on this journey," she stated while pulling him in for a hug.

"Mom!" Ash cried out as he struggled to break free. The hug had caught him off guard right as he was trying to eat. Finally breaking free from her hug, Ash stood up from the table as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "Thanks for the treat mom, but I want to get some last minute training in with my pokemon before our match today."

"Good idea," Professor Oak said as he stood up from the table. "It is never a bad idea to train a little to shake off the rust. Some of your pokemon haven't been used in the tournament for a while now."

"Just don't overdo it," Clemont added in as Ash grabbed his hat. After traveling through Kalos with the boy, Clemont had come to learn that Ash wasn't one to take it easy even before a battle. "You don't need your pokemon to be too tired for your battle today."

"You guys don't need to worry," Ash replied as he gave them all a thumbs up. He really only wanted to get some work in with Goodra. The dragon type must have gotten rusty due to its time at the swamp. "I'm just going to train for a little. I'll meet you at the stadium." He then made his way towards the door, only to stop when he heard Serena call out to him.

"Ash!" She yelled, causing him to stop. Turning around, he noticed that the honey blonde performer was holding a small box wrapped in a handkerchief. Handing it over to her crush, Serena had a light blush on her face. "I... I figured you'd want to train before your match. S-so... I made you and your pokemon a small lunch. We can't have you battling on an empty stomach today."

Taking the boxed lunch, Ash placed it in his backpack. "Thanks, Serena," he replied while rubbing his nose. Truth was, he didn't even think about any food before his match. "I'd probably would have forgotten to eat if you didn't make this," he finished before heading out the door.

* * *

"Okay, everyone out!" Ash cried out as he tossed the five pokeballs up into the air. He was at the Pokemon Center using their practice field at the moment. He had thought about making his way down to the fields they used for the screenings, but in the end he decided to just head to the Pokemon Center. He wasn't worried if someone saw them training.

Emerging from their pokeballs were his five Kalos pokemon. Each one of them let out a cry of joy once they finished stretching. Looking around, the group realized that Goodra was back with them and immediately went to him.

"Yep, that's right," Ash said as he walked over to the dragon pokemon. "Goodra wants to help us out for the rest of the League," he told them all as they cried out in joy again. Looking at them, Ash knew his Kalos team was strong but now that Goodra was here that only meant they were stronger. "But before we battle today, I want us to all work together and help Goodra shake off any rust he has. I don't know when the last time he battled was and I want him ready for today's battle. What do you think, Goodra?"

"Goodra!" The dragon type cried out in joy as he threw his hands up happily. After the last time they had parted, Goodra didn't know if he would ever see his new friends ever again. But, as fate would have it, he was back with them for the time being to help them win the Kalos League.

"Okay, that's the spirit!" Ash cried out as he threw a fist up into the air, each of his pokemon copying the gesture themselves. "First, let's see all your current moves," Ash said as Goodra made his way over to the field. It wanted to be careful, but also show off how strong it was to show Ash he hadn't slacked off.

Once in a safe enough area, Goodra pointed his head up towards the sky. He was going to start off with the small attacks and work his way up. "Goooodra!" He cried out as a small rain cloud formed over his head before it started to rain. Allowing the rain to fall onto his body, Goodra enjoyed the feeling of the water. His entire body then started to let off a red aura, but nothing ever came from it as the aura vanished as soon as it appeared.

Following that, Goodra opened his mouth as a large purple dragon was created. Shooting upwards, the blast exploded in the sky as the remains of it fell back towards the ground. Taking a second to catch his breath, Goodra then got ready to continue on. Once again, a purple orb started to form. But this time, the orb spewed off like a wave, covering part of the field. Finally finished, Goodra sat down on the field having become tired from his little showcase.

"So, you still have rain dance and dragon pulse," Ash said as he walked over to his dragon type. Putting his hand on its shoulder, he started to speak again. "You also have bide as well. But that last move..." Ash trailed off before searching his pokedex for it. Finally getting the answer he was looking for, he put the device away. "Goodra, you learned sludge wave while away."

"Gooo..." Goodra replied while out of breath. Getting ready to stand back up, Ash stopped it from continuing on.

"No need to push yourself too hard right now," Ash said as he sat down with Goodra. The others all made their way over as well and sat with Goodra and their trainer. "We still have a few hours to get you ready. You're still as strong as before, but your stamina has dropped a little." Reaching into his backpack, Ash decided to pull out the box lunch that Serena had made him. "Okay guys, how does a lunch break sound?"

All of the pokemon cried out in agreement. Sure they hadn't been at their training for long, but a lunch break did sound good right about now. The six pokemon all gathered around their trainer as he unwrapped the handkerchief that tied the box together.

"It looks like she even prepared some pokepuffs as well," Ash said as he handed the treats over to his pokemon. There was one for each of them, but she had also packed a container of pokemon food. Now, Ash looked at the box that was for him. Opening it, he found a few rice balls made along with some of her deserts. Ash smiled at the food prepared before him, it was a mix of what he ate in Kanto and now in Kalos.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked as he noticed that Ash hadn't started to eat yet. The electric type thought it was weird since Ash usually dug right into his food, but this time he just stared at it.

"Sorry, Pikachu," Ash responded as he picked up one of the rice balls. He wondered how long she spent making this for him. It hadn't been the first time she did something nice for him either, there had been countless other times she did something. "I was just thinking about how Serena does these nice things for us," he explained before biting into the rice ball.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed while finishing off his pokepuff. The other pokemon had already finished eating their own pokepuffs and had started on the pokemon food.

Finishing up his meal, Ash noticed a piece of paper on the bottom of the box. Picking it up, the trainer wondered what exactly it was. "Something is written on this," he muttered while looking at it.

" _Ash. Hopefully you enjoyed the meal today. Just wanted to wish you good luck today during your battle. I know you'll win since you've never let any challenge stop you. We all believe in you. –Serena"_ Ash read to himself while smiling before placing the note in his pocket, not wanting to lose it. Looking at the clock outside of the Pokemon Center, he decided that they should get back to training. But, Ash couldn't get the image of his friends out of his head. It only strengthened his resolve to win the League.

* * *

"And with that the battle is over!" The announcer cried out as a Nidoking laid on the ground unable to battle. Standing across from it was Eevee, but the normal type looked exhausted. "In a battle of David and Goliath, Eevee came out on top. With that, Nick will move on to the quarter-finals!"

"We did it, Eevee!" Nick cried out in joy as he walked back down the tunnel. They were now one step closer to their goal, facing off against Ash Ketchum. "One more match out of the way. Sooner or later we'll face Ash and Pikachu and then we'll win the entire League!"

"Eee. Eevee!" The normal type cried out in agreement as they both saw the trainer they were talking about.

Walking down the tunnel, Ash and Pikachu stopped as he saw Nick coming their way. "Did you just finish your battle, Nick?"

"Yeah!" The young trainer replied as he lifted Eevee up. "Eevee managed to pull off a great battle, defeating a Nidoking and allowing me to move on."

"Vee..." The normal type muttered, slightly embarrassed by the attention.

"Are you battling next, Ash?" Nick asked. He had no idea how the rest of the matches were that day. In fact, he barely paid attention to his own matches. He would just look at the Pokemon Center each morning and then head to the stadium.

"Yeah, I'm facing off against Tierno right now," Ash replied back as Pikachu and himself started to grow excited about their next battle. "We're going to keep on fighting until the very end!" He cheered before continuing down the tunnel.

"You better not lose!" Nick responded back as he watched Ash walk down the tunnel. He better not lose, Nick had come all the way out to Kalos just for the chance of facing him. If he lost, then he would have to follow Ash all the way to the next region as well. Looking down at Eevee, Nick started to speak. "Want to go find some seats?"

* * *

"And in today's match we'll see Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town facing off against Tierno of Santalune City!" The announcer cried out as fans applauded the two young trainers. "Both will be battling to earn a position in the quarter-finals of the Vanquier Conference, but it won't be easy!"

"Hey, Ash," Tierno called out as he started to stretch a little. "I've been waiting for our match. It's been a while since the last time we faced each other."

"Yeah!" Ash shot back as he through a fist forward. The last time the duo had faced each other was way back in Anistar City before Serena and Shauna's showcase there. "I'm looking forward to seeing how your rhythmic battling style is now!"

The referee made his way over to his designated location and signaled to the two trainers. "Tierno had won the coin toss prior to the match and will select first. This match will consist of a full six-on-six battle and the winner will be decided once one side has lost all six of their pokemon! Begin!" He cried out while throwing his flags up into the air.

"Alright! Time to show the world our opening performance! Go, Ambipom!" Tierno cried out as the long tail pokemon emerged on the field only to start dancing like all of Tierno's pokemon.

"An Ambipom..." Ash muttered to himself as he felt the pokeballs on his belt. Thinking over his choices, Ash knew that there was only one pokemon who could handle this. "Hawlucha, I choose you!"

Opening up, the pokeball reveled the wrestling pokemon who immediately took to making his signature poses. "Hawlucha! Lucha la!" He cried out while posing.

* * *

"My, Hawlucha is a lively and confident pokemon isn't he." Delia stated as she took a quick picture of the fighting and flying type while he held one of his poses. "I wonder if he can back up this confidence with his strength?" She asked, wondering if this was all for show or if he actually backed up his actions.

"Actually, Mrs. Ketchum, Hawlucha is very powerful," Clemont told his friend's mother as he thought back to their first time meeting Hawlucha. "He used to be a protector of a forest and kept the peace there."

"Yeah, we saw him beat up this huge Ursaring who tried stealing food from the other pokemon there," Bonnie added in as she stood on her seat. "You should have seen him then. He put an end to any problems in that forest."

"Hawlucha sounds like a protective pokemon," Professor Oak joined in as they watched Hawlucha get into a battle stance. "I have a feeling that him and Bulbasaur would get along just fine back at my lab. The two of them can keep all the others in line," he said while letting out a small chuckle. Bulbasaur always had his work cut out for him, another pair of hands could maybe ease his job.

* * *

"Okay, Hawlucha, let's take the first attack!" Ash cried out while throwing a fist forward. Taking the cue, Hawlucha leapt across the field and towards Ambipom. "Start off with a karate chop!"

"Ambipom!" Tierno called out as Hawlucha was quickly approaching. "Time to move to the rhythm of this battle!" Tierno finished as he crossed his arms across his chest. Nodding in approval, Ambipom started to dance elegantly as it dodged Hawlucha's first attack.

"Don't stop! Continuous karate chops!" Ash called out as Hawlucha looked to be growing frustrated at his inability to land a strike. Swinging away, Hawlucha still couldn't land a single blow on the long tail pokemon.

"Haw!" The wrestling pokemon cried out as his right arm slashed vertically across Ambipom's body. Unfortunately for Hawlucha, the normal type had managed to get out of the way by jumping backwards, "Lucha, cha!" He then yelled before chopping horizontally. This time though, Ambipom had dropped onto its back.

"Okay, Ambipom, use double hit!" Tierno called out as he threw his left fist forward. Ambipom nodded in agreement as its two tails started to glow white. Without needing to stand up, the long tail pokemon smacked Hawlucha right in the stomach before smacking it off to the side of the field.

"Hawlucha!" Ash cried out in concern as he watched his flying and fighting type stand back up before striking a pose. Ash sighed in relief, but also knew that Hawlucha could take a lot more than that.

"Hawlucha!" The wrestling pokemon cried out as he signaled that he wanted to try their last attack again. Nodding in agreement, Ash didn't even need to issue a command as Hawlucha took off sprinting. His hands started to glow white once again as he swung away at Hawlucha.

"Our dance moves have improved, Ash," Tierno said as he started to snap a rhythm for Ambipom to dance to. Following the snap, Ambipom managed to dodge each karate chop at the exact moment Hawlucha lunged at it. "We're much more in sync than before. Now breakdance into a swift!"

Ambipom dropped onto its back once again, but instead of attacking Hawlucha with its tails it instead started to spin on the ground. Once moving fast enough, Ambipom started to produce a large quality of stars.

Hawlucha was caught off guard by the attack and was caught in the vortex. Being lifted off of the ground just by the strength of it alone, Hawlucha started to worry. Then, he heard his trainer's voice and managed to snap out of it.

"Use karate chop to block the remainder of the attack!" Ash called out as he cupped his hands over his mouth. He had to keep Hawlucha calm if they wanted to win this. "Then, once the attack is over, use your height to help pick up your speed and launch a high jump kick!"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha agreed as he started to bat away the incoming projectile stars. After a few swats, the vortex was becoming weak enough where Hawlucha had the ability to ascend and descend freely now. Deciding now was the time to strike, Hawlucha tucked his wings in as he started to dive straight for Ambipom. As he descended, Hawlucha's right knee started to glow a bright white.

Catching Ambipom and Tierno by surprise, Hawlucha rammed his knee right into the dancing normal type and caused it to stop the swift attack. Then, as it was getting back up, Hawlucha delivered another powerful high jump kick and sent Ambipom flying.

Watching as his pokemon got back up, Tierno seemed a little nervous. "Are you alright, Ambipom?" He asked before getting a thumbs up. Seeing the determination, Tierno started to snap his finger again which allowed Ambipom to dance to the beat. "Use double hit again!"

"Counter with karate chop!" Ash called out as Hawlucha braced himself. Taking the first hit, Hawlucha brushed the attack off before blocking the rest with his karate chop. The two pokemon appeared to be locked in a heated boxing match as they traded blows with each other.

Finally breaking off from each, both pokemon were pretty exhausted. "I have to give it to you, Ash, Hawlucha is holding up pretty well," Tierno said as he snapped his fingers before pointing at his opponents. "We specifically trained these dance moves for handling close quarter fighting, but you two are keeping pace."

"Hawlucha and I aren't no slouches," Ash replied as a smile came across his face. This was what he always looked forward to, a hard fought battle with another trainer. It didn't matter if they were friends or not, Ash would have still felt the same way if he was battling a complete stranger. "We'll continue fighting until we find an opening! Take to the sky and use flying press!"

"Lucha, cha!" Hawlucha cried out before spreading his wings out. Jumping high into the sky, Hawlucha's body started to glow as he glided downwards at his opponent.

Smiling, Tierno did a little spin before snapping his fingers three times. On the fourth snap, Tierno pointed right at Hawlucha. "Now, Ambipom! Attack Hawlucha with aerial ace!"

"Ambi!" The long tail pokemon cried out before pushing his tails into the ground. Using them as a springboard of sorts, Ambipom launched itself up into the sky and right for Hawlucha. A white light started to flow off of Ambipom right as it rammed into Hawlucha.

Both pokemon collided with each other as smoke filled the sky. Then, to the audience's shock, both pokemon fell out of the sky and collided onto the ground. They both seemed pretty badly beaten, but both pokemon forced themselves back onto their feet.

"Haw...Lucha," Hawlucha muttered as he smiled at Ambipom. It had been a while since he had someone push him this far in a fight and he was enjoying it. Striking a pose, Hawlucha waited for the next order.

"That was close, Hawlucha," Ash said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Hawlucha was the one battling, but Ash was working up a good sweat himself. Tierno had improved a lot since their last battle and Ash could only wonder how the rest of his team was. "Let's go with another karate chop!"

"Ambipom, block it with double hit!" Tierno shot back.

Just like the last time this occurred, both pokemon were locked in a heated fight. Neither of them willing to back down, they exchanged blows as fists and tails collided.

Seeing his chance for an opening, Ash decided to try something different. "Now, high jump kick!"

"Hawlucha!" The wrestling pokemon yelled as he lunged forward with his right knee.

"And jump!" Tierno called out as he clapped his hands together. Using its tails as a springboard again, Ambipom jumped right over Hawlucha and caused him to collide with the ground and receive some damage. "Time to end this. Use ice punch!"

"Ambi!" The normal type agreed as its tails lunged at the flying and fighting type. As they were within striking distance, Ambipom's tails started to give off a cold temperature as ice formed on them. Finally striking Hawlucha in the back, the wrestling pokemon fell onto the ground as ice formed on his back.

"Hawww..." Hawlucha muttered as he tried to stand back up. His injuries proved to be more than he expected however and collapsed back onto the ground.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle! The winner is Ambipom!" The referee declared as the scoreboard was updated. Hawlucha's picture faded to black to signal his defeat.

"And Ambipom manages to hold out the longest in this battle of wills!" The announcer cried out as he tried to pump up the crowd. Of course, his commentary wasn't needed with a match like this. It was only the first battle and yet everyone was on the edge of their seats.

"Hawlucha return!" Ash called out as he recalled the defeated pokemon. "You did great today. You managed to tire Ambipom out. Take a long rest," he said before clipping the pokeball to his belt. Looking at his shoulder, Pikachu understood exactly what it meant. "Ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" The electric type cried out as he jumped down from Ash's shoulder. His cheeks started to spark with electricity as he grew excited.

"And Ash has chosen Pikachu as his second pokemon!" The announcer cried out as the scoreboard showed a picture of Pikachu in Ash's second slot.

"Start off with iron tail!" Ash cried out as he swung his left arm across his body. Ambipom was tired from his previous fight. It was best to strike early and to try and tire it out even more.

"Ambipom, catch him with your tails!" Tierno called out as he watched Pikachu leap into the air. His tail started to glow white as it also stiffened up. Pikachu then lunged for Ambipom only to be caught by its two large tails. "We have you now."

"Not yet!" Ash called out, shocking Tierno. He had thought catching Pikachu would make it impossible for them to attack. "Use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded/

"Pika... Chuuu!" The electric type cried out as electrical energy stored up inside of his body before being released. Instead of firing it off at an opponent, Pikachu instead focused it to head into Ambipom through his own tail.

Ambipom took the full blunt of the attack before tossing Pikachu across the field. The last attack had taken a bit out of Ambipom, but that wasn't what caught Ash's eye. Instead, he noticed that the normal type had a few sparks of electricity on its body. It must have been paralyzed during the last attack.

"Pikachu, keep it up and use quick attack!" Ash called out as he continued his offensive assault.

"Ambipom, strike them first with aerial ace!" Tierno called out, only to see Ambipom be unable to move as its paralysis shot through its body. "Ambipom?" Tierno asked, not aware that the normal type had previously been paralyzed.

Pikachu used this as an advantage and rammed itself into the long tail pokemon's body, sending it across the field. Now looking up, Pikachu noticed that Ambipom was still getting back up.

"Pikachu, finish this with thunderbolt!" Ash called out as Pikachu started to store up electricity. Letting it finally go, Ash and Pikachu watched as the thunderbolt collided with Ambipom.

"Ambipom is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu!" The referee declared as he looked over at the defeated pokemon. The scoreboard was quickly updated as Ambipom was blacked out.

"Thanks, Ambipom, you danced your heart out there. Plus, you managed to take Hawlucha out," Tierno said as he recalled the normal type. Reaching for his next pokeball, Tierno tossed it out. "Go, Hitmontop!"

"Hitmontop!" The handstand pokemon cried out as he started to sway his arms while hopping on his two feet. Just like Ambipom, he too looked to be well trained.

"Pikachu start off with thunderbolt!" Ash cried out. He wanted to stay on the offensive and see just what Hitmontop could do.

"Pika... Chuuu!" The electric type cried out as electricity flew out of his body. As the thunderbolt flew across the field, Hitmontop and Tierno didn't seem worried about it at all.

"One, two, three... and rapid spin!" Tierno cried out as he counted down to their attack. Jumping into the air, Hitmontop landed on his head before spinning in place. Picking up speed, that fighting type started to resemble a spinning top.

Hitmontop appeared to reach his top speed right as the thunderbolt connected. However, to Ash and Pikachu's surprise, Hitmontop didn't seem fazed by the electrical attack and instead continue to spin in place.

"Hitmontop!" The handstand pokemon cried out as he ended his rapid spin attack right as the thunderbolt ended. Looking as if he wasn't hurt at all, the fighting type waited for the next attack.

"What!?" Ash cried out as he stared at the unharmed fighting type. How could thunderbolt do nothing to him? It must have done something. Gritting his teeth, Ash decided to try the same attack again. This time, Ash decided to watch the attack and see if he could understand what happened. "Pikachu one more thunderbolt! Put everything you have into it!"

Pikachu once again jumped into the air as electricity flowed through his body. Charging it up, Pikachu launched the attack off. Just like last time, Tierno didn't seemed too worried and instead stood there clapping his hands. Once he clapped for a third time, Hitmontop immediately broke into a rapid spin.

Ash narrowed his eyes as he watched Hitmontop. There must be something happening as he spun, but just like last time Ash couldn't tell what was happening. Hitmontop continued to spin at an amazing speed and seemed completely unfazed.

* * *

"What's happening down there?" Bonnie asked as she watched Hitmontop stop spinning and seem perfectly fine. "Pikachu doesn't seem to be doing any damage!"

Everyone watched in confusion as Ash tried yet another thunderbolt attack. Just like the previous two times, this attack proved to be ineffective against the fighting type. No one knew what to say, but then Clemont noticed something about the spot where Hitmontop had been spinning.

"Professor Oak, do you see that spot?" Clemont asked as he pointed down towards the field. Down on the field next to Hitmontop appeared to be a small black dot. It almost seemed as if the ground was charred from something.

Professor Oak followed Clemont's finger and noticed the black dot as well. "It looks as if it was burnt by something," he replied as he realized exactly what Clemont was hinting at. "You're not thinking that Hitmontop is somehow channeling the thunderbolt into the ground, are you?"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking," Clemont responded as everyone else looked at him. "Think of the spike on Hitmontop's head as a way to have the electricity flow into the ground. Then, think of his legs and tail as a lightning rod as he's spinning. The thunderbolt hits one of those three appendixes and then travels straight through his body until it leaves his body and enters the ground through the spike on his head."

"That is a well thought out strategy," Professor Oak nodded in approval at Clemont's explanation. If Ash couldn't use electric type attacks, how would he beat Hitmontop. "Now Ash will have to rely on his other moves."

"That's exactly what Tierno planned on," Shauna's voice could be heard as she made her way down the stairs towards the group. Along with her was Trevor as the duo sat down behind Ash's friends and mom. "Sorry we're late, we got caught up with something else."

"Yeah, that may have been my fault," Trevor stated as he rubbed the back of his head before pulling out his camera. Showing the group a picture of a Vivillon, he put the camera away. "How could I pass up on getting a picture of a poke ball pattern Vivillon. I've never seen one like it before!"

"That's great, Trevor," Shauna replied. She had been a little frustrated at being late due to his picture, but couldn't hold it against him. If it had been something related to showcases, she probably would have stopped as well. Getting back on topic, she faced the group again. "Yeah, Tierno trained Hitmontop especially for countering Pikachu. He knew half of his team was weak to electric type moves, so if he could find a way to stop them he would be all set."

* * *

"I think I finally figured the plan out, Tierno," Ash stated as Pikachu stood there waiting for a command. "I can't explain how, but somehow Hitmontop is causing the electricity to run into the ground. But, even if he can do that, how will he do with other attacks? Pikachu, use electro ball!" This would be different, instead of a bolt of electricity, electro ball would explode on contact and not allow Hitmontop to stop it.

"I knew you'd figure it out quickly," Tierno replied as he once again started to snap his fingers. Ash had also picked up from their previous battles how it helped his pokemon stay in rhythm. "But we still have other counters ready. Use gyro ball!"

Both pokemon readied their attacks. Pikachu jumped into the air as a ball of electricity was forming on his tail. Whipping it at the handstand pokemon, Pikachu felt good about this attack.

Hitmontop however had already started to spin. This time, it was different than rapid spin as his body was much more circular and a silver ring formed around his body. The electro ball collided with Hitmontop just as Ash had hoped, but to his surprise, the attack looked to be pushed back. Then, the attack really was pushed back and was now heading straight for Pikachu.

"Deflect it with iron tail!" Ash called out right as Pikachu swung at the returned electro ball. The electric attack was thrown into the ground and now Pikachu was falling back towards the ground.

"Now, use triple kick before Pikachu can react!" Tierno cried out as Pikachu continued his descent. He was right, right now Pikachu couldn't really do anything without his moves being completely countered.

"Hitmon... Top top top!" The fighting type cried out before starting to spin. Moving towards the falling Pikachu, Hitmontop increased his speed right as his legs and tail connected with Pikachu. The electric type was hit three hard times before being hit backwards.

Ash grit his teeth together as he started to sweat. _"Tierno is a lot stronger than before. He's really improved,"_ Ash thought as he looked at Pikachu. The electric type was now panting due to exhaustion. No matter what they tried, it was only countered. "Pikachu, come and take a rest," Ash said, shocking his best friend.

"Pika..." Pikachu replied as he listened. Pikachu didn't want to switch out, but if Ash thought it would be better right now he would listen without arguing.

"Okay, you're up now! Greninja, I choose you!" Ash cried out as the water type appeared before him. Greninja immediately looked ready for a battle and took an offensive stance as he waited for a command.

"Hmm. So Frogadier evolved," Tierno stated as he raised a pokeball himself. "Hitmontop, return!" There was no way he was risking Hitmontop right now. Not as long as Pikachu was still in this match. "Raichu, your turn!" Tierno called out as the electric type emerged from its device.

"Rai, rai!" Raichu cried out as sparks flew from his cheeks.

"And it appears both trainers are making changes. How will Greninja handle Raichu's powerful electric type moves?" The announcer asked as both Pikachu's and Hitmontop's pictures were grayed out. Greninja and Raichu then appeared in their respective trainers' third spots.

"Ready, Raichu?" Tierno asked as the electric type was already starting to dance on his feet. Getting an affirmative nod, Tierno pointed a finger towards Greninja. "Use charge beam!"

"Rai!" the mouse pokemon cried out as a beam of electrical energy started to form in front of his mouth.

"Greninja, quick, use double team!" Ash called out right as the attack was launched. Flashing a bright white for a second, Greninja quickly created copies of himself and hid amongst them. The charge beam collided with one of the copies and destroyed it upon impact.

Tierno smirked at the tactic being used right now. "You can't hide forever, Ash. Charge beam and keep using it until only the real Greninja remains!" Tierno called out. He had a plan, but it would only work if charge beam was being used constantly.

Raichu nodded in agreement as he launched one attack right after the other. Shortly after the command issue, none of the copies remained but the original Greninja was also missing.

"Now! Night slash!" Ash cried out excitedly. Tierno and Raichu looked around, but by the time they noticed Greninja it had been too late. Appearing from behind Raichu, the ninja pokemon lunged at the mouse pokemon with his purple blade. Slashing Raichu, Greninja immediately turned around to face his opponent.

"That was a nice idea, Ash," Tierno complimented his opponent. He wasn't expecting Greninja to attack from behind following a double team. "But, thanks to your double team Raichu is much stronger! Now, use shock wave!"

"Rai, rai," Raichu responded as his entire body started to glow blue with electrical energy. Releasing it from his body, Raichu cried out in excitement. It had never reached a level of strength like this. It had all been thanks to that double team.

"Greninja, dodge it with double team!" Ash cried out as Greninja immediately created copies once again. However, unlike last time, all the copies and Greninja were struck at once.

"Gren!" Greninja cried in pain as he felt the electricity rush through his body. Ash looked on in shock as he wondered just how shock wave managed to destroy all the copies and hit the real Greninja.

"Ash, shock wave is a move that never misses," Tierno informed his rival as he prepared his next attack. "It'll always find the real Greninja even when hidden in a double team. And, thanks to Raichu's power boost from charge beam it's now even stronger! Shock wave again!"

"Greninja don't let him get that attack off! Stop him with aerial ace!" Ash called out as Greninja sprinted across the field. His feet started to glow white as he approached the mouse pokemon.

"Raichu, you know what to do," Tierno replied as the duo started to dance.

"Gren!" Greninja cried out as he swung away at the mouse pokemon. But, no matter how hard he tried, Raichu managed to evade each of his attacks. Ducking under a kick, jumping over a kick, jumping backwards. These movements continued to come as Greninja was growing tired.

Noticing that Greninja was panting, Tierno called out his biggest attack. "Focus blast!" Raichu raised his hands to his chest as a large orb of energy formed. Then, right as Greninja tried to lunge at him again, Raichu launched the orb and watched as it collided with Greninja's chest.

"Greninja!" Ash cried out as the water type flew across the field. Getting up slowly, Greninja showed Ash that he was well enough to continue. "Okay, we'll have to confuse him with your speed!" Ash cried out as Greninja broke into a sprint around Raichu. "Now, double team!"

"Gren!" Greninja grunted in agreement as about twenty of himself now surrounded Raichu. The electric mouse himself was now growing dizzy from the spinning ninja frogs.

"Raichu, get a hold of yourself!" Tierno called out as he snapped Raichu back to normal. That idea had almost worked if he hadn't called out. Even when he was at a disadvantage, Ash was pulling out new ideas. "Find the real one with shock wave!"

"Block it with night slash and then attack!" Ash cried out as the real Greninja broke away from his copies. Reaching towards his side, Greninja pulled a long purple blade out and deflected the blue electricity away. Then, in one swift movement he slashed Raichu.

"Raichu, are you alright?" Tierno asked as Raichu got up off of the ground. It appeared to be perfectly fine despite getting hit directly. This was really going to be hard if that barely did anything. "Great! Use shock wave while he can't defend!"

Just as Tierno thought, Greninja was blind from the attack while his back was turned. Reacting as soon as he could, Greninja was unable to block the attack and had the entire force of the electrical attack course through his body.

"Greninja!" Ash called out as the water type got back up. Breaking into a sprint, the water type was getting ready for another attack. "Right, we won't give up!" Ash cried out as he could feel the beginnings of their transformation. "Night slash!"

"Gren!" Greninja yelled as he broke his circle once more to run at Raichu. Pulling out his purple blade, Greninja was ready to attack.

"Shock wave!" Tierno countered as both Ash and Greninja were shocked. Would they really attack from this close?

Ash wasn't going to risk it. Another hit like that and it could be over, even for someone as strong as Greninja. "Jump back and block it with water shuriken!"

Greninja nodded as he back flipped away to provide space before slapping his hands together. Creating the ninja stars, Greninja tossed five of them at the shock wave and managed to cancel it out as smoke blurred their vision.

"Brick break!" Tierno yelled as he wasn't worried about any smoke. Raichu's arm started to glow white as he ran into the smoke cloud.

"Greninja!" Ash yelled out as he felt the transformation about to begin. "Block it with night slash!"

Right as Ash ordered the command, Raichu emerged from the smoke and swung his arm down towards Greninja only to be met with a night slash blocking his attack.

"Come on, Greninja!" Ash cried out as he continued to feel the transformation begin. Quickly, Ash tried to stop it. _"No! I... I promised Serena to only use it when it was desperate!"_ He mentally yelled at himself as he remembered waking up in the hospital following the last time he used it. The slight distraction was just enough to cancel the transformation before it began.

However, Greninja was now unable to keep up with Raichu who overpowered the ninja pokemon. Breaking through the night slash, Raichu slammed his fist down onto Greninja's head and caused the pokemon to stumble backwards.

"Focus blast!" Tierno yelled as he threw a fist forward. Launching the orb based move, Raichu managed to hit Greninja right in the chest and sent the water and dark type flying backwards until the orb exploded.

"Greninja!" Ash yelled out in concern.

 **And the chapter ends just like that. What do you think happened, did he survive or is Greninja finished? But, sorry that it took a while to get this chapter out. Finals had taken a lot of time out of my schedule but now my classes are done for the summer. Expect at least two chapters this week with possibly a third one as a makeup for last week. I do have a question for you though, how would one-shots to help expand on parts of this story sound? They wouldn't be as frequent as updates for this story and they would have no effect on this story either. Also, Brock isn't the only one who loves Jelly filled donuts.**

 **Thank you to everyone who supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve it.**


	12. Biding your Time

**Welcome back! Last time we left off, Greninja was blown away by a powerful focus blast. Will he recover or not? How will the rest of the battle play out for Ash? Also, after having a week to look at the starters, I have warmed up to Litten. The other two, I still don't like.**

* * *

 **Ch 12: Biding your Time**

"Greninja!" Ash yelled across the field as his water type didn't respond. "Greninja, are you alright!?" Still, no response from the ninja pokemon. Ash hoped for the best as he waited for the smoke to clear, but once it did he didn't receive the sight he hoped for.

"Greninja is unable to battle! The winner is Raichu!" The referee declared as he raised his flags into the air, signaling the end of the battle.

"Thank you, Greninja," Ash said as he raised its pokeball. Recalling it into the device, Ash watched as the screen blacked out Greninja's picture. _"That Raichu is strong..."_ Ash thought to himself as he looked at his options. Talonflame and Noivern would be weak to it and Pikachu was still recovering from his match with Hitmontop. Knowing that he had no other choice, Ash reached for his next pokeball. "Goodra, I choose you!"

"Goo. Goodra, goo," the dragon pokemon cried happily as he smiled at his trainer. Ash smiled back at the happy dragon type before they both faced Raichu. Goodra then appeared in Ash's fourth slot as its image lit up.

"Ready Goodra?" Ash asked as the dragon type replied affirmatively. Goodra was ready to help his trainer out just as Ash had helped him when still a Goomy. "Alright, start off with dragon pulse!"

"Raichu counter with Charge beam!" Tierno called out as both pokemon charged their beam attacks. Firing at the same time, an explosion occurred as the dragon pulse met the super charged charge beam and smoke filled the arena. Neither trainer could see a thing, but that wasn't stopping them.

"Goodra use sludge wave!" Ash could be heard calling out through the smoke. Nodding in approval, Goodra opened his mouth as a large purple ball started to form.

"Sludge wave?" Tierno asked himself as he tried to form a way to dodge. He had faced an attack like that in the past, but he couldn't think of any way to avoid it back then. "Okay, time to try something new! Aim a charge beam at the ground to dodge!"

"Rai rai!" The electric type cried out as he launched another charge beam. This one was launched just in time as once Raichu was airborne, the field was flooded by the sludge wave. Now in a free fall, Raichu was a sitting duck.

"Goodra, dragon pulse once more!" Ash cried out as Goodra fired the dragon type move. Knowing that Raichu could only try and block the attack, Ash decided to try and put some pressure on it.

"Counter with focus blast!" Tierno yelled out as the beam grew closer to Raichu. At the last second, the mouse pokemon formed an orb of energy and launched it right at the dragon pulse attack. Managing to overpower it, Tierno and Raichu watched as it headed straight for Goodra.

"Block it with bide!" Ash called out, shocking Tierno. The dancing trainer had completely forgotten about Goodra using bide. He was going to have to finish this off fast now. The focus blast collided right into Goodra's stomach, but the dragon pokemon seemed unaffected. Now glowing with a light red aura, Goodra braced itself for any more attacks.

"Raichu, focus blast and follow that up with a charge beam!" Tierno called out as he grew nervous. If they couldn't beat Goodra before it launched the attack, it was going to hurt a lot. Raichu fired the attacks off in quick succession of each other and watched as Goodra took them head on.

"Gooo..." Goodra panted as the smoke from the previous two attacks faded. It looked to be a little tired, but nothing too bad. Then, Ash noticed it, the red aura was growing darker as it was about time to launch the attack off.

Tierno also noticed it and decided for one final attack. "Focus blast, once more!" He yelled out, nervousness could be heard in his voice. Anyone who had went up against a bide attack would know just how terrifying it could be under the right conditions and right now was the worst time for it.

"Rai... Chuuu!" It cried out before throwing another focus blast. This time however, it didn't hit its mark. Instead, it had been blocked by a beam of pure white energy.

"Goodra!" The dragon type had yelled out mere seconds earlier as he fired off the bide attack. It was fully charged and after taking all those hits from Raichu, was much stronger than either trainer expected. Colliding with the focus blast, Goodra's bide managed to overpower the blast and actually consume it.

Raichu stared on in shock as the two attacks now collided with himself. An explosion then followed the impact as Raichu was launched backwards. Looking at the electric type, the referee made his decision. "Raichu is unable to battle. The winner is Goodra!" He declared as Raichu's picture was blacked out.

"You did great, Raichu," Tierno told the electric type as he returned it to its pokeball. Now, reaching for his next pokemon, Tierno tossed his pokeball out. "Your turn to shine, Ludicolo!"

"And Tierno responds to losing his Raichu by choosing Ludicolo!" the announcer cried out as the screen showed Ludicolo in Tierno's fourth spot. "How will Ash respond to this?"

"Goodra return!" Ash called out immediately. He could see that Goodra was tired from the previous match and it was no use running it into the ground. Not with Blastoise still waiting to be used by Tierno. "Talonflame, I choose you!" Ash yelled as he threw the pokeball.

"Talon!" The scorching pokemon cried out in joy. Immediately taking off into the air, Talonflame circled the arena as it waited for a command.

"And Ash switches out Goodra for Talonflame!" The announcer explained as the screen was updated again as Talonflame's picture appeared on the screen while Goodra's was grayed out.

* * *

"Ash went with Talonflame, a fire and flying type to battle a grass type like Ludicolo," Serena said as she watched the flying type continue to circle around almost like it was looking for an opening. "Its attacks will be really effective."

"Don't get too excited just yet," Professor Oak interrupted as he kept his eyes on the battle. The young performer was forgetting something very important about Ludicolo which could become a problem for Ash if he forgot as well. "Ludicolo is also a water type, so Talonflame's fire type moves won't do much good here. Plus, it'll have to watch out for any powerful water type moves like hydro pump and water gun," the professor explained to everyone.

* * *

"Okay, Talonflame, let's start out strong and use heat wave!" Ash called out as Talonflame started to fly in one location. Opening its beak, the scorching pokemon started to spray what appeared to be waves of fire everywhere.

"Ludicolo, let's cool this place down a little. Start us off with a rain dance!" Tierno called out as Ludicolo started to dance on the ground as a large, black cloud covered the entire stadium. With the increase of rain, Talonflame's heat wave weakened to the point where the carefree pokemon was unharmed by it.

 _"Talonflame's fire type moves won't be effective now,"_ Ash thought to himself. He would just have to wait until the rain dance ended, but he also had an idea. "Talonflame, use flame charge!"

"Talon!" The fire and flying type cried out before its entire body burst into flames. Charging at Ludicolo, both Ash and Talonflame noticed how the flames were weakened by the rain.

"Dodge it! Then counter with hydro pump!" Tierno called out as he watched Talonflame approach.

"Ludi," the carefree pokemon replied before spinning to his left. As he did so, Talonflame lunged at Ludicolo only to miss the dodging pokemon. "Colo!" It cried out before a stream of water flew out of its mouth.

Talonflame was hit directly in the back, extinguishing the flame charge and causing it to free fall towards the ground.

"Great! Now, hydro pump again!" Tierno called out as Ludicolo fired off the water type move again.

"Not this time! Talonflame, straighten yourself and use steel wing! Then charge at Ludicolo while spinning!" Ash called out to the scorched pokemon. Ash's words seemed to reach the flying type as Talonflame managed to recover from the last hit and begin flying towards Ludicolo.

"Talon!" Talonflame cried out before its wings started to stiffen up and glow a bright white. Talonflame then continued its current trajectory straight for Ludicolo.

Seeing the hydro pump, Talonflame understood why Ash wanted it to spin. Doing so, the flying type looked like a drill before flying right through the hydro pump unharmed.

Tierno was shocked by Ash's strategy to overcome Talonflame's weakness and still get in close. "No way…" he muttered as Talonflame slammed its wings right into Ludicolo.

The carefree pokemon was thrown backwards, but quickly regained his balance by performing a flip while in the air. Now facing the retreating Talonflame, the water and grass type was ready to attack. "Ludicolo!" It cried out to its trainer.

Seeing what his pokemon meant, Tierno nodded in agreement. "Good idea! Use ice beam on Talonflame's wings!" If Talonflame couldn't fly, then it wouldn't be much of a problem.

Ludicolo nodded in agreement as it opened its mouth and had a sphere of ice form. Firing it off, a trail of ice shot off of the sphere and struck Talonflame's wings causing them to freeze on impact.

"That won't work with us," Ash calmly replied. Most trainers would worry if their flying type had its wings frozen, but not Ash. "Heat up, Talonflame! Use flame charge!"

Talonflame nodded in agreement as its entire body started to heat up before being engulfed in flames. Just like Ash thought, Talonflame's wings thawed out and it could now fly freely. It then changed course and flew straight at Ludicolo, striking it directly.

Ash was now smiling. Not only was Talonflame much faster thanks to flame charge, but rain dance had ended as well. Deciding to finish this, Ash pulled out Talonflame's strongest attack. "Let's end this! Brave bird!"

Talonflame nodded before soaring through the skies and straight for Ludicolo. As it flew, blue flames covered its body and everyone knew this could be it.

"Stop it with ice beam!" Tierno called out at the last second. Ludicolo quickly fired off the ice type attack, but Talonflame wasn't stopping.

Flying right into the ice beam, Talonflame's entire body was frozen. Thanks to its speed however, the scorching pokemon continued on its path until it collided with Ludicolo. An explosion followed as chunks of ice flew everywhere across the field.

"Both Ludicolo and Talonflame are unable to battle! It is a double knockout!" The referee declared as he raised both flags. The scoreboard was then updated as both pokemon's images were blacked out.

"Thanks so much, Talonflame, you fought extremely well. Take a nice rest," Ash said as he recalled the pokemon.

The announcer could then be heard as his voice filled the stadium. "Now that one trainer, or in this case both trainers, have lost three pokemon we will now have a short intermission so they can both rethink their strategies!"

* * *

"I've already lost three pokemon," Ash thought as he sat down on the provided bench. Thus wasn't how he expected the match to play out. "Plus Pikachu and Goodra are pretty tired. Tierno still has two pokemon who are fresh. I already know one of them is Blastoise," he told himself as he stared at the field before smiling. This was what he loved, having to give it his all.

"Ash!" His friends yelled out. The young trainer turned around and noticed his three friends walking down to the edge of the stadium seats to talk with him. However, by the way they looked it seemed like they needed to tell him something important.

"Ash..." Clemont muttered as he finally leaned over the railing. They had decided to let Ash know about Hitmontop in case he was still wondering what happened. "Hit... Hitmontop... He's using the spike on his head to channel the electricity into the ground."

"Tierno had this all planned out as a way to counter Pikachu," Serena added in once she saw Clemont gasping for air. They decided to let him breath and she would tell the rest. "Since half his team are water types, Tierno trained Hitmontop to cancel out all Pikachu's electric type moves."

"So... That's what was happening," Ash said as he stood up. Like he had said to Tierno, he knew something was up but he just didn't know how to explain it. "I'll just have to fight him another way," he said as a bell rang through the stadium.

"What was that?" Serena asked. She had never heard it before as this was the first time she ever was at a League, but Ash recognized it. The match was going to resume now.

"It's just a signal that the match will start soon," Ash explained as he stood up. He was getting tired of waiting so it was good that they were resuming now. Ash gave one last look at his friends, but noticed their nervous looks. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out Serena's note. "Serena, thanks for that lunch you made. It really filled me up. And, you guys don't need to worry; I'll win this for sure!" With that, Ash made his way over to the field.

"So, Serena..." Bonnie started to say as she eyed the performer. Serena gulped as she didn't like where Bonnie was heading with this. "What exactly did that note say?"

"N-Nothing!" Serena replied as she felt her face heating up a little. She hadn't expected Ash to keep it or to actually still have it on him during his match. "I-I just wished him luck from the three of us."

"Sure you did..." Bonnie replied. Before she could give Serena the chance to respond, Bonnie was already making her way back to their seats with Clemont dragging behind her.

Turning to face the field one more time, Serena watched as Ash pointed to the field and Pikachu ran out to it. Grabbing onto her ribbon, Serena let out a sigh. "Good luck, Ash."

* * *

"Pikachu, you're up again, buddy!" Ash cried out as Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and onto the field. Pikachu had a few sparks of electricity fly off of his body as he got ready to battle again.

"Pikachu," Tierno muttered as he pulled out a pokeball. "Well then, I guess it's time for round two! Go, Hitmontop!"

"And to start things off Ash has chosen his Pikachu while Tierno will use Hitmontop. Let's see if things will go differently as these two battle it out for a second time!" The announcer cried out as the stadium's board lit up the images of Pikachu and Hitmontop.

"Pikachu start off with thunderbolt!" Ash cried out. Now that he knew how Tierno was countering his thunderbolt, Ash had a new idea to try out. Pikachu jumped high into the air before unleashing his electric attack.

"Again with this, Ash?" Tierno asked as he snapped his fingers. Ash noticed this now. It was three snaps before he called out the attack. "One, two, three... Rapid spin!" Tierno called out as he did a little spin himself.

"Hitmon!" The handstand pokemon cried out as he started to spin. The thunderbolt was about to hit him when Ash called out a new command.

"Knock it off its axis! Use electro ball!" Pikachu then charged up the electric sphere of energy as he fell towards the ground. Firing it before landing, Ash and Pikachu both watched as the ball collided with Hitmontop's spinning head.

"What!" Tierno cried out as he watched Hitmontop fall onto the ground due to the attack. Looking up, they both watched as the thunderbolt struck the electric type directly. "So, you finally figured it out? Well, try this one! Gyro ball!"

"Hit... Hitmontop!" The fighting type cried out before starting to spin again as the silver ring formed around his body. The handstand pokemon then moved straight for Pikachu.

"Use iron tail, Pikachu!" Ash called out. Right now, he knew Hitmontop could easily deflect any electric type attacks like he did earlier so their only way to counter was with iron tail.

"Pika!" the electric type cried out as his tail started to glow white and stiffened. Jumping into the air, Pikachu got ready to strike.

The two pokemon met each other head on as Pikachu slammed his iron tail hard onto Hitmontop. However, both pokemon couldn't make the other budge as they wouldn't back down. Unfortunately, Hitmontop's gyro ball proved to be too strong as the fighting type managed to overpower Pikachu and send him flying backwards.

"Now, hit him with triple kick!" Tierno called out as he watched Hitmontop stop spinning for a second. The fighting type started to spin once again and raced towards the falling Pikachu. Extending his legs to kick Pikachu, the fighting type was caught off guard by their counter.

"Pikachu, block it with iron tail!" Ash called out as Pikachu straightened himself while in mid fall. Twisting his body around, Pikachu's tail started to glow white and stiffen just like last time.

Swinging it right at Hitmontop, Pikachu's tail collided with Hitmontop's first kick. Using it like a spring board, Pikachu was now high in the air and awaited the next command.

" _Got to be fast with this. Pikachu can only block that attack so many times,"_ Ash thought as he watched Pikachu descending. Looking at Hitmontop, Ash saw an idea waiting to happen. "Quick, electro ball!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed before firing off the attack. Both Ash and Pikachu watched as the electrical sphere crashed into Hitmontop. The fighting type had tried to kick it away, but due to the explosion on impact it had only hurt itself.

"Now finish it with iron tail!" Ash yelled out as Pikachu slammed his tail right into Hitmontop. The fighting type was thrown backwards by the force of the attack, but to Ash's surprise it managed to get back up. "No way..."

"Yeah, I knew you could keep going!" Tierno called out as he looked at the fighting type. However, he looked at both pokemon and noticed they were both panting. The next hit would probably decide the match. "Go! Mach punch!" He called out while throwing a fist forward.

Ash blinked for a split second and in that time he had lost sight of Hitmontop. Even with all the damage he had taken, the fighting type could still move so fast. Then, the handstand pokemon reappeared in front of Pikachu and before Ash or the electric type could react Hitmontop smashed his glowing fist into Pikachu.

The electric type flew across the field before coming to a stop in front of Ash. Looking down at his best friend, Ash could tell that he was defeated. "Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner is Hitmontop!" The referee declared as the board blacked out Pikachu's image.

Picking Pikachu up, Ash walked over to the bench and put his best friend on it. "You did great today, Pikachu," Ash said as he put his backpack under Pikachu's head as a pillow. "Rest up while Noivern and Goodra finish this match for us."

"Pika..." the electric type replied weakly. Listening to Ash, it stayed there and rested since he was exhausted after that last battle.

"Okay! Noivern, I choose you!" Ash cried out as the flying and Dragon pokemon emerged from its pokeball. Landing in front of Ash, Noivern spread its wings before taking to the sky.

"And Ash has chosen Noivern as his final pokemon!" The announcer told everyone as the board showed Noivern in Ash's sixth spot.

"Ready, Noivern?" Ash asked only to receive a nod of agreement. He needed Noivern to well today. Goodra must have been tired from earlier and Tierno still had two pokemon fully rested. "Use boomburst!"

"Vern!" The sound wave pokemon cried out as his ears started to glow white. Then, before either Hitmontop or Tierno could react, a white beam of sound waves flew from Noivern's ears and struck Hitmontop. The fighting type was launched backwards, but managed to get back up.

"Now, acrobatics!" Ash called out. They couldn't give Hitmontop a chance to recover right now. They had to use every chance they got. Flying right for Hitmontop, Noivern started to glow a light blue before ramming himself right into the fighting type.

"Hitmontop!" Tierno yelled as he noticed the swirls in the fighting type. Hitmontop had put up great fight with Pikachu and he couldn't ask for more from it.

"Hitmontop is unable to battle! Noivern is the winner!" The referee declared as Hitmontop's image was blacked out.

Looking at the screen Ash realized it was all tied up now. "Great job, Noivern!" Ash called out while the sound wave pokemon smiled at his trainer.

"That was a nice combo, Ash," Tierno told his rival as he recalled Hitmontop. "But can you handle this one!? Politoad, your turn!"

"Poli!" The water type cried out as he danced a little around the field. Ash knew they couldn't lower their guard for one bit, even if Politoad didn't look much like a battler.

"Noivern use dragon claw!" Ash yelled as he threw his right fist forward. Noivern nodded before flying right at Politoad. As his claws extended in size and turned green, Noivern picked up speed and aimed right for the water type.

"Slow it down with bubble beam!" Tierno called out as Politoad shot a stream of bubbles from its mouth. The attack proved to do nothing as Noivern popped all of the bubbles with his claws before striking Politoad.

"Great! Now, acrobatics!" Ash continued as he pumped his fist. Noivern needed to stay on the offensive. They needed to weaken Tierno's last two pokemon as much as they could.

"Noi!" Noivern screeched as his body glowed light blue again. The sound wave pokemon circled around as he charged at his target again.

"Not this time, icy wind!" Tierno called out as he snapped his fingers. Politoad nodded in agreement as the frog pokemon opened its mouth. Then, to Ash's shock, a stream of cold wind blew out of it.

"Noivern, try and dodge!" ash called out, but it was too late. The flying and dragon type flew right into the cold breeze and felt the pain from the attack. Losing sight of its target, Noivern crashed into the ground face first. "Noivern are you alright?"

"Noi," the sound wave pokemon nodded as he got ready to fly up into the sky. However, once he tried to spread his wings and fly, Noivern realized he couldn't.

Looking at the pokemon, Ash saw some ice had formed on Noivern's wings during the last attack. " _Now what?"_ Ash thought to himself. Without his wings, Noivern was just a sitting duck. But still, there must be something they could do. "Noivern, boomburst!"

"Vern!" Noivern cried in agreement. It didn't enjoy the feeling of ice on its wings, but there was nothing they could do right now. They just had to fight through it by staying at a distance. Firing off the soundwave attack, they both watched as Politoad dodged it easily by dancing.

"Great work, Politoad," Tierno complimented the pokemon as they both spun together and struck a pose. "Now, get in close and use focus punch!"

"Politoad," the frog pokemon stated as his fist started to glow white. Running across the field, Politoad reared his fist back and got ready to attack.

"Block it with dragon claw!" Ash called out, but due to the ice formed on his wings, Noivern was too slow and felt the focus punch ram right into his chest. Flying a few feet back, Ash noticed that some of the ice broke upon impact with the ground.

"Once more, Politoad! Focus punch!" Tierno commanded. They had to end Noivern before it could fly again. Once in the air, it would prove to be troublesome for them. Running at the flying and dragon type again, Politoad reared his fist back.

"Now, block it with your wings!" Ash called out. If they couldn't attack properly, maybe Noivern could move his wings just enough to cause Politoad to smash the ice. Barely getting his wings in front of his body, Noivern braced himself as Politoad slammed his fist into the sound wave pokemon's wings.

Ash watched as Noivern flew backwards, but to his joy, the ice was completely shattered. Noivern could also tell as well, spreading his wings freely once he got back up. "Noivern!" It cried out before taking to the skies. It now circled Politoad, waiting to strike.

"Dragon claw!" Ash commanded while pumping his left fist. He hoped that this would be enough to finish the water type off.

"Icy wind! Don't let him get in close!" Tierno called out, knowing exactly what would happen if the attack landed.

Noivern dove right for Politoad, his claws glowing green and growing in size once more. Likewise, Politoad opened his mouth as the cold breeze left his mouth again.

"Not this time! Blow it back with boomburst!" Ash called out as Noivern's ears glowed white. Unlike the previous time, the sound waves emerged from Noivern's ears and blew the icy wind back into Politoad.

Politoad braced himself as he felt the cold wave flew over his body followed by the sound waves. Then, looking up, Politoad watched as Noivern slammed his claws right into the frog pokemon and knocked it backwards.

"Politoad is unable to battle! The winner is Noivern!" The referee declared as the scoreboard was updated once again.

"Politoad!" Tierno called out in concern as he looked at the defeated pokemon. It hadn't turned out the way he hoped, but it still managed to do some damage to Noivern. Smiling, Tierno reached for his last pokeball. "Blastoise, you're up!"

"Blastoise!" The water type cried out as he stood back to back with his trainer. The water type then did a little spin before going onto the field and facing Noivern.

* * *

"Blastoise is Tierno's last pokemon..." Serena muttered to herself as everyone watched the shellfish pokemon.

"Just like we all expected," Clemont added as he also eyed the pokemon. The screen in the stadium then put Blastoise in Tierno's sixth and final spot. "Even with Noivern and Goodra, this will still be hard."

"Yes, that Blastoise is well trained," Professor Oak said as he watched the water type. He could tell by the size of it that it was extremely powerful. "Ash has to stay focused right now. Otherwise things could go wrong for him."

"Ash will win," Serena told everyone as they waited for the two trainers to make their moves. It appeared that they were waiting for the other to attack first. "He'll find a way to come through. He always does."

* * *

"Noivern start off with acrobatics!" Ash called. He had waited around long enough. It was time to get this moving again. Soaring through the sky, Noivern started to glow a light blue before flying right for Blastoise.

Tierno smiled at the scene unfolding before them. "Rapid spin, Blastoise!" He called out as the water type pulled his appendixes into his shell and started to spin. As he did so, Noivern crashed into him but merely bounced off the shellfish pokemon. In fact, Noivern appeared to be hurt more than Blastoise.

"Now, boomburst!" Ash yelled as Noivern fired off the attack.

"Dodge it, Blastoise!" Tierno countered as his water type finished spinning and instead started to do a cartwheel across the field. Now safe from the attack, Blastoise emerged from his shell. "Now, ice beam!"

"What!?" Ash asked out of shock. He wasn't expecting Blastoise to have an ice type move as well. Noivern had no time to react as he was struck in the side by the ice beam. Now with half of his body frozen, the sound wave pokemon couldn't do anything.

"End it with skull bash!" Tierno said as he threw both hands to his sides. Nodding, Blastoise lowered his head before running right at Noivern. Ramming his head into the flying and dragon type, Blastoise watched as Noivern fell backwards.

"Noivern is unable to battle! The winner is Blastoise!" The referee declared as Noivern's image was blacked out. In response, Goodra's image was now lit as it was Ash's last pokemon.

"Thank you, Noivern," Ash said as he recalled the defeated pokemon. For being so young, it had been battling extremely well lately. Smiling, Ash reached for his last pokeball. "Goodra, you're up again!"

"Goo!" The dragon pokemon cried out before facing Ash. Goodra knew what was at stake here and couldn't afford to lose.

"And it's all down to this folks!" The announcer cried out as everyone looked on in anticipation. "Goodra against Blastoise. Who will prevail?"

"Goodra," Tierno muttered as he thought back to the last time he faced the dragon type. _"I have to be careful with him. I can't take my time, but even when I attacked constantly it still beat Raichu,"_ he thought to himself. This was going to be hard for him.

"Goodra start off with dragon pulse!" Ash called out. Just as he did with Noivern, Ash knew they had to strike early and often. Blastoise looked to be pretty well off while Goodra was still tired from his earlier fight.

"Goo!" The dragon pokemon cried out before firing off the purple beam. The blast took the shape of a dragon's head and flew right at Blastoise.

"Bounce it right back to them! Rapid spin!" Tierno called out. He knew that Blastoise could deflect the attack with ease.

"Blastoise," the shellfish pokemon grunted before breaking out into a spin. Spinning as fast as he could, Blastoise was managing to push the dragon pulse back towards Goodra, but it was causing a lot of strain on Blastoise.

Ash watched as Blastoise was spinning across the field while pushing the dragon pulse as well. This didn't look good, if the attack struck Goodra who knows what would happen. "I'm counting on you, Goodra! Put everything you have into it!" He yelled out as the blast started to grow in size.

"Goodra!" The dragon type cried out after hearing Ash's words. Digging deep down, Goodra put as much as he could into his attack. The dragon pulse managed to grow a little bit in size, but just that tiny amount was more than enough to push Blastoise.

"What!?" Tierno called out as it was now his turn to be surprised. He had no idea that Goodra was that much stronger. Looking over at Blastoise, Tierno knew that the rapid spin wouldn't hold up much longer. Then, in one quick movement, the dragon pulse crashed down into the ground as Blastoise was thrown backwards.

"Blast... Blastoise," It muttered while getting up off of the ground. Blastoise however wasn't ready to give up just yet. They had come too far to give up after one hit.

"You're right, Blastoise," Tierno stated once he saw the determined look on his starter's face. They had come way too far to just give up now. "Use ice beam!"

"Toise!" The water type agreed as the beam fired from his mouth. Flying across the field, it looked ready to strike Goodra.

"Counter with sludge wave!" Ash called out at the last second as Goodra launched the poison type move. This time however, Goodra fired it off like a concentrated beam instead of a large wave.

The two attacks collided as the ice beam managed to freeze the sludge wave and create what looked to be a slide across the entire field.

"Blastoise, ride that frozen sludge wave and use skull bash!" Tierno called out as he got an idea from seeing it. Blastoise nodded before jumping onto the frozen attack and slid all the way across it.

"Grab him, Goodra," Ash tried to counter, but thanks to the momentum Blastoise got from sliding across the ice he was too fast. Ramming his head right into Goodra's stomach, the dragon type was thrown backwards.

"Now ice beam!" Tierno continued as Blastoise launched the ice type move once again. This time, Goodra had no time to react and was struck directly by the blast and had its lower body frozen.

"Goodra!" Ash yelled out in concern now that Goodra was partially frozen. _"There has to be something I can do!"_ Ash mentally yelled at himself before remembering back to his old gym battles. "Of course," he muttered before a smile flashed across his face. "Goodra, use rain dance!"

"Goo, Goodra!" It cried out before clouds covered the entire field. Then, a downpour emerged from the clouds as Goodra's ice disappeared and he appeared to be much better.

"You feeling better now, Goodra?" Ash asked as his dragon type looked much better in the rain. His fatigue and injuries also looked to have been healed by the rain. "We'll show them your real strength! Use dragon pulse!"

"Goodra," it muttered before firing off another dragon pulse. This time, it was even larger than the last one. Emerging in front of Blastoise, the water type could only raise its arms in front of its body to try and block the attack.

"Blastoise..." It muttered while being thrown backwards. Getting back up, Blastoise was clearly fatigued now while Goodra looked to be perfectly fine.

"We need to finish this, Blastoise," Tierno stated as they both stared at Goodra. It appeared to be perfectly fine despite taking a lot of damage from Raichu earlier on in the battle. "Hydro pump!"

"Blastoise," it muttered again before lowering its two cannons. Then, once it got a good look at Goodra, Blastoise fired off two streams of water at Goodra.

" _Blastoise is still hanging in there,"_ Ash thought as he looked at Goodra. Despite it looking fine, Ash knew that it was just a front. It was still fatigued, the rain dance was only making Goodra look in better condition than it really was. _"We need to finish this. Goodra is only getting weaker. The longer this match continues on, the better the chance is for Tierno to win,"_ Ash continued to think to himself. Finally agreeing on it, Ash looked at Goodra. "Use bide!" It was all or nothing at this point.

"Goo..." Goodra panted as he started to have a light red aura surround his body. The hydro pump then collided right into the dragon type, causing the aura to turn a little darker.

" _Bide..."_ Tierno thought as he knew exactly what was coming now. They needed to end it and fast. "Blastoise, use hydro pump but hit the streams with your ice beam!"

Blastoise fired off another blast of water, but instead of sitting back after the attack it instead fired off another ice beam. The two attacks combined together and formed what appeared to be two large icicles which struck Goodra in the stomach.

"We can't stop!" Tierno yelled out as Blastoise kept the attack up. Each time one of the frozen icicles struck Goodra, Blastoise fired off another one.

"Goo, Goodra. Goo..." Goodra muttered as each attack struck it directly. Ash watched as Goodra put up with all these attacks. He couldn't ask for more from Goodra, it really was giving everything it had.

Ash watched as the red aura continued to darken until it was the shade of blood red. Hoping that it was enough, Ash watched as the aura disappeared and Goodra formed the beam of white energy. "Now, Goodra!" Ash yelled out as the beam was launched.

"Blastoise, look out!" Tierno told his starter pokemon, only to watch it get blasted by Goodra's bide attack. Flying across the field, Blastoise fell onto the ground defeated by the attack.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! The winners and moving onto the Top 8 are Goodra and Ash Ketchum!" The referee declared as the scoreboard changed to show just Ash's face on it.

"And Goodra pulls off a massive bide attack to end Blastoise and in the process Tierno's quest to win the Kalos League!" The announcer declared as both trainers embraced their pokemon.

"Well, Ash, you beat me again," Tierno said to his rival while extending a hand. It hurt a little that he had lost, but his pokemon had given it their all. In fact, they all improved so much since they first set out on their journey together. "Good luck in the rest of the Kalos League."

Reaching for his hand, Ash shook it while smiling at the trainer. It still seemed just like yesterday where Tierno and his Squirtle managed to beat Froakie in a first touch battle. "Thanks. There were a few moments today where I didn't know if we were going to manage," Ash said truthfully as the two trainers ended their hand shake.

"And if you all would all turn your attention to the screen please," The announcer called out as the scoreboard flashed the pictures of all the contestants. Looking at it, Ash noticed his, Sawyer's and Nick's pictures up on the board as they were all lined up. "Tomorrow's matchups will now be posted.

* * *

"Finally!" Nick yelled out in joy from his seat. Eevee likewise was just as excited by the battles for tomorrow. Looking up at the board, Nick noticed that his picture was matched up with Ash's. "You ready, Eevee? We finally get to battle Ash and Pikachu."

"Vee!" The normal type cried out in joy.

* * *

"So I'll be battling Nick tomorrow," Ash muttered to himself as he looked up at the board. This was going to be interesting since Nick knew a lot about Ash. "We'll just have to give it our all again. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" The electric type cried out in agreement.

* * *

"So, Ash," Professor Oak started to speak while everyone sat down at the table. They had returned there following Ash's match and were getting ready to eat dinner. "Have you decided on which six pokemon you'll be using tomorrow?"

"Not yet," Ash said as he sat down next to Serena. He had given it a thought, but nothing was decided for sure yet. "I know that Pikachu will battle, but besides that I really haven't decided yet."

"Well, take your time. No need to rush into a decision," Professor Oak agreed as he sat down next to Clemont. "Tomorrow will be a hard matchup considering how Nick knows most of battle strategies. He has watched all of your League's since the Silver Conference."

"We'll help again if you need it," Serena added as she looked over at Ash. They had been worried during the battle today, but once again he managed to pull off the victory.

"Yeah!" Ash agreed as sat there waiting for the food. He was now starving and could barely wait any longer. "Still, I noticed that Nick has a lot of pokemon registered for the League. It'll be fun to see who else he uses tomorrow."

"I wouldn't be surprised to see Eevee being used," Clemont now added. Based on what they saw from Nick's previous matches, Eevee was Nick's go to pokemon in tight situations. "Plus, his Malamar is powerful as well. You'll have to plan accordingly.

"Well, why don't we just relax for right now," Delia joined in as she placed a plate of food onto the table. "You can talk about tomorrow's match in a little. Right now let's enjoy dinner," she said while placing the rest of the food on the table.

"Before we eat I'd just like to congratulate Ash on advancing to the Top 8," Professor Oak stated as he raised a glass. "You really have come a far way since your first League back in Kanto, Ash."

"Thanks, Professor Oak," Ash replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. But, Ash knew that it wasn't just him that was responsible for him getting this far. "But, I think Serena, Clemont and Bonnie also deserve some of the credit. They've helped me on my journey through Kalos and without them I don't know if me and my pokemon would be as well off right now."

"We wish you the best of luck tomorrow, Ash," Everyone in the room stated before digging into the food prepared by Mrs. Ketchum. They all seemed to be having an excellent time following Ash's latest victory and couldn't wait for tomorrow.

" _Speaking of friends..."_ Ash thought to himself while looking at everyone. _"I think I'll need to call on an old one,"_ he finished thinking before taking a bite out of the sandwich that was on his plate.

* * *

 **Greninja as a fall guy, who would have guessed. I bet a few people really thought he was going to transform. Anyway, Nick is next and how will Ash handle someone who knows almost everything about him? Who could this old friend be that Ash is talking about? Find out during the next chapter.**

 **I had planned on getting this chapter out last night, but for the past two days I've been battling a cold that has just drained any energy I have from me. Also, anyone see XYZ 27? Depressed Ash only means one thing... A depressed Serena. Seriously though, Serena looked real down in the preview of XYZ 28 after Ash ran off. Hopefully she cheers him up.**

 **Thank you to everyone who supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**


	13. Showdown in the Top 8

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off with Ash defeating Tierno and moving into the Top 8 of the Kalos League where he now has to face off against Nick. For anyone who didn't see it, there is a one-shot titled "Alone in The Woods". It helps show a little more information about Nick and why he's obsessed with Ash.**

 **Also, I would just like to thank everyone. When I first started writing this, I never thought it would get over 70 favorites and follows.**

* * *

 **Ch 13: Showdown in the Top 8**

"Ash, you still haven't decided yet?" Bonnie asked as she came out of her bedroom. Sitting at the table was Ash with the pictures of his pokemon scattered about. The group had stayed up last night trying to figure out a team, but every time they thought they figured one out Ash had a problem with it.

Ash didn't respond, instead he just smiled at the young girl. It had been a long night and when he went to bed he still wasn't decided on who to use. Getting up early, Ash looked at every pokemon he had again and was hoping he could make a choice now.

"Well..." Ash started to say while rubbing the back of his head. It was harder than it looked. Nick probably knew a lot about him, so he couldn't just pick any six pokemon. "I have a good idea on who I'm using. But, I still just want to think it over."

"Whoever you choose will fight as hard as they can," Serena added in with a yawn. She had just woken up a few minutes before Bonnie and saw the same scene when she walked out.

"You're right," Ash said as he leaned back in his chair. The Top 8, this was where he made it in Unova for the third time in five League Conferences. He was determined to finish higher than that, but his mind was set on only winning the Kalos League. "I just want to have the right six out there for this battle."

* * *

"Professor Elm!" Nick yelled as he looked at the half asleep professor. "I'm going to need my heavy hitters!" Nick stated as he waited for the professor to respond.

"I was expecting you to call," Professor Elm responded as he took a sip of his coffee. He had been up all night looking over some documents about his research. "I've been following the Kalos League and I am impressed with how far you've made it."

"Thanks, but I'm sure you already know why I need my strongest pokemon," Nick replied as he shrugged off the compliment. Until he could beat Ash, he wasn't interested in any compliments about being strong. "I've already got the five pokeballs ready to send over."

"Alright, just give me a few minutes to gather the pokemon you need," Professor Elm replied while letting out a yawn. He then walked away before returning with a tray of five pokeballs. Placing them on the machine, Professor Elm watched as they all vanished only to be replaced with a new set of five. "I received all five of them safe and sound."

"Thanks, Professor," Nick replied as he picked up the five new pokeballs. He was starting to get excited about this match now. "They're all here as well," he said before pausing. Letting a sigh out, he looked at the professor. "Today I'm finally battling Ash..."

"Nick," Elm responded as he noticed the boy seemed a little down. He had been wanting to face Ash ever since he was a young boy, but after showing excitement just a few minutes ago he now looked worried. "You'll do fine today. Just remember everything you've learned on your journeys. I know your dad will be proud of however you do."

Nick's entire demeanor changed once Professor Elm mentioned his dad. "I don't have a father," he replied as he glared at the ground.

"That's not true! You know your dad loves you very much! He's just been busy with his work," Professor Elm responded as he continued to hide the truth from the young trainer. "He's probably watching you on TV right now."

"If he really cared he would have visited in the last five years," Nick replied as he balled his fists. Letting out a sigh, Nick put on a fake smile. He wasn't going to let his dad ruin his big day. "I hope you get a chance to watch today. I'll leave everything out on the field."

"I'll be sure to watch the match," Elm replied before waving to the trainer. "But, I have to finish up some research before then. Good luck today, all your pokemon and myself will be cheering for you."

Nick waved back as the call ended. There was no way he could lose today; everyone was counting on him now. Sighing, Nick stood up and made his way over to the exit. As he was about to leave, he barely avoided Ash who was walking in as he was leaving.

"Oh. Sorry, Nick, I didn't see you," Ash replied while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm kind of in a rush. Have to get my pokemon for this fight," he said before noticing that Nick seemed down about something. "Is... everything alright?"

"Huh?" Nick replied as he quickly changed his demeanor again. As he was leaving, he had started to think back to the last time he saw his dad and how he was told he could travel with him if he became a great trainer. "J-Just a little nervous. It isn't every day you battle your idol!" Nick cried out before letting a nervous laugh out. "But, I won't be holding back. I've brought my six strongest pokemon for this battle!"

"I can't wait for our battle," Ash responded as he pumped his fists. He knew that for Nick to get this far, he had to be pretty good. "I just know it's going to be great!"

"Yeah!" Nick agreed, already forgetting about his previous thoughts. If there was one thing about Ash, he always knew how to cheer someone up without trying. "I'll see you later on at the stadium," Nick said before leaving the Center.

* * *

"I have all the pokemon you asked for, Ash," Tracey told the young trainer as he placed the three pokeballs onto the transfer machine. "It took me a little longer than I expected, but I finally found the last one you asked for. He was out far in the fields. After I explained how you wanted him to battle, he was more than excited."

"That's great to hear, Tracey," Ash replied as he placed his three pokeballs onto the machine as well. With a push of a button, the three pokeballs vanished before another set appeared before the trainer. "They're all here Tracey."

"And I received all of them as well," Tracey replied as he placed the three pokeballs onto a tray. "I'll make sure that they'll be ready for the next time you call for them."

"Thanks," Ash said as the call ended. Looking at the pokeballs, Ash smiled since it had been a while since some of them had been used. He couldn't wait for the battle to begin.

* * *

"He's really using his six strongest pokemon against you?" Clemont asked as they all sat down for lunch. Ash had just returned from the Pokemon Center and had entered the hotel room to the smell of Clemont's pasta and sandwiches.

"Yeah, so I think it's a good idea on the six I chose," Ash replied as he looked at the pokeballs equipped to his belt. If what he had read up on Nick was right, then his choices would be great.

"Don't be too sure that you're blinded by surprise," Professor Oak interrupted. He took a sip of his tea before placing it back down. Now looking at Ash, he stared at the boy. "There's more to him than just his pokemon."

"I know, he also comes up with crazy strategies during battle," Ash responded as he reached for a sandwich. He wanted to finish the conversation first, but his stomach was telling him to eat.

Serena didn't seem too worried about Nick though. "But, he's also reckless. Ash can use that against him and end any strategy he tries to use."

"That's not what I mean," Professor Oak told the two trainers. There was more to Nick than any of them knew. "He has spent most of his childhood around Professor Elm. That boy is smarter than he lets on. Where he lacks common sense, he makes up for in knowledge about pokemon. Not to mention, Ash, he's probably studied most of your battles from before he was even a trainer. This has been his life goal, a real battle with you. Don't take him lightly because he'll take advantage of it."

"I know, but I also thought about looking him up as well," Ash answered, shocking everyone. He didn't seem like the kind of person to research his opponents. Other than trying to see Trevor's other pokemon, Ash hadn't looked at another trainer's page once. "He's from Mt. Silver and from previous Leagues most of his pokemon are native to forests and mountains. And when he said he was bringing his strongest six I now know who he would be using based on the videos on his page."

"Ash when did you have time to do all of that?" Clemont asked as he eyed his friend. They hadn't seen Ash at all on the PC today, so when did he have the time to look up Nick.

Letting out a light yawn, Ash practically answered them. "Last night. After you all went to sleep, Pikachu and myself went on the PC and did some research. There's a lot about him from previous Leagues. This is his third competition and he's already advanced to a personal best this time."

"Just don't get too overconfident, Ash," Professor Oak stated as he looked at the boy. Ash had been doing incredibly well lately and the professor didn't want to see a slip up being the reason he was eliminated from the League.

* * *

"And the first match of the Top 8 of the Champions Tournament will now be underway!" The announcer called out as both Ash and Nick made their way to their respective sides. "Today we'll see Ash from Pallet Town face off against Nick of Mt. Silver. Both trainers have traveled far with them coming from the Kanto and Johto regions respectively."

"This match will be a full six-on-six battle with the winner being decided once one side has lost all six pokemon!" The referee declared as he raised his two flags over his head. "Ash won the coin toss prior to the match and will select first!"

"Alright! Krookodile, I choose you!" Ash cried out as the Intimidation pokemon emerged from his pokeball. The ground type let out a loud roar as both he and his trainer waited for their opponent.

"So, you're starting off with Krookodile," Nick asked as he grabbed a pokeball. He already had decided on who to use even if Ash had tried to counter it. "Luxray!" Nick yelled out while tossing a pokeball. The electric type appeared with a roar of his own and the two pokemon eyed each other.

* * *

"So, he went with Luxray," Clemont muttered as he waited for the two trainers. It was just like Ash had thought so when he was explaining his plan.

"Yeah," Bonnie agreed as everyone was getting anxious for the first move. "Ash told us he was certain Luxray was going to be first. He said that in Nick's most important matches he always started out with Luxray."

"But why use it now?" Serena asked as she gripped the railing in front of her. They were sitting in the first row today right behind Ash, having gotten there early enough to grab these seats. "Nick should know that a ground type like Krookodile isn't effected by electric type moves."

"There's more to it than just type effectiveness," Professor Oak joined in. He had been listening to the three friends talking while he also thought of something. "Just because Ash has the type advantage, that doesn't guarantee a victory. Luxray for all we know may be well trained and have a variety of moves to cover his weaknesses."

"Ash will be just fine," Mrs. Ketchum said while smiling at the group. If she knew her Ash, he didn't worry about type matchups even when he had an advantage. "He's been in worse situations than having an advantage."

* * *

"We'll take the first move! Luxray use Iron Tail!" Nick called out as he extended an open palm towards his pokemon. Nodding in agreement, Luxray charged at Krookodile as his tail started to stiffen and glow white.

"Not so fast, dodge with dig, Krookodile!" Ash countered as Krookodile dug its way under the field and managed to avoid the attack. "Now back up!" Ash yelled as the ground around Luxray exploded and sent the Gleam Eyes pokemon flying backwards. "Don't let up, back underground with dig!"

"And Ash opens this battle up with an effective dig attack on Luxray! How will Nick counter the powerful move if he doesn't even have time to react!" The announcer asked as Krookodile emerged from underneath the field and struck Luxray, only to go back under.

"Ash, that won't continue to help you," Nick told his idol calmly. He and Luxray had trained to counter its weakness to ground types and had found a move that would help. "Luxray, use Magnet Rise!" He called out as the electric type started to glow yellow. Then, to the shock of the crowd, Luxray started to float off of the ground.

"Krookodile, finish it with another Dig!" Ash called out as the ground type jumped from underneath the field only for Luxray to float way above the attack. "What gives!?"

"Magnet Rise allows Luxray to be immune to all ground type moves," Nick explained before throwing a fist forward. "Now use Ice Fang!"

"Lux!" Luxray cried out as his mouth started to glow bright blue and four aura fangs emerged. Luxray then dove for the falling Krookodile and bit down on its tail.

"Krook!" The Intimidation pokemon cried out as his tail started to freeze up. The ice continued to travel up Krookodile's lower body until his legs were now frozen solid.

"And it appears that Krookodile is in an icy situation!" The announcer cried out as Luxray let go of his target. Krookodile now fell onto the field, unable to land properly with his legs frozen.

"Great work, now return, Luxray," Nick praised the electric type before recalling it. The act seemed to surprise everyone as Luxray appeared to have had Krookodile on the run. "Now it's your turn, Infernape!"

"And Nick switches out his Luxray for an Infernape," the announcer explained while the scoreboard updated the images.

* * *

"Why would he switch out while Luxray had complete control of the match?" Delia asked as she watched the Flame pokemon pound its chest. "He probably could have taken Krookodile."

"Magnet Rise was about to end," Clemont answered as they watched Krookodile free itself from its icy restraints with a stone edge. "Magnet Rise only lasts for so long. Nick must have timed it so that Luxray would be switched out once it was going to end."

"But why not just reuse Magnet Rise once it ended?" Bonnie asked as she eyed her brother. It seemed reasonable enough. Use the move while Krookodile was still frozen.

Clemont shook his head. "We should all know how unpredictable Ash can be. Nick must have thought he wouldn't have a chance to get a second Magnet Rise off in time. He must be saving Luxray for later."

* * *

"Krookodile start off with Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered as he swept his arms across his body. He too was wondering why Nick would switch out when he did. Doing so had allowed him enough time to free Krookodile.

"Krooko," The ground type replied as he charged at Infernape. As he did so, a white aura surrounded his body and he continued to pick up speed. Moving his claws forward, the Intimidation pokemon was about to strike.

"Counter with Mach Punch!" Nick ordered as Infernape's fist glowed a bright white. Just like with Tierno's Hitmontop, Infernape vanished from sight before reappearing as he punched Krookodile across the face and into one of the holes he made while using dig. "Now, Flamethrower down that hole!"

"Not this time! Krookodile use Stone Edge and send them flying in every direction!" Ash ordered as rocks started to fly out of the holes scattered across the field. To everyone's surprise, the swarm of stones all crashed into the Flame pokemon and allowed Krookodile enough time to dig underneath Infernape. "Now use Dig!"

"Infernape are you alright?" Nick asked as he pulled out a pokeball. "Return now!" With a red light, Infernape was called back into its pokeball right as Krookodile burst up through the ground. Sighing, Nick reached for his third pokeball. "That was close. Go, Donphan!"

"And once again, Nick makes a quick substitution and is now using Donphan!" The announcer cried out as Donphan's picture appeared on screen. "Just what kind of strategy is he using?"

"Okay, Donphan, use Rollout!" Nick cried out as the Armor pokemon curled up into a ball. It then rolled across the field as it charged at Krookodile.

"Dodge with Dig!" Ash yelled as Krookodile produced another hole in the ground. Donphan tried to dodge the hole, but accidently hit the lip of it and crashed with the ground. "Now, Krookodile!"

"Not so fast, Ash!" Nick called out as Donphan got up quickly. They both appeared to have been expecting another Dig attack. "Now! Earthquake!" He yelled out as Donphan slammed his hooves against the ground. The entire field started to shake as both Ash and Nick lost their balance.

"Krookodile you have to attack now!" Ash called out from his sitting position. Every time he tried to get back up, he would find himself right back on the ground. Ash could see the ground starting to break, but when it finally did it wasn't what he was hoping for.

"Krookodile is unable to battle! The winner is Donphan!" The referee declared as the scoreboard blacked its picture out.

"Thanks, Krookodile. Take a nice rest, you battled great today," Ash told the defeated pokemon as he returned it to its pokeball. "Okay! Sceptile, I choose you!" Ash yelled as the grass type emerged.

"Donphan, return!" Nick ordered before grabbing another pokeball. Smirking, Nick tossed out his fourth pokemon. "Malamar, it's your turn!"

"Nick, your plan won't work," Ash called out, shocking his opponent. Ash had figured it out fairly early. It was clear once Nick has switched three times on Krookodile. "It won't keep me from finding a way to win. Switch all you like!"

"So... You finally figured it out!" Nick replied with a large smile. His plan was simple enough, keep switching pokemon and make it so Ash couldn't plan a real strategy to beat him. He had never planned something like this before, but from watching old League matches Nick knew Ash was a quick thinker. What better way to stop him than by acting quicker than Ash?

* * *

"Malamar..." Serena muttered as she pictured just how well Nick was in sync with that pokemon. The two of them had managed to knock out two pokemon alone and probably could have swept the entire match if Nick didn't rush his commands. "Ash has to stay alert."

"Yeah, he has to watch out for Malamar's tentacles plus its Trick Room," Clemont agreed as they all watched on. "But why is he switching so often now. It made sense with Luxray, but why the others?"

"I think it's part of his strategy for the match," Professor Oak stated as he folded his arms. "He's trying to keep Ash guessing about which pokemon he'll use. Then, once Ash tries to land a hit, he'll switch it out for someone else. That way Ash won't be able to properly think of a strategy of his own. Nick will continue to switch pokemon until Ash is confused.

* * *

"Sceptile use Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded as the grass type shot forward. Its speed was something Nick wasn't expecting and before he could even issue a command, Sceptile was already slashing down on Malamar. Sceptile wasn't down yet. With his stiffened blades on his arms, Sceptile swung across Malamar's body again and sent it to the ground.

"What speed," Nick muttered as he eyed Sceptile with admiration. Now he understood just how powerful it was to be able to take down a Darkrai. But, he had already planned ahead for this. Looking at the field, Sceptile was falling from the sky with a Leaf Blade aimed right for Malamar. "Use Psybeam to Knock Sceptile backwards!"

"Mala!" The Overturning pokemon cried out while the light blue beam was charged up. Then, once Sceptile was close enough, the beam was fired off at a distance where the grass type couldn't dodge it.

"Don't worry! Cut right through it with Leaf Blade!" Ash called out to his pokemon, helping to calm him down. Agreeing with Ash, Sceptile slashed right through the Psybeam and was now about to strike the downed pokemon. "Leaf Storm!"

"Tile!" Sceptile cried out as he turned his body around. A whirlwind of leaves started to kick up from his tail as they then engulfed Malamar. The psychic and dark type was unable to move as the cyclone kept it pinned to the ground. Sceptile meanwhile used the wind from his last attack to create a distance between the two of them.

The attack finally came to an end and Malamar was able to get up off of the ground. Nick looked over at Malamar and saw that she was just fine to continue. "That was a smart idea, Ash. Using Leaf Storm to give distance between our two pokemon. But, it won't work again! Malamar use Trick Room!"

"I was waiting for this," Ash muttered as he watched the rectangular room be built all around them. Just like when he faced off against Valerie, a large box was formed and Ash already knew what to expect. Noticing Sceptile's worried expression, Ash called out to it. "Everything will be alright Sceptile! Just relax and battle like you always do!"

"Sceptile!" It replied. Ash's words managed to calm any nerves it might have had from the Trick Room. The psychic type move was a lot to handle for your first time. Giving Ash a thumbs up, it signaled that it was ready to continue.

"That's great! Now, use Leaf Blade again!" Ash called out as he returned Sceptile's thumps up. It was time to change the look of the battle. Sceptile charged at Malamar as his blades on his arms started to glow green.

"Dodge," Nick commanded once Sceptile drew close. Moving in a split second, Malamar disappeared from Sceptile's sight and caused him to miss his attack. Malamar then reappeared in front of Sceptile with a large smirk. "Now Flash!"

"Mala!" Malamar replied as her entire body glowed a bright white as the move managed to blind Sceptile. Stumbling backwards, Sceptile tripped over his own two feet and landed on his back.

"Now Psybeam!" Nick yelled as Malamar fired off another psychic type attack. The two of them were in sync while it appeared Sceptile had no way to counter them.

Ash however wasn't ready to give in just yet. Looking at the situation, he came up with an idea. "Sceptile, I'll be your eyes for now! Fire a Leaf Storm directly underneath you!"

Sceptile followed through with the command as he started up another storm. This one however wasn't being used to attack, but rather to dodge. Using the force from the Leaf Storm, Sceptile managed to propel itself into the sky and avoid the Psybeam attack.

"Now flip around and use your legs to push off of the ceiling of Trick Room!" Ash's voice could be heard as Sceptile continued to approach the ceiling. A lot of spectators thought the grass type was going to collide with it until they saw him perform a flip and extend his legs. Then, pushing off of the ceiling, Sceptile rocketed back down towards Malamar. "Let's go! Leaf Blade once more!"

"Tile!" The Forest pokemon cried out. It was starting to get over the effects of Flash now, but its vision wasn't fully healed. Spreading his arms, Sceptile's blades started to glow green as he descended on a crash course with Malamar.

Nick smirked however once he saw Sceptile coming towards them. Ash should have known by now that he studied all of his previous battles. Nick knew that Ash and Sceptile would find a way around his previous attack. "Double Team!" Nick called out as Sceptile tried to slash away at Malamar.

Instead, Malamar glowed white as a swarm of copies were created. Unfortunately for Ash and Sceptile, the one Malamar they attacked was a copy. Now looking around, Sceptile appeared confused from all of the Malamar.

"Psybeam!" Nick yelled as he smiled at the sight before him. He couldn't believe just how well he was doing against Ash of all people. Malamar and its clones all charged up the psychic type attack and fired off the blue beam. Sceptile tried to dodge, but do to Trick Room the Psybeam struck it before he could do anything.

Struck directly by the blast, Sceptile collapsed from the attack. "Sceptile is unable to battle! The winner is Malamar!" The referee finally declared as he waited a few seconds to see if the grass type would get back up.

"You did great, Sceptile," Ash praised the grass type before returning it to its pokeball. Looking up at the scoreboard, Ash didn't appear nervous at all. Everything was going according to his plan still. "Alright! Hawlucha, I choose you!"

"Hawlucha cha!" The Wrestling pokemon cried out as he struck different poses. After his loss yesterday, the fighting and flying type was ready to get back at it. Noticing the Trick Room, Hawlucha pointed at it. "Lucha?"

"Yeah, Trick Room," Ash replied as a smirk crossed both of their faces. "You ready, Hawlucha?" He asked while getting an affirmative pose from the Wrestling pokemon. "Alright, start off with Karate Chop!"

"Hawlucha!" He cried out before running right at Malamar. Hawlucha's forearms started to glow white as he swung at the Overturned pokemon. Unfortunately for Hawlucha, due to Trick Room, Malamar was more than fast enough to dodge his attacks.

"Now, Malamar, wrap his arms up with your tentacles!" Nick commanded right as Malamar managed to dodge a Karate Chop. Turning around, Hawlucha felt both of his arms tied up from the tentacles on Malamar's head.

Hawlucha didn't know how to respond. The fighting and flying type tried to break free, but it was proving to be useless. Seeing his nervousness, Ash called out to Hawlucha. "Calm down, Hawlucha! Think of those tentacles like a ring rope! Keep walking back until you can't anymore, then fly forward with a High Jump Kick!"

"Haw, Hawlucha!" It cried out before walking backwards. Just like Ash thought, tension was building up and Hawlucha could feel it as well. Deciding he had walked far enough, Hawlucha pushed off of the ground and flew towards Malamar.

Neither Nick nor Malamar had expected something like this from their opponents and had no time to react. Before they knew it, Hawlucha was ramming his glowing knee right into Malamar. The force was so strong that it forced the Overturning pokemon to let go of Hawlucha as it flew backwards and crashed into the Trick Room.

Smiling, Ash pumped a fist into the air. "Don't stop! X-Scissor!" Ash cried out as Hawlucha charged at the dazed pokemon. Crossing his arms, Hawlucha ran straight for Malamar as they glowed light blue.

"Dodge it, Malamar!" Nick cried out as he watched Hawlucha run right at the psychic and dark type. A direct hit from that would be bad for the two of them. Getting up, Malamar managed to dodge the attack thanks to Trick Room still being active. But, to their surprise, Hawlucha didn't stop but instead rammed right into the wall. "What's he doing?"

"Keep pushing, Hawlucha! Don't Stop!" Ash cried out until the Trick Room actually shattered to pieces. Both Hawlucha and himself didn't seem to be surprised by the outcome, it was what they had planned all along. They knew that Trick Room had to be destroyed just like they had done during their gym battle with Valerie. Now that it was destroyed, Hawlucha could move much more freely. "Now! Flying Press, Hawlucha!"

"Lucha!" The Wrestling pokemon agreed before jumping into the sky. Stretching its arms out wide, Hawlucha started to glow a light white before falling towards Malamar.

Nick was now sweating. He had never seen someone destroy a Trick Room and he knew that there was no time to put another one up or to even dodge. So, he decided to risk it all. "Catch Hawlucha with your tentacles!"

"Mal," The Overturning pokemon immediately shot the tentacles from her head right at Hawlucha. Ash however was already prepared for it.

"Dodge it by spinning to your left or right!" Ash declared. The command was simple enough, whenever Hawlucha saw a tentacle coming he would spin either to his left or right depending on what side the attack came from. Maneuvering through the attack, Hawlucha was finally able to strike, his body crashing into Malamar.

The Overturning pokemon had no time to react as Hawlucha managed to evade every single tentacle that was launched at him. Finally, the Wrestling pokemon managed to strike Malamar right on the top of its head. Falling backwards, Malamar collapsed onto the ground.

"Malamar is unable to battle! The winner is Hawlucha!" The referee declared while Malamar's picture was blacked out. Looking at the scoreboard, it now showed Ash with two pokemon defeated, Hawlucha and three blank spaces. Nick on the other hand only had one defeated pokemon, the three that he had used earlier and two blank spaces.

"That was so amazing, Ash," Nick started to say as he recalled Malamar. Despite this being a battle, he couldn't help but be amazed by the way Ash was battling. "What made you think of using x-Scissor on Trick Room?"

Ash rubbed the back of his neck, he wasn't used to getting praise from his opponent during a match. "Hawlucha and I actually pulled off the same idea during out Laverre City gym battle. Since it worked then, we decided to use it again."

"That's amazing. I didn't even think it could be destroyed," Nick continued on as he reached for a pokeball. "Alright, you're up this time. Go, Ariados!" He yelled out as the Long Leg pokemon emerged from its pokeball.

"And Nick's fifth pokemon is an Ariados! How will the bug type handle itself when faced with Hawlucha and its array of powerful moves?" The announcer asked as the scoreboard placed Ariados' picture in Nick's fifth spot.

"Hawlucha start off with Karate Chop!" Ash yelled out as his flying and fighting type raced across the field. Just like before, Hawlucha's forearms glowed white as he slammed them down onto the bug type's head.

"And Hawlucha is delivering a powerful Karate Chop onto Ariados. Nick however doesn't seem to be worried about it," the announcer told everyone as they watched Hawlucha continue the assault.

Just like the announcer stated, Nick didn't look to be worried at all. Instead, it looked like he was almost sleeping. Looking at Ariados, Nick raised his hand. "String shot followed up by Poison Jab!"

"Aria!" The Long Leg pokemon cried in agreement as it fired off the sticky substance. Wrapping the substance around Hawlucha, the Wrestling pokemon felt himself unable to move as Ariados followed that up with a powerful jab with one of its legs. Jabbing it into Hawlucha, the flying and fighting type was sent backwards.

"Hawlucha!" ash called out as he watched Hawlucha continue backwards. As he watched, a thought came to his mind. "Break those strings with X-Scissor! Then push off the wall and strike Ariados with a powerful High Jump Kick!"

"Haw... Lucha!" The fighting type cried out as he tried with all his might to rip the string shot. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't rip it. Finally, after putting everything he had into it, Hawlucha managed to break free.

Now free, Hawlucha performed a somersault in midair so that his legs were facing the stadium wall. Colliding with it, the Wrestling pokemon pushed off the wall and catapulted straight for Ariados as he prepared a High Jump Kick.

"Ariados use Spider Web!" Nick cried out as the bug type fired off another string like substance. This time the attack didn't hit Hawlucha, instead, the entire field was covered in an intricate spider web design. Due to the attack, Nick and Ariados had no time to react and the Long Leg pokemon was struck in the face by Hawlucha's High Jump Kick.

"Great Job, Hawlucha! Now end this with Flying Press!" Ash yelled out as Hawlucha took to the air, maneuvering around the web that filled the field.

"Not this time! Ariados use Baton Pass!" Nick called out as Ariados glowed white before returning into its pokeball. The move shocked both Ash and Hawlucha, who had no time to stop his attack and crashed into the ground. "Now! Luxray, you're up again!"

"Luxray..." Ash thought out loud as he looked at Hawlucha. The Wrestling pokemon was now panting after two straight battles. Reaching for its pokeball, Ash decided to recall it. "Hawlucha, return!" He called out, only for the red light to be blocked by the Spider Web. "What? Hawlucha, return!" he tried once again only for the same outcome.

"It appears that Ariados' Spider Web attack is making it impossible for Ash to recall Hawlucha! How will the two of them handle Luxray?" The announcer asked as he informed the crowd about the effects of Spider Web.

"Luxray, start off with Thunderbolt!" Nick cried out as a smile came across his face. Nick watched in pure joy as the electric type fired off a bolt of electricity. The attack soared across the sky as it approached Hawlucha.

"Dodge it quick! Then counter with Karate Chop!" Ash ordered as he swept his hand to the side of his body. Jumping forward, Hawlucha avoided the Thunderbolt and continued on towards Luxray. Rearing his forearm back, it started to glow white.

"Take the hit," Nick ordered as Luxray allowed Hawlucha to slam his right arm down onto his head. Looking up, Luxray appeared to shock Hawlucha at how it was fine. But, to Nick, they both knew it was an act. That attack did a lot but they needed to take the blow for this to work. "Now! Ice Fang!"

Hawlucha felt Luxray sink his teeth into his arm as it started to freeze on impact. Ash could only watch as the ice continued to move across Hawlucha's body until his entire chest was covered.

"Get him off with a High Jump Kick!" Ash ordered as Hawlucha drove his knee into Luxray's face. Now free, Hawlucha started to chip away at the ice on his body but there was just too much.

"Luxray, continue our attack! Use Thunderbolt!" Nick yelled as he raised an arm up over his head. This was it, the finishing attack. Luxray put everything he had into the electric blast and launched it at Hawlucha.

"Dodge it, Hawlucha!" Ash called out. Hawlucha went to jump over the blast, but the ice that covered his body made it hard to move and instead he was struck by the blast. Falling out of the sky, Hawlucha crashed into the ground defeated. "Hawlucha!" Ash called out as the Wrestling pokemon tried to force himself back up only to fall again.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle! The winner is Luxray!" The referee declared as the scoreboard blacked Hawlucha's image out.

"And now we'll give both trainers a short intermission to rethink any strategies they might have!" The announcer declared as Ash recalled Hawlucha to its pokeball before walking over to a bench.

* * *

"This is what I was worried about," Professor Oak stated as he looked up at the scoreboard. Ash was at a major disadvantage having already lost three of his pokemon. "He has to be much more careful once the match resumes."

"Let's go check on him," Serena offered as herself, Clemont and Bonnie all started to make their way over to Ash's bench. It wasn't too far of a walk this time since they had grabbed seats in the front row. In fact, they only had to walk to their left a few feet.

* * *

"Ash!" the three of them called out to get his attention. Turning around, Ash smiled at his three friends. He could notice their worried looks, but he didn't understand why they would be nervous.

"Ash, are you alright?" Clemont asked as he looked over at the scoreboard. It really didn't look good for his friend since Nick still had five pokemon remaining. "Nick's giving you a harder time than any of us thought."

"Yeah, he's something else," Ash replied as he stood up. He had expected these six pokemon for the match, but some of Nick's tactics he hadn't expected. "But, I'm not worried at all. I'm still in a good spot."

Serena didn't understand what he meant by that. He had just lost three of his pokemon and yet he still felt great. His determination could never be beaten, but she wondered what made him so sure. "Ash... Just how do you think you'll make a comeback?" She asked worriedly. She wasn't trying to doubt him; she just didn't want him to be blinded by the actual situation.

"Easy," he responded quickly. Fixing his hat, Ash pointed up to the scoreboard. "Look at the scoreboard and tell me what you see."

"You've lost three pokemon while Nick has lost one?" Serena asked, unsure of what he was trying to point out to them.

"No, look closer," he said as they all looked at the scoreboard. Finally understanding what he meant, Ash smiled. "He's already needed five pokemon to get through three of mine. He thinks that his switching strategy is keeping me off guard, but in reality I had Krookodile and Sceptile test the strength of his pokemon. Now those four who were used must be exhausted from constant battles while I still have three fresh pokemon," he explained as the bell rang to signal the end of the intermission. Before heading back to the field he finished his explanation. "Besides, I still have my ace left for this match."

"His ace?" Serena asked as she looked at Clemont. She had no idea who that might be. She had been under the impression that Sceptile was going to be the pokemon he relied on for this match. "Do you know who he's talking about, Clemont? Bonnie?"

"Maybe Pikachu?" Bonnie replied as she shook her little purse, waking Dedenne up from his nap. "Do you know who Ash meant by his ace?"

"Nenene?" Dedenne replied confused.

"I don't know, Serena," Clemont responded as they made their way back over to their seats. It could be any one of Ash's pokemon they had met. "But, if I had to make a guess... He must have meant Pikachu."

* * *

"This battle will now resume with Ash of Pallet Town having three pokemon remaining and Nick of Mt. Silver having five pokemon remaining. Since Ash chose the first pokemon before, Nick will begin. Now, begin!" The referee explained as he raised his flags.

"Okay! Infernape, start this off strong!" Nick cried out as he tossed a pokeball. The Flame pokemon emerged and immediately banged on his chest while letting out a loud yell.

"Infernape, perfect first match," Ash said to himself as he reached for a pokeball. "Let's show them how well we are! Squirtle, I choose you!" Ash yelled out as the Tiny Turtle pokemon emerged. Once on the field, Ash's friends and family were surprised by the water type's appearance.

* * *

"Did Ash mention that he was planning on using Squirtle?" Serena asked Professor Oak, only to receive a shake of his head.

"No," the professor replied as he crossed his arms. He had no idea that Squirtle was even an option for Ash due to its involvement with the Squirtle Squad. "Ash must have contacted Officer Jenny sometime today."

"Does Squirtle stand a chance here?" Bonnie asked as she stared at the water type on the field. To her, it looked incredibly cute but since it was Ash's it must be strong. "Can it stand up to Nick's remaining pokemon?"

"I wouldn't worry about Squirtle," Professor Oak responded as he also watched on, waiting for Ash to make a move. "Squirtle is one of Ash's oldest pokemon. One of his strongest pokemon, the last time he was used was during Ash's Battle Frontier challenge. During that match, he managed to pull off an incredible battle against Brandon the strongest of the Frontier Brains. Squirtle should be able to help Ash out a lot."

* * *

"And we resume with Nick's Infernape taking on Ash's Squirtle!" The announcer cried out as Squirtle appeared in Ash's fourth spot and Infernape's picture was lit up.

"No way!" Nick cried out as he eyed Squirtle. He couldn't believe he was battling one of Ash's original pokemon. "I can't believe that I'm facing off against Squirtle out of all of your pokemon. It hasn't competed in a League battle since the Silver Conference."

"Yeah, I figured I would need his help today," Ash replied as both he and Squirtle rubbed their necks. They had no idea that Nick would have reacted like this when Ash chose to use it.

"Infernape, return!" Nick called out. He figured that since Infernape was a fire type, it wouldn't do well against. Instead, he had someone else in mind. "Luxray, go!"

"We're not worried about type matchups, Squirtle, use Water Gun!" Ash commanded as the water type fired off a stream of water from his mouth. Luxray tried to dodge, but was still tired from his two previous fights and was blasted backwards.

"Luxray!" Nick called out in concern. He had no idea that Squirtle was that strong. They were going to have to be careful with it from now on. "Use your Thunderbolt attack!"

"Get ready, Squirtle!" Ash called out as Luxray fired off the electric type attack. Watching it, Ash started to call out his next command. "Use Rapid Spin to send it back!"

"Squirtle," The Tiny Turtle pokemon cried out before pulling its appendixes into its shell. Then, spinning at an amazing speed, Squirtle was able to shoot the Thunderbolt back at Luxray and strike it.

"I told you we weren't worried about type matchups! Now end this with Skull Bash!" Ash concluded as he threw a fist forward. Squirtle likewise launched itself forward as a white light seemed to fly around his body. Then, his head connected with Luxray's side and sent the Gleam Eyes pokemon flying into the wall of the stadium.

"Luxray is unable to battle! The winner is Squirtle!" The referee declared as Luxray's picture was blacked out.

"Wow, I had no idea Squirtle was that strong," Nick told the duo as he returned Luxray to its pokeball. "But, no matter how strong it is, it can't take out this guy. Go, Infernape!"

"Start off with Water Gun again!" Ash called out as Squirtle fired off the attack. He wanted to keep the momentum going and decided to continue his attack.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Nick called out to counter. What he hadn't noticed earlier in the battle was that all of his pokemon were growing fatigued despite switching them out. The two blasts collided in the middle of the stadium and exploded upon impact. Steam filled the entire stadium and blocked out both trainers' views.

"Squirtle?" Ash called out unsure of what had happened.

"Infernape?" Nick also asked as he tried to look through the mist.

"And a thick mist has covered the entire field. Neither trainer appears able to see anything down there!" The announcer called out as he too waited for the mist to disperse. The entire crowd held their breath as they waited for an outcome.

* * *

 **Another cliffhanger during a battle. So, yeah, Squirtle is back. Surprise. Anyone who is wondering how this happened, it'll be explained next chapter. Also, the reason why Krookodile and Sceptile are the fall guys is because they both had a chance to star at their own Leagues.**

 **Thank you to everyone who supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**


	14. A Nerve Wracking Finish!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash and Nick were in a heated battle to determine who moved onto the Top 4. About last chapter, yeah, Ash kind of pulled a Paul when it came to his strategy. Just thought I should point it out.**

* * *

 **Ch 14: A Nerve Wracking Finish!**

"I told you we weren't worried about type matchups! Now end this with Skull Bash!" Ash concluded as he threw a fist forward. Squirtle likewise launched itself forward as a white light seemed to fly around his body. Then, his head connected with Luxray's side and sent the Gleam Eyes pokemon flying into the wall of the stadium.

"Luxray is unable to battle! The winner is Squirtle!" The referee declared as Luxray's picture was blacked out.

"Wow, I had no idea Squirtle was that strong," Nick told the duo as he returned Luxray to its pokeball. "But, no matter how strong it is, it can't take out this guy. Go, Infernape!"

"Start off with Water Gun again!" Ash called out as Squirtle fired off the attack.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Nick called out to counter. What he hadn't noticed earlier in the battle was that all of his pokemon were growing fatigued despite switching them out. The two blasts collided in the middle of the stadium and exploded upon impact. Steam filled the entire stadium and blocked out both trainers' views.

"Squirtle?" Ash called out unsure of what had happened.

"Infernape?" Nick also asked as he tried to look through the mist.

"And a thick mist has covered the entire field. Neither trainer appears able to see anything down there!" The announcer called out as he too waited for the mist to disperse. The entire crowd held their breath as they waited for an outcome.

Watching the mist, Nick smirked. This situation reminded him of the first time he ever saw Ash battle. Deciding not to wait around any longer, Nick threw his right fist forward. "Mach Punch, Infernape! Let's show them our strength!"

"Infernape!" The Flame pokemon could be heard yelling through the mist. It was starting to fade a little now, making it easier for the trainers to see their pokemon. Charging at Squirtle, Infernape pulled his fist back just as it glowed right.

"Quick, Squirtle, retract into your shell!" Ash commanded as he watched the water type pull of its appendixes into its shell. Squirtle then sat there waiting as Infernape approached it. With one swift punch, Ash watched as Squirtle started to roll along the field. "Keep that momentum going and keep rolling!"

"Don't let them get away! Use Thunder Punch!" Nick called out as he had Infernape chase after the retreating Squirtle. Unknown to him however, Ash wanted Infernape to chase after the water type.

"Infernape!" The fire type cried out as he pounded his fists together and watched as electricity sparked off of them. Chasing after Squirtle, the Flame pokemon started to swing away at the Tiny Turtle pokemon put continued to miss.

"Now into the hole!" Ash cried out as Squirtle rolled down into the holes left over from Krookodile's Dig. Once underground, Squirtle waited for his next command while wondering what Ash had planned.

"I don't know what you have planned, but we won't let it happen! Infernape use Flamethrower down into the hole! Roast him until he decides to come up!" Nick ordered as Infernape shot off a trail of fire. The blast flew right into the hole, but Ash didn't appear to be worried.

"Now, Squirtle! Use Hydro Pump!" Ash cried out with a large smile. Looking at the field, this attack was going to catch Nick and Infernape by surprise. Then, just as he thought, water started to shoot out of the holes scattered all around the field.

"W-Wait!? How's this possible?" Nick asked as he watched the geysers of water all start to fall back down towards the field and his Infernape. Knowing this wasn't good, he had to come up with something and fast. "Quick! Jump high into the sky to dodge the attack!"

"After them, Squirtle!" Ash cried out as he watched the Flame pokemon jump high into the air. The geysers caused by the hydro pump all crashed down onto the field, flooding it, but Ash wasn't finished yet. Coming out of the center hole was a spinning Squirtle. He was still using Hydro Pump!

"Squirtle, squirt!" The water type could be heard yelling as he chased after the now falling Infernape. Striking him with the Hydro Pump, Squirtle reappeared from his shell and watched as they both fell back towards the field.

"End this, Squirtle! Use Skull Bash!" Ash yelled as Squirtle positioned himself. Using his fall to gain speed, Squirtle aimed himself right for Infernape as a white aura surrounded his head.

"Block him with Flamethrower!" Nick asked of his pokemon as they watched Squirtle close the gap. Firing off the powerful fire type move, Nick and Infernape watched with a shocked expression as Squirtle continued onward right through the flames.

"A little fire won't stop us! Come on, Squirtle!" Ash yelled up to his friend as Squirtle rammed his head right into Infernape. The two were now falling even faster, but Squirtle was right next to Infernape.

Seeing their situation gave Nick an idea. It was a little risky, but worth it. "Infernape, use Thunder Punch!" Infernape nodded as his fists started to have electricity flow through them. Ramming them into Squirtle's back, Infernape watched as the water type was hurt by the effective move.

"Hang on tight, Squirtle!" Ash encouraged his water type as it clung to Infernape's midsection. They had come too far to lose now. Ash knew Squirtle was in a lot of pain, but he was asking for just a little more. "Now, Water Gun!"

"Squirtle," it agreed while firing off the water type move. The attack struck Infernape right under its chin and forced him to let go of Squirtle. The two pokemon then immediately crashed into the ground.

Unfortunately for both of them, Infernape was still using Thunder Punch as it crashed into the now soaked field. The electricity from the attack flowed into the water and shocked both of the pokemon, inflicting a lot of damage to them.

"Infernape!" Nick called out as he watched it crash onto the ground.

Ash likewise called out for his pokemon. "Squirtle!" The Tiny Turtle pokemon then crashed onto the ground.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle!" The referee declared as both Squirtle and Infernape's pictures were blacked out.

"Thank you, Squirtle," Ash said as he recalled it into its pokeball. Ash smiled as he looked at the pokeball. Squirtle had battled amazingly out there today and especially with such a short notice. The Tiny Turtle pokemon fought great, managing to take out two pokemon himself. "It's time," Ash muttered as he raised his next pokeball. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

"Bulba!" The grass type cried out while stretching a little. It was looking forward to this battle. While it was doing its daily walk through Professor Oak's fields, Tracey had explained how Ash needed its help today and was immediately excited over the idea of battling.

"First Squirtle and now Bulbasaur!?" Nick cried out in joy as he stared at the grass type. Both Bulbasaur and Ash seemed a little creeped out by his reaction and took a step back. "This is like a dream come true! I can't believe that I've got to battle against two of Ash's original pokemon. The only ones missing are Pidgeotto and Charizard!" He continued to cry out before remembering that this was a battle. Shaking his head, Nick reached for a pokeball and tossed it. "Ariados can handle this. Bug types are strong against grass types."

"Ariados!" The Long Leg pokemon agreed as it stood in front of Nick. It seemed to still be a little worn out from its previous bout with Hawlucha.

"There's more to a battle than just type matchups," Ash stated as he threw a fist forward. He had been looking forward to this battle, but it appeared as if Nick was too busy trying to play type matchups and it was hindering him. "Bulbasaur start off with Razor Leaf!"

"Bulba," the Seed pokemon muttered as it just sat there. Then the plant on its back started to shake razor sharp leaves emerged from it and shot straight for Ariados.

"You have to dodge it!" Nick cried out. He appeared to be fine, but Ash could tell from his voice that it was as if he was nervous of Bulbasaur. He had also noticed his change while fighting Squirtle as well. It was almost as if he was afraid or nervous of something.

Ariados tried to dodge the grass type attack, but it was eventually overrun by the leaves and knocked backwards. The assault didn't end there, however, as Ariados was trying to get back up it felt the impact of two whips smashing it back into the ground.

"Ariados is unable to battle! The winner is Bulbasaur!" The referee declared while the scoreboard was updated again.

"A-Ariados!" Nick cried out as he looked at the defeated pokemon. Looking over at Bulbasaur, the grass type didn't look to be breaking a sweat at all. Nick didn't know what to do, he felt his hands shaking and his knees felt weak. He had never felt like this before and had no idea how to react.

"What are you doing!?" Ash yelled out as he saw the way Nick was acting. He had to snap Nick out of whatever he was going through, otherwise this battle was over.

Nick just stood there, unsure of what to say. He had entered the battle feeling good, but Ash had been able to stop anything he had planned. He thought he was ready to face his idol, but now he was questioning himself. "I... Well... It's..."

"Get a hold of yourself!" Ash yelled, causing Nick to stop shaking out of shock. "I thought you wanted to beat me!? You can't do that if your too nervous to issue a command! Your pokemon feel what you're feeling so they can tell your nervous! How do you ever expect to win if you can't trust your pokemon!?"

Nick stood there shocked. He hated to admit it, but Ash was right and it made him upset at himself. He had been dreaming of this moment, the chance to finally battle Ash. Now that he had it, Nick was letting it slip away from him all because he knew his pokemon were too weak to handle a battle like this. "B-but, I need to be great! I need to win to prove it!"

"A truly great trainer isn't only strong!" Ash yelled out as those words brought Nick back to the time he watched Ash at the Silver Conference. Rubbing his eyes, Nick could have sworn he saw his dad standing behind Ash. "A true trainer has heart, compassion, integrity, and above all else a love for all pokemon!" Ash yelled as Nick heard the exact same words his father once told him. Hearing those words, Nick seemed a little better. The shaking had stopped, but there was still that feeling of doubt.

He couldn't believe that he had forgotten all about that, looking down at the ground Nick felt horrible. He let his pokemon down due to his own inability. He hadn't even thought about his pokemon as he worried about the battle. But, Ash was right, if he tried hard enough they had a chance to win!

* * *

"What's Ash doing down there?" Serena asked as they all listened to Ash's little outburst. They had never seen him stop in the middle of the match to talk like he was doing here. It felt almost as if he was teaching Nick rather than battling him.

Professor Oak knew exactly what was happening. This match had already been decided by the time Squirtle took out Infernape. The difference in fatigue was just too noticeable for even Nick to not have noticed. "Ash has been using this match to teach Nick. There's potential in him, but it's blocked by self-doubt. Ash is trying to coach him through this battle to help him improve for the future."

Mrs. Ketchum smiled at this. She never would have expected him to be acting this way. Yes, he helped out anyone who needed help, but this was different. "He really has matured. Hasn't he?" She asked Professor Oak as they watched Nick send Donphan back out.

"He really has," Professor Oak agreed as he stared down at Ash. To think that the boy who couldn't even show up on time to get his first pokemon was practically mentoring another trainer during the middle of their battle.

* * *

"We'll show them that we can win this, Donphan! Use Rollout!" Nick commanded as he started to sound a little better. But, those doubts were creeping in the back of his mind.

Donphan started to charge at Bulbasaur before rolling up into a ball. The Armor pokemon rolled across the field and was heading straight for Bulbasaur. Without needing to tell Bulbasaur, the Seed pokemon dodged the attack with ease.

"Don't stop, try it again!" Nick cried out as Donphan turned around and charged at Bulbasaur again, but the result was the same. Donphan continued its assault, but every time Bulbasaur managed to dodge with ease.

"This is what I mean!" Ash called out as Bulbasaur dodged another Rollout. This battle had turned one-sided and it had happened in a fast manner. "Bulbasaur and I don't need to talk to understand each other. We've been through so much that we trust each other. Now, use Vine Whip to stop Donphan!"

"Bulba!" The grass type agreed as two vines shot out of the plant on its back. The two vines then wrapped around Donphan and managed to stop it from moving. The Armor pokemon was shocked by this and continued to try and roll but was unable to budge at all. Bulbasaur then lifted Donphan up off of the ground and tossed him across the field.

"Donphan!" Nick called out as the ground type stood back up. Looking at the pokemon, Nick could see the determination in its eyes. Was this what Ash meant by truly trusting his pokemon? Donphan knew it didn't have a real chance at winning, but it wasn't backing down because of how much this battle meant to Nick. No, how much it meant to all of them. "I... I think I understand. Well, we won't let them push us around anymore!"

"Now you're understanding," Ash stated while smirking. He had been hoping Nick would get what he meant before this match was over. "Donphan and the others all know just how much this battle means. They want to win this for you, but they can't battle at their full potential if you don't fully believe in them. Now, why don't we finish this up. Bulbasaur, use Solar Beam!"

"Donphan, we can't hold back either! Use Hyper Beam!" Nick called out as the ground type started to charge up his attack. Likewise, Bulbasaur appeared to be finished charging his own attack and fired it. Donphan then fired off his own attack and the two beams collided at the middle of the field and an explosion occurred.

Ash watched as both pokemon appeared to be alright from the blast and he waited for Bulbasaur before continuing. "I was just like you not too long ago," Ash told his fellow trainer as he stared off into space. "Just recently, I hit a wall. No matter what I did I just couldn't get around it. I started to doubt myself and my abilities as a trainer. I felt that I was letting them all down. But, thanks to my friends and pokemon, I was able to see that I was wrong. My bonds with my friends helped me. If you want to get stronger and win, then you'll have to strengthen your bonds as well. Now, Bulbasaur, use Solar Beam!"

"Bulba!" The grass type agreed as the plant on his back started to glow as he absorbed sunlight for the attack. This was going to be it. Bulbasaur was going to put everything he had into the attack.

"Trust in my pokemon... Strengthen our bonds..." Nick muttered to himself as he looked at Donphan. The Armor pokemon was waiting for a command and they were running out of time. "Okay, we'll just have to beat them with our strength! Hyper Beam! And put everything you have into it!"

"Donphan!" It cried out right before launching off a Hyper Beam. Bulbasaur likewise launched his attack and both trainers watched as the blasts exploded upon contact and consumed the entire field. Bulbasaur and Donphan were consumed in the blast and both tried to fight back against.

The blast was too strong however and both pokemon were thrown backwards, but forced themselves back up. Then, to Ash's surprise, Bulbasaur collapsed right as Donphan collapsed as well.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle! Both trainers are now down to their last pokemon!" The referee declared as both trainers recalled their pokemon.

"Okay, Pikachu, you're up," Ash told his best friend as he ran onto the field.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as sparks flew from his cheeks. It was all up to him now. There was no way he could lose here.

Nick gulped for a second as he looked at the field. Pikachu was all that was in his way of winning. Shaking his head, Nick cleared his mind of any thoughts of doubts. Looking down at Eevee, Nick nodded. "Let's show them just what we can do, Eevee."

"Vee!" The normal type replied before running onto the field. He knew just how important it was to both of them. There was no way it would let Nick down.

"And the final battle is about to begin! It'll be Pikachu vs Eevee as both trainers will try to give it their all!" The announcer cried out as the scoreboard placed Eevee and Pikachu in their respective trainer's sixth spot.

"Quick Attack!" Both trainers called out as their pokemon dashed across the field. Ramming their bodies into each other, both pokemon bounced back from the attack seeming to be perfectly fine.

"Iron Tail!" Once again, they both called out the same move. The two pokemon were smashing their tails against each other. Despite how hard they fought, neither pokemon appeared to be taking a lead.

"Eevee, use Dig to get some distance between you and Pikachu!" Nick called out. Whatever Ash had told him; it had really gotten him back into a groove. Digging underground, Eevee managed to dodge Pikachu's Iron Tail attack. "And Iron Tail!"

"Vee!" Eevee cried as he emerged from one of Krookodile's previous holes. Appearing from behind Pikachu, Eevee swiped his tail against the electric type and sent him flying.

"Pikachu, are you alright?" Ash asked as he watched Pikachu get back up. Now this was a battle. Ash could see it in Nick's eyes. Without whatever he was worrying about, Nick seemed to be a completely different trainer. He was more like the one who defeated Ricardo. "Now, use Electro Ball!"

"Pika, pika, pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out as he charged up the large electrical sphere. Then, throwing it across the field, they waited to see how Eevee would respond.

"Cancel it with Shadow Ball! Then get in close with Quick Attack!" Nick cried out as Eevee shot off the ghost type move. The two attacks collided and managed to explode on contact. Using the explosion as a distraction, Eevee shot off for Pikachu.

"What for it, Pikachu," Ash muttered as they listened for Eevee's footsteps. Once they appeared to get closer, the duo decided to strike. "Hit him back with Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he swung his tail right into Eevee. The normal type was flung backwards and right into one of the holes. Seeing this, Pikachu started to look around the field.

"Relax, Pikachu!" Ash called out, calming his best friend. They knew Eevee could attack from anywhere, but they also had to remain calm. Looking at the ground, Ash noticed that there was still water left over from Squirtle's Hydro Pump. Smiling, an idea came to Ash's head. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on one of the holes!"

Pikachu nodded as he leapt high into the air. Then, unleashing the electric attack everyone watched on as they waited to see just what Ash was trying to do.

"Eevee..." The normal type muttered as he was blasted out of the hole. Electricity seemed to be sparking off of his body. Nick had no idea how this happened until he noticed how Eevee's paws were wet.

" _Of course! Water conducts electricity. And with those tunnels all filled with water, it didn't matter which hole he attacked as it would travel right to Eevee,"_ Nick thought as the Evolution pokemon stood up, ready for more. "We're going to win this for sure, Eevee! Use Iron Tail!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Ash shot back as Pikachu ran towards Eevee. "Use Iron Tail!"

Both pokemon met at the center of the field, or what was left of it. The two pokemon both swung their tails at each other and watched as they collided once again. Pulling away from each other, the two pokemon swung away again only for their attacks to block each other.

" _There has to be a way to strike him,"_ Ash thought as he looked at the two pokemon battling. Then, he remembered a technique and decided to try it. "Pikachu, get back here and fire an Electro Ball straight up into the sky!"

"Pika!" The electric type agreed as he ended his current attack and jumped backwards. Then, Pikachu fired the electric sphere straight up into the sky as everyone watched in confusion.

"What's he doing..." Nick muttered as he watched the Electro Ball fall back down.

"Now! Iron Tail on the Electro Ball!" Ash called out as Pikachu knew exactly what was happening. Jumping into the air, Pikachu used Iron Tail on the Electro Ball and sliced it up into pieces before firing them all at Eevee.

"That's Shadow Tail, but with an Electro Ball!" Nick yelled out in amazement. He never would have expected Ash to use his own move against him. Staring at the approaching attack, Nick ordered an attack. "Block it with Shadow Ball!"

"Vee!" Eevee agreed as he fired a large Shadow Ball at the incoming attack. The attack managed to destroy all of the Electro Ball pieces and allowed them to see Pikachu falling straight towards them.

"Now, Eevee! Show them your strength! Use Iron Tail!" Nick yelled while throwing a fist out. Leaping into the air, Eevee's tail started to stiffen while glowing white in color. Then, the two pokemon collided with their tails clashing against each other.

Eevee tried with everything he had, but Pikachu was just too strong. Overpowering Eevee, Pikachu sent the normal type flying into the ground before falling after him. Then, once he was within striking distance, Pikachu slammed his Iron Tail down onto Eevee.

"Eevee! Are you alright!?" Nick asked as he looked at the normal type. Eevee looked battered and beaten beyond belief. But, he wasn't giving up. Trying to stand, Eevee used every ounce of strength he had. Once on his feet, Eevee looked ready to continue only to collapse from the pain.

"Eevee is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu which means Ash will advance onto the Top 4!" The referee declared as the scoreboard showed a picture of the six pokemon Ash had used.

"Eevee..." Nick muttered as he picked the defeated normal type up. Eevee looked disappointed in itself due to the lost, but Nick wasn't going to have any of it. "You can't blame yourself. We all gave it our all today. I could never ask more of any of you," Nick started to say as he saw a hand reach down.

"Wasn't that a better battle?" Ash asked as he helped Nick onto his feet. Nick seemed confused by Ash's question, so the boy from Kanto continued. "Battling with everything you have while believing in your pokemon. Wasn't that much better than the start of our battle?"

Taking Ash's hand, Nick stood up while laughing. That battle had been a lot of fun. Sure he had lost, but Nick felt that he had also learnt a lot from Ash. "It sure was. Eevee and I thought we had a shot at the end, but you using our Shadow Tail technique was amazing. But, could you explain how Squirtle was able to battle. I thought he was with the Squirtle Squad?"

"Well you see..." Ash started to say as he retold the events that led up to Squirtle rejoining his team for today.

* * *

" _I have all the pokemon you asked for, Ash," Tracey told the young trainer as he placed the three pokeballs onto the transfer machine. "It took me a little longer than I expected, but I finally found the last one you asked for. He was out far in the fields. After I explained how you wanted him to battle, he was more than excited."_

" _That's great to hear, Tracey," Ash replied as he placed his three pokeballs onto the machine as well. With a push of a button, the three pokeballs vanished before another set appeared before the trainer. "They're all here Tracey."_

" _And I received all of them as well," Tracey replied as he placed the three pokeballs onto a tray. "I'll make sure that they'll be ready for the next time you call for them."_

" _Thanks," Ash said as the call ended. Looking at the pokeballs, Ash smiled since it had been a while since some of them had been used. He couldn't wait for the battle to begin._

 _Ash was then making his way over to the exit to get a quick training session in with the six pokemon he had planned for today's match. He had to make sure they were all ready to battle, but with a group consisting of Pikachu, Hawlucha, Goodra, Krookodile, Sceptile and his secret ace he felt good about his chances._

" _Excuse me. But, are you, Ash Ketchum?" He heard someone ask. Turning around he noticed that one of the Nurse Joys was talking to him and it looked like it was important._

" _Yeah, that's me," he replied while making his way back over to the front desk. He wondered what he had done to have them ask for him. He knew he didn't break any of the rules, or at least he thought he didn't. "D-did I do something wrong?"_

" _No," Nurse Joy responded before handing him a note. "You have a message waiting for you. The person who called said it was important that you respond back immediately."_

 _Looking at the note, Ash read it quickly to himself. There wasn't much to it, just Keanan asking for Ash to call him. "I wonder what he wants," he muttered while sitting down at a phone. Dialing the number in, Ash waited until Keanan's face appeared on the screen. "Hi, Keanan. They said you wanted me to call?"_

" _Yes, Ash," he replied. Looking at him, Ash could tell something was wrong based on how much of a mess his house appeared to look. It was almost as if there was a problem there. As if reading his mind, Keanan started to explain his situation. "Ash, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but could you send Goodra back over? Carbink is acting up again and Florges can't get it to settle down. We're in desperate need of Goodra's help."_

 _Ash listened to Keanan's words and frowned. He was depending on Goodra for today's match, it was a pokemon Nick had seen very little of and wouldn't be expecting it. But, Ash knew that Goodra would also want to help his friends as much as he would want to help Ash. Knowing what situation was more important to Goodra, Ash placed the pokeball onto the transfer device._

" _Goodra's on his way right now," Ash told the older man as the pokeball vanished into thin air. Then, within an instant it reappeared on the other end of the call._

" _Thank you, Ash," Keanan said as he picked up the pokeball. He felt bad for having to ask for Goodra back, but he also couldn't allow Carbink to destroy the wetlands. "If things settle down here, I'll send Goodra back over," he finished before ending the call._

 _Leaning back in his chair, Ash sighed. "Now what, Pikachu?" He asked his best friend. Their match was only a few hours away and he only had five pokemon now. Sure he could just have Tracey send another over, but which one?_

" _Pi Pikachu!" The electric type cried out in joy as something caught his eye. Running off, Ash followed behind his best friend to see what it was. "Pikachu Pi! Pi Pi Pikachu!" He continued to cry out as he pointed to something on a TV._

" _It's just a Pokemon firefighting competition, Pikachu," Ash muttered as he watched the competition continue on. The TV anchor had stated that it was taking place in Viridian City and that today was a scheduled break day for all teams. Then it caught his eye, the same exact thing that had caught Pikachu's. Flashing on the screen was an image of the Squirtle Squad. "Is that what you were excited about?"_

" _Pikachu!" It cried out. They needed one more pokemon and Squirtle was available for the day. What better chance did they have than to try and contact him. Plus, Squirtle hadn't been used in forever so Nick wouldn't know much about him._

" _Let's go call Officer Jenny, maybe she can get Squirtle to Professor Oak's lab," Ash thought out loud as he dialed in the number he was given to call whenever he needed Squirtle. Ash sat there as the phone continued to ring. Then, around the fourth or fifth ring someone finally picked._

" _Vermillion City Officer Jenny, who's calling?" The familiar voice asked as she talked from her end. She was curious as to who this was, not a lot of people had this number._

" _It's me, Ash," he replied before waiting a second. "I was wondering if it was possible for Squirtle to make it out to Kalos for today. I have an important battle later today."_

" _Well, we are taking part in a firefighting competition, but we're off today," Officer Jenny replied before thinking it over. "I'm in Viridian City right now. If I rush, I could get Squirtle to Professor Oak's lab within the hour."_

" _That's great!" Ash yelled as he pumped his fists. "Tracey knows where his pokeball is. He'll be more than willing to help you get it."_

" _Okay sounds good," Officer Jenny replied while ending the call. Looking down, she noticed that Squirtle had heard her end of the call and looked excited to battle again._

* * *

"You're leaving already?" Clemont asked as the group finished their dinner. Joining them had been Nick. Once they had finished, Nick had dropped some big news that he was leaving to head back to Johto.

"Yeah," Nick replied while smiling. He had a lot of training to do, he had to be ready for the next time he ever ran into Ash. "I'm going to follow Ash's advice and strengthen my bond with my pokemon. I plan on leaving first thing in the morning."

"Well, if you plan on a good training," Professor Oak stated as he pulled out a postcard. The image was of a large island that appeared to have a large city on it. There was also a volcano and an airport there. "I just heard from one of my former students. His name is Kukui and he's an assistant to the professor of the Alola region. It's inhabited by new pokemon not seen anywhere else before. I was going to tell Ash about it following the Kalos League, but now's a good time as well. But, I figured that it would be a good place for you guys to travel to next."

Looking at the postcard, Nick pushed it back towards the professor. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested," he explained. Nick had already come up with a plan for his training and it didn't involve any new regions.

"Oh," Professor Oak replied as he placed the postcard away. He was sure that Nick would have jumped at the opportunity of traveling a new region. "What exactly are your plans then?"

Leaning back in his chair, Nick looked down at Eevee. "We're first heading to Professor Elm's lab to visit everyone. Then it's time to head home. I plan on going back to the house I grew up in with my pokemon and work on our bonds out there," he explained before smirking at Ash. "Once I'm done you better be ready for our rematch, Ash!"

"I'll be waiting," he replied while smirking back at the trainer. Ash had to admit, this had been a fun battle. Once it looked like it was over, Nick managed to pull through and give him a little trouble.

"But first," Nick said, sounding dead serious. Everyone leaned in closer to see what he had to say. Then, to their surprise, he pulled out an autograph book. "Could I have Squirtle and Bulbasaur's autographs?" Ash and everyone else nearly fell over from the question.

"S-Sure..." Ash muttered as he took the book.

* * *

It was now later at night and Ash was sitting outside with his pokemon from today's match. They weren't doing anything, just sitting outside under the night sky. Well, almost everyone, Squirtle had to be sent back a while ago to get ready for his firefighting competition.

Looking up at the moon, Ash thought to himself. _"The Top 4. And it's against Sawyer."_ Ash had looked at his opponent while Squirtle was being sent back to Officer Jenny. He saw that Sawyer had won his match while losing only four pokemon and that he was his next opponent. "Just two more wins," Ash muttered as he smiled at his pokemon. He really wanted to win, but if he lost he couldn't help but be glad of how well everyone battled this past week. There were only a few days left now and Ash wondered what the League had planned for the closing ceremony.

"Can't sleep again?" Someone asked from behind him. Turning around, Ash saw that it was Serena who was dressed in her pajamas. Sitting down next to Ash, she looked up at the moon. "That was nice of you today."

"What was?" Ash asked, unsure of what she was implying. He wondered just what happened today that she was saying was nice. "The only thing that happened was the battle."

"Yeah," Serena replied as she kept her stare on the moon. It was really large tonight and it had captured her attention just as it had Ash's. "It was nice what you did for Nick during the match. You really helped him through his nerves. You were like a coach to him."

Ash rubbed the back of his neck from the compliment. "I wouldn't say I was a coach. I could just tell he was getting nervous and doubting himself. He's really good, but he was getting nervous. He saw the difference between himself and I and started to doubt himself. If he continued to do that, the battle wouldn't have been any fun."

"And what did you said about your friends?" Serena asked. She hadn't heard the whole part about it, but she knew Ash had mentioned them.

"I told him how just recently, I was doubting myself. But, with the help and encouragement of you guys I was fine," Ash stated as he thought back to eighth gym badge. Wulfric had destroyed him and then he had become depressed over the fact. After a little help and a snowball from Serena, Ash had seen just how wrong he was about himself.

"Y-yeah," Serena replied as she felt her face heat up a little from the moment Ash had mentioned. She didn't know if it was back during their time in Snowbelle City or while they were here. "So, do you have any ideas on who to use for tomorrow?" Serena asked while trying to change the subject.

"Not really," Ash replied as he stood up. Crossing his arms across his chest, Ash looked over at his pokemon. "I only know that Pikachu and Greninja are going to battle. After that, I'm not sure. Sawyer has probably been watching all my matches and knows about my other pokemon."

"This match is important, isn't it?" Serena asked even though she knew the answer. This was the first time the two have faced each other since Greninja and Sceptile caused a double knockout during their last battle. Not only that, but the winner would move onto the championship round. "But, I know you'll do fine," She said while standing up next to Ash.

Looking over at Serena, Ash felt his cheeks heat up a little from how she looked in the moonlight. Sure she was dressed in just pajamas, but something seemed different being around her since the dinner they went to. Still, Ash thought that his warm checks were due to the humid temperature outside.

"How do you know that?" Ash asked, somewhat questioning her belief. He had only made it this far once, and that time didn't end so well for him. He had been matched up against the eventual winner Tobias and his Darkrai. "Sawyer has been planning for months. Ever since we first battled in Laverre City, he's been trying to counter each member of my team."

"I'm sure of it," Serena replied as she shot him a smile. There it was again, Ash felt his cheeks warm up just a little bit. "You've faced harder challenges than this. Plus, if you win I'll have a surprise ready for you."

"A surprise?" Ash asked. He was caught off guard by Serena's last sentence. He never had his friends plan a surprise for him. Yeah, they always celebrated but they never said they would have a surprise ready for him. Smiling, Ash let out a light yawn. "Well, if that's the case then I'll have to win."

"We'll be cheering you on the whole way," Serena told him as she now let out a yawn. Heading back towards the hotel, Serena turned around once at the door. "Good night, Ash. I'll be rooting for you tomorrow and then during the championship match."

"Good night, Serena," Ash replied as he scratched his cheek. Serena seemed to really believe in him and he just couldn't let her down. Seeing that she was gone, Ash recalled his pokemon back into their pokeballs and headed inside. "Time to plan for tomorrow," he muttered as he walked inside with Pikachu."

* * *

"And that does it folks!" The announcer cried out as the first battle of the Top 4 came to a close. "A has won once again and will face off against the winner of the next match. Whoever wins will have their hands full since A has shown to be more than a capable battler!"

Walking off the field, A made his way down the tunnel. Stopping for a moment, A took his cloak off and revealed his black hair that had a small patch sticking up. Smiling at the pokeball that contained his Charizard, A was excited already looking forward to tomorrow.

"That was great, Alain!" A younger girl cried out as she ran down the tunnel. Following behind her was a Chespin. "You beat your opponent easily and tomorrow you're in the championships! One more victory and you win the entire Kalos League!"

"Yes, Mairin. But that's not what I'm looking forward to," Alain responded as he walked down the tunnel with his friend. "Tomorrow, I'll be able to face off against Ash and finally get everything off my chest."

"Ash has to win first," Mairin responded as she followed behind the man. Ever since Team Flare had been defeated, the duo had been traveling Kalos so that Alain could challenge the gyms.

"He'll find a way to win," Alain responded as he walked away from the stadium. Along his way, he noticed Ash and his friends in the crowd and hid from them.

* * *

Ash started to look around the crowd. He could have sworn someone had said his name. Continuing to look around, he didn't notice anyone who was calling for him.

"Everything alright, Ash?" Clemont asked as he also looked around. Whatever had caught Ash's attention and so it must have been important.

"It's nothing," Ash replied as he shrugged. He could have sworn he heard Alain's voice. Ever since Team Flare was defeated, Ash had hoped to have a real battle with him. But, he had been unable to ever find Alain again. It seemed as if he had disappeared after the Squishy's friend was rescued.

* * *

"And now the final match of the Top 4 will now take place!" The announcer cried out as Ash and Sawyer made their ways to their respective boxes. "Today we'll see Ash of Pallet Town facing off against Sawyer of Littleroot Town! The winner of this match will advance to the championship round and face off against A!"

"This match will be a full six-on-six battle! The winner will be decided once one side has lost all six of their pokemon!" The referee declared as he raised his flags. "Ash has won the coin toss and will choose the first pokemon!"

"Okay, Pikachu! You're up!" Ash told his best friend while pointing towards the field. Pikachu ran from Ash's side and out onto the field.

"Pikachu huh..." Sawyer muttered as he grabbed a pokeball. "Camerupt, go!" He cried out as the Eruption pokemon emerged from its device.

"And the battle will begin with Ash's Pikachu facing off against Sawyer's Camerupt! This should get interesting!" The announcer cried out as the two pokemon appeared in their respective trainers' first spot.

* * *

 **Hopefully the battle turned out well. I wanted to try something different and show just how much Ash had matured, willing to help teach someone during a battle that he and everyone else already knows the outcome. However, Nick is now gone and Ash has moved on to face Sawyer. Also, A is actually Alain... Who didn't see it? Honestly, I tried to make it obvious.**

 **The next chapter probably won't be up until Wednesday the earliest and there might only be one chapter next week because of it.**

 **Thank you to everyone who supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**


	15. Crouching Sceptile, Hidden Greninja!

**Welcome back everyone. Hopefully you all had a nice long weekend. Anyway, last time we left off with Ash about to face off against Sawyer for the final spot in the championship match.**

 **Ch 15: Crouching Sceptile, Hidden Greninja**

* * *

"And now the final match of the Top 4 will now take place!" The announcer cried out as Ash and Sawyer made their ways to their respective boxes. "Today we'll see Ash of Pallet Town facing off against Sawyer of Littleroot Town! The winner of this match will advance to the championship round and face off against A!"

"This match will be a full six-on-six battle! The winner will be decided once one side has lost all six of their pokemon!" The referee declared as he raised his flags. "Ash has won the coin toss and will choose the first pokemon!"

"Okay, Pikachu! You're up!" Ash told his best friend while pointing towards the field. Pikachu ran from Ash's side and out onto the field.

"Pikachu huh..." Sawyer muttered as he grabbed a pokeball. "Camerupt, go!" He cried out as the Eruption pokemon emerged from its device.

"And the battle will begin with Ash's Pikachu facing off against Sawyer's Camerupt! This should get interesting!" The announcer cried out as the two pokemon appeared in their respective trainers' first spot.

"I've been waiting for this match, Ash!" Sawyer yelled out as he faced his rival and role model. He had trained hard to beat Ash ever since they first battled and since then he had seen amazing growth in both himself and all of his pokemon. "Don't expect us to hold back at all!"

"I wouldn't expect you to," Ash shot back as he stared at his rival. He had known Sawyer for only a short amount of time, but the boy had made leaps in his skill as a trainer. Ash knew he couldn't waste any chances he got today. "Pikachu, start off with Thunderbolt!" Ash called out as he balled his hands into fists. It had been a while since they last faced Sawyer and Ash wondered just what the trainer had up his sleeve now.

Pikachu nodded in agreement as he jumped high into the air. Electricity flowing through his body, Pikachu started to charge up his attack. "Pika... Chuuu!" The electric type cried out when he finally launched the powerful attack at the Eruption pokemon.

Sawyer didn't seem worried at all. Instead, he stood there with a calm expression on his face as the electric attack crashed into his pokemon. Just like Sawyer, Camerupt wasn't concerned by the attack and instead just shrugged it off. To Ash's surprise, the attack seemed to cause no damage to Camerupt at all.

Seeing it, Sawyer smirked at his rival. Camerupt was part ground type meaning that Pikachu's electric type attacks would cause no harm to it at all. "Now, Camerupt! Use Earthquake!"

"Camer!" The Eruption pokemon cried out as he slammed his feet into the field. As Pikachu landed back on the ground, he immediately lost his balance due to the ground shaking. Noticing that Pikachu was struggling on the ground, Ash had to try something else.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out as Pikachu managed to stand on his feet despite the shaking ground. "Use Iron Tail to spring yourself into the air! You'll be fine up in the sky for now!"

"Pika!" Pikachu replied as he agreed with his trainer. As it was right now, this match wouldn't be going in their favor if they continued to fight this way. Slamming his tail into the ground, Pikachu used the impact as a spring board to send him soaring high into the sky and away from the attack.

"Perfect," Sawyer muttered as he watched Pikachu fall back towards the field. He was anticipating Ash to try something to avoid Earthquake and now it left Pikachu defenseless. "Use Rock Tomb!"

"Rupt!" Camerupt cried out as its entire body glowed white. Large rocks then started to form around its body before flying up after the descending Pikachu.

"I thought you'd try something like that!" Ash called out as his calmness shocked Sawyer. Ash knew that Sawyer didn't know about Ash's match at the Cyllage City Gym or his technique to counter his move. "Pikachu use Rock Tomb Climb followed by quick attack!"

Pikachu started to use Iron Tail once again but this time was using it to get a height advantage over the incoming attack. Bouncing from one rock to the other, Pikachu managed to avoid getting hit while also managing to deflect a few back at Camerupt. Then, seeing his chance, Pikachu dashed across all the rocks as a trail of white light appeared behind him.

"Amazing! After blocking Sawyer's Rock Tomb attack, Ash's Pikachu Is now using the falling rocks as a bridge to reach Camerupt!" The announcer cried out as Pikachu closed the gap between the two pokemon before ramming into Camerupt.

The Eruption pokemon landed on his side and skidded across the field before coming to a stop in front of Sawyer. Getting back up, Camerupt was not ready to lose just yet. Seeing this, Sawyer smiled at his pokemon. "Thank you, Camerupt! I know we'll win this! Now use Overheat!"

Camerupt's entire body glowed a dark red before launching off the large blast. Pikachu had next to no time to react and barely dodged the attack by rolling to his left. However, the blast still managed to nick Pikachu on his back.

Seeing Pikachu struggling, Ash realized that it was best to switch him out for the time being and try something else. "Pikachu! Why don't you take a short break, buddy?" Ash asked as Pikachu understood what he meant. Running back over to his trainer, Pikachu stood right next to him as Ash threw his next pokeball. "Buizel, I choose you!"

"Bui bui!" The Sea Weasel pokemon cried out as he appeared out of his pokeball with his arms crossed. Looking across the field, Buizel stared down his opponent as he waited for the next command.

"And Ash has decided to switch out Pikachu for his Buizel!" The announcer cried out as Buizel's picture was added in Ash's second spot. "Perhaps Ash is questioning his strategy?"

"So Ash is using his reserves against me as well," Sawyer muttered as he grasped his notebook. Sawyer had prepared for this as he had taken notes of Ash's previous battles during the League and had done some quick research into his other pokemon. "It won't make a difference. I'll still win! Now, Camerupt, start off with Rock Tomb!"

"Not this time, counter it with a Water Gun while spinning!" Ash cried out as he pumped his fist. Buizel knew exactly what to do and dropped onto his back before spinning around. Then, firing off a Water Gun, Buizel managed to create multiple streams of water that flew around the field with ease.

Knocking the entire Rock Tomb down, Buizel continued to spin as his Water Gun started to batter Camerupt as well. Acting quickly, Sawyer decided to act on impulse instead of thought.

"Stop that Water Gun with your Earthquake!" Sawyer cried out as Camerupt smashed its feet into the ground. The sudden quakes through the ground were more than enough to knock Buizel off its axis and end its attack. Flying into the air, Buizel straightened itself out before landing back onto the shaking ground. "Great job, Camerupt! Now use Solar Beam!"

"Camerupt," the Eruption pokemon muttered as the stones on his back started to glow. The fire and ground type was absorbing sunlight in an attempt to end the battle.

"Buizel, quick! End this with Aqua Jet!" Ash cried out while punching his fist forward. Jumping up into the air, the Sea Weasel pokemon found himself enveloped in a geyser of water as he flew straight for his opponent.

Sawyer started to grow nervous until he saw that the Solar Beam was ready to launch. Throwing his hand forward, Sawyer commanded the attack. Opening its mouth, Camerupt launched off the attack and both trainer and pokemon watched as Buizel flew right towards it.

"Now, Buizel, spin to the left!" Ash called out at the last second. Sawyer having forgotten briefly about Ash's spin dodging watched as Buizel changed his course and dodged the Solar Beam with ease. Before he could issue another command, Sawyer watched as Buizel rammed itself right into Camerupt.

"Camerupt is unable to battle! The winner is Buizel!" The referee declared as Camerupt's picture was blacked out.

"Thank you, Camerupt," Sawyer muttered as the pokemon was recalled into its pokeball. "Alright, Salamence you're up!" Sawyer cried out as the Dragon pokemon emerged with a roar.

"So, Shelgon evolved?" Ash asked as he received a head nod from his rival. Knowing that Salamence must be pretty powerful, Ash took his time with his next attack. "Buizel, start off with Sonic Boom!"

"Bui!" Buizel cried out as he flipped around, his tails glowing white before firing off a large white shockwave. The blast soared across the field, but Sawyer seemed to be waiting.

"Salamence, cancel it out with Flamethrower!" Sawyer calmly ordered as Salamence's mouth started to light on fire before a stream of fire soared across the field and collided with the Sonic Boom, completely destroying it.

"It's much stronger than before," Ash muttered as he looked at the Dragon pokemon. It definitely was much stronger than before and Ash needed to try something else. "Okay, Buizel, use Ice Punch and while doing that use Aqua Jet!"

"Bui bui!" Buizel yelled as his fist started to glow blue as ice started to form around it. Moving quickly, Buizel jumped up as once again he was covered in a geyser of water. But, to Sawyer's and the audiences surprise, the Aqua Jet froze while flying towards Salamence.

"And somehow, Buizel has become frozen in his Aqua Jet. The attack is still flying towards Salamence so how will Sawyer and Salamence be able to counter this?" The announcer asked as Buizel continued his trajectory towards Salamence.

"This is what we call Ice Aqua Jet!" Ash started to explain his technique. "The Aqua Jet is frozen and its strength is also increased thanks to it."

"Well, what happens if we melt the ice?" Sawyer asked as he pointed a finger forward towards Salamence. "Now use Flamethrower!"

"Sala!" the Dragon pokemon cried out before firing off the stream of flames. The attack caught Ash and Buizel by surprise and struck the Sea Weasel pokemon directly. Ash could only watch as the ice around Aqua Jet was melted leaving just Buizel's original attack.

"And now, catch him with Thunder Fang!" Sawyer stated while smirking. Salamence nodded in agreement as it opened its mouth. Then, four fangs were formed out of electrical energy and surrounded Salamence's mouth.

Waiting until Buizel crashed into it, Salamence clamped down onto the water type and landed a powerful attack. As Salamence continued to increase the pressure, an explosion occurred before Buizel was tossed by the dragon type.

"Buizel is unable to battle! The winner is Salamence!" The referee declared as he watched Buizel try to get up only to crash back onto the ground. Buizel's picture was then blacked out.

"Buizel, return!" Ash called out as he recalled Buizel into its pokeball. "Thank you, you put up a great fight. Now get some rest," he praised the water type before grabbing his next pokemon. "Noivern, I choose you!"

* * *

"Ash is going with Noivern," Clemont stated as they watched the Sound Wave pokemon emerge from its pokeball and take to the sky. "Ash must want to fight Salamence in the sky right now."

"That would be the best choice right now," Professor Oak muttered as he crossed his arms. "Fighting on the ground won't do him any good if his pokemon can't land a hit. At least this way Noivern can keep up with Salamence."

"But can Noivern handle someone like Salamence?" Bonnie asked as she seemed nervous for Ash's dragon type. "It hasn't had many battles besides the two here at the League. Salamence must have more experience by now."

"Noivern will be just fine, Bonnie," Serena assured the young girl as she placed a hand on her shoulder. Serena was nervous as well, but she believed that Ash knew what he was doing out there and trusted his decisions. "If there's anything Ash has taught us it's that nothing is impossible if you don't give up."

* * *

"Noivern, start off with Dragon Claw!" Ash called out as he threw a fist forward.

"Salamence, you use your Dragon Claw!" Sawyer countered as both dragon types flew at each other.

Their claws extended and changed color, coming closer to a greenish hue as they struck. Both pokemon appeared to be equal in power as they both struggled to overpower the other.

"Now use Thunder Fang!" Sawyer cried out once he saw they were in a stalemate. Opening its mouth, Salamence had four fangs form around its face and bit down onto Noivern.

"Vern!" The Sound Wave pokemon cried out as he dropped his own attack due to the pain. That was more than enough for Salamence who slashed forward with his Dragon Claw. The attack sent Noivern crashing down into the ground.

"Noivern, are you alright?" Ash asked as the flying type stood back up. Opening its wings up, Noivern took to the sky once again. "Great! Use Boomburst!"

"Dodge it, Salamence!" Sawyer called out, but it was no good. Before Salamence could even react, it found itself being blasted into the ground by the sound based attack. Noivern likewise was on the attack again.

"Acrobatics!" Ash called out while Noivern dive-bombed straight for Salamence. Now glowing a light blue, Noivern picked up speed only to be shocked by Salamence.

"Dodge it!" Sawyer called out. Salamence forced itself to get off the ground and watched as Noivern crashed right into the spot it had been in before. "Now use Draco Meteor!"

Salamence lifted its head up towards the sky as a large orange tone started to emerge from its mouth. Then, firing a large orb straight up, everyone watched as the orb exploded into a number of smaller spheres all crashed towards the field.

"Noivern, block them with Boomburst!" Ash called out, but it was too late. Noivern was pretty banged up from missing his target and was slow to fire the attack. By the time the Sound Wave pokemon managed to fire his attack, the Draco Meteor was too close to stop. Ash could only watch as the spheres all crashed into his pokemon.

Smoke filled the stadium and everyone waited for it to finally subside so they could see what happened. Able to see, the referee signaled that Noivern had fainted. "Noivern is unable to battle! The winner is Salamence!"

"Thank you, Noivern. You did amazing out there, you managed to tire out Salamence," Ash said to the pokemon as he recalled it to its pokeball. Then, raising his next, Ash tossed it onto the field. "Boldore, I choose you!"

"And Ash has now chosen a Boldore! How will this pokemon handle Salamence considering the fact that it can't take the battle to the air?" The announcer asked as Boldore appeared in Ash's fourth spot.

"What's he trying to do?" Sawyer asked himself as he looked at the rock type. Ash should know that he was at a disadvantage due to the fact that Salamence could attack from a distance. "Doesn't matter, Salamence will handle it. Use Flamethrower!"

Ash smirked, he was hoping that Sawyer kept Salamence in to battle Boldore. Seeing the flames coming straight for Boldore, Ash issued the command. "Now, Boldore! Use Sandstorm!"

"Boldore," the Ore pokemon muttered before jumping into the air and over the Flamethrower attack. As he fell back towards the field, Boldore started to glow a mix of different colors. Once back on the field, Boldore slammed into it and caused a pile of sand to swirl around the entire field, blocking out a good amount of vision.

"Salamence, are you okay?" Sawyer asked as he squinted through the Sandstorm. He had learned that the move could cause pain to his pokemon overtime, but he didn't know how much it caused. Hearing his pokemon cry out, Sawyer could see Salamence sitting on the field unable to fly due to the storm. "Can you get back into the air?" Sawyer asked as the Dragon pokemon tried to fly. The Sandstorm proved to be too much however and prevented Salamence from flying.

"Okay, Boldore! Start off with Flash Cannon!" Ash could be heard through the Sandstorm. It was hard for the audience, but Sawyer was able to hear him perfectly and had already planned a counter for it.

"Use your Flamethrower, Salamence!" Sawyer cried out as both he and his pokemon could see a silver beam approaching them. Acting quickly, Salamence fired off his attack and canceled out the Flash Cannon. Doing so created a gust of wind that cleared out the Sandstorm for the time being and allowed Sawyer to notice Boldore was missing. "Wait! Where'd Boldore go!?"

"Now, Boldore, use Rock Blast!" Ash yelled out. Looking up above them, Sawyer could see the Ore Pokemon up in the air. It had used Flash Cannon as a distraction to get in close.

"Bol...Dore!" The rock type cried out as the red crystals on his back started to glow orange. Then, without any warning, Boldore fired off three quick blasts of silver energy from the protrusion on the front of its body.

"Quick, dodge it then use Dragon Claw!" Sawyer commanded as his Dragon pokemon spread its wings and barely avoided the incoming blasts. Taking to the sky, Salamence's claws started to glow green and became enlarged as it approached the falling Boldore.

It looked as if Boldore was done for, but then Ash called out his next command. "Block it with Rock Smash!" Once again, the crystals on Boldore's body glowed orange in color as its legs glowed the same color. Swinging its left leg down towards Salamence, Boldore blocked the Dragon Claw attack before slamming his right leg into Salamence's head. The Dragon pokemon was unable to react and instead started to fall straight towards the battlefield.

"Salamence you need to straighten out and then use Flamethrower!" Sawyer pleaded as he watched Salamence continue its descent towards the ground. The dragon and flying type was unresponsive unlike Boldore.

"Time to end this, Boldore. Rock Blast, let's go!" Ash cried out as he threw an open palm forward. Just like last time, Boldore fired off the silver blasts of energy only this time there were four blasts. Ash and Sawyer both watched as the blasts struck Salamence directly and caused the pokemon to crash into the ground while Boldore landed unharmed with a loud thud.

"Salamence is unable to battle! The winner is Boldore!" The referee declared as Sawyer recalled the defeated pokemon. That was already his second pokemon he lost today. He would need to be a lot more careful if he wanted to win.

* * *

"That was a good idea by Ash," Professor Oak stated as he glanced over to the scoreboard. He had at first found it odd for Ash to use Boldore, but the boy had a plan all along.

"What do you mean, Professor Oak?" Delia asked as she took a picture of her son and his pokemon. Pretty soon she would be able to fill up an entire scrapbook with just photos from Kalos.

"What I mean is that Ash knew fighting Salamence in the sky would be impossible," Professor Oak started to explain to everyone as they looked down to Boldore. "So, he had Boldore force Salamence onto the ground through the use of Sandstorm and then managed to trick Sawyer into attacking him from close quarters."

* * *

"Ash, you may have defeated two of my pokemon, but can you handle this one?" Sawyer asked as he grabbed his third pokeball. Ash could only wonder what Sawyer had planned at the moment and waited patiently as Sawyer tossed it forward. "You're up, Clawitzer!"

"And Sawyer responds to the last battle with a Clawitzer! Ash will have to be careful as rock types like Boldore are weak to water types!" The announcer continued to cry out as the two pokemon stared each other down.

Looking over at Boldore, Ash could see that it was a little worn out from the previous battle. Knowing that it wouldn't be a good matchup against a water type, Ash raised Boldore's pokeball. "Time to take a quick rest, Boldore," he said as the pokemon was recalled. "You battle great out there. I know I'll need you later on." Looking out at the field, Ash knew that there was only one choice he could go with. Looking down at Pikachu, Ash started to speak. "Ready, Pikachu? Let's show Sawyer just how much we've grown."

"Pika!" The electric type cried out as he ran back out onto the field. Its last battle had been cut short and it was now ready to throw everything he had at Clawitzer.

Sawyer frowned as he looked at the matchup before him. Yes, he had learned that sometimes a type advantage wasn't always a definite victory. But, with the fact that it was Pikachu he was facing, Sawyer didn't feel comfortable having a water type face off against him.

Raising his pokeball, Sawyer quickly recalled the water type into its pokeball and reached for his next. "I'm sorry, Clawitzer, you'll get a chance to battle later. But for now, Aegislash, go!"

"And both trainers have decided to switch out their pokemon while going for completely different looks. Ash has chosen Pikachu while Sawyer has gone with Aegislash!" The announcer cried out as the fourth spot for Sawyer was filled by Aegislash.

"Hmm, Aegislash," Ash muttered as he thought back to when they last faced it. Last time it had still been a Doublade so it must have become much stronger since then. Deciding to learn more about it, Ash raised his pokedex and scanned it.

"Aegislash, the Royal Sword pokemon. It is believed that generations of kings used their spectral power to manipulate and control people and pokemon. They can also detect the innate qualities of leadership and those recognized by it are destined to become king," the pokedex explained to Ash before he placed it away. Just like he thought, this wasn't going to be easy.

"Pikachu, let's start off strong! Use Quick Attack!" Ash called out as he watched Pikachu break out into a sprint. Running across the field, Pikachu picked up speed until a trail of white light followed behind him. Then, lunging at Aegislash, Pikachu found himself falling straight through Aegislash. "So it's still part ghost," Ash muttered as he watched Sawyer go on the offensive.

"Aegislash, use Sacred Sword!" Sawyer called out while the Royal Sword pokemon's sword glowed a shade of orange before swinging right at Pikachu. The Mouse pokemon quickly dodged the attack only for Aegislash to come right back at it.

"Counter with Iron Tail!" Ash called out just in time. Pikachu then leapt into the air as his tail collided with Aegislash and caused the two attacks to cancel out. "Don't stop, continuous Iron Tails!" Ash continued once he saw an opening.

The two pokemon traded blows again, but unlike last time, Pikachu then continued to attack and slam his tail into Aegislash. The Royal Sword pokemon had no chance to block the attack and instead found himself crashing into the field.

"That was great Pikachu! Now finish it up with Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded as he swept his arms across his body. They were starting to get on a roll now.

"King's Shield and then Shadow Sneak!" Sawyer called out in a haste. Moving fast, Aegislash quickly transitioned to behind its shield. The shield then managed to block the entirety of the electric attack, preventing Aegislash from taking any damage. Then in an instant it disappeared.

"Be careful, Pikachu, it could appear from anywhere," Ash mentioned to his best friend, but before either of them could react Aegislash reappeared from behind and struck Pikachu hard with its sword.

"Now let's wrap this up, Aegislash!" Sawyer said as he started to get all excited. Pointing over at Pikachu, Sawyer issued the next command. "Now, use Slash!" Aegislash moved close to Pikachu and swung its sword down onto the Muse pokemon.

"Grab ahold of that sword!" Ash quickly ordered. From what he had seen, if they tried to attack from a distance then Sawyer would use King's Shield. And if they tried to attack from close by, Sawyer could always issue Shadow Sneak.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried out as he allowed Aegislash to hit him. Then, holding onto the sword Pikachu felt himself be lifted off of the ground. Looking around, he found himself hanging on tightly to the sword while Aegislash tried to knock him off.

"Now use Thunderbolt!" Ash's reasoning had been simple. If they could get in close and attack with their best move, then there was nothing Sawyer could do to try and counter it. Letting loose the electricity, Pikachu shocked Aegislash with everything it had before it felt that they were both dropping.

"Aegislash, are you okay?" Sawyer asked as he watched his pokemon crash into the ground while Pikachu landed safely. Sawyer then waited as Aegislash slowly raised itself off of the ground, only to collapse again.

"Aegislash is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu!" The referee declared as Aegislash was blacked out on the screen. "Sawyer has lost three pokemon and we will now take a short intermission to allow both trainers a chance to rest!"

* * *

"Pika..." Pikachu muttered as he sat on Ash's lap. They were both quiet right now as Ash appeared to be in deep thought. He knew Sawyer still had Clawitzer and Sceptile, but he was unsure of his sixth pokemon.

"You did amazing out there, Pikachu," Ash told his best friend before he scratched behind its ears. Everyone was doing amazing out there today and he couldn't ask for more out of them. Still, they couldn't ease up just yet. They still needed to finish this battle on a strong note.

Ash was about to say something else to Pikachu when the bell rang signaling that the intermission was over. Standing up, Ash motioned for Pikachu to climb onto his shoulder and the Mouse pokemon did just that. Walking back to his box, Ash noticed that Sawyer was reading something out of his notebook and wondered what it could be.

"The match between Ash and Sawyer will now resume!" The referee told both trainers as he raised his flags. "Since Ash had sent the first pokemon during the first half of this battle, Sawyer will select first this time!"

"That's fine with me," Sawyer replied back as he grabbed a pokeball. Tossing it forward, the device opened up. "Go, Slurpuff!" The Meringue pokemon appeared on the field and its picture was placed in Sawyer's fifth spot.

"So he did bring Slurpuff," Ash muttered as he tried to think of a pokemon. Unsure of who to use at the moment, Ash reached for a pokeball. "Boldore, I choose you!" Ash yelled as the Ore pokemon appeared back on the field. "We'll take the first move! Boldore, use Sandstorm!"

"Not this time, Ash!" Sawyer called out as Boldore jumped into the air. He knew what Ash was planning this time and he wouldn't allow it to happen twice in the same battle. "Slurpuff stop Boldore with Energy Ball!"

"Slurrr..." the fairy type muttered as a green sphere of energy quickly formed in its mouth. It then waited for Boldore to start its descent before firing the attack. Unfortunately for Ash and Boldore, the timing was perfect and the Energy Ball crashed right into Boldore and threw him backwards.

"Boldore! Are you alright!?" Ash called out as he looked down at his pokemon. It appeared to be fine and was getting back up. But, to their surprise, Slurpuff was already waiting for them. It was pretty fast for a Slurpuff and Ash wondered what kind of training it had went through. "Knock it away with Rock Smash!"

"Catch it, Slurpuff, and then use Play Rough!" Sawyer countered as he smirked at Ash. He knew using Slurpuff at the beginning would be a good choice for the second half of their battle.

Boldore then lifted its glowing legs, but when it tried to slam them down it found itself unable to. Looking down, Boldore was surprised to see Slurpuff holding onto both of its legs while smirking. Then, without even the slightest notice, Slurpuff started to slam Boldore back and forth into the ground. The Ore pokemon was taking quite a beating from the attack before feeling itself smash into the stadium's wall, having been thrown into it by Slurpuff.

"Boldore no!" Ash called out in concern. He watched as Boldore remained slumped over from the attack and wasn't moving. Looking over, Ash could see the referee already making his decision.

"Boldore is unable to battle! The winner is Slurpuff!" He declared while the scoreboard was updated. Looking at it, Ash noticed how it was all even now when it came to pokemon.

Taking a deep breath, Ash looked down at Pikachu. "You think you can go another round, buddy?" Ash asked even though he already knew the answer. Without even a response, Pikachu ran back out onto the field and looked over at Slurpuff.

"Great! Start off with Electro Ball!" Ash called out as he swung his arm across his body. He knew Pikachu had to have been pretty tired by now, but he wasn't going to stop trying until he couldn't stand any longer.

"Block it with Energy Ball!" Sawyer told the Meringue pokemon. Both pokemon then released their sphere shaped attacks and launched them at each other. Much to everyone's surprise, the two attacks collided and exploded upon impact.

Not messing around, Ash fixed his hat before pointing towards the field. "Get in close with Quick Attack!" Pikachu was then off and running as he chased after Slurpuff.

"Pikachu sure is fast," Sawyer said as he stated the obvious. But, the way he said it seemed to concern Ash. It was as if Sawyer wanted him to have Pikachu get in close for some reason. "Now! Cotton Spore!" Sawyer called out, proving Ash's suspicions correct.

"Puff, slurpuff," the fairy type muttered before opening its mouth wide open. Then, to Ash's fear, a large cloud of cotton flew out of it and covered the area of the field where Pikachu was heading towards. Before Ash could warn Pikachu to stop, the electric type had felt itself become trapped in the cotton.

"That was perfect, Slurpuff," Sawyer praised his pokemon as he pointed a finger outwards. "Now onto stage two of our plan. Use Belly Drum!" Slurpuff then started to slam its stomach which Ash thought was strange. Choosing not to waste this time, Ash decided to try and get Pikachu freed.

"Pikachu, try and break the Cotton Spore into pieces with Iron Tail," he thought of as Slurpuff continued to slam its hands against its stomach. Pikachu started to give itself some leeway until it was finally freed, but by then Slurpuff had started to glow a shade of red. "We have to stop Slurpuff, Pikachu! Hit it with Iron Tail."

"And now that stage two is complete, it's time to finish our plan," Sawyer muttered to himself as he watched Pikachu start to swing its tail down towards Slurpuff. This was going to be close, but if it worked then there would be no one to stop him. "Now use Play Rough and catch that tail!"

"Slurpuff..." the Meringue pokemon muttered as it raised its hands up. Just like with Boldore, Pikachu felt itself unable to finish its attack and strike. Looking down, it noticed much to its shock that Slurpuff was holding onto his tail.

Pikachu was about to unleash a Thunderbolt to try and break free, but before he could even muster enough electricity eh felt himself slammed against the ground. Ash could only watch as Slurpuff finished its assault with the same exact finisher as Boldore by tossing Pikachu into the stadium wall.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner is Slurpuff!" The referee declared as Pikachu's picture was blacked out. Ash grit his teeth together as he picked his best friend up. Just like that he was now trailing in this battle.

"Pi... ka..." Pikachu muttered as he tried to move. There was something different about Slurpuff, but he couldn't figure it out.

Noticing his best friend trying to move, Ash stopped him. "Take it easy, Pikachu. You battled great out there today. Now, why don't you take a nice rest while the others finish this battle off," he told the Mouse pokemon before sitting him down on the bench. Still, that Slurpuff was something else, despite the evident fatigue it was still quite powerful. "Talonflame, I choose you!"

"Talon!" The fire and flying type cried out as it spread its wings. Talonflame then immediately took to the sky and circled its opponent.

" _Slurpuff seems to be tired, but its strength hasn't dropped at all. Instead, it seemed to jump after it pounded on its stomach. Could that have had something to do with it?"_ Ash thought to himself as he looked at the panting fairy type. Deciding to attack, Ash pumped his fists. "Talonflame, start off a Flame Charge!"

Talonflame stopped flying in circles and instead charged straight for Slurpuff. Before Sawyer could issue a command, Talonflame had already reached the fairy type and slammed into it with its flaming body. The Scorching pokemon then turned around as it flew higher up.

"Now, hit it with Energy Ball," Sawyer called out once he noticed the way Talonflame was flying away. Not keeping an eye out could be very dangerous for it. Slurpuff nodded in agreement before firing off the attack. They both watched as it crashed into the flying type but proved to do little to it.

"Okay, Talonflame, finish this with Brave Bird!" Ash yelled up. He had finally figured out that Slurpuff was increasing its strength with the banging of its stomach. Deciding not to mess around with it, Ash wanted to finish it off.

"Talon!" The Scorching pokemon screeched before flying straight for Slurpuff. After flying far enough, a layer of blue flames surrounded Talonflame as he kept his eyes on its target.

"Slurpuff use Cotton Spore and Energy Ball to stop it," Sawyer said while doing his best to stay under control and keep the battle going in his favor. Slurpuff agreed as it opened its mouth and fired off the cloud of cotton followed by the Energy Ball.

"Don't worry, spin like a drill!" Ash called out as Talonflame remembered back to their seventh gym badge. Forcing itself to spin, Talonflame cut right through the Cotton Spore and managed to swat away the Energy Ball as well. The Scorching pokemon then rammed itself right into Slurpuff.

"Slurpuff is unable to battle! The winner goes to Talonflame!" The referee declared as Nick's third spot was blacked out from Sawyer's update.

"Thank you, Slurpuff," Sawyer said as he recalled the pokemon into its pokeball. "You did exactly what you were supposed to do. Now you're up again. Go, Clawitzer!"

The Howitzer pokemon emerged from its pokeball and immediately stared up at the flying Talonflame. It was almost as if it was trying to track the patterns of its movement.

"Talonflame, start off with Brave Bird!" Ash cried out while Talonflame dove straight for Clawitzer. The Scorching pokemon continued to pick up speed until its entire body was covered in blue flames.

"Brace yourself, Clawitzer!" Sawyer called out as the water type took the entire hit head on. Watching Talonflame, Sawyer noticed their chance to attack. "Now, while it recovers from the recoil of that attack! Use Water Pulse!"

"Clawitzer raised its claw up towards the flying and fire type. Just like Sawyer had stated, Talonflame seemed to be hurting from using Brave Bird twice in a row and it allowed an easy opening. Talonflame could only watch as the Water Pulse struck it directly. Already weakened from two consecutive Brave Birds, Talonflame was too exhausted to try and straighten itself out before crashing into the ground.

"Talonflame is unable to battle! The winner is Clawitzer!" The referee declared as Talonflame's picture was blacked out. Looking at the board, Ash knew he only had one pokemon left.

Clutching said pokeball, Ash threw it towards the field with complete trust in it. They had been through quite a bit the past few months and every time they got knocked down, the duo got right back up even stronger than before.

"Greninja, I choose you!" Ash yelled out as the pokeball opened up and revealed the water type pokemon. The Ninja pokemon eyed Clawitzer and didn't seem too interested in it. Ash knew what he wanted and that was a rematch with Sceptile. "Let's end this fast so we can get to the real fight! Use Night Slash!"

"Gren!" The Ninja pokemon grunted in agreement before sprinting right at Clawitzer with speed never seen by Sawyer. Within a blink of an eye, Greninja was already slashing down hard with Night Slash onto his fellow pokemon. He then struck a second time as his purple blade hit across Clawitzer's body and sent it flying until it collided with the stadium wall.

"Clawitzer is unable to battle! The winner is Greninja!" The referee declared as Sawyer returned the defeated pokemon to its pokeball.

Sawyer picked up his sixth and final pokeball and grasped it in his hand. The young trainer thought back to all of their battles with Ash and thought one thing was always the same; it always ended like this. It was always Sceptile and Greninja going at it. Tossing the pokeball forward, Sawyer cried out. "Let's go, Sceptile!"

The grass type appeared on the field and immediately smirked at his opponent, who likewise returned the smirk. Both of them had been waiting for this ever since their tie not too long ago. Their rivalry had been built up over time starting from when they first battled each other back in Laverre City.

"And here we go folks! The last battle in this breathtaking match is about to begin!" The announcer cried out as everyone waited for someone to make the first move. Neither trainer was moving and you could feel the tension between the two pokemon building out on the field.

"Ash," Sawyer said while breaking the silence. He had a serious expression on his face, one that was even more serious than his usual one. "Sceptile and I have grown thanks to our rivalry with you and Greninja. You helped us on the path to becoming great partners and for that I thank you. But today we'll be taking home the victory! Sceptile use Bullet Seed!"

"Sawyer, I can't thank you enough either. You were always there pushing Greninja and myself further as well. Thanks to you we've also grown a lot stronger during our journey and managed to strengthen our bonds," Ash stated as he threw his left fist forward. "But, like you said, we'll be taking home the victory! Counter with Water Shuriken!"

Both pokemon nodded in agreement before launching off their respective projectile attacks. Seeds and shuriken flew across the field and met at the middle in a huge collision. The attacks exploded upon contact with each but neither trainer seemed fazed.

"Why don't we get serious right from the beginning?" Sawyer asked as he pulled his notebook out. Ash looked at it and realized that the keystone Sawyer had from the last time they battle was now attached to it. Touching it, Sawyer started the process of Mega-Evolution.

"Yeah, this way the battle can be our best yet!" Ash agreed as a water veil surrounded Greninja. Ever since they mastered the form in Snowbelle City, they could activate it at will. The veil suddenly moved right to Greninja's back and formed a giant water shuriken. Likewise, Sceptile had finished his transformation and the duo stared each other down again.

"Dragon Claw, Sceptile!" Sawyer cried out as he held his notebook in his hands.

"Counter with Aerial Ace, Greninja!" Ash also cried out as he pumped his fists. There was never anything better to him than a full out battle with both sides giving it all they had. Ash watched as the two pokemon met at the middle of the field and tried to strike each other.

The two attacks collided as fists met fists. Neither side was backing down as the collision turned into a battle of wills. Despite being locked like this, neither side was backing down an inch and it seemed like they could be at it for a while.

Ash however had a different idea. "Now, Greninja! Aerial Ace with your feet!" Greninja's feet glowed white as he kicked his right one upwards and into Sceptile's chin. The impact was just enough to make the grass type lower his hands and allow Greninja to strike with everything he had. "Now use Double Team with Night Slash!"

Copies of Greninja immediately formed as he ran after Sceptile as two purple blades formed in his hands. Looking around, Sawyer couldn't tell which Greninja was the real one. "It doesn't matter how many there are! Use Leaf Storm on the entire area!"

"Sceptile," the grass type responded as he pointed his tail at the approaching copies. Whipping it around, a vortex of leaves started to form before firing straight at Greninja and its copies. The attack managed to destroy them all, but there was still no sign of Greninja.

"Quick he's coming from above!" Sawyer cried out as he remembered seeing this in the highlights from previous battles. The copies were just a distraction for the real attack. "Block the attack with Leaf Blade!"

Sceptile looked up just as his trainer had warned him and noticed the approaching Greninja who was ready to strike. Raising his two blades, Sceptile prepared himself as they sharpened along the edges and managed to block the attack head on.

"Now, Greninja, strike him with your feet!" Ash cried out as he tried to use the same plan as last time.

"Not again, Sceptile, knock him away with your tail!" Sawyer quickly countered. Before Greninja could get off the attack, Sceptile whipped its tail around and flung Greninja away from it.

"Now use Bullet Seed!" Sawyer continued as Sceptile fired off multiple seeds right at the flung Greninja.

"Greninja, you need to stop that attack with Night Slash!" Ash called out as he managed to snap his pokemon back into action. Once he landed on the ground, Greninja looked up and slashed through all of the Bullet Seeds before running straight for Sceptile. "Great, now use Double Team again!"

"Ash, we won't fall for that again!" Sawyer stated as he gripped his notebook even tighter. This battle was amazing, Sawyer never imagined that they both would get this far in their travels. "Leaf Storm and then get a Bullet Seed ready for up above you!"

"Tile," Sceptile agreed as he fired off the grass type move. All of the copies were destroyed within seconds just like the last time and Sceptile was already looking to the sky. Just like before, Greninja was falling towards them.

"We weren't trying the same thing as before!" Ash told his rival which shocked him. He could have sworn Ash would go for the same attack twice, but noticing the smirk on Ash's face despite the approaching Bullet Seed Sawyer knew he wasn't bluffing. "Now, Greninja! Water Shuriken!" Ash yelled as they both copied the motion of flinging the water shuriken from the Ninja pokemon's back.

The giant shuriken collided against the Bullet Seeds and sliced through them with ease before heading straight for Sceptile. The grass type raised his arms in front of the attack to try and shield himself, but the Water Shuriken was too much and it broke through. Sceptile was then thrown backwards from the blast and landed in front of his trainer before reverting back to normal.

"Sceptile is unable to battle! Greninja is the winner and that means Ash from Pallet Town will be advancing onto the championship round!" The referee declared as the scoreboard showed the six pokemon Ash had used in the match.

"We did it, Greninja!" Ash cried out as they high fived each. Looking across the field, they saw their rivals embracing each other after a hard fought battle.

"Sceptile, you were amazing," Sawyer started to say as he helped his starter back onto its feet. Despite losing, Sawyer couldn't help but feel happy for the way his pokemon had gave it their all. "We almost had them too, next time we'll beat them!" He told the grass type as it agreed with its trainer.

"Sawyer," Ash said as he and Greninja made their way over to Sawyer and his Sceptile. "That battle was amazing. I didn't know if we were going to pull it off at the end. You and Sceptile have really improved from the first time we battled." Ash then extended his hand out to Sawyer while Greninja did the same to Sceptile.

"Thank you, Ash," Sawyer said as both he and his partner accepted their hands. Shaking them, the duo stared at their rivals before breaking the silence. "Ash, today you taught me that no matter how much planning I do, there will always be that unpredictability in battle that I can't account for. I promise that I'll train to become even stronger than I am now and when that day comes I'd like to battle with you again."

"Well, Greninja and I will continue to grow stronger as well," Ash said as they ended their handshake. "And when that day finally comes for us to battle again, I know Greninja and I will be giving it our all just as you and Sceptile will be."

* * *

"That was a truly remarkable battle, Ash," Professor Oak told the young trainer once they had met up. "Using Sandstorm to force your opponent into a battle that would be beneficial to you was a great strategy."

"Thanks, Professor, but I couldn't have done it without all my pokemon," Ash replied as he rubbed the back of his head out of embarrassment. After all these years Ash thought he'd be use to praise, but sometimes he still got embarrassed from it.

"Speaking of pokemon," Clemont said as he joined in. Fixing his glasses, he eyed his friend and travel companion. "Have you decided on which pokemon to use in your next match? This A guy doesn't sound like he'll be easy to beat."

"Yeah, I already have it figured out," Ash replied as he started to look around. The whole time that they were talking outside the stadium, it felt as if someone was missing. Finally having a chance to look, Ash realized that Serena wasn't with them. "Hey, where'd Serena go?"

"Don't worry about that," Bonnie said as she dragged Ash towards the Pokemon Center. She knew Serena was getting something ready back at their hotel room and so she took it upon herself to stall for time. "You should go make sure all your pokemon are fine after that match."

"But still," Ash muttered as he followed Bonnie. To him, it felt weird with her not there with the rest of them. He had gotten so used to everyone always being there that he didn't like this feeling of her not being around. "Shouldn't we make sure she's alright?"

Delia smiled at her son. He really did care about her quite a bit even if he didn't fully understand why. "Ash, I'm sure Serena is fine. She told us she had to go finish something for tonight," Delia explained as she walked alongside her son. She wasn't going to let him ruin all Serena's hard work. "Come on, Pikachu and the others need to have a checkup with Nurse Joy."

* * *

It was now later at night as everyone finally reached the house. To Ash, it still felt weird as Serena wasn't with them. He wondered what she could have needed to get done. As he opened the door to the hotel room, Ash realized exactly what it was. Upon entering the front room, Ash's nose was filled with delectable and familiar smells. Looking around, Ash noticed the entire table was filled with his favorite foods and there was even more food in the kitchen.

Ash still wondered where Serena was though. Looking around, he found her asleep on the couch. Walking over, Ash nudged Serena a little to try and get her to wake up. "Serena... Hey, Serena," Ash muttered as he shook her a little.

Letting out a yawn, Serena opened her eyes and noticed that Ash was right next to her. "A-Ash?" She asked, shocked by him being back already, she had sat down for just a few minutes, or at least she thought that was it.

"Serena, what's with all of the food?" Ash asked as he pointed to the table filled with his favorite foods. "The others said you needed to get something finished, I wasn't expecting this."

Standing up, Serena followed Ash and everyone else to the table. Letting out a yawn, Serena started to speak. "Remember when I told you last night that if you won I'd have a surprise ready for you?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Ash asked, not understanding where she was heading with her explanation. Still, he couldn't take his mind off of the food, the smell alone was making his mouth water and he was having a hard time waiting to eat it.

Smiling, Serena pointed to all the food. "This is the surprise. I know how much you love to eat, so I made you a buffet of all your favorite foods for you to enjoy. What better way to celebrate a great victory than with your favorite meals?"

Ash couldn't believe it, once again Serena had gone out of her way to do something nice for him. Smiling, Ash didn't know what to say. Instead, he grabbed a plate and started to pile food onto it. "Thank you, Serena. You didn't need to do anything like this."

"I know," Serena replied as she walked into the kitchen. There was one final thing she was making still. Having heard the buzzer, Serena decided to check on it. Noticing that it was finished, Serena carried it into the dining room. "But, you deserve something for doing so great in the Kalos League. Besides, who doesn't want a victory cake?" She asked while placing a large chocolate cake onto the table.

Ash stared at the cake and noticed the detail put into it. The frosting looked to be homemade and was vanilla. The entire cake was covered in it, but what caught his eye was something written on the top. Looking at it, Ash read it to himself. _"Congratulations on Making the Top 2, Ash!"_ Smiling, Ash noticed how it also had a Pikachu face made out of frosting next to it.

"Thank you, Serena," Ash said as he continued to eye the cake. He was having a hard time deciding what to eat first, everything looked so good and then that cake was making his decision even harder. "And thank you everyone else. You've all been right behind me the entire time I've been in Kalos."

The rest of the meal the group talked about various adventures they had gotten into and Ash also told them some of his wild adventures that predated his time in Kalos. The room was filled with energy and happiness as the boy from Pallet was advancing onto his first championship match.

* * *

 **Phew, finally completed. Sorry about being a day late. I understand I promised a Wednesday update, but something came up and so instead it's now being uploaded on Thursday. To make up for it, look out for another update either late tonight or midday Friday. It'll probably be Friday though. And Ash wins again, he now moves on to face A, or as everyone knows him as, Alain. How was the battle? Hopefully I made it out to be as good as it will be in the anime.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know how I can improve the story and what you enjoyed about the chapter.**

 **SPOILERS FOR SUN AND MOON:**

 **Anyway, some new news about Alola. The legendary's typings were revealed with Solgaleo (the sun legendary) being Psychic and Steel. Lunala (the moon legendary) is Psychic and Ghost. I honestly wasn't expecting those typings to be what they were at all, but it's something different for a legendary for once. Anyway, also it's confirmed that Alola is made up of four natural islands and one man-made island. Not too excited for that one... Too much surfing or they could have you travel by boats? Unsure about that part. Last bit of news, there is a new pokedex. The Rotom pokedex, yes, Rotom will be a part of the pokedex once you capture it and it'll update the pokedex for you.**


	16. Entering Uncharted Territory!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash had defeated Sawyer and moved onto the championship match. We're nearing the end with there only being roughly four chapters, including this one, of the Kalos League Arc. After that, the next arc will begin shortly after.**

 **Ch 16: Entering Uncharted Territory**

* * *

"I can't believe how calm Ash is right now," Clemont said as he eyed the trainer. He was still eating away at the meal that Serena had prepared for everyone. Despite making it to the championship round, Ash didn't seem to care at all. "If I was in his positon I'd be beyond excited."

"Give it a few seconds," Bonnie stated as she looked over at Ash. The boy had put his plate down now and a large smile crossed his face. "And 3... 2... 1…" she counted down before pointing at Ash. As if on cue, the young trainer threw his hands up out of excitement.

"We're going to the championship round, Pikachu!" He cried out happily. As Bonnie had thought, the thought of making it this far hadn't sunk into Ash yet but now that he had time to think about it he finally realized how close he was. "Just one more victory tomorrow and then we'll win the Kalos League!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed while copying his trainer's actions. This was their time; Pikachu could feel it. After everything they had been through, there was no reason that they couldn't win tomorrow.

"See, big brother. The whole idea of competing in the championship round hadn't sunk in yet," Bonnie explained as she got up off of the couch. Ash was being just a bit too loud right now, even for her standards.

"I guess you're right, Bonnie," Clemont agreed as he scratched his cheek. Ash could be quite emotional when he wanted to be. Seeing Ash get out of his chair with Pikachu and head for the door, Clemont wondered what was going on. "Is something wrong, Ash?"

Shaking his head, he looked at the gym leader. "No, I just want to go for a walk. Use this time to clear my head. That way I'll be ready for tomorrow," he explained. Truthfully, he wanted to be by himself for the moment due to his nerves. He had never been to the championship round and for the first time in a while he had real nerves.

"You mind if I come?" Serena asked as she stood up. She had been sitting at the table while Ash had continued to eat away. Now that he was leaving, she figured that now would be a good opportunity to spend time with him. "I was going to get some fresh air but then you said you were going for a walk and I figured I could join you. Unless you don't want me to."

"No, you can come along," Ash said as he put his hat and jacket back on. Even though he was nervous, Ash was glad that Serena wanted to come along with him. She had this calming effect on him which he enjoyed. As they left the hotel, Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder knowing just what Serena was doing. "You don't want to come, Pikachu?"

"Pika pi," it replied while shaking its head back and forth. It figured it would be best if they were alone for the time being.

* * *

Ash and Serena walked in silence as they made their way around the entire compound. There had actually been three different housing sections for trainer, the Red section where Ash was, the Blue section and finally the Green section. He couldn't believe at how many hotel rooms the Kalos League contained. Making their way past the Pokemon Center and now towards the bridge into town, Ash paused as he looked out at the lake.

"Serena," Ash started to say as he looked away from the lake. Turning to face his friend, Ash noticed that she was staring out at the lake as well. "I just wanted to say thank you. Before coming out here I was actually kind of nervous for tomorrow. But, after this walk I feel a little better. To think, I'll be battling in the championship round tomorrow. I never would have expected that when I first arrived in Kalos. Yeah, my pokemon and I would give it everything we have, but I've seen some pretty strong trainers and had quite a few battles with them."

Serena turned to face Ash. He had a smile on, but it wasn't his normal cheerful smile. It wasn't a forced one either. Serena could tell that he was just happy. She understood why, after years of hard work Ash was finally competing in his first championship match.

"I believed from the beginning," Serena said as she smiled at Ash. She knew it sounded crazy, but ever since she had seen his rematch against Viola she had thought Ash had a good shot at winning the entire Kalos League. "Of course, I haven't traveled for nearly as long as you have. But, from what I saw of you battling throughout our travels I constantly thought you had a great chance at winning the entire League. Bonnie and Clemont thought so as well. Whenever you went off training we would mention how well you were doing."

Ash was taken aback by this. He never expected his friends to think he would win the entire League. Yeah, he knew they thought he was a good trainer but to tell him they all thought he was going to win from when they first started traveling together was something else.

Sitting down on a bench, Ash motioned for Serena to join him. "I never knew you guys thought so highly of me," he explained as they both locked up at the sky. "Now tomorrow means more than just a victory for me. Tomorrow includes all of you and all of my other friends," Ash said, telling Serena something he had already came to terms on. "But, will I be good enough? This A guy is pretty powerful."

"Ash, you'll be perfectly fine tomorrow," Serena told him as took her gaze off of the moon and put it on Ash. Noticing the peaceful scene around them, Serena decided to try something. Slowly, while Ash wasn't looking, Serena tilted her head until it rested on his shoulder. She could tell Ash was surprised by the action based on the way he tensed up. "I-I'm so-sorry. I'm just a little tired after today," Serena fibbed as she went to move her head from Ash's shoulder.

"It's fine," Ash said as he felt his cheeks heating up a little. Once again he wondered what was causing this, it was a cooler night than the other time it had happened. Stopping Serena from moving her head, Ash helped to position it comfortably on his shoulder for her. "I... I actually like it," he answered while scratching his cheek with his free arm. "It's helping to calm my nerves a little."

Serena could feel her face heating up from Ash's words. Was he really saying that he liked it when she placed her head on him? Could she have been hearing things or did he really say that? Deciding not to question it, Serena stayed as she did and the duo sat there in silence just taking in the scenic view.

* * *

"Congratulations on making it to the championship round, Ash," Tracey said as he picked up two pokeballs off of the transport device. "I've received Boldore and Buizel and they're both alright."

"Thanks, Tracey," Ash replied as he picked up the two pokeballs that had been sent to him. "I've received them on my end as well. To think, just one more battle to go and then I'll have won the Kalos League."

"It's a huge accomplishment, Ash," Tracey said as he seemed to be motioning for someone. "That's why we're all here to wish you luck!" He cried out as all of Ash's past traveling companions appeared on screen.

Ash was shocked by their presence. What were they all doing at Professor Oak's lab? Shouldn't they be off on their journeys? "Everyone! Hi!" Ash cried out with a smile as he saw them all. "It's great to see you all again, but why are you all at Professor Oak's?"

"Well you see," Brock started to say as he stepped forward. He looked no different than the last time Ash had seen him with the exception of being just a little taller than before. "I had heard on the news about a boy from Pallet Town making it into the Top 4 at the Kalos League."

"From there Brock called me," Misty joined in as she stood next to Brock with her Azurill. "I then called May who called Dawn who then called Iris and Cilan. After some conversations and schedule tweaking we all decided to meet up here and cheer you on."

"Really?" Ash asked as he eyed his friends. They were taking time out of their busy schedules to watch him in the championship match. He didn't know what to say to them and just stared at them. "Guys... Thank you," he muttered to the camera.

"You're such a kid, you know that," Iris replied as she looked at Ash. "You're practically tearing up from us just watching your battle. If this makes you cry what'll happen when something bigger happens," she teased before giving him a thumbs up. "Just go out there and win it all!"

"Yeah, there's no need to worry about anything, Ash," Dawn joined in as Piplup cried out in the background. "You and your pokemon have been training for this moment. If anyone was going to win it'll be you."

"Show them all what Ash Ketchum's made of," May added as she now squeezed into the front. "Just like you did with Brandon during your Frontier challenge we know you can win today. Also, Max says hi. He wanted to come but unfortunately it would interfere with him participating in the Hoenn League."

"They're right Ash," Cilan now joined in. "Between your spicy unpredictability and the cooling aroma of your calmness there isn't a better recipe for victory. That last battle you had against that Sawyer left a satisfactory and sweet taste of victory in all of our mouths."

"Thanks guys, I'd love to talk more, but I need to get ready for the match," Ash told them all as he was about to end the call, only to stop when he heard another familiar voice.

"Ash," Gary's voice could be heard as he walked from behind everyone. He was dressed in his white lab coat, but underneath it was his casual black T-shirt. "Go out there and Make Pallet Town proud. Give us all one great battle. Okay, Ashy-Boy?" Gary said, having to throw his little nickname for Ash in at the end.

"I will, I'm going to give it my all out there today!" Ash told them as he ended the call. Leaning back in the chair, Ash thought about what just happened. He had just been surprised by all of his friends and now he felt even better than before.

* * *

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to today's main event!" The announcer cried out as music blared in the background. "Today we will bring a close to the Kalos League with what we all hope is a magnificent battle. Both of these trainers have earned their spots in this championship match. We'll start off with A first," he continued to explain as the scoreboard showed highlights of A's battles. "For a first time participant he hasn't shown any signs of being nervous. Fighting his way here with the use of just his Charizard, Tyranitar and Metagross. Those three all pack a powerful punch and will make things difficult for Ash. Speaking of Ash, he's won the championship in the Orange League, has completed the entire Battle Frontier and has placed in at least the Top 16 of the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova Leagues. This young boy isn't no rookie and he's shown it time and time again through this tournament! Now, please welcome our two trainers!"

Ash could hear the applause of the crowd as he and Pikachu made their way down the tunnel. Pausing for one second, the boy from Pallet Town faced his best friend. "This is it. Ready, Pikachu?" He asked, excitement filling his voice.

"Pika!" It cried out before the duo continued to walk outside. Once outside they were greeted by the sight of a man dressed in a cloak that covered his entire face.

Ash didn't even wait for the festivities to end before he called out his opponent. "Alain, you can drop the charade!" He said, a smile crossing his face. He had thought for a while that A was actually Alain based off of the information that Sawyer had collected on him.

Ash's opponent let a small laugh escape his mouth as he pulled the entire cloak off. Ash wasn't surprised one bit by the reveal. Noticing this Alain smirked at the fact that Ash knew. "Was it that obvious?"

"Well, I didn't know it was you for a while. Then I was told you had a Mega Charizard and I started thinking," Ash started to explain as he continued on with his story. "How many people do you know that have a powerful, mega evolving Charizard? You were the only one who came to mind. I'm glad it is you though, I've been wanting to have a real battle with you now that Team Flare had been stopped. What was the whole point of the disguise though?"

Alain shook his head as he heard about Team Flare. That had been one huge mistake. "I'm still ashamed of my previous actions. Due to one lie from Lysandre I helped to bring Kalos to the brink of destruction. I couldn't bring myself to face you or the citizens of Kalos because of that. The only way that I felt I could get forgiveness was by having a pokemon battle with you, to express my emotions through our battle. But, I felt that you might have been angered by my betrayal and so I entered under the guise of A," he explained while frowning.

"Alain, you didn't know any better," Ash said as he tried to help Alain realize his mistake wasn't entirely his fault. "You were told that what you were doing was for the good of Mairin and Chespie. Lysandre lied to you to get you to do his dirty work, you shouldn't fell upset you were used," Ash continued to explain. It seemed to be helping Alain a little as his frown was now a neutral expression.

Alain was about to respond when the announcer cut into their conversation. "And as a special surprise for our top two trainers, they'll be able to be the first trainers ever to try out our new battlefield!" The field then opened up as a large field emerged from underneath it. When the announcer meant that is was new he meant it. Ash had never seen something like it.

Right in the middle of the entire field was a large mountain that had cliffs and ledges built all around it. On the top of it was a lake that flowed over the side, creating a stream that rolled down the entire mountain and into an open desert that had rocks protruding through the ground. Finally, a little further away from the desert was a thick forest that surrounded the rest of the field.

* * *

"Woah! Look at that field, it's amazing!" Sawyer cried out as he looked at the field. Compared to the normal specialized fields they had been using before, this one was spectacular. "I wish I was battling on this kind of field."

"You'll have the chance to starting next League season," Professor Oak explained as he looked down at the field. He had been told about these new fields that were going to be used, but it wasn't supposed to happen until next season. "Starting next year, these will become the standard fields, only they won't include so much."

"So, instead of a rock field you could have the mountain with the streams running down it?" Clemont asked as he started to understand what Professor Oak was saying. If this was true, it would make pokemon battles much more exciting through the use of different strategies based around the new fields.

"Not only that, but they're also working on a wetlands, forest, desert and glacier fields as well as the mountain one," Professor Oak continued as they looked out at the field.

* * *

"First off, I would like to congratulate you both on making it this far. It is no small feat to make it to the championship match," the referee started to say as he raised his flags up into the air. "This match will be a full six-on-six battle with the winner being decided when one side has lost all six of their pokemon. There will also be no intermission at all today. A has won the coin toss and will select his pokemon first! Begin!" He cried out while dropping his flags.

"Go, Metagross!" Alain cried out as he tossed his first pokeball out onto the field. Emerging from it was the Iron Leg pokemon who landed in the desert section of the field with a loud thud before levitating into the sky.

"Metagross..." Ash muttered as a smirk crossed his face. There was no doubt that this was the same Metang he had faced a while ago. Knowing that, Ash reached for a pokeball. "Noivern, I choose you!" He cried out as the Sound Wave pokemon emerged from its device.

"And the first battle in the championship match will be Metagross versus Noivern! Already things feel to be heating up!" The announcer cried out as the scoreboard was updated for both trainers.

"Let's go, Noivern! Acrobatics!" Ash cried out as he flung his right arm across his body before pointing out at the field. Taking flight, Noivern started to glow a light blue as he picked up speed.

"Counter it with Metal Claw!" Alain called out as Metagross' front legs started to glow a grayish silver before growing in size. Metagross then flew up into the sky and waited for Noivern.

Noivern then appeared and slammed itself right into Metagross' Metal Claw. The two attacks bounced off each other as the two pokemon moved backwards. Both trainers knew the attacks did nothing but they had to try something.

"Psyshock," Alain called out as Metagross recovered from the attack. A beam of purple energy was launched from Metagross' mouth as it traveled towards Noivern

"Stop it with Boomburst!" Ash countered as Noivern fired off the sound based move. Two blasts of soundwaves were launched from Noivern's ears and collided with the Psyshock, causing both attacks to explode.

A cloud of smoke now covered the field small part of the field they were fighting in, making visibility near impossible for both pokemon. Ash, knowing what to do smirked. "Noivern, use your Supersonic to locate Metagross. Then use Dragon Claw!"

"Vern!" The Sound Wave pokemon cried out as sonic waves flew through the smoke cloud, allowing it to locate his opponent. Once found, Noivern flew through the smoke effortlessly and smacked Metagross down towards the ground with a powerful Dragon Claw.

"Keep it up, Noivern! Now use Boomburst!" Ash called out as he saw Metagross fall out of the smoke cloud. Ash continued to watch as he saw the cloud split open as two sound waves shot across the sky and slammed right into the falling Metagross.

The pokemon and attack both crashed into the desert as sand was kicked up everywhere. Ash couldn't see anything, not even Noivern who was up in the air still. Covering his mouth to keep himself from choking on the sand, Ash tried to think of something. Seeing a slight opening, Ash took it.

"Acrobatics, Noivern!" Ash yelled out as the sand started to die down. Noivern had needed to fly up even higher as he was being pelted by the sand and had been getting hurt from it. Diving back down, Noivern was able to make out Metagross in the sand and charged at it.

"Not again! Metagross, knock it back with Meteor Mash!" Alain yelled out. Metagross lifted his front legs in front of his body and charged at Noivern. As he did so, Metagross' body was covered in a blue aura.

The two pokemon collided as an explosion occurred from their attacks. A small cloud of smoke then appeared as Noivern could be seen falling from it badly hurt. Metagross meanwhile looked to be banged up as well, but was doing fine.

"End this! Psyshock let's go!" Alain cried out as he extended an open palm towards Metagross. The Iron Leg pokemon agreed before firing off the familiar beam of energy right at Noivern. This time however, the beam separated into multiple blasts and they were all heading right for Noivern.

"You have to get out of there, Noivern!" Ash called out to his barely conscious pokemon. Noivern appeared to have heard him as he opened his eyes at Ash's words. Using every ounce of energy it had left, the Sound Wave pokemon opened its wings and glided across the desert floor as the Psyshock followed behind it.

Doing a 180 degree turn, Noivern was now directly underneath Metagross. Seeing how the steel and psychic type was controlling the approaching beams gave Ash an idea. Watching as Noivern flew up underneath Metagross, Ash thought that his idea could work.

"Noivern! Fly low to the ground again!" Ash called out to his dragon type. Nodding in agreement Noivern flew low to the ground as he maneuvered around rocks that were protruding from the field. Ash watched as some parts of the Psyshock destroyed the terrain, leaving gaping holes in the ground. _"Just a little further..."_ Ash thought as he watched Noivern fly near Metagross. Once in range, Ash smirked. "Now, use your wings to blow sand into Metagross' vision!"

"Vern!" The Sound Wave pokemon agreed. Dragging its claws across the desert floor, Noivern kicked up sand and then lifted it high into the air by flapping its wings. Just as Ash had thought, Metagross's vison was impaired now and he couldn't see where the Psyshock was heading.

"Time to finish this!" Ash cried out as he pumped his fists. Taking a look at the Psyshock, Ash had to time this just right. "Fly up and use Boomburst!"

Noivern did as he was commanded and flew directly behind Metagross and fired its signature move. The blast proved to be too much for Metagross and the Iron Leg pokemon lost its balance in the air. Flying across the desert field, Metagross came face to face with his own Psyshock attack as it collided right with him.

"Metagross is unable to battle! Noivern is the winner!" The referee declared as Metagross was returned to its pokeball.

"And Ash manages to use his opponent's own attack against him to steal the first match today! How will A respond to such an attack?" The announcer asked as everyone waited for Alain to grab his second pokeball.

"Noivern has grown much stronger since the last time we battled," Alain said as he reached for his second pokeball. "But, can it keep up with this? Go, Absol!"

"And A chooses Absol as his second pokemon! Will Ash keep Noivern in or will he opt to give it a rest?" The announcer seemed to wonder as they watched Noivern pant.

"Noivern, how are you feeling?" Ash asked as his dragon and flying type replied back affirmatively. It wanted to stay in right now despite how the last battle went. "Alright, I'll stick with you! Start off with Boomburst!"

"Counter with Psycho Cut!" Alain yelled out as a smile crossed his face. He had wanted this match with Ash for a while, but he wanted it to be special for the both of them. Watching, Absol swung its head around as a large purple blade of energy struck the approaching Boomburst. Overpowering the attack, Psycho Cut slashed right through it and barely missed hitting Noivern.

"That was close," Ash muttered as he looked at the blade of energy continuing across the field until crashing into the mountain. Looking at it, the attack had left a gash where it had hit. "Noivern, head to the forest! We'll confuse them from in there!" Ash called out as Noivern flew off towards the wooded area.

Ash felt good about their chances of fighting Absol from in there. Using Noivern's Supersonic to locate it, they would be able to outmaneuver Absol. Looking back at the field however, Ash noticed that Absol wasn't chasing after Noivern, but was instead scaling the mountain.

"Yes, Absol, climb to the top!" Alain yelled out as Absol leaped from each ledge while climbing its way up the mountain. Ash had no clue what he had planned at all, but he didn't like it. "You can't hide from us! Absol, Psycho Cut let's go!"

"Absol," the Disaster pokemon replied as he leaped off of the top of the mountain. Ash watched as the dark type swung its head once again as the Psycho Cut attack was launched. This time however, the attack appeared to cover even more ground than before and it was heading for the section of the forest where Noivern just went.

Before Ash could say anything, the attack struck the forest and cut through all of the trees, slicing them all in half. He then heard Noivern scream out in pain, having been hit by the attack. Looking over, Ash watched Ash Noivern used a Boomburst to get the debris off of him and flew up into the sky before landing on the edge of the desert and forest.

"Noivern, are you alright?" Ash asked as he looked at the battered pokemon. Noivern was now covered in cuts and bruises due to the trees that had fallen on him. Noivern however shrugged it off and flew high into the sky. "We'll show them just how strong we are! Get in close with Acrobatics!" Noivern dived down towards Absol as he soared across the desert floor, his body glowing a light blue as he did so.

"Block it with Night Slash, Absol," Alain commanded as he threw an open palm towards his pokemon. Absol started to charge right at the approaching Sound Wave pokemon. As he did so his two front claws started to glow a dark purple and extended in size.

The two pokemon then collided as Absol's claws proved to be more than strong enough to hold back Noivern before an explosion occurred. Dust filled the field as both trainers and pokemon couldn't see.

"Noivern, blow the dust away with Boomburst!" Ash called out through his covered mouth. The dust was making it not only hard to see, but to breath as well. Nodding from the command, Noivern released the sound based attack and cleared the arena of the dirt. However, they both noticed that Absol was gone. "Huh!? Where'd Absol go?"

"We're up here!" Alain cried out as Ash looked up at the mountain in shock. Standing on one of the ledges, Absol was perched so it could see the entire field. But that wasn't what worried him, it was the fact that the dark type was glowing with electricity. "Thunderbolt, let's go!"

"Absol!" The Disaster pokemon cried out before releasing the electric type attack. Electricity soared through the sky before breaking off into multiple bolts all aimed at Noivern.

"Quick, dodge them!" Ash called out in concern. Noivern immediately got off of the ground and managed to dodge the first few electrical bolts, but dodging the remaining ones was a lot more difficult than they both thought. The Sound Wave pokemon twisted and turned through the sky as he nearly dodged each attack. However, Absol wasn't letting up on its attack while Noivern was growing tired. Finally, Noivern's fatigue caught up to him. As the Sound Wave pokemon dodged one part of the Thunderbolt, he was immediately struck by another.

Noivern fell into a freefall as he was struck again while trying to recover from the last hit. Now unable to move, Noivern crashed into the stream that ran along the desert defeated. Absol however jumped down from his ledge, prepared to continue fighting if need be.

"Noivern is unable to battle! Absol is the Winner!" The referee declared as Noivern's picture was blacked out.

"Thank you, Noivern," Ash said as he recalled the defeated pokemon. "You were amazing out there. Not only did you beat Metagross, but you also tired Absol out."

"A manages to tie this battle up with some quick thinking and a powerful strategy. How will Ash manage to respond?" The announcer asked as the crowd saw Ash grab a pokeball.

"Hawlucha, I choose you!" Ash yelled out as the pokemon opened and the Wrestling pokemon emerged on the field while striking his familiar poses. "You ready, Hawlucha? I'm counting on you!"

"Hawlucha cha cha!" It replied back as confident as ever. Immediately striking another pose, Hawlucha stared down his opponent.

"Absol, strike first with Night Slash!" Alain commanded as he threw a fist forward while smiling. It had been a while since he had enjoyed battling so much.

"Counter with a dual Karate Chop!" Ash called out as Hawlucha blocked the Night Slash with his two glowing forearms. The two attacks collided and due to the pressure caused another explosion. Ash however already knew what to expect and was on the move. "Hawlucha, we need to get the high ground! Scale the mountain!"

"Haw. Lucha, Haw," The Wrestling pokemon agreed as he dashed out of the smoke that filled the desert part of the stadium. To his surprise, Absol was already waiting on one of the ledges smirking down at him.

"Thunderbolt, Absol!" Alain called out as the same smirk on his pokemon crossed his face. Alain knew that most of Ash's pokemon were weak to electrical attacks and was going to take advantage of that. Absol launched the electric type move and watched as it shot straight for Hawlucha.

Not wasting a second, Hawlucha jumped to his left as the blast blew up a good chunk of the field, sending rocks flying everywhere. Bracing himself, Hawlucha felt a few of the rocks bounce off of him but he had no time to stop. Jumping up onto one of the ledges, Hawlucha was now eye level with Absol and the two stared each other down.

"Hawlucha!" Hawlucha cried out as he continued to eye his opponent.

"Absol!" Absol shot back as the smirk on his face never left as he jumped up to a higher ledge.

"After him, Hawlucha! We can't let them get above us!" Ash called out to the flying and fighting type who immediately took off. The two pokemon started to race each other as they jumped from one ledge of the mountain to another. Both were trying to reach the top first and be able to control the mountain portion of the field.

* * *

"Look at those two go at it," Professor Oak stated as they watched Absol and Hawlucha collide with Night Slash and Karate Chop respectively. "They're both moving at speeds I've never seen before."

"Yeah, I can barely keep up with them," Sawyer added in as they all heard another clash between the two pokemon. They just weren't backing down either as right after the last clash they were right back at it again.

"Clemont," Bonnie started to say as she rubbed her eyes. "Can you even see any of this because I can't." The action was moving just too fast for her eyes to keep up. Every time she finally found the duo they were on the move to another part of the mountain.

"Barely," he replied while fixing his glasses. Even for someone like him who had trained for most of his life, these two pokemon were moving at a speed that was hard for him to keep up. "It's amazing just how badly they both want this."

* * *

"Come on, Hawlucha! I know you can pull through!" Ash cried out as they were now nearing the top of the mountain. The four participants could now see it and it was only a matter of who could make it there first.

Alain smirked as he looked at the situation. Hawlucha had given them a hard time up until now, but Absol was slightly ahead. Looking at the surrounding area, an idea came to him. "Absol, Iron Tail on the last ledge!"

"Sol," the Disaster pokemon agreed as he smashed his hardened tail into the ground. A large crack was now present in the weakened structure and it looked to barely be attached to the mountain any more.

Hawlucha jumped up to the next ledge not wanting Absol to beat him to the top. However, the Wrestling pokemon was unaware of the weakened condition that the structure was in and immediately felt it collapse as he landed on top of it.

"Hawlucha!" Ash screamed out as he saw the flying and fighting type fall through the crumbing ledge and start to fall back to the ground. There had to be another way to beat Absol, but if they started back from the bottom then Absol would already be at the top. Feeling a gust of wind blow through, an old though came back to him. "Spread your wings, Hawlucha! Glide on the wind just like you taught Noibat to during the Sky Relay!"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha agreed as he spun around during his fall. Now facing the ground, Hawlucha spread his arms out as wide as he could and felt the gust of wind lift him high above the mountain. Now soaring through the sky, Hawlucha made his descent towards the top of the mountain and Absol.

"Now! High Jump Kick, let's go!" Ash yelled out as he saw an opening. Following through on the command, Hawlucha's right knee started to glow as he glided down towards the Disaster pokemon. Just as Absol jumped up to the top of the mountain, both he and Alain were met by the unpleasant surprise of Hawlucha's knee meeting Absol's face and sending the dark type flying off of the mountain.

"Quick Absol, Psycho Cut let's go!" Alain countered. Using a few of the falling rocks, Absol jumped from them until he was in a position while falling to launch off the psychic type attack. Flinging the blade forward, the blast managed to smash into the exact spot where Hawlucha was standing and sent the Wrestling pokemon over the edge as well.

"Hawlucha, use the rocks as a bridge to get in close! Then use High Jump Kick!" Ash commanded once he noticed the rocks were large enough to jump across. Using each one as stepping stones, Hawlucha closed the gap between himself and his opponent before finally launching the attack.

"Block it with Iron Tail, Absol!" Alain could be heard through the falling rubble. Absol immediately turned its body around as its tail stiffened up and used it to block Hawlucha's attack. "Now, Psycho Cut!" Absol twisted its body before firing off the blast. This had to hit as there wasn't much space between the two pokemon, but to their surprise Hawlucha didn't seem worried at all.

"We've got them where we want them, Hawlucha! Finish this off with Flying Press!" Ash commanded as Hawlucha spread his body wide open as a gust of wind gave him some distance from his opponent. Starting to fall through the sky, Hawlucha's body glowed white as he smashed right through the incoming Psycho Cut. Although he was in a little pain, Hawlucha pushed through and smashed his body against Absol before the duo collided with the ground.

"Absol is unable to battle! Hawlucha is the winner!" The referee declared while Absol's picture was blacked out.

"Lucha, cha," Hawlucha stated as he struck another pose. It had fought plenty of times on mountains while living in its old home. No one was going to beat him in a situation like that.

"Return, Absol," Alain stated as a sense of joy filled his voice. Looking over the situation he already knew the next pokemon he was going with. Tossing the pokeball forward he yelled out. "Gengar, go!"

"Gengar!" The Shadow pokemon cried out as he appeared on the field with a large grin.

"Gengar," Ash thought out loud. Hawlucha wouldn't be very effective here considering three of his moves couldn't do any damage to it. Raising a pokeball, Ash recalled the Wrestling pokemon. "Thanks for all your hard work. You'll get another chance later on." Ash then looked down to his best friend. "Ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" It cried out in joy before running onto the field. Its cheeks were flowing with electricity due to the sheer excitement that was running through his mind.

"And Ash switches out his Hawlucha for Pikachu! How will the little electric type handle the ghostly terror that is Gengar!?" The announcer asked as the scoreboard was updated with both Gengar and Pikachu's pictures.

"Okay, Pikachu, let's start out strong! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled while throwing a punch forward. This was just what he wanted for a championship match, excitement, joy, the thrill of battle. And there were probably only three people he had met in his journeys who could give it to him, one of which he was battling now.

"Pika... Chuuuu!" The electric type cried out while launching the Thunderbolt. Electricity flowed across the stadium as it was launched right at Gengar.

"Gengar, cancel it out with Night Shade!" Alain countered as he threw a punch with his opposite hand. Gengar 's eyes started to glow black before firing off a beam of the same color. The blast soared across the desert field until colliding with Pikachu's Thunderbolt. The two blasts consumed each other as an explosion occurred which threw both pokemon backwards.

Gengar managed to straighten itself out, but Pikachu wasn't so lucky. The Mouse pokemon was tossed backwards as he crashed into a rock structure that was on the field. Getting back up, Pikachu noticed that Gengar was directly in front of it.

"Shadow Ball!" Alain called out as the ghost type pokemon launched the sphere right at Pikachu. The electric type had no time or space to respond and was hit directly by the blast. Pikachu was launched backwards even more as he landed by the edge of the river, his back feet feeling the edge of the water.

Looking around, Ash and Pikachu both noticed that Gengar had disappeared. Not knowing where or when he would reappear, Ash and Pikachu had to remain calm. "Pikachu, just stay alert. We'll attack once we get the chance!" Ash reminded his best friend as they sat there being unable to do anything.

"Shadow Punch!" Alain's voice could be heard as Gengar emerged from behind them. Throwing his fists forward, the Shadow pokemon fired off a fist filled with ghostly energy which destroyed a few rock structures on its way towards Pikachu.

"Quick, block it with Iron Tail, then use Thunderbolt!" Ash cried out. Pikachu leapt into the air as his tail stiffened up. Smashing it into the Shadow Punch managed to destroy the attack, but by the time Pikachu fired off the Thunderbolt Gengar was already gone again.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked itself as it started to look around again. This was going to be hard if Gengar would just vanish after every attack it launched. Staying alert, Pikachu thought it heard something strange and fired off another Thunderbolt without Ash's command.

"What is it, buddy?" Ash asked as he could now hear Gengar crying out. Looking over, the ghost type appeared to be getting shocked by Pikachu's attack. Ash wondered how it could have happened, but then he looked at Gengar's feet. They were dripping water from the last attack, Pikachu must have heard the water hitting the ground.

"Gengar, are you alright?" Alain asked once the electric attack ended. The Shadow pokemon appeared to be fine and was ready to continue. "Perfect, use Hypnosis!" Alain cried out as Gengar's eyes glowed a dark red.

Just from staring at it, Pikachu could feel its eyelids starting to droop just a little. They were getting heavier and heavier the longer it stared, but for some reason it couldn't look away. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled out, managing to snap the trance Gengar had on it. "Jump into the river, let the current carry you away for now!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out before forcing itself away from Gengar's trance. Jumping into the river, Pikachu felt itself be carried away by the current to an unknown section of the field. After a few minutes, Pikachu came up for some air and found itself in the section of the forest that had been destroyed earlier by Absol.

"Pikachu, watch out!" Ash yelled out right as Gengar's Shadow Ball crashed into a section of the river next to it. Being thrown from the river, Pikachu shook the remaining water off of his body and tried to listen for Gengar. "Get an electro ball ready and fire it once Gengar emerges!"

"Pika!" The electric type agreed as he started to charge up the electrical sphere on his tail. It was now fully ready for the next time Gengar appeared.

"Shadow Ball, Gengar!" Alain called out as another Shadow Ball came flying from the woods. Jumping up, Pikachu fired off his sphere attack as well and watched as they collided together causing an explosion which blew all the tree's leaves around. "And now use Shadow Punch!"

Pikachu had no time to react as Gengar smashed his two fists into Pikachu and sent the electric type flying into the trees. Gengar was about to disappear again, but this time was unable to.

"Static..." Ash muttered as he noticed the sparks of electricity flowing around, Gengar. This just worked out perfectly for Ash since it would slow down Gengar for them. "Now, Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

"Pika, pika, pika, pika, chu, Pikachu!" The electric type cried out as he ran across the trunk of a fallen tree. Using it as leverage Pikachu leapt high into the air before firing off the electric type move. Pikachu's Electro Ball connected perfectly and hit Gengar, sending him flying backwards and into a tree before it finally vanished.

* * *

"Why didn't Gengar vanish right away like it always did?" Serena asked as she watched Pikachu continue to look around for the ghost type. "It wasn't having any difficulty before, so why now?"

"It was paralyzed," Sawyer explained as he pulled his notebook out. "Due to that, Gengar is moving at a much slower rate than before."

"But when did it get paralyzed during the match?" Bonnie asked as she watched Pikachu jump over a shadow ball. "It didn't seem to affect Gengar until it punched Pikachu."

"It must have occurred due to Static," Clemont answered as they continued to watch the battle. "Static is Pikachu's ability where any pokemon who makes contact with him has a high chance of becoming paralyzed. When Gengar hit him with Shadow Punch it must have activated."

* * *

"Pikachu, get ready he's coming back around," Ash told the electric type as they watched Gengar phase in and out of this plane of existence while flying through the trees. "Get ready and when you see him fire a Thunderbolt with everything you have!" Ash cried out as they both grew anxious.

"Now, Gengar, Night Shade," Alain called out as Gengar appeared right in front of Pikachu. Both pokemon fired off their respective attacks and could do nothing else but watch as they consumed each other. Then, the two attacks appeared to merge together and form a giant sphere that looked ready to explode.

"Quick, Pikachu, get out of there with Quick Attack!" Ash called out once he saw that the merged attacks were going to explode. Gengar had already phased away and would be unharmed by the attack, so Pikachu needed to get away. Running with everything he had, Pikachu sprinted across the remains of the forest and jumped from log to log as he heard the attack explode in the background. Picking up even more speed, Pikachu sprinted across the trunk of a fallen tree and dove back underwater as he barely avoided the blast.

"Gengar, keep the attack up! Shadow Ball in the water!" Alain called out as Gengar fired off continuous Shadow Balls. Pikachu did his best to avoid each blast but it was getting harder to dodge them as the rate they appeared was increasing. Finally needing air, Pikachu jumped from the river and noticed how the field and Gengar were soaked in water now.

"Pikachu let's wrap this up!" Ash called out once he saw the soaked Gengar as well. Throwing a punch forward he had a smile cross his face. "Pikachu use Electro Ball!"

"Gengar, counter with Shadow Ball!" Alain countered with.

Both pokemon fired off their sphere based moves and could do nothing else but watch. The two attacks appeared to be even in strength, but then Gengar's Shadow Ball started to push the Electro Ball backwards.

Thinking quickly, Ash issued another command. "Quick, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to supercharge the Electro Ball!" Pikachu nodded in agreement as he jumped into the air and fired off the electric type move. The Thunderbolt connected with the Electro Ball and managed to increase its size.

Thanks to the increase in size, the Electro Ball managed to overpower and crush the Shadow Ball before heading straight for Gengar. "Quick, get out of there, Gengar!" Alain called out once they noticed the approaching attack. Gengar was about to phase out of the area, but then its paralysis activated making it impossible to move.

The supercharged Electro Ball then crashed into Gengar, exploding on contact. Pikachu landed across from the fallen Gengar, panting heavily but still waiting to see if the Shadow pokemon was getting back up. After a good fifteen seconds, the referee made the call.

"Gengar is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" He decided as Gengar's picture was blacked out on the scoreboard.

"That was great, Pikachu!" Ash cried out as the electric type ran back from the forest area and to its trainer. "You were amazing now take a nice rest. Who knows what Alain's other pokemon will be."

"And after landing a supercharged Electro Ball, Pikachu will be switched out to get a well-deserved rest. Now what pokemon will each trainer choose to use now?" The announcer asked as he waited on in anticipation.

"Thank you, Gengar," Alain stated as he recalled the defeated ghost type into its pokeball. He almost had Ash on that one, but the battle wasn't over just yet. Grabbing his fourth pokeball, Alain tossed it forward. "Go! Tyranitar!"

The Armor pokemon landed with a loud thud in the desert section of the field as a sandstorm immediately kicked up, making visibility nearly impossible.

"And A chooses his Tyranitar next! It has shown many times during this Conference to be quite the battler and with its Sand Stream ability creating a sandstorm, how will Ash respond?" The announcer asked as everyone looked at Ash.

Gripping a pokeball, Ash threw it forward. "I choose you!"

* * *

 **Cliffhanger. Who do you all think he chose? Anyway, hopefully the start to the Ash-Alain battle is much better than how I did with Ash-Sawyer. I know I said this was going to be up Friday, but a few things came up and then I got writers block on how to write a few parts of this battle. It isn't a good excuse and I'm not trying to make excuses, but as you could tell with the second half of Ash vs Sawyer it was rushed. I don't want to do that with these chapters and if I have to miss an upload to make it better I will. Anyway, how's the battle coming along so far? Only a few more chapters and then it gets back to normal.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports the story. Please leave a review of what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**

 **Also, Alain's team is all based around Mega Evolving pokemon based on the fact that his team has Charizard, Metagross, Tyranitar, Gengar and Absol. (In this story at least.) I thought since he wanted to be the strongest Mega-Evolution user then he would have other pokemon who could Mega Evolve as well so he could study it.**


	17. A Battle Worthy of Champions!

**Welcome back. Last time, the battle between Alain and Ash was starting to heat up as Ash had already defeated three of Alain's pokemon while only losing one of his own. The battle rages on as Alain has now sent in Tyranitar.**

 **Ch 17: A Battle Worthy of Champions**

* * *

Both pokemon fired off their sphere based moves and could do nothing else but watch. The two attacks appeared to be even in strength, but then Gengar's Shadow Ball started to push the Electro Ball backwards.

Thinking quickly, Ash issued another command. "Quick, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to supercharge the Electro Ball!" Pikachu nodded in agreement as he jumped into the air and fired off the electric type move. The Thunderbolt connected with the Electro Ball and managed to increase its size.

Thanks to the increase in size, the Electro Ball managed to overpower and crush the Shadow Ball before heading straight for Gengar. "Quick, get out of there, Gengar!" Alain called out once they noticed the approaching attack. Gengar was about to phase out of the area, but then its paralysis activated making it impossible to move.

The supercharged Electro Ball then crashed into Gengar, exploding on contact. Pikachu landed across from the fallen Gengar, panting heavily but still waiting to see if the Shadow pokemon was getting back up. After a good fifteen seconds, the referee made the call.

"Gengar is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" He decided as Gengar's picture was blacked out on the scoreboard.

"That was great, Pikachu!" Ash cried out as the electric type ran back from the forest area and to its trainer. "You were amazing now take a nice rest. Who knows what Alain's other pokemon will be."

"And after landing a supercharged Electro Ball, Pikachu will be switched out to get a well-deserved rest. Now what pokemon will each trainer choose to use now?" The announcer asked as he waited on in anticipation.

"Thank you, Gengar," Alain stated as he recalled the defeated ghost type into its pokeball. He almost had Ash on that one, but the battle wasn't over just yet. Grabbing his fourth pokeball, Alain tossed it forward. "Go! Tyranitar!"

The Armor pokemon landed with a loud thud in the desert section of the field as a sandstorm immediately kicked up, making visibility nearly impossible.

"And A chooses his Tyranitar next! It has shown many times during this Conference to be quite the battler and with its Sand Stream ability creating a sandstorm, how will Ash respond?" The announcer asked as everyone looked at Ash.

Gripping a pokeball, Ash threw it forward. "Talonflame, I choose you!" He called out as the pokeball opened up to reveal the Scorching pokemon. Talonflame immediately took to the sky and flew to a separate part of the field unaffected by the raging sandstorm.

* * *

"Talonflame!?" Sawyer yelled out in shock. Seeing the flying type had surprised him so much that he had nearly dropped his notebook which he had been writing in earlier. "Why would he go with Talonflame? It's at a major disadvantage against Tyranitar which is a rock type pokemon. One hit and Talonflame will be done for!"

"Ash must have a plan if he's going with Talonflame," Professor Oak stated as he watched Talonflame stay high above the sandstorm. "Ash wouldn't pick it for this battle unless he had a strategy already planned."

"He'll be fine," Mrs. Ketchum stated confidently as she took another picture of her son. "Yep, that's a keeper for the scrapbook. Now I just need one of Ash's entire team."

* * *

"Tyranitar, start off with Dark Pulse!" Alain cried out as Tyranitar opened its mouth. Firing out of it was a large black and purple beam of energy which soared right through the sandstorm and straight at Talonflame.

"Okay, Talonflame, use Flame Charge to dodge!" Ash cried out as Talonflame burst into a set of flames and dodged the approaching attack. Keeping the flames active, Ash watched as the nearest area of the sandstorm appeared to weaken from the intense heat of Talonflame. He decided to keep that in mind for later on. "Now, Heat Wave, Talonflame!"

"Flame!" The Scorching pokemon cried out as it stopped flying around and instead hovered in place. Focusing on Tyranitar, Talonflame opened its beak as waves of high temperature air appeared from it and broke through the sandstorm. However, Talonflame was too far away for the attack to actually reach and only managed to create a hole in the sandstorm which was immediately filled in.

"Enough games, use Smack Down, Tyranitar!" Alain called out as he pumped his fist up into the air. It was kind of funny how both himself and Ash used a lot of the same actions when issuing commands, it must have been due to their love for battling.

"Tar!" The Armor pokemon cried out as a rock started to form in its mouth while surrounded in orange energy. Tyranitar shot the attack off and watched as it broke through the sandstorm with ease and collided with Talonflame before the Scorching pokemon could even react.

Falling into the sandstorm, Talonflame felt itself be thrown around in a circle as the sandstorm tossed it around with ease. Looking at his pokemon, Ash frowned at the situation before an idea came to him. Remembering what had happened to the sandstorm when Talonflame had hit it with fire type moves, Ash decided to give it a try.

"Heat up, Talonflame! Use Flame Charge!" Talonflame listened to its trainer's command and with every ounce of strength it had in its body it lit itself on fire. "Great, now just fly in the same direction as the sandstorm.

"Talon!" It cried out as it started to fly with a little bit more ease. The longer that it was flying for, the easier it seemed to get for Talonflame. Ash continued to watch as his plan was working, it appeared as though the sandstorm was melting from the intense heat, and in effect, weakening to the point that Talonflame could get free.

"Now head straight for Tyranitar!" Ash yelled out as Talonflame was free from the vortex. But, the Scorching pokemon seemed to be moving even faster than usual thanks to Flame Charge as the fire and flying type rammed right into Tyranitar before he could get a chance to counter. "Now back around with Steel Wing!"

"Talon!" The Scorching pokemon cried in agreement as it spun around in midair and flew right back at Tyranitar. Still with the increased speed, Talonflame delivered the powerful attack right into Tyranitar's back and forced the Armor pokemon onto one knee due to the pain.

* * *

"Hmm, I wonder," Clemont muttered as he watched sandstorm continue to weaken even though Talonflame was now free. "I wonder if the heat that's trapped inside of the sandstorm is causing it to weaken?"

"What are you getting at, Clemont?" Sawyer asked as he took his eyes off of the battle for a split second. Following that Steel Wing attack, Talonflame had flown up high to get a breather.

"Well, ever since Talonflame had been sucked into the sandstorm and used Flame Charge, the sandstorm is weakening and some parts of it even look bare now. Plus, look around the field and you'll notice those globs of melted liquid."

"What are they exactly, Clemont?" Serena asked as she watched Talonflame barely dodge another Smack Down attack.

"Well, when sand is heated up to a certain degree it starts to melt," he started to explain before fixing his glasses. "I think once Talonflame was pulled in, Ash wanted to heat it up to the point where it would start melting."

"Really?" Sawyer asked, shocked by this reveal. "Then it makes sense that Ash chose Talonflame."

* * *

"Okay, Talonflame use Flame Charge!" Ash yelled out once more as he extended an open palm towards the battlefield. Talonflame broke into a dive straight for Tyranitar, but this time appeared slower than normal.

"Catch him," Alain ordered as Tyranitar lifted his hands up. Catching the flying and fire type by its wings, Tyranitar smirked at its opponent. "Now toss him! Then follow it up with Stone Edge!"

"Tyrani!" The rock and dark type cried out before throwing Talonflame across the field. Then, with his hands free, Tyranitar smashed his hands into the ground as a line of jagged rocks shot up out of the ground and appeared to chase after Talonflame.

"Quick, use Steel Wing to deflect the attack!" Ash cried out as he saw the jagged, blue rocks approaching the Scorching pokemon. Fixing its position in midair, Talonflame's wings glowed silver right as a Stone Edge burst right through the ground. Trying to block the attack, Talonflame felt itself be overpowered before being thrown into another Stone Edge.

"Talon..." The Scorching pokemon muttered weakly as he landed on the ground. Trying to get back up, Talonflame barely dodged the last stone from the Stone Edge as he flew high into the sky.

Not liking their chances, Ash raised Talonflame's pokeball up towards the flying and fire type. "Talonflame, return!" He called out as the Scorching pokemon was returned to its capture device. Grabbing a different pokeball, Ash tossed it out towards the field. "Hawlucha, I choose you!"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha cried out as he landed in front of Tyranitar. Not seeming fazed by the large pokemon in front of him, Hawlucha struck a pose as he stretched his arms out over the top of his head.

"Ash has decided to recall Talonflame and give Hawlucha a second turn! Will this super tough pokemon be able to handle this behemoth of a pokemon?" The answer asked as the two pokemon looked at each other.

"Tyranitar, use Smack Down!" Alain yelled out, ending the silence. Opening his mouth, Tyranitar fired off the orange stone straight for Hawlucha.

"Knock it away with Karate Chop and then get in close and hit Tyranitar!" Ash commanded right as Hawlucha smacked the oncoming attack out of the way before charging at Tyranitar. Then, as Hawlucha went to strike his opponent, he felt his arms stopped.

"Lucha?" He asked once he noticed that Tyranitar was holding both of his arms with only one of his. Trying to break free, Hawlucha found it impossible to move either of his arms.

"Power-Up Punch!" Alain yelled while throwing a punch of his own. Grinning, Tyranitar pulled his free arm back. He then swung it forward as it became engulfed in an orange aura.

"Not so fast!" Ash yelled out, shocking Alain. He still had a plan to beat Tyranitar. "Hawlucha, use your High Jump Kick to block that punch!"

"Lu...Cha!" The Wrestling pokemon yelled as he swung his body back to create enough momentum for his legs. Swinging one of them forward, everyone watched as it blocked Tyranitar's punch from connecting.

"Now we're both tied up," Alain joked as a smile crossed his face. One of them were going to break sooner or later and from the looks of it, it was going to be Hawlucha.

"Not quite!" Ash yelled, surprising Alain. Of course they were both tied up, neither pokemon could move an inch. "We still have a free leg! Now, Hawlucha, use High Jump Kick with your other leg!"

"Luchaaaa!" The Wrestling pokemon yelled as he slammed his free knee right into Tyranitar's chin with all his strength. The force was enough to force Tyranitar to let go of Hawlucha, giving him the chance to strike. Now free, Hawlucha spun in the air before delivering a second High Jump Kick to Tyranitar's face.

The Armor pokemon was thrown backwards until he came to a stop thanks to the mountain stopping his momentum. "Tyranitar, are you alright?" Alain asked as the rock and dark type stood back up. "Perfect, now use Stone Edge!"

"Tyranitar!" The Armor pokemon cried out before slamming his fist into the ground. Before Hawlucha knew it, he was surrounded by a circle of jagged rocks right as the final burst through the ground where he was standing and sent him flying high into the sky.

Alain didn't give him a chance to recover either. Seeing an opening, he continued the attack. "Smack Down, let's go!" Tyranitar then fired off the familiar rock once again as it soared through the air, straight for Hawlucha.

"Hawlucha, glide on the wind, then go straight into a Flying Press!" Ash commanded right as he felt the wind pick up. It was good timing for them, as Hawlucha spread his wings out and allowed the gust to carry him up above the approaching Smack Down.

"Haw... Lucha!" The Wrestling type cried out as he spun in the air before his entire body glowed white. Hawlucha then started to free fall right towards Tyranitar with his arms spread way out to his sides.

"This isn't over yet, Ash," Alain told his opponent before flinging his arms across his body. Smirking, Alain issued his next command. "Use Stone Edge, but surround yourself with it!"

"Tyran!" The Armor pokemon cried out before slamming his fists into the desert ground. Then, pillars of jagged stones surrounded his body causing a shield to be formed with the only opening being right over his head.

"Now, Power-Up Punch!" Alain issued as he punched forward himself. Right as Hawlucha got in close to the opening, Tyranitar thrusted his fist forward and managed to hit the flying and fighting type with the attack. Hawlucha was sent backwards, but after performing a front flip while in midair he appeared to be fine. Hawlucha appeared to be tiring and Alain noticed it. Smirking, he issued another command. "Stone Edge, one more time!"

Ash watched as a line of jagged stones all came shooting out of the ground and straight for Hawlucha. There wasn't any wind this time to glide to safety, so Ash started to think through his brain for an answer. He thought back to everything he and his friends went through and then it hit him.

"Hawlucha, jump from the rocks and get in close! Then use High Jump Kick!" Ash commanded as the Wrestling pokemon charged straight for the impending attack. The audience looked on in confusion as Hawlucha looked to be running straight for his defeat.

"Lucha!" He cried out, jumping at the last second as the ground shattered below him. Landing on top of the blue stones, Hawlucha started to perform a handstand flip as he made his way across them. Then, once at the end, Hawlucha jumped straight over Tyranitar and performed a backflip in midair so that he was now facing the rock and dark type's back. "Hawlucha!" It cried out victoriously as he rammed his knee right into Tyranitar's back.

"Way to go, Hawlucha!" Ash cried out as they both mimicked each other by throwing a fist into the air. However, their celebration came to an unexpected end as Tyranitar stood back up. It was still able to battle. "Man, that Tyranitar just won't stay down," Ash muttered as he looked at the two pokemon. Both of them were covered in scrapes and bruises, but both just wouldn't give in to their fatigue.

"Tyranitar, Power-Up Punch!" Alain issued once again. Hawlucha only had enough time to raise his arms up to block the attack, but even that wasn't enough. Being pushed backwards from the attack, Hawlucha crashed into one of the few remaining rock structures.

Shaking his head, Hawlucha stood back up and crossed his arms. Now this was a battle, both sides not giving in to their fatigue and leaving everything on the field. "Lucha, cha!" He cried out to his trainer. They both knew the situation and they couldn't keep this up for much longer.

"Right, we'll end it right here!" Ash stated as he fixed his hat. Smiling, Ash threw a fist forward. "Now, get in close and use High Jump Kick!"

"Counter with Power-Up Punch!" Alain continued. Both of the pokemon charged at each other as their respective appendages glowed. Colliding, neither pokemon could move as they tried to overpower the other. "Now, use Power-Up Punch with your free hand!"

"Just like we wanted!" Ash shot back as Tyranitar lunged forward. Shocked by Ash's statement, Alain tried to have Tyranitar cancel the command but it was too late. "Catch that Power-Up Punch and then toss Tyranitar!"

"Haw!" Hawlucha cried out as he raised his two hands and stopped Tyranitar's punch. Grasping onto the Armor pokemon with everything he could muster, Hawlucha was starting to lift the rock and dark type up off of the ground. "Lucha, cha, cha, cha!" He cried out until finally throwing the Armor pokemon across the field and into the stream. Without needing to be told, Hawlucha climbed the mountain quickly and struck a pose by spreading his arms out wide.

"Now! Flying Press, let's go!" Ash screamed, his voice filled with excitement. Moving fast, Hawlucha dove off of the mountain as his entire body glowed white just as it had last time. This time, Hawlucha had nothing to worry about as his body crashed right into Tyranitar defeating the pokemon.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle! The winner is Hawlucha!" The referee declared as Tyranitar's picture was blacked out. Looking up at the board, it appeared that Ash was in complete control of the match, but that wasn't the case. Although he had five pokemon remaining, most of them were extremely tired and Ash didn't know how much longer they could continue.

"Hawlucha pulls off an amazing victory, bringing Ash one step closer to victory!" The announcer cried out as Tyranitar was returned to its pokeball. "Now with only two pokemon remaining, who will A choose next?"

"Scizor, go!" Alain decided as he tossed the pokeball out. The Pincer pokemon appeared on the field and seemed to be not worried one bit. Crossing his arms and closing his eyes, it appeared as if Scizor was bored and didn't find Hawlucha as a suitable opponent.

"And A chooses a Scizor for his fifth pokemon! Will Ash change pokemon or will Hawlucha continue its excellent battling?" The announcer asked as the scoreboard was updated.

"Hawlucha!" The fighting and flying type stated. He wanted to stay in and prove that he was better than Scizor.

"Alright, I'm sticking with you then, Hawlucha! Show them what you're made of!" Ash called out to the fighting type. "Start off with a Karate Chop!"

"Scizor, counter with your Metal Claw attack!" Alain issued.

Both pokemon clashed in the destroyed desert away as their two fists met. Pushing against each other, Scizor showed he was just a little stronger if only because he wasn't fatigued. Overpowering, Hawlucha, Scizor managed to break through its Karate Chop and smash the Wrestling pokemon across the face with a powerful Metal Claw.

"Now, get to the forest!" Alain cried out as Scizor ran off to the portion that wasn't destroyed from earlier. Sprinting off, Scizor turned behind and smirked at Hawlucha.

"Hawlucha are you alright?" Ash asked as the Wrestling pokemon got back up while holding his head. That had been one powerful attack just now. Shaking off the hit, Hawlucha started to chase after his opponent. "That's the spirit! Once you catch him, hit him with a Karate Chop!"

Hawlucha picked up his pace once he could see the familiar red color of Scizor. Catching up to the Pincer pokemon, Hawlucha lunged at him only to be blocked by a Metal Claw. Swinging again, Hawlucha was surprised that the same result happened again. Breaking away from the fight for now, Hawlucha jumped up onto a tree branch while Scizor did the same on an opposite tree.

"X-Scissor!" Both trainers cried out in unison. Both pokemon then crossed their arms as a light purple light started to glow from them. Ramming into each other, both pokemon tried to push the other off of the tree branch. Neither side was backing down until a loud cracking noise was heard. Before either pokemon could react, the tree branch they were on snapped and caused them both to fall onto the hard forest ground.

Scizor was the first to get up off of the ground and raised one of his claws at Hawlucha while smirking. This pokemon was proving to be more of a match than he expected it to be, but it only made it more interesting for Scizor.

"Hyper Beam!" Alain called out as a dark purple and black orb formed in Scizor's opened claw. The blast continued to grow until Scizor fired off the powerful blast right at Hawlucha.

"Jump up and grab that branch!" Ash ordered once the blast was launched. Hawlucha replied quickly and grabbed a hold of the branch directly above him. Pulling himself up into the tree, the Wrestling pokemon barely dodged the blast and watched as it destroyed as section of the forest. Scizor was already up onto a tree as well and the two pokemon stared each other down again.

"Metal Claw, Scizor!" Alain continued on. Jumping across the tree, Scizor tried to strike down Hawlucha, but was met by his claw being caught by Hawlucha.

"You won't get us that easily! Hawlucha, use High Jump Kick!" Ash issued. Now that Scizor was tied up with Hawlucha's attacks, there was no way Scizor could counter this.

"Are you forgetting we have a second claw?" Alain asked while smirking. Raising a fist in front of his, a large smirk crossed his face before punching forward. "We can't be beaten that easily! Scizor, use Hyper Beam!"

"Hawlucha!" Ash cried out as he watched Scizor raise its second claw right at the Wrestling pokemon. Before Hawlucha could respond or try to dodge, he felt the entire blast hit him and push him right through the tree trunk and across the forest until he crashed into a different tree, slouched over in defeat.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle! The winner is Scizor!" The referee declared as Hawlucha's picture was blacked out on the screen.

"Return, Hawlucha!" Ash commanded as the defeated pokemon was recalled into its pokeball. "Thank you for everything today, Hawlucha. You fought amazingly," he said before clipping it back onto his belt. He then reached for his next pokeball and tossed it forward. "Time for a second chance! Talonflame, I choose you!"

"Talon!" The Scorching pokemon cried out before flying over to the forest section of the field. It appeared to still be pretty tired from its earlier fight with Tyranitar, but now wasn't the time to be fatigued. Circling the forest, Talonflame tried to find Scizor. Seeing the smoke from the previous Hyper Beam, Talonflame flew to that area of the forest.

"Now where is he?" Ash muttered as he tried to located Scizor. The thick trees weren't making it easy, but at least he couldn't attack Talonflame while it was above the trees. Or at least that's what he thought.

"Aerial Ace!" Alain cried out as Scizor shot up into the sky. Appearing from one of the trees behind Talonflame, Scizor flew straight up while a white aura surrounded it. Extending its claws forward, the Pincer pokemon rammed them right into Talonflame's back and then pushed the Scorching pokemon down into the forest.

"Talonflame, get him off you with Flame Charge!" Ash ordered as he and Pikachu watched on as Scizor tried to ram Talonflame right into the ground.

"Flame..." The Scorching pokemon muttered before its entire body was engulfed in flames. The heat of the attack was making Scizor sweat while also inducing pain to the bug and steel type pokemon. Unable to take it any longer, Scizor flew away from Talonflame and could only watch as he straightened out before flying back above the trees.

"After him, Scizor! Metal Claw, let's go!" Alain commanded of the Pincer pokemon. Nodding, Scizor flew straight through the trees and appeared up in the air alongside Talonflame. Both pokemon seemed to be a little tired, but Talonflame was panting heavily. Charging at his opponent, Scizor's claws glowed gray as he swung forward.

"Block with Steel Wing!" Ash commanded as Talonflame's wings glowed white as they clashed with Scizor's claws. Finally breaking through, Talonflame flew away from its opponent to create more space for an attack. Ash then noticed just how much Scizor was lacking in experience when it came to aerial battle. "Okay, Talonflame! Lose him in the forest, fly through the trees!"

"Talon!" The fire and flying type screeched out before diving back through the lush trees. Following behind him was Scizor just as Ash had hoped. The two pokemon appeared to be in a race now as they flew through the forest while avoiding the tree branches and other parts of the forest.

"Keep flying, Talonflame! He's right on your tail!" Ash warned his flying type and watched as Talonflame turned onto its side to fit through a tight gap. Scizor likewise made it through and continued giving a chase before opening its claw.

"Hyper Beam!" Alain issued as Scizor chased after Talonflame while firing off the purple and black beam. The blast connected with all of the trees in Scizor's way and threw them forward while also colliding with Talonflame. The blast and flung trees crashed into Talonflame, who lost its balance and skidded into the ground. "Nowhere to run now," Alain said while smirking. Scizor landed in front of Talonflame and opened its claw, charging up another Hyper Beam.

"It's just like we wanted!" Ash called out as he threw a fist forward. They had tricked Scizor into following them to a certain area of the forest. "Heat wave!" Ash yelled as Talonflame opened its mouth. Releasing the high temperature winds, Scizor was launched backwards and lodged into a tree. As much as he tried, Scizor was too tired out from chasing Talonflame to break free. "Now end this with Brave Bird!" Ash commanded.

"Talonflame!" The Scorching pokemon cried out in agreement before flying up into the sky. Picking up speed, Talonflame was engulfed in a wave of blue flames and was only picking up speed as he flew closer to Scizor.

"Launch the Hyper Beam!" Alain called out once they both noticed that the attack was ready. Raising his claw as much as he could, Scizor launched the blast right at Talonflame. The attack connected directly with the flying and fire type, but to their surprise Talonflame flew right through it before colliding with Scizor.

An explosion followed soon after as Talonflame flew right into the origin of the attack while using Brave Bird. Everyone waited as the smoke died down to see what had happened. Laying there on the floor of the forest were both pokemon fainted.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle! Both sides please pick their next pokemon!" The referee declared as the scoreboard blacked out both trainers' pokemon.

* * *

"Ash is so close," Delia stated as she snapped another picture of her son. "He must be getting excited about this."

"Don't start planning any parties just yet," Professor Oak stated as they all waited on the trainers' next pokemon. "This battle isn't decided just yet even if Ash has three pokemon to Alain's one. Anything can happen."

"Yeah, he's already lost twice to Alain's Charizard and was going to lose again if it wasn't for their battle getting canceled due to Ash fainting," Clemont explained as he remembered the first time they battled and the last time they battled both ending in loses for Ash. The one time he was about to win had ended when he fainted before delivering the final command. "He's in for a real challenge."

"Ash..." Serena muttered as she grabbed a hold of the ribbon he had given to her a while back. He couldn't lose, not after what he had been through while in Kalos. Everything had been building up to this moment, he just had to win.

* * *

"Charizard, let's go!" Alain cried out as he tossed his sixth and final pokeball onto the field. Charizard landed in the desert with a loud thud before letting out a loud roar. "Do you think you can defeat my Charizard, Ash?" Alain asked, already knowing that he had lost twice to this very Charizard.

"Your Charizard is extremely strong, Alain! But, I've come too far to give up now! We're going to show you that we're going to be victorious!" Ash stated as he gripped the pokeball in his hand. He was counting on him to pull through today, throwing it forward Ash yelled out. "Charizard, I choose you!"

"Rawwwwrrrrrr!" Charizard yelled as a small Flamethrower escaped his mouth. The loud roar managed to shake the stadium a little as sand was kicked up by it.

Eyeing his opponent, Alain was surprised to see that Ash had a Charizard as well. Looking at it, Alain could tell it was powerful just by the size of it alone. "Tell me, does your Charizard have a Mega Stone?" He asked, interested in having a Mega Evolution battle between the two Charizard.

"No, we don't!" Ash shot back as he raised a fist in front of his chest. "But Charizard and I don't need a Mega Stone or Mega Evolution to win! We're strong enough the way we are! Now, Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

"Use your Flamethrower as well," Alain commanded as both Charizard launched their respective fire type attacks. The two blasts connected over the stream and the heat radiating off of them evaporated the water running through it. The two blasts then exploded, causing sand to be kicked up over the entire battlefield. "Use Thunder Punch, let's go!"

"Be prepared, Charizard!" Ash called out to his Flame pokemon as they tried to make out Alain's Charizard. It could be hidden anywhere in the sand. Deciding not to wait around to be attacked, Ash took to the offensive. "Charizard, fly out of this sand cloud! Head to above the mountain!"

"Rawrr!" The Flame pokemon agreed before taking off. However, once it had flown up, Charizard was waiting for him on a ledge. Flying after Ash's Charizard, Alain's smashed his electricity filled fist into its stomach. Charizard lurched forward from the jolt of electricity and fell out of the sky before crashing into the mountain.

"Charizard, are you alright!?" Ash asked as he saw his Charizard stand back and fly off towards Alain's. "That's great! Now, use Slash!"

"Counter with Dragon Claw!" Alain issued as the two fire and flying types collided their claws together. Neither side backed down as they fought up in the sky. Slashing away at each other both Flame pokemon continued their assault with no clear indication to who was gaining any ground.

"Charizard, fly around the mountain! Try and get some space between you and Alain's Charizard and then use a Flamethrower!" Ash called out as Charizard ended its close range battle with his fellow fire type. Flying around the ledges that appeared off of the mountain, Charizard managed to lose his opponent before flying up over the mountain and surprising him.

"Rawrrr!" Ash's Charizard screamed out as a burst of flames erupted from its mouth and crashed into Alain's Charizard. The attack was stronger than Alain or his Charizard had expected it to be. Overpowered, the Flame pokemon crashed into the desert floor before getting back up.

"Charizard, they're stronger than we first expected. No more playing around, we'll give it everything we've got," he told his fire and flying type as it nodded back in approval. Raising his left arm, Alain touched the key stone on his left wrist. "Key Stone respond to my heart. Mega Evolve!" He cried out as energy shot out of the Key Stone and Mega Stone around Charizard's neck. Then, in an instant, Charizard transformed as he became Mega Charizard X.

"Rawrr?" Charizard asked as he looked on confused. He had no idea that he could evolve again. Looking over at his trainer he wanted an answer.

"Mega Evolution is a process when a bond between trainer and pokemon is so great that they create a temporary boost in power," Ash explained as his Charizard got a new determined look on his face. "Why don't we show them all our strength? Flamethrower!"

"We'll use our Flamethrower as well!" Alain responded as his Charizard shot out blue flames. Mega Charizard's flames managed to overpower Charizard's Flamethrower and pushed it right back into its user. The explosion which followed then caused Charizard to enter a free fall until his descent was ended by crashing into a ledge.

"Charizard!" Ash called out as he watched one of his oldest pokemon get back up. He was now panting heavily, someone that didn't go unnoticed by Ash. Alain's Charizard was pretty strong to be giving Charizard this hard of a time. Only a handful of pokemon had ever done this and most of them were legendary pokemon. "You ready to get them back?"

"Rawr," the Flame pokemon muttered before flying straight at his opponent. The speed that he was moving at surprised Alain and Charizard while also impressing them. They weren't expecting them to be able to continue battling at this pace. Grabbing onto Mega Charizard, Charizard flew high above the field.

"Show them your Seismic Toss, Charizard!" Ash cried out as Charizard started to spin around while picking up speed. Finally feeling confident, Charizard flew back towards the field before launching his opponent. Mega Charizard couldn't stop itself and crashed into the ground while creating a huge crater. "That had to have hurt," Ash muttered as he waited for any response.

"Thunder Punch!" Alain muttered with enthusiasm. The battle was only getting better the longer it lasted for Alain. He didn't want it to end, but he had to also end it. To Ash and his Charizard's surprise, Alain's Charizard shot out of the ground nearly unscratched and rammed his fist right into Charizard's stomach before smashing a second one into Charizard's back.

The second hit had sent him flying and Charizard had no idea where he ended up. Getting out of a crater, he found himself standing on top of the mountain, who what was left of it after all the battles today. Most of the mountain had been damaged during Hawlucha's fights, but now it was really getting beaten on. Flying back into the sky, Charizard eyed his fellow fire type and waited.

"I must applaud you and your Charizard," Alain stated as they all took a short break from the action. Both trainers were waiting on the other to make a move and due to this, Alain decided to strike a conversation. "Not many pokemon last this long against my Mega Charizard. But, this will come to an end. Flamethrower!"

"We won't be the ones losing! Charizard use Flamethrower!" Ash countered. He then watched as the two attacks collided again, but unlike the previous time Mega Charizard's didn't overpower them. Realizing what was happening, Ash called out to his Charizard. "End the attack and use Slash!"

Right as Ash issued the command, he noticed a black and blue object shooting through the flames. Then, right as Charizard raised his claws, they were met by the sight of Alain's Charizard breaking through the Flamethrower untouched and having a Thunder Punch ready to use. Striking forward, Mega Charizard's Thunder Punch was blocked by Slash, but only for a second as he then swung his second fist into Charizard. Ash could only watch as Alain's Charizard managed to smash his now free hand into Charizard and send him flying into the mountain.

"Flamethrower!" Alain called out as he watched Ash's Charizard start to get up again. He couldn't let this battle go on for any longer than it already had. Mega Charizard opened his mouth and launched the blue flames. The blast then collided right with Charizard, pushing him deeper into the mountain until finally pushing him all the way out the other side and onto the ground.

"Ash's Charizard is unable to battle! The winner is A's Charizard!" The referee declared as Ash recalled his Charizard.

"Thank you, Charizard. It's not easy going up against a Mega Evolution, but you gave them a hard time. Now take a nice rest," Ash told the defeated pokemon before looking over at Pikachu. "You're up again buddy," he told the electric type before turning his hat around. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pika!" He replied happily before running onto the field panting. Ash could see that Pikachu was still exhausted from its match with Gengar, but Ash needed him now.

"And after an extremely competitive battle between two Charizard, Ash has chosen Pikachu to do battle against A and his Charizard!" The announcer told everyone as they waited on in excitement. This had turned into one of the best championship matches in a while now.

"Okay, Pikachu, start off with a Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled out as he watched Pikachu store up electrical energy. Then, firing it off he waited to see just what Alain had planned.

"Block it with Thunder Punch," he ordered as the blast grew closer. Raising its fists, Charizard absorbed the electricity into them and then watched as it immediately vanished from sight. "Now use Flamethrower!" Charizard opened its mouth as the blue flames shot out at Pikachu.

"Use Quick Attack to dodge!" Ash yelled out as Pikachu ran around the remains of the field while dodging the attack. Looking around, no one would have thought this was designed for the championship match. The desert had more holes in it than you could count, half of the forest was either cut down or destroyed and the mountain was barely standing thanks to huge hole in the center of it. Ash laughed at the sight as he realized just how much they were both going at it.

"Pika, pika, pika, pi," Pikachu muttered as he ran around the field and then up the side of the mountain, avoiding the Flamethrower attack. As he did so, Pikachu was now level with Charizard and leapt at him.

"Iron Tail, Pikachu!" Ash called out as Pikachu spun around in the air and smashed Charizard over the top of his head. The blow didn't hurt much, but it was powerful enough to knock the fire type back towards the ground. "Now Thunderbolt!"

"Pika... Chuuuuu!" The Mouse pokemon cried out as a bolt of electricity flew across the sky. The attack collided right with Charizard as Pikachu landed on his legs and eyed the creature. To his and Ash's surprise it didn't seem to do much to the Flame pokemon, who merely shrugged it off.

"Flamethrower, let's go!" Alain stated as he moved back onto the offensive again. Opening its mouth, Charizard fired off another set of blue flames straight for Pikachu.

"Confuse him with your speed, Pikachu! Use Quick Attack to run circles around him and dodge!" Ash ordered as Pikachu broke off into a sprint. The electric type was moving so fast that he actually appeared to vanish for split seconds before reappearing in a different spot. Charizard tried to watch where he went, but was growing dizzy from it.

"Charizard, forget them, fly into the air and watch from there!" Alain told the fire and flying type as he flew high into the sky. It was easier to track Pikachu up there, but Charizard was still having a difficult time trying to find him. Every time he would launch a Flamethrower, Pikachu would be in a different location.

Ash smirked as an idea came to him. They could easily trap Charizard right now. "Pikachu! Keep using Quick Attack, but add in a continuous Thunderbolt to it!" It might work and if it did then they would be in a good situation.

"Pika!" It agreed as sparks of electricity started to build up on its body. Alain watched on in confusion to what they exactly had planned. There was no way Pikachu could aim a Thunderbolt while running at the speed he was. Then, he saw it. At first it was faint, but as time went on it was much more noticeable until it finally became an entire twister.

"A cyclone made out of Thunderbolt..." Alain muttered as he watched the giant structure rise up and swallow Charizard. There was nothing he could do but try and figure something out. He just had to hope that Charizard could hold on for a while.

"Amazing!" Clemont cried out as he watched the cyclone swallow Charizard up. He had never seen something like this before. "Ash has just created a way to continuously attack Charizard while keeping it stuck in one location!"

"You want to explain it a little better," Bonnie muttered as she eyed her brother. Sometimes he gets way too excited and never explains it to everyone else.

"Right," Clemont stated as he rubbed the back of his head out of embarrassment. "You see, thanks to Ash's Thunderbolt and Quick Attack combo he created that cyclone to keep Charizard trapped. While inside of it, he'll be constantly taking damage from the Thunderbolt."

"Why doesn't he just fly out? How is Ash so sure that won't happen?" Serena asked as she grew worried. She didn't want to see Ash's plan backfire against him due to one small thing.

"Simple and it's all thanks to science!" Clemont stated while fixing his glasses. Everyone looked at him in confusion, Ash wasn't someone who knew much about science or anything that didn't involve pokemon really. "You see, Ash may not realize it, but that cyclone is keeping Charizard trapped in the center. That Thunderbolt has created an electromagnetic field around Charizard with the cyclone all being charged with the same particles while Charizard isn't charged. To put it simply, imagine Charizard being in the center of two magnets and they're both pulling him towards them. He can't move because of the electrical pull!"

"Grrrr," Alain muttered through clenched teeth. There was nothing he could do at all. Everything he tried to think of would never work. Noticing that he was actually sweating in battle for the first time in a while, Alain wiped it off before smiling. He decided that he would need to use his strongest attack to break free. "Charizard, are you alright!? I need you to listen carefully. You need to use Blast Burn at full power!" He yelled as loud as he could so that Charizard could hear him.

"Rawrrrr!" He yelled back, understanding what needed to be done. Then, to the crowd's and Ash's surprise, fire started to leak through his cyclone of electricity before the entire cyclone exploded into fiery blaze. The attack continued down to the ground where an explosion occurred.

Pikachu was sent flying backwards as the blast also hit him despite trying to dodge it. Getting back up, Pikachu looked to be pretty tired as his legs were shaking from just holding his wait up.

"That was a nice try," Alain said with a genuine smile on his face. He couldn't lie, this had been the hardest battle that he and Charizard had ever fought. "You and Pikachu almost had us there. For a second I thought the battle was going to end. But, we haven't lost yet! Charizard, Blast Burn!"

Charizard roared out in approval before slamming his fist into the ground. He enjoyed it much more this way than by releasing the attack through his mouth as he did in the cyclone. It was much less stressful this way. Then, the desert floor started to crack as a trail of fire shot through the cracks before stopping in front of Pikachu and exploding.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled out in concern as the blast exploded right in front of his best friend.

* * *

 **Really? Ending it there? Well, there's a reason for it and in my opinion it's a good one. So, how many people thought I was bringing back Goodra? No offense, but as a huge Charizard fan I couldn't pass up the chance to have Ash use him in a championship match. (especially with how he'll ever be used in Kalos in the anime.) But, don't worry, to keep the focus on the Kalos team I turned him into the fall guy instead, as much as I wanted to have him star. Instead, I think I was fair in giving everyone but Charizard a win.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports the story. Please leave a review of what you liked and how I can improve the story.**


	18. The Biggest Battle Yet!

**Welcome Back everyone. Last time we left off in the middle of Ash's match against Alain. Things are coming to a close quickly and how will the battle end? We'll find out in this chapter so enjoy!**

 **Ch 18: The Biggest Battle Yet!**

* * *

"That was a nice try," Alain said with a genuine smile on his face. He couldn't lie, this had been the hardest battle that he and Charizard had ever fought. "You and Pikachu almost had us there. For a second I thought the battle was going to end. But, we haven't lost yet! Charizard, Blast Burn!"

Charizard roared out in approval before slamming his fist into the ground. He enjoyed it much more this way than by releasing the attack through his mouth as he did in the cyclone. It was much less stressful this way. Then, the desert floor started to crack as a trail of fire shot through the cracks before stopping in front of Pikachu and exploding.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled out in concern as the blast exploded right in front of his best friend. The entire ground surrounding Pikachu crumbled away as flames burst right through. Pikachu was launched backwards from the explosion of rock and flames and landed across the field.

"Pi...Ka... Pika!" He muttered while trying to stand back up. Once back on all four legs, Pikachu was about to get ready to attack when he felt a sudden loss of energy and collapsed on the ground.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner is Charizard!" The referee declared as Ash went over to pick up his defeated best friend.

Scooping him up in his arms, Ash laid him down on the bench that was behind him and used his backpack as a pillow for Pikachu. "You were amazing Pikachu. We nearly had them there, but now take a rest. Greninja will handle this," Ash told his best friend before walking away.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled out as he got off of the bench. There was no way he wasn't standing next to Ash for this battle. After everything they went through together, he was definitely going to be right there during their most important battle yet.

Seeing his friend walking over to him, Ash smiled. "I understand. You want to be right here for when we win. Right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" The electric type cried out weakly as he raised a fist high into the sky. Excitement filled his body as he watched Ash reach for his last pokeball. This last fight was going to be something special.

"Greninja, I choose you!" Ash yelled as he whipped the pokeball out onto the field. Emerging in a bright light was the Ninja pokemon who had his arms crossed against his chest. Eyeing Mega Charizard, Greninja narrowed his eyes as a small smirk could be seen behind his tongue.

"And Ash's final pokemon is his Greninja! Even with the type matchup will the water type be able to handle Charizard!?" The announcer asked as neither pokemon broke their stare down.

* * *

"This doesn't look good for Ash," Professor Oak stated as he watched on nervously. He didn't have a good feeling about this fight, that Charizard was just too powerful for him to handle. "If that Charizard could take out Ash's two strongest pokemon then how can Greninja handle it?"

Serena shook her head as she heard that comment. Maybe before coming to Kalos they were his strongest, but that wasn't the case any longer. "Greninja is his strongest. You only saw a short glimpse of its power previously. He'll be able to keep up with Charizard."

* * *

Ash had a large smile across his face. He couldn't help it; this was the moment he had been waiting for. It all came down to this, one pokemon each and the winner would be declared as the victor. Looking over at Greninja, Ash started to speak. "We'll give it our all, Greninja! This time we'll beat Charizard and we'll do it together! Just like Olympia told us, we've reached a new height of power! Now let's show Alain and his Charizard just how tough we really are!"

Just as he did during his previous matches, Greninja was enveloped in a geyser of water. Alain looked on without surprise, having already faced this form three times in the past. The transformation continued on until the geyser died down and formed the large water shuriken on Greninja's back.

"I had a feeling it would come down to this," Alain said with excitement evident in his voice. He had to admit, he had never been this excited for a battle before but he had been waiting for a true match with Greninja. Their last battle may have ended in victory, but it wasn't fair as Malva joined in upon seeing Charizard being pushed back by Greninja. Now though, nothing could interrupt their battle. "Our two strongest pokemon going at it again. Although this time nothing will ruin this fight on us."

"We've been waiting for a rematch, Alain!" Ash called out as the two trainers' smiles grew even wider. Everyone in the stands knew that this battle was going to be something else and they waited on in anxiety. Letting a small breath of air out, Ash ordered the first attack. "Greninja, start off with Aerial Ace!"

"Charizard, block it with Thunder Punch!" Alain countered as Charizard raised its claws in preparation. To their surprise, Greninja appeared to be moving much faster than the last time they fought. Charizard had just enough time to block Greninja's punch with his own, but had no time to block a kick that hit him right in the jaw.

Stumbling backwards, Charizard looked up to see Greninja coming at him again with Aerial Ace. "Slow him down with Flamethrower, Charizard!" Alain ordered as his partner fired off the blue flames.

Jumping high into the air, Greninja dodged the first batch of flames, but a second round of Flamethrower was fired right at him during his descent. "Cut right through it with Night Slash!" Ash issued the command right as Greninja was about to be hit.

"Gren!" The Ninja pokemon agreed as he pulled the purple kunai out. Swinging forward, Greninja managed to create a small entrance for himself to fall straight through the Flamethrower and land his attack on Charizard.

"Thunder Punch!" Alain issued quickly as Greninja was still in front of them. Swinging his fist forward, Charizard struck the water and dark type hard as he was thrown right into the side of the mountain. "Now Blast Burn!"

Ash felt the impact of Greninja hitting the mountain and flinched for a second. Then, once he and Greninja both looked up they saw the ground giving way as a trail of flames soared through the ground. Reaching Greninja, the attack exploded as the Ninja pokemon was caught in the collapse of the mountain. Rocks fell all around him as Greninja jumped from falling boulders to try and get out of the collapsing mountain. Then, looking ahead he saw Charizard flying straight at him.

"Grab him, Charizard!" Alain ordered as the Flame pokemon grabbed ahold of Greninja and pulled him way above the field. The two pokemon looked down below and noticed how it was completely destroyed. The entire mountain was gone and only a small part of the forest was left standing. "Now! Send him for a ride!"

"Rawrrr!" Charizard roared in agreement before flinging the water and dark type across the field. Greninja tried to fix his trajectory from that of the destroyed forest and managed to send himself falling towards the decent section of the forest.

As he fell, Ash watched on as he tried to think up a way to help the Ninja pokemon. Noticing the tree branches sticking out from the large trees, a thought came back to him. "Greninja! Swing from the branches to direct your body towards the lake in the forest!" Ash yelled out as he pointed to his left.

Greninja noticed exactly what he was talking about. In the middle of the forest was an untouched lake which could work to their advantage. Unwrapping his tongue, the Ninja pokemon used it as a grappling hook and wrapped it around the closest tree branch. Then, swinging with all his might, Greninja forced himself to start falling in the direction of the lake.

"You're not getting away from us! Charizard, Flamethrower!" Alain issued as Charizard flew right for Greninja. In no time Charizard managed to catch up to Greninja thanks to its wings and was about to fire off the blaze of fire.

"Quick! Double Team!" Ash issued as Greninja immediately created copies of himself. The Flamethrower collided with a few of the copies, destroying them upon impact as the others and the real Greninja fell through the tree line and into the forest below. They then quickly jumped into the lake to hide for the time being.

Charizard however needed to slow down due to the amount of tree branches that were blocking his path. Flying above them now, Charizard couldn't see any trace of Greninja and was growing upset for having lost him. Alain however had a different idea. "If he's hiding in the forest then we'll just have to scare him out of hiding. Use Flamethrower to burn down the remains of the forest!"

"Rawrrrrr!" Charizard yelled as he launched another Flamethrower. The blue flames soared downwards upon the forest as the remaining trees were burnt to a crisp. Greninja was able to avoid the blast, but the water he was hiding in was heating up and a few more of his copies were destroyed.

Now with the forest completely ruined, Charizard flew downwards and landed on the remains of the forest floor with ease. However, to his and Alain's surprise, there was still no sign of Greninja. They could have sworn he would have come out of hiding. Unless...

"Now! Water Shuriken!" Ash yelled as Charizard turned to face the lake. Jumping out of the lake, Greninja and his remaining copies all reached for the giant shuriken on his back. Ash likewise copied the movement as they all tossed it right at Charizard. The fire type tried to catch the attack with his hands, but it was too powerful and threw him backwards and into the remains of a few charred trees.

"Gren! Greninja!" The Ninja pokemon cried out as his copies disappeared. It looked like they had gotten a good hit in on Charizard and they were going to keep attacking.

"Now, Aerial Ace!" Ash continued as Greninja's hands and feet glowed white. Moving in a blur, Greninja started a barrage of punches and kicks that ended with a swift uppercut that launched Charizard up into the air. "After them with Night Slash!"

To their surprise, Greninja managed to leap high into the air and become eye level with Charizard. Moving fast, Greninja went to slash his attack against Charizard only to have it blocked by the Flame pokemon's left claw.

"Now, Dragon Claw!" Alain cried out as Charizard's right claw grew in size before smashing in over Greninja's head. Both Ash and Greninja felt the blow followed by Greninja being thrown downwards.

"You need to recover from that, Greninja!" Ash called out as he noticed that the pokemon was still a little dazed. Hearing Ash's words, the Ninja pokemon gathered himself while falling through the sky. "Great, Greninja! Now use Double Team!" In one quick movement, a group of Greninja formed as they all splashed into the lake and disappeared from site.

"Not again," Alain stated as Charizard landed on the forest floor. They were not getting tricked by the same tactic twice. "Blast Burn on the lake, Charizard!"

Slamming his fist onto the ground, the entire remaining area of the forest was destroyed as the copies of Greninja flew everywhere while dissipating in front of Charizard. However, the real one was nowhere to be seen despite the entire forest being ruined.

"Now, use Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded as the giant water shuriken struck Charizard in the back and knocked the Flame pokemon over. To their surprise, Greninja was standing on top of the charred remains of a tree completely unharmed. The water and dark type then broke off into a sprint as he headed back towards the desert.

"But... How did he avoid our attack?" Alain asked as Charizard got back up and flew into the sky. They saw all of the Greninja fall into the lake. Then, looking around the forest Alain noticed a small river. "Of course. They swam up the river while the copies stayed behind as a decoy." Alain then smiled at Ash's idea. He really was something else while in a battle, always coming up with these different ideas. But, this was his battle to win. "Charizard, fly right at Greninja with Thunder Punch!"

"Greninja, block it with Aerial Ace!" Ash quickly countered as Greninja broke into a sprint towards Charizard.

In no time at all, the two pokemon clashed as Greninja's left foot collided with Charizard's right hand. The two attacks started to spark from the collision until finally exploding, the blast sending them both backwards.

"Gren," Greninja muttered as he wiped some dirt from his face. He was starting to grow tired from the match, but knew he needed to hold on for just a little longer. Looking over at Ash, the trainer nodded in agreement as Greninja charged again with an Aerial Ace.

"Rawr," Charizard panted as he got back up. It had been a long battle for him, having to already fight both Charizard and Pikachu. But, the fire and flying type was still fine to battle and flew right at Greninja with his fists flowing with electricity.

The two pokemon collided at the center of the field where the mountain used to stand and landed their respective attacks. Their fists connected with each other's face as they pushed off of them. Neither pokemon backed down until Greninja slid his foot up underneath Charizard and struck him under the chin.

Doing so gave Greninja the opening he needed to go on the offensive. Punch after punch, kick after kick Greninja continued his barrage of attacks as Charizard seemed to be helpless in the situation. Dazed by Greninja's surprise attack, Charizard could do nothing but endure the attack until he saw an opening.

"Now, Charizard! Here's your chance!" Alain told the fire and flying type once he saw a short window of opportunity. Seizing the moment, Charizard flapped his wings as Greninja was pushed back by the sudden gust. Then, ramming forward, Charizard slammed his Thunder Punch right into Greninja and sent him flying up into the sky before landing in a pile of rubble.

"It looks like things could be coming to a close here folks!" The announcer said as Greninja struggled to get back up. It looked to be pretty beaten and even Ash looked to be in a decent amount of pain based on the expression on his face. They had taken quite a few direct hits as did Charizard, but the difference in stamina seemed to be showing. "Does Greninja have anything left to try and counter Charizard or will A become the winner of this year's Vanquier Conference!?"

"Come on, Greninja! I believe in you!" Ash cried out as he watched the water and dark type struggle to get back up. The pain seemed to be too much for the Ninja pokemon to handle as he started to stumble back towards the ground. "I know you can do it!"

Greninja heard Ash's last words and quickly caught himself from falling. Standing straight now, Greninja eyed his opponent as a smile could be seen behind his tongue. Raising both of his arms to his sides, Greninja pumped them upwards while crying out. "Greninja!" There was no way he would lose here; they had trained too hard for this moment to slip away from them. All Greninja needed to do was hold out for a little while longer.

"I knew you could still battle, Greninja!" Ash cried out happily as the Ninja pokemon turned around and gave him a thumbs up. "Start off with Double Team!" Ash cried out as copies started to form around the remains of the field. "Now, Night Slash!"

"Gren!" The copies all yelled out as they reached for the purple kunai from their sides. Then, they all dashed towards Charizard as they prepared for their strike.

"Charizard, stop them all with Flamethrower!" Alain issued as he watched the copies all make their way over to the Flame pokemon. Opening its mouth, Charizard released the blue flames which destroyed all of Greninja's copies and stopped the Ninja pokemon in his tracks.

Feeling the intense heat, Greninja was forced to stop his attack as he tried avoid the flames. However, the attack was too large and soon it had swallowed Greninja up. Feeling the heat slowly weaken him, Greninja could hear Ash through the flames calling out to him.

"Don't give up, Greninja!" Ash called out, strain evident in his voice due to the pain he was feeling. "We don't give up until it's over! No matter what stops us, we'll just push through it! Now cut through the Flamethrower with Night Slash! Then hit him with Aerial Ace!"

Greninja thought back to its time with Ash, from the moment they first met while protecting Pikachu all the way up to defeating Team Flare. Together they had overcome many obstacles and the one standing before them would be no different. Grabbing his purple kunai again, Greninja started to sprint deeper into the flames as he managed to cut through them. Then, in an instant, Greninja appeared right in front of Charizard and immediately punched him in the gut followed by a few kicks to the chest and finally an uppercut to the chin.

"Now this is a battle," Alain stated as he shook from the excitement filling him. The bond between Greninja and Ash was something he had never witnessed before. The duo managed to push each other to new heights and with that, managed to push their opponents to new heights as well. Looking over at his Charizard, Alain could see the same excitement inside of him. Sighing, Alain knew that this match had to end however and they would need to do it now before Greninja could get on a roll again. Looking over at Ash, Alain silently thanked him for this battle. He had managed to get all his feelings off of his chest and helped clear his conscious. There was only one thing left to do and that was to win. "Charizard, it's time to end this fight! Blast Burn! Full power, let's go!"

"Rawrrrrr!" The Flame pokemon cried out while slamming his fist into the ground. This one wasn't just concentrated on one spot, instead the entire field started to crack as flames flew out of the ground and swallowed the entire field up. The heat from the attack could be felt all the way up in the stands and things didn't look good for Ash.

"Greninja, get out of there!" Ash quickly yelled, but there was nowhere to go. The entire field was going to explode in a fiery blast in a matter of seconds. Not knowing what to do, Greninja leapt high up into the air where Ash could now make out the field. Noticing one area that could be useful, Ash issued the command. "Greninja! Water Shuriken right into the crack where Blast Burn was launched! Do it! Quick!"

"Gren... Ninja!" The Ninja pokemon cried out as the water shuriken grew in size. Greninja and Ash were going to give it their all in this one final attack. Launching it down into the original crack, everyone noticed that the field was now steaming and that the flames were slowly dying down.

"W-what... Happened?" Alain asked in shock. He could have sworn his attack would have worked. "How was it stopped?"

"Simple," Ash started to answer as he smiled over at his opponent. "We used the underground tunnels you created with Blast Burn to cool the entire field down before the attack could launch. Doing so put your flames out and provided us with a cover for our real attack! Aerial Ace go!"

Looking above them, Alain and Charizard both witnessed Greninja fly through the smoke that was created before swing his leg down hard onto Charizard's head followed by bringing it right back under his chin and knocking the fire and dragon type backwards with one swift punch to the chest. The ground shattered as Charizard crashed into it and the Flame pokemon laid there motionless.

"Gre... Gren… Greninja," Greninja huffed as he dropped onto his knees, sweat covering his entire body. Every inch of his body was filled with pain and he knew that if Charizard got back up that it was done for. Ash likewise was on his knees panting, the form taking its toll on him. Both Greninja and his trainer waited for Charizard to respond to the attack and their hearts started to sink as they watched him get back up.

"Rawr," he panted while standing back up. His entire body was aching from the intense fight, but he loved it. Getting ready to finish the fight, something inside of him gave way as the Flame pokemon slowly collapsed to the ground.

"Charizard is unable to battle! That means the battle and match go to Greninja and his trainer, Ash of Pallet Town!" The referee declared as Charizard's picture was blacked out on the scoreboard. "Which also means that Ash Ketchum is this year's Vanquier Conference winner!"

"Can you believe it!?" The announcer cried out as everyone on attendance went wild. This had to go down in history as one of the greatest championship matches in the history of the Vanquier Conference. There was never a clear winner even at the finish of the battle. "Ash Ketchum manages to hold out the longest in this intense battle and with great help from his Greninja has defeated his opponent A to claim the title of victor of this year's Kalos League!"

"Greninja, you were amazing," Ash stated as the two helped each other walk. Neither of them knew if they would have been able to walk on their own, let alone stand back up after that fight. But something had powered Ash long enough to get onto his feet and help Greninja. Now, Ash, Pikachu and Greninja watched on as the entire stadium applauded them and their opponent.

"Congratulations, Ash," Alain stated as he likewise helped Charizard up while they both applauded him as well. "This is a battle I'll never forget and the next time we meet again I would like to battle."

"You can count on that!" Ash replied as he raised a fist. "If Charizard got back up I think we were done for. Greninja and I could barely move after that last attack.

* * *

"He won!" Bonnie cried out happily as Ash's friends, mom and Professor Oak all celebrated happily. When things had looked bleak for Ash, he managed to pull a victory out and now he had won his first League Conference. "Come on, let's congratulate him!" Bonnie cried out while jumping over the railing.

"Bonnie!" Clemont cried out as he watched his little sister jump onto the field. "You can't just do that!" But it was too late, she was too far away to even hear him. He then looked to his right to see Serena climbing over as well. Sighing, he joined in and dropped down onto the field.

"The way Ash canceled out that Blast Burn was amazing," Sawyer noted as he started to look back at his notes. If there was anything he learned from this entire Kalos League, it was the fact he needed to be a little more spontaneous in his battles. He couldn't rely on just one set plan when entering a battle, otherwise his opponents could use that against him. "The way he then used the smoke as a cover was just quick thinking as well."

"Yes, Ash truly deserved this win today," Professor Oak agreed as they stared down at the field. It was an amazing journey for Ash in the Kalos region, but what was he going to do now? "Still... I don't think the League Committee is going to be thrilled about their field being completely demolished by them," he joked while looking at the destroyed field. Absolutely nothing was left of it following that final showdown.

* * *

"Ash!" His three friends cried out as they made it to the center of the field panting. Following closely behind them were his mother and Professor Oak. Sawyer had decided to stay up in the stands for the time being, allowing Ash to experience the moment with his family and the friends he traveled with the entire region.

Turning around, Ash noticed his friends all running over to him. A large smile crossed his face as he had won. Not only for himself, but for his pokemon and for his friends that traveled with him, both past and present. Sighing, Ash dropped onto the floor to sit.

"You were incredible out there, Ash," Clemont stated as he remembered the entire battle in his mind. "The way you optimized the field and played it into your strategies was amazing. I've never seen a battle just like it."

"Thanks," Ash replied weakly. His entire body was sore from the battle and even just talking seemed to take a lot out of him. Letting a sigh escape his mouth, Ash smiled up at his friends. Without them, who knows if he would even be here right now. "But... I couldn't have done it without everyone's help. You all helped me get to this point."

"Congratulations, Ash," Serena said as she handed him a bottle of water and a fresh handkerchief. "You were amazing. You didn't let anything bother you while battling and waited for the perfect moment to strike."

"Thanks, but it was my pokemon who did all the work," Ash replied sheepishly as he took the water and handkerchief. Taking a sip of water, Ash placed the bottle down as he grabbed the remaining four pokeballs on his belt. Opening them up, Ash released the pokemon from them. "Thank you everyone. Thanks to your hard work, we won the League! Thanks to you I'm now one step closer to being a Pokemon Master!"

His pokemon all cried out in joy as they surrounded their trainer. After everything he had done for them, it was the least they could do. Besides, all of them shared Ash's love for battling just as much as he did. It was only natural for them to fight all out during this entire League.

"Oh, that's a great picture," Delia stated as she snapped another picture of Ash and his entire team together. The looks on their faces was one that she wanted them to remember forever and had quickly taken the picture once she had seen them. They were all overjoyed with their accomplishment.

* * *

"And if you could all please turn your attention to the center of the field, President Goodshow will be awarding the winner of this year's Vanquier Conference, Ash Ketchum, the championship trophy!" The announcer told everyone as Ash stood down on the field with all of his pokemon.

Walking over to him was the familiar, older man that Ash had met by accident right before his first Pokemon League back in Kanto. To think just how much time had passed between then and now. In his hands was a large trophy, one that Ash was familiar seeing at the end of every League.

"Congratulations, Ash," Mr. Goodshow started to say as he handed the trophy over to the trainer, a large smile plastered on both of their faces. "Through hard work, dedication, strategy and the bonds between you and your pokemon, you managed to overcome all other participants and become this year's Vanquier Conference champion. It is on behalf of the entire Pokemon League Committee and my honor that I present you the champion's trophy and the prize money that accompanies it."

"Thank you," Ash said as he took the trophy and prize money in his hands. He then passed the trophy along to each of his pokemon until all six of them were holding the trophy together. "I had no idea there was prize money involved," Ash replied truthfully to the elder man. He had always entered for the thrill of battle and the chance to challenge that region's Elite Four.

Mr. Goodshow laughed at the remark. "Yes, the winner of every League Conference receives a monetary prize alongside the right to challenge the Elite Four of the region. Plus, tomorrow morning you'll have a press conference to talk about your recent victory and it'll end with Diantha allowing you to challenge the Elite Four," Mr. Goodshow explained as the crowd started to empty out of the stadium now. "Now, are there any more questions you have for me?"

"Well..." Ash started to say while rubbing the back of his neck. "Could you... Take a picture of me with my friends, mom, and Professor Oak?" He asked. He wanted a picture of the occasion so that he could always remember it no matter what. Of course, there was no way Ash would ever forget about this day.

"Sure," he replied before taking the camera from Delia. Everyone gathered around Ash as they prepared to take the picture. Then, in a flash it was over. The picture was taken and everyone left the arena to get something to eat, joined by Alain, Mairin and Sawyer.

* * *

"So, Sawyer, what do you have planned now?" Ash asked as he placed an empty plate down on the table. He had taken everyone out to eat at the buffet that he and Serena had won free meals at earlier during the League. He had also said it was on him and he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I'm not really sure," Sawyer replied as he swished his drink around in his hand. He hadn't given it much thought as to where he was going to travel to next. "I think for right now I'll head back to Hoenn and tell Professor Birch how I did here. He'll be proud to hear I made it all the way to the Top 4 of my first pokemon League."

"I'm sure he'll be proud of you, Sawyer," Professor Oak stated as he placed his silverware down onto his plate. Wiping his face clean, the pokemon professor continued. "Now, if I had to recommend a region, I think you would enjoy the Alola region. It's home to pokemon that I've never seen myself."

"The Alola region..." Sawyer muttered as he thought it over. It would be a nice idea to travel a region filled with pokemon he had never seen before, but a part of him wanted to stay close by to Hoenn. "I'm not sure yet. I want to stay near Hoenn, but I don't want to challenge the Hoenn League until I feel like I can give Steven Stone a really good battle."

"In that case why not travel through Kanto?" Ash asked as he shot forward. He had wanted to travel through his home region again, but the thought of seeing brand new pokemon he had never heard of always excited him to the point of running off to the next region he heard about. "It's filled with pokemon not native to Hoenn and it should give you a good chance to train your current team as well."

"I'm really not sure," Sawyer answered truthfully. He really just needed time alone with Sceptile to decide where the two of them should head off to next. "I think I'll make my decision when I get home. I don't want to rush into anything just yet."

"I understand what you mean," Ash said even though that wasn't true. He was always running off at the first mention of a new region. Heck, he ran off to Kalos the day after hearing about its League without even a second thought. "So, Alain, what do you have planned?"

Alain lifted his head up as he heard his name. Looking over to Ash he gave him a small smile. "I plan to continue traveling all over Kalos in my quest to become the strongest Mega Evolution user. Along the way I plan to atone for my previous actions by helping out the region in any ways I can."

"And I'll be right alongside him to make sure he doesn't lose sight of what he's doing," Mairin added in as Chespie jumped onto her head. Seeing the two of them smiling again brought an even larger smile to Alain's face. He had nearly helped destroy Kalos, but he had also helped return the happiness in Mairin's life.

The whole time that Ash was talking, Serena sat there and listened. She was ecstatic that Ash had won the Kalos League, but then a thought came into her head. Hearing about everyone and their plans for the future brought a sad reminder to the Pokemon Performer. _"The League is finished..."_ She thought to herself while looking at Ash. _"Even though he won, he's still going to return to Kanto. He's going to have to leave us all here. But..."_ she continued to think before shaking the thoughts away. Not today, this was Ash's big day and she couldn't have him feeling bad because of her.

* * *

"Ash! The people of Kalos have may questions for you!" One of the reporters called out as Ash made his way to the podium. He appeared to be quite nervous from all of the cameras and microphones in front of him. The only other time he had this happen was during his challenge of the Battle Dome and Tucker, but they were nothing compared to the amount of reporters before him now. "What exactly do you plan on doing now that you've won the Kalos League?"

Ash sighed, he had already been at this for at least an hour now and the questions all seemed the same to him. Looking around the hall, Ash saw his friends along with his mom and Professor Oak sitting in the front. He could have sworn he saw Bonnie laughing at his situation, but chose to ignore it. "Right now I plan on heading back to my home in Pallet Town and train for my next challenge."

"When do you plan on challenging Kalos' Elite Four?" Another reporter asked.

"I don't have a planned time, just when I feel ready and when I'm allowed to challenge them by Diantha," Ash answered. In the past, he would have rushed into his challenge with the Elite Four if given the chance, but now he decided it was best to take this chance to train for them.

"Okay, how about this one. What region do you plan on traveling to next?" The first reporter asked again.

Ash couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't even challenged the Elite Four yet and the reporters were thinking all the way to his next region. "I haven't made any plans for my next region although I've been told about the Alola region being an interesting place to visit. Right now I want to focus on my Elite Four challenge before thinking of my next region."

"I think that's enough questions," a familiar voice stated as the person it belonged to made her way up to the podium. The reporters didn't seem to be shocked by the fact that the Kalos League Champion, Diantha, herself was in the room. They must have been used to it from previous years. "Right now, I'm here to grant Ash the chance to challenge our region's four strongest trainers, the Elite Four. Now, what I'm about to tell you is extremely important and you must adhere to these rules during your entire challenge. Starting tomorrow you have exactly one year to initiate your challenge. If you do not do it at least one month before the next Kalos League, then your right to challenge the Elite Four will be revoked. You do not need to finish the entire challenge by the next Kalos League, just begin. Understand?"

"Yes," Ash answered truthfully. It seemed simple enough, just like when he collected badges for the League Conference. He would have a limited amount of time, only this time he could take his time as long as he started early enough.

"Also," Diantha started to continue on again. "You have to challenge all four members before having a shot at me. To prove your victories over each of them, you'll be awarded a medal to prove that you were victorious. Once you win all four of them, then I will accept your challenge upon presenting them to me. But, if you lose even once, your challenge is done You cannot challenge a member of the Elite Four twice, but you are allowed to face whoever you haven't battled following your loss. Also, the basis of the matches will be decided by the Elite Four member themselves. One match could be a full battle while someone else may only want a three-on-three. Now, do you agree to these rules, Ash?" Diantha asked with a smile on her face.

"I agree!" Ash replied as he could hear cameras flashing in the background. "I'll beat all of the Elite Four and then I can have a real battle with you!"

* * *

"Ash, have you decided what you're going to do for your battles against the Elite Four?" Professor Oak asked as they all returned to the hotel to clean it out. They needed to be out by tomorrow morning, but the professor and Ash's mom were heading back to Pallet Town tonight.

"I'm not entirely sure yet, but I know I want to train with everyone back at your lab. If that's alright I mean," Ash replied as he thought back to what Diantha had said to him. "I only have one shot against each of them. I can't afford any mistakes at all. I'll need to be at the top of my game when I finally battle them."

"Now let's see," Clemont stated as he started to think about the Elite Four of his home region. "If I recall correctly, Kalos' Elite Four are comprised of trainers who specialize in water, fire, steel and dragon type pokemon. You should be able to match up accordingly with your wide array of pokemon available for your use."

"Still," Professor Oak joined back in as he looked at the two boys. "It's better to train right now than to rush into these battles. You don't know when the next time you'll get a chance like this again. Ash, I wish you the best of luck and I'll be waiting back in Pallet Town for you," Professor Oak stated as he grabbed his bags. As much as he loved this trip to Kalos, he couldn't wait to get back to his work. He wondered how Tracey had handled all of the work and if Gary assisted him.

"Ash, I'm so proud of you," his mom told him before pulling him into a hug. "To think at your age you've already won a League Conference. These days out here have been wonderful and even if you had lost I still would have been proud of how well you battled. I'll be waiting in Pallet Town for you."

"Thank you, Mom," Ash said as she finally broke the hug she had pulled Ash into. Now that he could breathe again, Ash looked up at his mom. "I told you before leaving for Kalos that I was going to win. You didn't think I would break my promise to you. Once I get back to Kanto I'll head right home." Ash said as they finished their goodbyes. Getting into the car that was waiting for them, Ash watched him mom and Professor Oak drive off to Lumiose City.

"Now it's just the four of us again," Serena stated as she looked around the living room. They had cleaned up their hotel room the night before and had all of their belongings gathered already. They wanted to not worry about rushing around tomorrow morning and make sure they had everything. "Now what do we do?"

"The only thing left," Ash answered quickly. Although he didn't want to, he knew he had to say it. "First thing tomorrow we start our journey back to Lumiose City and then I'm heading back to Pallet Town."

* * *

 **Ash finally won a League. Hopefully it happens in the anime as well. I think he has an actual shot this time and hopefully they let him win. If not, he better make the Final 2. I hope the fight with Greninja and Mega Charizard was decent. Next chapter will be up sometime this weekend or Monday morning, I'm not entirely sure yet.**

 **Now that the Kalos League is done, I want to share a few points that got changed from my original outline to the final edition outline:**

 **-Ash vs Cameron was going to be a two-parter. (or more exact, 1.5 chapters.)**

 **-In that battle, Scraggy was going to star and evolve into Scrafty.**

 **-Ash was going to run into Calem during the League and form a friendly rivalry with him**

 **-Nick was going to be a COTD battle in the Top 16 and had none of his existent personality.**

 **-Tierno was going to be the Top 4 battle**

 **-Trevor was not originally in the League**

 **-Sawyer was going to be the Top 8 battle**

 **-Alain was not originally in this Arc. Calem was going to be the final opponent for Ash, but after XYZ 26 I felt that the real League would be Ash vs Alain for the championship and went with that.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and who supports the story. Please leave a review of what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	19. Heading Home

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Ash managed to defeat Alain and capture his first ever League win. Now with the Kalos League over, Ash and the group begin their trek back to Lumiose City so that Ash can catch his plane back to the Kanto region.**

 **Ch 19: Heading Home**

* * *

The next morning came faster than any of them had wanted it to. In fact, the entire morning blew by as well. By the time they had checked out of the room given to them by the Vanquier Conference and made it out of town it was already noon. As they reached the mountain cave they had exited roughly two weeks ago, the entire group took one final look at the grounds of the Kalos League. It had been one amazing time for them all, with it ending in the sweet taste of victory for Ash and his pokemon.

Deciding to not waste any more time, Ash turned away from wonderful view and made his way towards the cave. "You guys ready? I really need to get back to Lumiose City as soon as possible," he stated to the entire group.

As if they all had the same thought, Ash's friends all sighed before turning around. The thought had been in Serena's head for the past month or so, while the same thought finally popped into Clemont and Bonnie's minds last night. Ash was leaving them to return home. Who knew if they would even see him again when he returned to Kalos? Taking their time, the trio of friends followed behind Ash with a somber attitude.

"So, Ash," Clemont started to say as he tried to break the silence that had fallen upon their group since waking up that morning. "What exactly are your plans for challenging the Elite Four?"

"Hmm..." Ash muttered while rubbing his chin Truth was, Ash hadn't thought much about his plans. He first wanted to get home and then see his pokemon. From there he was going to work with them personally and the ones he felt were ready to battle an Elite Four member would be used. Sure, all of his pokemon were strong, but the Elite Four weren't average trainers either. "I really haven't thought of a plan yet. I just can't wait to get home!"

That wasn't the answer they were hoping to hear. Sighing, all of the energy they had appeared to leave them. Falling behind the boy from Pallet, the other three walked dejectedly as they tried to waste as much time as they could. As bad as they felt for their actions, they hoped that if Ash missed his flight then he could spend a few extra days in Kalos.

However, Ash noticed their slow pace and called out to them. "Guys! Come on, we need to be in Lumiose City in four days! If we aren't then I can't catch my flight to Kanto!" Upon those words, Ash noticed the looks on his friends' faces grow long. The thought had really only hit him once back when Serena took him out to lunch before one of his matches. He then remembered how they couldn't come to Kanto with him, and how these final few days would be their last together. Sighing, Ash pulled his hat down over his eyes as he too started to feel down about the situation. He had grown to view his friends as a little more than friends due to their closeness, but he couldn't think of the exact word to use to describe their relationship. Truthfully, a part of him didn't want to go back to Kanto either.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked out of concern as he noticed his best friend's changed attitude. It could tell something was bothering him, but it didn't know what. Then, glancing over at the others, Pikachu managed to put everything together and realized what was wrong. Sighing itself, Pikachu looked at Ash.  
Pi... Pika..."

"I know, Pikachu," Ash replied as he scratched behind Pikachu's ear. Neither of them wanted to leave. "But, we have to return home to Kanto. What about mom, and all of the other pokemon. We can't just drop everything in Kanto to stay here. If only there was a way that we didn't have to say goodbye," Ash muttered out loud as a thought came to him. Picking up his pace, Ash needed to make sure he made it to Lumiose City early to get everything planned.

The others noticed his faster pace and wondered what was up with Ash. Was he glad to be leaving them or was it something else? The entire group had thought Ash would be sad about leaving, but instead he looked excited. Deciding to not make him wait, they picked up their pace and managed to catch up to him.

* * *

"Lumiose City..." Serena muttered as the group entered the populated city. Nothing seemed to change since the last time they were here, well, except for the construction from Team Flare's attack being finished. You wouldn't believe that a legendary pokemon was rampaging through the city. Looking at her travel guide, Serena noticed that they had arrived early and that they still had one day until Ash's flight home. "Since we still have some time before Ash's flight, why don't we go do something together for one last time?"

"That sounds like fun!" Bonnie cried out as her attitude changed drastically. She knew of so many fun places in Lumiose that they could go and visit. "We could go to the amusement park, or even the PokePark and view the rare pokemon not native to Kalos. Oh, we could take the Lumiose Station Train over to Kiloude City for the day. It only takes an hour to go there by train!" She explained, her excitement taking over her mind.

Ash laughed at Bonnie's different ideas for fun. To him they all sounded like fun as well, but then he remembered his plan that he needed to get done. "S-sorry guys..." he started to say, sounding uncomfortable about declining the offer. "But, I promised my mom that I would pick up a few things for her. I'll meet up with you guys later once I finish my shopping. I promise!"

"But, Ash," Serena started to say, but before she could finish her sentence he had already ran off. Was it really them? Did they scare Ash away or did he really need to go shopping? Sighing, all three of them didn't feel like doing anything at all now and instead made their way over to Prism Tower.

"Okay, Pikachu," Ash started to say as they made their way down one of the many streets of Lumiose. The duo had traveled through the city quite a few times, but never by themselves. If it weren't for Clemont and Bonnie, who knows if they would have made it out of the city during their first time here. "First we need to find a Pokemon Center and then we can get to work."

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out happily as he spotted the red-roofed building. One great thing about Lumiose was the countless number of Pokemon Centers scattered around it, making it easy to find one no matter where in the city you were.

"Good find, buddy," Ash praised his best friend as they made their way through the crowds and entered the building. "Now we just need to make a phone call and then we can get started," he explained as he sat down at the video phone and dialed in the number he had written down. Ash sat there as the phone rang away. He started to wonder if this was a good idea after all. What exactly would he say if they even picked up?

"Hello?" The voice on the other end asked as they finally picked up. "Who's there?" Ash gulped at the voice. For someone who was constantly getting into dangerous situations and battling in front of crowds, who would have thought talking over the phone would be difficult.

"H-Hi, Grace," he started to say, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "it's me, Ash." Okay, that was a good start to things.

"Oh hi, Ash," Grace replied as the black screen transitioned to show Grace sitting in her living room. She must have just finished teaching someone Rhyhorn Racing since she was still in her racing outfit. "How is everything? Do you mind if I talk to Serena?"

"Well, that's the thing," Ash started to say as he scratched his cheek. Okay, this was going to be a lot harder than he originally planned it to be. "You know how the Kalos League is over..."

"Yes, congratulations in winning the whole thing. I watched your match on TV and I have to say I am amazed. Did you know Serena's neighbor competed as well? It was his first time and he already made it to the Top 16," Grace interrupted as she then started to talk about other subjects.

"T-that's great, but I actually called to ask you an important question," Ash said, it was now his turn to interrupt. "Now that the Kalos League is over, I have to return home to Kanto. You see... I... I was wondering if it would... Be alright if Serena came with me. At least until I finished my training and returned to challenge the Elite Four!" Ash said, rambling off the words to the point he was practically yelling by the end. Taking a deep breath, he had no idea why he was so nervous about asking this question."

Grace smirked at Ash's question. She could tell that there was a little something going on between her daughter and the boy she had met back at Summer Camp all those years ago. Still, she could tell that Ash had no real idea about those feelings and felt that it would be fine. "Hmm. It sounds like an excellent opportunity for Serena. Plus, she'd just go off on her own anyways if she wanted to. It's fine by me if she goes..." Grace said as she noticed the smile on Ash's face.

"Thank you, please don't tell her since I want to surprise them all tonight," Ash said as the call ended. Looking over at Pikachu, the duo wore two huge smiles on their faces. "One down, two to go, Pikachu! Now we just need to find Meyer."

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out in agreement as the duo ran out of the Pokemon Center and made their way to Meyer's shop.

* * *

Elsewhere in Lumiose City, Ash's three friends made their way down the streets of Lumiose City when they noticed a white limo stop next to them. To their surprise, an elder looking lady got out of the car and approached them.

"I've been waiting for your answer," she stated while walking past Clemont and Bonnie and right for Serena. She seemed to be dead serious on what she wanted to know. "Have you made up your mind yet about my offer?"

"P-Palermo..." Serena muttered as she saw the former Performer and current coach standing before her. Serena still remembered the last conversation the duo had following her loss at the Master Class. Looking over at Clemont and Bonnie, Serena started to speak to them. "You guys go on ahead. I just need to talk with her for a moment."

"You sure you're alright by yourself?" Clemont asked as he fixed his glasses. He remembered Serena telling him about the offer, but something about her he just didn't like.

"She said for us to go on ahead, Clemont!" Bonnie cried out as she tugged on her older brother's jumpsuit. She knew that this was an important decision for Serena and that she should make it on her own. "Come on, don't you want to check up on Clembot and your pokemon?"

"A-Alright, Bonnie..." Clemont muttered as he made his way down the street with his sister. "Serena, meet us at Prism Tower. We'll wait outside for you!" Clemont yelled back as he chased after his sister, who had started to run.

"So, have you made up your mind?" Palermo asked again as she stared at the Performer. They both knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The last Performer that Palermo had trained became the current Kalos Queen, Aria. "You said that you wanted to finish your journey with that Ash. Well, he's going to be heading home now that the Kalos League is finished."

"I-I know..." Serena muttered as she thought it over. She had given it a lot of thought, but the fact that Ash had told her she didn't need any extra help was making her be hesitant. "I'm still not sure. There's still a lot more that I can see and learn while on my journey that I wouldn't be able to while learning under you. I appreciate the offer, but I'm unsure. It's an amazing offer, not everyone gets to train under a famous Performer. But, a part of me wants to do it on my own and by my way."

"It's that boy isn't it?" Palermo asked as she sighed. She saw something special in Serena, something that she only saw in one other performer, Aria. If she didn't want to be trained there had to be a reason. "He believes that you don't need any training and that you can win on your own."

"N-No!" Serena replied nervously. Yes, Ash had told her that, but he had also told her to take the offer if she had felt it was right. But, a part of her still wanted to travel, she wanted to see faraway lands and see pokemon not native to Kalos. She wanted to grow as a person and as a Performer but not by practicing in a studio every day. "It's just... Right now I feel like I can learn more from traveling and seeing the world. Interacting with everyday situations could be more beneficial. I want to travel to Kanto, even if only for a short amount of time. I feel like I could receive valuable experience from these journeys."

"You do realize the next Showcase season starts up in one month?" Palermo asked as she lowered her sunglasses. "As it is, you lost out on valuable training by continuing your journey through Kalos. But, now is the time to be taking your training seriously if you ever want to become Kalos Queen. Taking time off to explore other places does not help," Palermo said as a smile crossed her face. "But, it could be a good opportunity for you to grow as a person. Going to Kanto and other regions can allow you to grow a large fan base from other regions, something that Aria herself lacks. It'll teach you responsibilities and show you the different cultures of the world which can only add to your performances. But, I want you to call me when you return from Kanto. Alright?"

"Yeah!" Serena replied as a smile crossed her face. She would be able to have more time to think about her decision while also surprising Ash in Kanto. As long as her mother allowed her to journey that far.

Palermo felt a small smile cross her face as well before getting back into her limo. There it was, the energy and enthusiasm that Palermo felt made Serena different than other Performers. Some did it for the fame, but she could see that Serena truly enjoyed performing. Now all she needed to do was be trained by an expert once she returned to Kalos.

* * *

"So, you want to see if Clemont and Bonnie can travel to Kanto with you?" Meyer asked as he scratched at his beard. Personally, he didn't see any problems with it, but he wanted to see just how much Ash wanted his two kids to accompany him.

"Yes, sir!" Ash replied while bowing to the giant man before him. Ash thought it was weird how he was acting, but even though he knew Meyer, the man could still look threatening when he wanted to. "It's just... Since I came to Kalos, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena have been the closest thing to a family to me. And, I started this journey with them all and I want to finish this journey with them. That includes the time I spend training in Kanto."

"I see," Meyer stated as he kept his blank expression on. Deep inside he was smiling though because of the great friend that his kids had made. Ash seemed like the kind of guy who would give everything he had to help someone. "Still, who'll run the gym while Clemont is gone? He can't just ditch his responsibilities."

"I know that and I thought since Clembot was doing an excellent job that you wouldn't mind him continuing as the gym leader," Ash pleaded to his friends' father. To Ash's surprise, the man's blank expression had been broken and tears were streaming down his face. "A-are you alright, Meyer?"

"Yes I'm alright," he responded as he wiped the tears away. He was just so happy. "I... I'm just glad that Clemont and Bonnie found such wonderful friends who think about them! I'm more than grateful for looking out for them while they journeyed with you and I'm perfectly fine with them traveling to Kanto!"

"Really!?" Ash asked excitedly as Meyer nodded in approval. To Ash's surprise, it was much easier and faster than he expected it to be. All he had to do was go and get the tickets now and then he would be finished. "Thank you, Meyer!" He said as he started to make his way to the door.

"Ash, wait a minute," Meyer said seriously. Ash could tell the difference in his attitude and wondered what was up. "I saw your match in the Kalos League and noticed that you had a Charizard."

"Yeah, Charizard and I have been through so much together. He's pulled through for me during some of my hardest battles yet," Ash replied as he praised his once disobedient pokemon. Smiling, Ash looked to the pokeball on his belt that contained the Flame pokemon. "Without him, I wouldn't have won so many battles."

"I see, so it is a good thing I found this," Meyer replied as he pulled an object out of his pocket. It appeared to be a small round object that glistened when the sunlight hit it at just the right angle.

"is that..." Ash started to say in awe.

"A Mega Stone?" Meyer finished while nodding affirmatively. "Yes. And not just any Mega Stone. It's a Charizardite Y. One of the two Mega Stones that belong to the Charizard species."

"H-how'd you find this?" Ash asked as he eyed the stone with awe. He had seen Mega Evolution up close and saw just how powerful it could be. He had almost lost twice at the League because of it, but Greninja managed to pull through for him.

"It's actually quite funny," Meyer started to say before laughing. It really was a good tale and one no one would ever believe. "You see, while I was cleaning up the destruction from Team Flare, something bright had caught my eye. So, I decided to investigate what it was. Could you believe the surprise on my face when I finally found it to find out that it was a Mega Stone. Then, while watching your battle with Alain, I realized that it would be of more use to you since you owned a Charizard," Meyer lied as he thought back to the real reason he had it.

* * *

 _"_ _Alain, what are you doing here?" Meyer asked as the trainer and Mairin entered his shop. Alain had just lost in the Kalos League the day before and was returning to Lumiose City to prepare for his next journey._

 _"_ _I came to give you this," Alain said as he handed over a Mega Stone to the mechanic. "In your hand is the Mega Stone known as Charizardite Y, one of two Stones that belong to Charizard. I had recently found it prior to the League."_

 _"_ _And what am I supposed to do with it?" Meyer asked as he raised it into the light. He then watched as the sunlight bounced off of it and covered his shop in different shades of color. "it's nice and all, but I don't have a Charizard."_

 _"_ _Did you watch my battle yesterday with Ash?" Alain asked while receiving a head nod in reply. "Then you must have seen his Charizard. I had no use for that Charizardite Y and I would like you to give it to him as a gift instead."_

 _"_ _But, why didn't you just give it to him yourself. You were just with him?" Meyer asked as he placed the Stone in his pocket. To Meyer, Alain seemed kind of strange, not much of a people person and it showed at times. "Wouldn't that have been easier."_

 _"_ _Yes, but even after our battle, I still feel remorse over my actions. It wouldn't have felt right to give Ash it. Instead, it should come from a hero like Blaziken Mask," Alain answered as he smirked._

 _Meyer nodded since there were only three people in all of Kalos that knew his identity; Professor Sycamore, Alain, and Mairin. "I see. Even after everything you still see yourself as someone who's committed wrong. And you felt that it wouldn't be right if you were to give him this."_

 _"_ _Correct, now if you would please excuse me," Alain stated as Mairin and himself exited the shop. Before leaving, Alain stopped and faced the mechanic. "And please, don't tell him where it's really from._

* * *

"You must be really lucky to find a Mega Stone just lying in the sewer!" Ash exclaimed as he continued to eye the Stone. He had heard just how rare these could be and so finding one must take forever.

"Yep... I'm quite the lucky person," Meyer said while laughing. He didn't enjoy lying about the Stone, but Alain asked him not to tell anyone and he had promised him. "But, I don't have a Charizard and I was wondering if you would like it?"

"You're giving me your Mega Stone..." Ash muttered as he watched Meyer place the stone in his hands. Closing Ash's fingers around the sphere, Meyer smiled at the boy.

"I believe that it would be of more use with you than with me," Meyer told him before smiling. Ash nodded in agreement as he opened his hand to stare at the Stone again. "You see, unlike you I don't own a Charizard, just Ampharos here," he said while pointing to his partner behind the counter.

"But, I can't just take this from you. You were the one to find it," Ash tried to tell him while pushing back towards Meyer. But the mechanic would have none of it. Closing the hand with the Stone in it. Meyer pushed it back towards Ash.

"You're not taking it from me," Meyer started to reply while fixing his hat. "I'm giving it to you as a gift. For keeping an eye out for Clemont and Bonnie during your journeys together. Please, if you don't take it then it'll just be collecting dust up on a shelf."

Ash nodded in agreement as he took the Stone and placed it firmly in his pocket. There was no way he could afford to lose it. "Thank you, Meyer! And thank you for letting Clemont and Bonnie come with me to Kanto!" Ash cried out before running out of the shop.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in joy once they were outside. They were so close to finishing up their surprise for everyone, they just needed to do one more thing.

"I know, everyone's going to be so excited when we surprise them tonight," Ash replied as they broke off into a sprint. They had to get to their final destination before it closed for the night. "Now just to finish everything up before tomorrow otherwise this was for nothing!"

* * *

"Here you go, there were three tickets remaining for tomorrow's 8:00 AM flight to the Kanto region remaining," the Ticket Lady said while handing them over to Ash. "You got really lucky that someone else didn't get here before you."

"I know," Ash replied while panting. He had sprinted all the way across Lumiose City to get here in time and had actually came close to passing out. But, a part of him knew he couldn't stop running until he had those tickets in his hands. "Thank you... You don't know how much I needed these tickets," he said while walking out of the Lumiose Airport. He quickly placed them inside of an envelope and stuffed it in his back pocket. "Alright Pikachu, I think it's time to go and meet up with everyone now."

"Pi Pikachu!" The electric type cried out in agreement as he suddenly felt something pulling on him. For some reason he couldn't fight the pulling sensation as he felt himself be whisked up into the sky above Lumiose City.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he watched his best friend be pulled away by an unknown source. Then, to his surprise he felt the five pokeballs on his belt be pulled away by the same force as they soon followed Pikachu through the sky. Then, not to his surprise he noticed the familiar Meowth balloon that had been following him throughout his journeys only this time it appeared to have a large vacuum attached to the front of it with three custodians sitting inside the balloon.

"Prepare for trash filled trouble," the first custodian stated as she ripped the disguise off to reveal that she was Jessie.

"And make it a recycled pile of double," the second custodian stated while revealing himself to be James.

"To protect the world from garbage and grime!"

"To clean the streets for all of time!"

"To denounce the evils of plastic and trash!"

"To extend our reach to the dumps afar!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, cleans these streets all day and night!"

"Surrender now or prepare for a trash filled fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" The third custodian added in as he revealed himself as Meowth.

"Wobbu!" Wobbuffett appeared out of nowhere to finish off the motto.

"Team Rocket! What are you up to this time!? Give me back Pikachu and the others!" He yelled out as he looked at the three Team Rocket Agents. Then, a thought came to him. "Why are you already dressed up if you're in your balloon!?"

"Why not?" Meowth asked back as he pulled an eyelid down with his finger and stuck his tongue out at the Twerp. "We like the thrill of dressing up."

"Plus this outfit is absolutely stunning if I have to say so myself," James said as he looked at the former custodian outfit he had on before being hit by Jessie.

"Enough of that, we got what we needed and so let's be off," She said to James before facing the Twerp. "We're not doing anything out of the ordinary. We're doing Lumiose City some good by vacuuming up any trash on the streets and then we picked up six new pokemon," Jessie stated as they watched Pikachu and the other pokemon fly up their super powered vacuum and into a cage.

"To think that some trainer would just throw out these pokemon and leave them stranded on the streets," James started to fake cry as he talked. "It should be a crime to treat pokemon like that. Whoever their trainer is should be fined."

"It's too bad they won't be able to plead their case since they'll be all tied up," Meowth joined in while tossing one of their cubes at Ash. The device opened up and immediately wrapped itself around the trainer, making it impossible for him to chase after them.

"We hate to leave you in a bind," Jessie teased as she pointed out his current predicament.

"But as you know the old saying, time flies," James added in as he crossed his arms against his chest before pointing at Ash.

"When you're having fun, Twerp, so," Meowth joined in as the three of them prepared to leave.

"Bye-Bye!" The three agents all cried out in agreement as they started to fly away with Ash's pokemon.

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled through grit teeth. He tried to stand back up, but he wasn't able to do to the restraints around his body. And without his friends there, no one was going to stop Team Rocket for him.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash heard someone's voice state. Then, before his eyes he watched as a Flamethrower appeared out of nowhere to completely destroy the balloon.

"Catch the cage with Vine Whip, Chespie," a second voice could be heard and Ash immediately knew who were the two who saved his pokemon. Looking up, he watched as a Vine Whip attack wrapped around the falling cage before catching it and placing it safely on the ground.

"Just what do you think you're doing Mr. Spatula!" Jessie cried out angrily as she tossed a pokeball out. "Gourgeist, be a dear and use Shadow Ball!"

"Make up your mind! First your good, then bad, and now you're good again! You're worse than me picking out an outfit!" James cried out as he tossed a pokeball forward as well. "Okay, Inkay, Psybeam!"

"Just as we've practiced, Mairin," Alain muttered as they watched the two blasts soar across the street towards them. Although he knew that Charizard could take them easily, he wanted Mairin to train a little and become stronger on her own.

"Right," she replied with a smile. Pointing to the pokemon next her she made a command. "Okay, Bébé, Grassy Terrain!" She cried out as the street suddenly changed into a grassy field. "Now, Chespie, Solar Beam!"

"Chespin!" It cried out happily as the spikes on its head glowed white. Then, it immediately fired off the concentrated energy as it managed to overpower the two combined attacks.

"What!?" The three agents yelled in shock. They weren't expecting the young Twerp to be a problem for them. Then, out of nowhere, Wobbuffett jumped up while glowing. He then pushed the attack right back at the duo.

"Mirror Coat," Alain muttered as he looked at the returned attack. "Mairin, we'll handle this! Flamethrower, let's go!"

"Rawrr!" The Flame pokemon cried out before releasing the flames from his mouth. The returned Solar Beam stood no chance as it was destroyed within seconds by the Flamethrower. The attack then continued forward until crashing into Team Rocket and sending them flying away.

"Even at the end we still can't get one victory!" Jessie yelled out while throwing her fists around in anger.

Sighing, James crossed his arms and flew across the sky. "There's always the next time he gets to the end of a journey."

"But for now!" Meowth cried out as they reached the top of their ascent.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The three agents cried out in unison.

"Alain, Mairin, thank you for saving Pikachu and the others," Ash said as they helped to free him from the restraints. Pikachu immediately jumped onto his shoulder while Ash reattached the other pokeballs onto his belt. "If it weren't for you two then Team Rocket would have gotten away for sure."

"It was the least we could do," Alain replied as he gave a small smile. That was one thing Ash noticed, ever since Team Flare had been stopped, Alain seemed to smile more often. "We were over visiting with Professor Sycamore when we heard a commotion. We couldn't just ignore it and then we saw what was happening."

"Speaking of Professor Sycamore, do you think his research actually found anything?" Mairin asked as she looked over at Chespie. She then turned to face Ash to give a brief explanation. "You see, Professor Sycamore thinks that Chespie being in contact with the combination of Zygarde's energy and the Mega Evolution energy might lead to some kind of power boost that could be similar to Mega Evolution. But so far they're just all theories and hasn't been able to find any proof of it."

"That sounds so cool," Ash said as he thought about heading over to check it out. But before he started to, he remembered he needed to go do something first. "I'd love to check it out, but right now I have something important to get done first," he apologized before running off.

"You think we'll ever see them again, Alain?" Mairin asked as they watched the boy sprint through the street back towards Prism Tower.

"Yes," he replied, happiness in his voice. It had been a chance meeting that started their rivalry, but that meeting also helped to change Alain's life without even realizing it at the time. "We'll meet him again one day. And when we do, the two of us will have another battle to see who the strongest truly is."

* * *

"Okay, Pikachu, we're just about at Prism Tower now," Ash said as they turned a corner and noticed the large building right in front of them. They hadn't realized just how close the building actually was to them. Walking around to the front, Ash noticed that his three friends were all sitting there looking rather depressed. "Huh, I wonder what the matter is, Pikachu?"

"Pika?" It shrugged. He really didn't have much of an idea either, but the duo decided to wait around the corner and hear what was happening.

"It isn't fair, Clemont!" Bonnie cried out while thrashing about. She appeared to be taking whatever was wrong the worst based on the fact that her eyes were red and wet from crying. "I don't want our journey to end! I don't want Ash to leave!"

"I know, Bonnie. None of us want him to leave," Clemont said as he embraced his little sister with a hug. "We've all grown to admire Ash so much. Traveling with him for the past year has made me a much better trainer and person. I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank him for everything he did for us. Without him, I'm not the person I am today. Instead we'd still be trying to get the gym back from Clembot and who knows what other problems we may have encountered."

"B-But..." Bonnie tried to argue only for tears to come out. Seeing this, Clemont started to rub her back while trying to soothe her. It was a lot for the young girl since besides Squishy she never had to say goodbye to someone like this. "We... We can't break the group... We're a family!"

"Bonnie," Serena now said, her voice sounded horse and Ash could also see that her eyes were red a little. "Ash wouldn't want you to be sad. He'd tell you that we'll all see each other again one day and not to give up until the end. I know how hard it is for you to say goodbye to him, but, just try and be strong until he's on his flight. We don't want to upset him. This is the only problem with traveling. You'll make a lot of great friends, but once your time in that region is over then you have to say goodbye to them as well. One day when you become a trainer and travel, you'll make friends that you'll have to say goodbye to at one point."

"But I don't want to say goodbye!" Bonnie cried out while sobbing. It was true, she didn't care about anything at this point, she just didn't want her family broken up after all the time they had spent together. "I want us to stay a family forever!"

These words hit Ash hard. He had no idea just how much they were like a family. Yeah, he considered them like a family to him, but they all seemed to think he actually was a part of their families. Thinking back to their journey, they really did act like a family and the thought of breaking it up actually saddened Ash. Walking from around the corner, Ash shocked his friends as he appeared before them.

"Ash!" They all cried out as they were surprised by his sudden appearance. They all quickly tried to hide the fact that they had been sad all day and did their best to look happy.

"It's alright, you don't need to hide it any longer..." Ash said while sounding sad. Even though everything went according to his plan, he still felt sad about the possible split they'll eventually have to do. "The... The truth is... I don't want to say goodbye either. But sometimes you need to say goodbye," he said before surprising them by bringing them into a group hug. "But remember, a goodbye is forever it's just a promise to meet again one day. We'll all be together again, but for right now there's no way I could ever express my gratitude for everything you three have done for me!"

Everyone was caught off guard by Ash's sudden sadness, all day he had seemed perfectly fine but right now he was letting everything out. As they returned the hug, Serena noticed something in his back pocket with their names written on it.

"What's this..." she muttered while grabbing the envelope with their names written on it. Seeing her pull it, Ash quickly reached for it only to miss.

"Don't open it yet!" Ash called out, but it was too late. Due to holding the envelope upside down, the three plane tickets fell out and landed in front of them on the ground. Rubbing the back of his head, Ash picked the tickets up. "Okay... Well now that the surprise is ruined I guess I'll explain. The errands that I needed to do was actually seeing if it was alright with your parents to travel with me to Kanto until I challenged the Elite Four."

"So that's why you didn't want to spend time with us?" Serena asked as a smile crossed her face while holding the plane ticket in her hands. Likewise, Clemont and Bonnie also had huge smiles as they grasped their tickets as well.

"Yeah... I didn't realize how hard it was on you guys though. Kind of makes me feel bad for putting you through it," Ash told his three as they headed inside of Prism Tower. "But, we need to get ready. The plane leaves early in the morning."

* * *

Sitting next to each other, the four friends all prepared for takeoff. To think, they were all heading to the Kanto region with Ash. It seemed like a dream at first. But here they all were, sitting in the same aisle as he was, on a plane destined for Kanto. Looking around, Ash smiled at his three friends who appeared to be filled with excitement.

"You all remember to bring anything you'll need?" Ash asked as the flight attendant could be heard over the loudspeaker. It was a little late to be asking it now, but Ash felt like he should.

"Yeah," Serena and Bonnie responded as they watched the plane start to move.

"I also packed everything I'll need," Clemont started to say before clutching his ears. He had never been on a plane before and wasn't expecting the sudden pop in his ears. "But, I left Luxray back at the gym so he could help Clembot with any challenges. Plus, since we aren't going to be traveling at least he can get some exercise by training with my other pokemon at the gym."

"That's a good idea, Clemont," Ash replied as he felt his eyelids start to droop. He was extremely tired from yesterday and was running on adrenaline this morning. Finally, Ash couldn't fight the urge to sleep any longer and passed out. One by one, each of his friends passed out as well.

* * *

It felt like hours passed by the time Ash had woken up. Looking around, Ash noticed that his friends were still asleep and decided it was best not to wake them up. Then as Ash tried to turn in his seat, he found it hard to do so. Looking around, he noticed that somehow during the time they were asleep, Serena's head had landed on his chest.

Ash's first thought was too move it so that he could be more comfortable, but as he watched her sleep he noticed just how comfortable she appeared to be as a smile was across her face. _"She looks so peaceful... I can't move her head, what if the movement wakes her?"_ Ash thought as he continued to look at her. He then sat back in his set, being careful to not move her head as a new thought came across his mind. _"I like this... This just feels right..."_ He thought to himself, unaware of what was slowly building up inside of him.

* * *

 **And the Kalos League Arc is officially finished. We will now have a mini-arc of two chapters to bridge the gap until the E4 Arc begins. The next two chapters will take place in Pallet Town and I don't want to say too much about it just yet. But... Ash has a Mega Stone now, but don't expect any Mega Charizard any time soon. He still needs a Key Stone and those don't just fall out of the sky. (Unlike Goomy)**

 **Just a quick notice that a few of you already know. I'll be taking short break from uploading this story. (Roughly 5-7 days. It isn't a long break.) I just want to get ahead chapter wise in the next arc so that if I'm behind with a chapter I'll still be able to upload. So, to give you a little teaser, here are a few quotes which may or may not be out of context for when the actual chapters are uploaded:**

 **"** **Charizard, what's gotten into you!"**

 **"** **It appears, Charizard isn't happy about Ash having a stronger pokemon than him."**

 **"** **I... I... I love you!"**

 **"** **Everything we do is for the glory of Team Rocket!"**

 **"** **Look, it's glowing!"**

 **"** **She'll be alright. Pikachu won't let anything bad happen."**

 **So, hope that gets you all thinking about the next arc. It should be interesting.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports the story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	20. Welcome to Kanto

**Welcome back! Last time we left off, Ash and the gang were on their way to Kanto so Ash could prepare for his Elite Four challenge. Since then, the group have arrived in Ash's home region and have begun the journey back to Pallet Town.**

 **Ch 20: Welcome to Kanto**

* * *

"Come on!" Ash cried out as everyone was getting closer to the top of the hill. They had landed at the airport a few hours ago, but instead of calling home for a ride Ash decided to surprise everyone. "Pallet Town is right over this hill!"

Just as he said that, Ash and friends made it over the top of the hill and finally got a look of the entire town. It was a quiet town with not too many houses. But the few that were there were spread out, giving all the residents plenty of space. But, the one thing Ash was looking at wasn't the houses or the town, but instead Professor Oak's lab. Off in the distance sat the famous professor's research lab.

"I can't wait to get to Professor Oak's lab and see all my pokemon again!" Ash yelled out as he started to make a break for it. But, he could hear his friends yelling in the background and came to a stop. "What's the matter?"

"Ash," Serena started to say while sighing. "You told your mother you'd go home right when you got back to Pallet Town. You need to head to your house first, then you can go see all your pokemon," she finished while letting out a small laugh. That was Ash, forgetting everything he already said if it involved his pokemon.

Letting out a light chuckle, Ash rubbed the back of his head. "That's right. I guess I forgot." His excitement had made him forget about the promise he made his mom.

"Come on!" Bonnie now yelled as she sprinted past them all. "The sooner we go see your mom, the sooner we can go see your pokemon!" She really was just like Ash, always wanting to do anything that involved pokemon.

"Bonnie!" Clemont called out as he tried to catch up to his little sister. "You don't even know where his house is! Slow down, there'll be plenty of time to see his and all the other pokemon at Professor Oak's lab!"

* * *

"Hello?" Ash called out as he entered his house. To his surprise, the front door had been unlocked but there was no one in the house. Not even Mr. Mime was here. Searching through the house, Ash looked to see if his mom was just hiding. "Mom! It's me, Ash, I'm back from Kalos. I didn't call since I wanted to surprise you!"

"Maybe she left to go to the store," Clemont asked as he looked around the house. He wasn't being nosy, but most of the cupboards were empty. "It seems like she doesn't have much food left in here."

"Oh, maybe she wanted to bake you something special," Bonnie said once she heard Clemont's question. Bonnie started to picture a large cake being made right now. "Hopefully whatever she's making is something sweet. Like a cake!"

"I don't think she went to the store," Serena answered as she pulled a note off of the fridge. Reading it over, she handed the note over to Ash. "I just think we were looking in the wrong place."

"Yeah," Ash agreed as he placed the note down. After reading it, he learned that his mom was over at Professor Oak's lab right now. "She's over at Professor Oak's. Let's head over there right now!" He cried out happily. Now he could see his pokemon while also seeing his mom.

"Yeah!" His three friends all agreed as they walked out of the house. Their excitement for seeing the famous pokemon professor's laboratory building up inside of them.

* * *

"Here goes nothing," Jessie muttered as they approached a large building hidden in the valley of a canyon. After returning from Kalos, it was time for them to give Giovanni a status report on their job in Kalos. "You still have everything?"

"Of course," Meowth replied as he pulled out a flash drive. Between this and their little surprise for the boss, they were hoping that for once they would get a promotion. They had done extremely well in Kalos, at least in their eyes. "Everything that we did in Kalos should impress the boss."

"Hopefully," James muttered as gripped Inkay's pokeball. There was no way he was handing over his pokemon this time like they did with their Unova pokemon. At the time, they had nothing else to give Giovanni and so to please him they gave him their pokemon as personal gifts to Team Rocket. "You and I both know how hard it is to the please the boss. I just hope we don't need to give him Inkay and Gourgeist this time."

"Relax," Meowth stated as he crossed his arms and nodded his head. He had already thought ahead of this. That was why they were out all night doing what they did. "Everything will be fine," he assured his comrades as they approached the building.

"State your business!" One of the two guards stated as they blocked the entrance. They couldn't just let anyone in, even if they were wearing Team Rocket uniforms. "Otherwise leave the premises.

"Agents Jessie, James, and Meowth are here for their debriefing of the Kalos region and our operations there with Giovanni," Jessie stated as the guards opened the doors for them. "Giovanni has asked us to return to the base as soon as possible."

"Very well," the second guard said as the trio walked in. "We'll call Giovanni and let him know you're on your way up."

* * *

Giovanni sat in his office petting his Persian as he looked at the news from the other regions. Everywhere was looking good for Team Rocket. They were still staying under the radar despite their growing ranks and it pleased the man. What started out as a small organization under his mother had flourished into all of this. Hearing a knock at his door, Giovanni shut the computer screen off. "Come in!"

"Sir," his assistant stated as she led Jessie, James, and Meowth into the office. "These three have returned from the Kalos region with news for you."

Eyeing them, he wondered what news they could have for him. They had been to every region imaginable, but so far the only good things they have done was cause the destruction of opposing organizations in every region they visited. He had to give that to them, they made it much easier to set up Team Rocket branches everywhere now.

"What do you three want?" He asked, his impatience showing. He had just stumbled upon an article about Team Flare, one of their latest rivals for world domination when these three arrived. "Whatever it is, make it quick! I'm busy!"

"Y-yes sir..." Jessie muttered. Despite how confident they were mere minutes ago, they were now terrified. Giovanni had a way of doing that to anyone. "We've returned from our mission in the Kalos region with excellent news for the glory of Team Rocket!" She said as the three agents saluted their boss.

"Well, I'm waiting," he replied back as his patience was thinning. He wished they would just come out and say what they did. Although, he enjoyed watching his agents squirm with fear for him. "What exactly did you accomplish?

"We had informed you earlier about a rival organization," James started to say as he moved forward. Pulling out his minicomputer, an article on Team Flare popped up. "Team Flare were their name. During our time in Kalos we managed to destroy them and cause them to disband. The region is now ours."

"What!?" Giovanni was shocked. The last time he had talked to them, they had mentioned a powerful organization that looked to control Zygarde, one of the legendary pokemon of Kalos. How could these three defeat them by themselves. "Well, good. But what happened to Zygarde? Did you capture it?"

"Unfortunately not," James replied as Giovanni glared at them. They knew he would be upset considering how strong Zygarde could become. "It managed to escape during our final battle with the leader of Team Flare, Lysandre."

"But," Meowth joined in as he pulled their flash drive out once again. "We did gather something just as powerful. On this one flash drive is all the information on Mega Evolution that the region of Kalos had."

"Mega Evolution?" Giovanni asked. He had heard about it a little, but didn't know the full strength behind it. Was it really as powerful as these three stated. "Explain."

"Mega Evolution," Jessie joined in again as James pulled some of their video clips of Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir up. "Is a form of temporary evolution where certain pokemon gain a tremendous boost in power where everything about them is improved. Strength, speed, you name it."

Giovanni smiled at this. If there was a way to power up Team Rocket's pokemon, he would want to know about it. "And this flash drive contains everything on it?"

"Yes," Meowth replied as he handed it over to the man. "Anything you want to know on Mega Evolution is right on this flash drive."

Plugging it into his computer, hundreds of files started to pop up and showed him that he wasn't being fooled. There were articles written by leading experts on the new phenom, there were video clips, there was even information on every known pokemon that could Mega Evolve and how they were affected by the process. "I'm very pleased by you three. You may have lost Zygarde, but you supplied me with something that could be just as good, if not better."

"Everything we do is in the glorious name of Team Rocket," Meowth stated as the trio saluted Giovanni once again. It was working, he seemed to be even happier than when they returned from Unova.

"Now," Giovanni said, breaking up the quietness of the room. "On your paperwork, it says here that you also started construction of a Team Rocket Kalos branch headquarters. How is that coming along?"

"When we left Kalos to speak to you," Jessie started to say as she took the lead on this part. "The building was nearing completion. We based the location of the headquarters in the region's main city, Lumiose City."

"Explain to me why you would do that?" He asked, growing annoyed that they would place an evil organization's headquarters in a heavily populated city. Were they asking to get caught?

"We decided that after heavy research, we wanted to follow in the footsteps of Madame Boss, the first leader of Team Rocket. She based the original headquarters in Celedon City underneath a casino," Jessie started to explain quickly. She didn't need the boss getting upset now after all the work they did. "So, our headquarters is stationed underneath a café."

"A café?" Giovanni asked. He was now curious about this. Could the Kalos branch become self-funded now that their base could also double as a business. He had dropped his mother's idea of using everyday businesses as bases due to the increased likely hood that they could be caught.

"Yes, Cafés are quite popular in the Kalos region. Plus, they sell quite delicious treats if I do say so myself," James joined in as he backed his partner up. Giovanni glared at him as a signal to get on with whatever he needed to say. Understanding, James flinched from Giovanni's stare and immediately continued. "We believed that if the Kalos branch could take care of themselves, then in the long run any funds that would have needed to go there could be spent on other regions instead."

"I can't believe you three actually thought of something this brilliant," Giovanni said. The trio took it as a compliment, even if it wasn't. "Is that all you needed to tell me? Did you at least capture any rare and powerful pokemon?"

"We sure did," Meowth quickly jumped up. He pulled out a small bag that contained four pokeballs in it. This was the fruit of their labor from last night. After being blasted off by the twerps, they had decided to use their last night in Kalos to catch some pokemon so they wouldn't get yelled at. "Inside these four pokeballs are rare pokemon that can only be found in Kalos."

"I'm listening," Giovanni stated as he waved his hand, signaling for them to continue on. He wanted to hear about these powerful pokemon.

"Yes... well they might not be in their most powerful stages yet, but after having them go through Team Rocket training they will be," James told their boss as he pulled out his digital encyclopedia that was given to them before heading out to Kalos. "The first pokeball contains the flying type Noibat. It's a cave dwelling pokemon that evolves into the powerful dragon type Noivern. Next, is Flabebe the fairy type. Its final evolution is a Florges. We've seen from experience just how strong they can be. Next, is Binacle a dual water and rock type. It evolves into the powerful Barbaracle. And last is Skiddo a grass type that becomes a powerful Gogoat."

"We hope you accept these pokemon for the future well-being of Team Rocket," Jessie stated as Meowth pushed the four pokeballs onto Giovanni's desk.

"I am pleasantly surprised with all three of you," Giovanni said as he took the four pokeballs. These three were turning into useful agents after all. After years of constant failing, they started to show him some signs of competence when he sent them to Unova. "To reward you three, I am assigning you to watch over the construction of the Kalos branch headquarters. I'll be in contact with you shortly," he said before waving them out of his office.

"Yes, sir," the trio said before bowing and leaving. They could barely contain their excitement as they left the room with the doors slamming behind them. They could hardly believe what the boss had said to them just now.

"He sounded so proud," Jessie said as they walked down the hallway. Obviously, they hadn't heard him completely as some of his compliments were also insults. "We're one step closer to that promotion."

"Yeah and to think, he wants us to oversee the construction of the Kalos branch headquarters!" James added in as they started to walk down the hall. They were starting to get recognized for all their hard work.

"Out of the way losers!" An all too familiar voice shouted as two agents on Segways came to a stop in front of them. The three Team Rocket agents immediately recognized them as Cassidy and Butch. "Oh, we're sorry. We didn't see you standing there as we were just given an extremely important mission from Giovanni himself," Cassidy stated as she taunted Jessie with a wave of her hand. "We don't have time to talk with low-ranking trash."

"Well, we were just given an important mission as well!" Jessie shot back as she got right into Cassidy's face. "One that is ten times as important as yours'."

"What is it this time?" Butch asked despite the lack of interest in his tone. He couldn't care less about whatever stupid mission they were assigned to. "Another go at the Blimp Brigade? Try not to crash it again!" He said while laughing.

"You're wrong, Biff!" James said as it was his turn to shoot back at their fellow Team Rocket agents. "This mission is even more than important to the future of Team Rocket than our great blimps!"

"It's Butch not Biff!" Butch yelled out as he pushed James away from him. "Whatever you three were assigned can't be that important! All you three do is screw-up everything!"

"Yeah!?" Meowth shouted as he jumped up onto his two teammates shoulders. The three of them all pointed at their fellow agents before pulling down their eyelids and sticking their tongues out at them. "You're looking at the future admins of the Kalos region. Giovanni himself has put us in charge of the region because of our wonderful work there."

"Kalos?" The two agents laughed after hearing Meowth's claim. It just couldn't be true.

"Off course you three are going to be named admins," Cassidy stated while laughing. Those three could have wild imaginations. "While you three are living in a fantasy world, Botch and I will be living the good life in Alola working as undercover agents for Giovanni."

"It's Biff! I mean Butch! We've worked together for over six years and you still can't remember my name!?" Butch yelled at his partner before calming down. "You three can keep Kalos and do whatever you want, Alola is the place to be. Between the sun and hundreds of beaches it'll be a permanent vacation for us while doing our job!"

"Kalos is much better than some tropical paradise!" Jessie shouted as she slammed her foot down. There was no way these two were going to outdo them again. "We have tropical beaches as well as beautiful scenic areas. Not to mention the food in Kalos is to die for."

"Yes, their croissants are amazing!" James shouted out as well while holding up a pokeball. "Just ask Inkay, he's eaten quite his share of them! We'll show you just how great our region is with a battle!"

"Please, we don't have time to waste on the likes of you," Cassidy stated while folding her arms across her chest. Getting back onto their Segways, Cassidy and Butch smirked as they floored the devices and left a trail of smoke behind them. "We have to be in tropical Alola by morning!"

"Who do they think they are?" Jessie asked as she placed her hands on her hips and turned around. "Obviously they don't know superior operatives when they see them."

"Those two always rustle my feathers!" James yelled as he turned around as well. They were going to prove once and for all who the better Team Rocket members were. "We've done so much more than them! Those two are nothing more than a pair of pot-bellied Grumpig! We'll show them who the better agents are! We'll make sure Giovanni made the right choice by putting us in charge of Kalos!"

"Yeah and if we want to prove him correct for putting us in charge, we're going to need some help," Meowth told them as they passed by the Team Rocket training area. Pointing to the room, Meowth wanted his comrades to enter it. "And we'll get it from here."

"We don't need any help from any other agents," Jessie said, unaware that this was the pokemon training area. They hadn't been in the base for just over one year now. Everything had changed. "We can do everything by ourselves."

"Jessie, I think Meowth means that we'll need more than just Inkay and Gourgeist," James said as he pointed to the pokemon part of the sign. "I think he means we should take Carnivine and the others," he said, clearing up the confusion as they entered into the training area.

* * *

"Just a little further, everyone," Ash said as the group reached the bottom of the steps. Sitting at the top of the hill was none other than Professor Oak's research lab where everyone would be waiting for him. Looking behind him, Ash could see the excitement on his friends' faces. It would be there first time, with the exception of Serena, to be inside the home of the famous pokemon professor. "Once we reach the top of these steps we're there!"

"Come on, Clemont, you can take a break once we reach the top of the steps!" Bonnie cried out as she turned around. Ash and herself were already half way up the steps while Serena was a quarter of the way up them and Clemont was only starting to climb, needing to take a break and catch his breath.

"Y-You... You guys go... Go on ahead," Clemont panted as he made it up the first step. How he sometimes wished he had listened to Bonnie about going for short runs in the morning to build up his endurance. "I'm just going... To catch my... Breath"

"We'll wait, Clemont," Ash responded as he shocked everyone. He had seemed to be in such a rush to get here before and now he was willing to wait. "I want you all to see this place together," he explained as a smile crossed his face. This building was special to Ash as it was where he first met his best friend and started his journey.

"Thank you... Ash," Clemont muttered as he sat down on the steps. For a small population, Pallet Town was quite the large town. Still, Clemont liked it as it seemed quiet and peaceful which was the exact opposite of what Lumiose City could be at times. After resting for what he seemed was a decent amount of time, the inventor stood up and started to climb the steps again. "I think I'll be alright until we get to the top now."

"Great!" Ash shot back as he threw an arm around Clemont's shoulder. He then looked at his three friends with a large smile. "I can't wait to show you guys the entire place. You'll never believe how large it is."

 _"_ _I wonder how much it's changed since I was last here?"_ Serena thought to herself as they finally reached the top of the steps. Serena was about to go deep into thought when Ash started to bang on the front door.

"I can't wait until you meet everyone," Ash said, unsure of who was actually going to be at the lab. He knew Tracey would still be here, but he also wondered how many of his friends would be here. After waiting for a few more minutes, Ash was starting to get impatient from no one answering and banged on the door again. "I wonder what's taking them so long?"

Finally, the door started to creek open and standing before them was a boy in a green shirt and red shorts. He also had green hair and had an orange headband. Serena recognized him from the time she called here to see if Professor Oak wanted to come and watch Ash at the Kalos League. She remembered how he had been a big help in getting the professor to come out to Kalos.

"Hey, Ash, welcome back," he said while greeting Ash with a handshake. "And congratulations on winning the entire Kalos League. You must be so excited about it."

"Yeah, I am, but I couldn't have done it without all of my pokemon and friends," Ash answered as he motioned to his friends. "I'd like to introduce you to them. This is Serena, Clemont and Bonnie," he said while pointing at each of them. After finishing up the introductions, the group started to make their way inside of the laboratory. "So, Tracey, how is everything around here?"

"It's been busy," Tracey answered as he let out a light yawn. Ever since Ash's pokemon found out they had made it to the finals of the Kalos League they had become quite the rowdy bunch from celebrating. "All of your pokemon have been waiting for you, but we didn't tell them you won just as you asked. Right now they're all over the fields just waiting."

"I can't wait to see them!" Ash said as he made a break for the backyard. He just had to go see them all after all the hard work they had put in.

"Ash!" Serena yelled out, causing him to stop. She couldn't help but laugh at the fact he forgot the same thing twice in one day. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"That's right!" Ash yelled as he turned around. That was the second time today that he had nearly forgotten about seeing his mother. "Pikachu, we almost forgot to see mom." He then turned around the corner and entered into Professor Oak's living room while being followed by his friends.

"Pika," Pikachu muttered as he shook his head. How was he getting dragged into the blame as well?

"Still the same old Ash, huh?" A familiar voice asked as Ash saw who it belonged to. Sitting on one of the couches in the room were Misty, Brock and Gary. Across from them were his mom and Professor Oak. "Always running around wild and dropping whatever plans he has to go and see his pokemon," Misty teased as she got up off of the couch.

"Misty... Brock..." Ash muttered as he got reacquainted with his original traveling partners. "What are you two doing here still?"

"What?" Brock started to say as he threw an arm around Ash's shoulder. Clemont realized that Ash may have picked this trait up from the man standing in front of him. "We can't stay in Pallet Town to congratulate you in person? Everyone else wanted to stay as well, but due to one thing or another they all had to leave."

"Well, I just assumed that you would all have to get back on your own journeys by the time I got back home," Ash answered as he rubbed the back of his head. In fact, out of all of his friends, they were the only two still here.

"I managed to get a few extra days off, but after that I need to head out to Saffron City to resume my internship," Brock answered as his face started to turn bright pink. The thoughts of all those Nurse Joys that he's been able to work alongside popping back into his head. "Otherwise all the beautiful Nurse Joys will be lost without my beating heart guiding their way on the journey we call loveeeeee!" he cried out in pain at the end as he was hit with a double dose of pain. The group watched as a Croagunk jabbed Brock with a Poison Jab attack while Misty had yanked on his ear at the same time.

"Listen here, lover boy," Misty started to say as she followed Croagunk back to the couch as they dragged Brock away. "How many times do we need to tell you. They're the ones teaching you!" She yelled while smiling at Croagunk. In the past few days together, the duo seemed to grow close from their similar job of bringing Brock down to Earth.

Ash couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle for Brock. It had been too long since he last saw this happen to his friend, but no one should have to be put through the pain of Misty and Croagunk combined. Not understanding what was so funny, Ash's friends from Kalos watched on from the doorway as Ash made his way in. Ash was enjoying the company so much that he hadn't noticed his friends staying there.

Gary however did. Placing his cup of tea down on the table, the pokemon researcher cleared his throat and gave Ash a smirk. "So, when are you going to introduce us?" He asked while moving his eyes from Ash to the three Kalos natives.

Figuring out what Gary meant, Ash mentally smacked himself for forgetting about his friends from Kalos. Standing back up, Ash walked over to them and started to introduce them one by one. "Sorry, guys," Ash muttered as he looked at his Kalos friends. They understood, it had been a while since Ash had seen his other friends plus he could be forgetful at times. "So, first off this is Clemont. He's a genius that comes up with all these amazing inventions and knows how to cook. Plus, he's the Lumiose City Gym Leader!"

"I'm a Gym Leader as well," Misty said as herself and a now recovered Brock had joined Ash near the others. "What type does your Gym specialize in? I'd love to have a battle and see how I match up with you."

"Well, I studied all about electric type pokemon from a young age wanting to become an electric type trainer like the world had never seen before and opened up the Lumiose City Gym," he explained while rubbing the back of his head. He then pulled out the Voltage Badge to show Misty. "However, I wouldn't be able to accept your battle since I didn't bring any of my electric type pokemon with me. Plus I'd probably lose anyway. If you traveled with Ash from the beginning, you must be pretty experienced."

"Clemont stop being so modest!" Bonnie shot out, causing everyone to laugh at her outburst. "There's a reason why you're known as the Boy Genius of Electric Types throughout Lumiose City!"

"Bonnie please stop you're embarrassing me," Clemont pleaded as he hung his head out of embarrassment.

"Electric types, that's neat," Misty replied as she pulled out a Cascade Badge and showed it to the group. "Even with my experience it would be hard for me since I specialize in water type pokemon. My dream is to become the world's best water type trainer. But, even against electric types I'm no pushover. Ash almost lost to me when he challenged my gym."

"That's only because Pikachu refused to battle!" Ash shot back out of reflexes. Sighing, Ash decided to let it go which surprised Misty a little bit. Looking over at Bonnie, Ash continued on. "And this is Bonnie. She's Clemont's little sister but just like me she has a huge heart for pokemon. In fact, she's doing a great job at caring for one right now."

"It's true," Bonnie said as she raised her purse. Opening the flap, Dedenne peaked outside to see the small gathering of people watching him. "See, this is Dedenne. Clemont caught him for me so that I could take care of him until I was old enough to be a trainer myself."

"Really, at such a young age?" Brock asked as he looked at the girl. Smiling, he knelt down to her level so that he could be even with her eyes. "You know, before becoming a Pokemon Doctor I was once a Breeder. If you ever want any tips on how to make sure your pokemon are healthy, don't be afraid to ask. I can tell you've been raising it well by how shiny its fur is."

"I brush Dedenne at least twice a day," Bonnie said while smiling at the doctor. He came off as a little strange when they first met him, but to Bonnie he seemed like a nice guy after all. "Plus I make sure he stays on a good diet. Though sometimes Clemont yells at me for giving Dedenne snacks."

"It's always right to make sure your pokemon are getting the right nutrition," Brock explained to the young girl as he stood up. "Otherwise they won't be able to grow and become strong."

Ash smiled as he watched the interactions between his friends. Seeing now as good of a chance as ever to continue, he started to introduce Serena. "And finally, this is Serena. She's a Pokemon Performer who barely lost out on becoming Kalos Queen this year. You should see just how much work goes into it. Between all the different skills needed for the theme rounds and then the coordination and trust between her and her pokemon. It makes a gym battle look simple," he finished while indirectly praising her.

Serena could feel a light blush on her face from the way Ash had complimented her. Standing there, she figured that it was best to speak since everyone was looking at her. "Well, it takes a lot of practice, but I wouldn't say they're harder than gym battles. I've seen you battle countless times and the way you never gave up no matter how bad it seemed was amazing. Plus, the way you effortlessly planned out a strategy mid-battle isn't something I could do," she finished off while still having a light blush.

Gary, Brock, and Misty all noticed it. It was actually pretty easy to see once Serena started to speak, but they hadn't noticed it before. She had a crush on Ash. Well, to them they didn't know the full extent of her feelings, but they could tell she cared a lot for him.

Smirking, Gary walked over about to tease Ash only to realize Serena seemed familiar from somewhere. "Have I seen you before?" He asked while eyeing the Pokemon Performer. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had seen her somewhere.

"You should have," Ash said as he walked forward. "She went to the same Summer Camp as we did back when we were kids. That's where I first met here," he stated somewhat proudly, unaware of the tone he was using while talking about Serena.

"Ash, you aren't one to talk," Bonnie said while laughing. He was just as bad if not worse for forgetting all about Serena. "You didn't even remember her at all. At least Gary recognized her."

Smashing his hand into his open palm, Gary shocked everyone. "Now I remember! You're the straw hat girl! The one Ash helped at the end of camp!"

"Yeah, that's me," Serena answered nervously. She was hoping that the conversation would change so that no one could pick up on her feelings for Ash, despite them already having an idea about it.

"Now that the introductions are over with, let's go meet my pokemon!" Ash cried out as he started to make his way to the back of the lab.

"We can catch up later, Ash!" His mom yelled down the hall as she watched Ash run out the backdoor of the lab. That was her Ash, always running off to be with pokemon, but she wouldn't have it any other way. As long as he was happy, so was she.

"Ash!" Professor Oak called after the group as they exited. "All of your pokemon are roaming the fields right now!" He yelled, unaware that Tracey had already informed him.

* * *

"What are you doing, Ash?" Bonnie asked as Ash appeared to be searching for something, or more like someone, amongst the fields. "I thought you wanted to see all your pokemon?"

"I do, Bonnie," Ash replied as he finally found what he was looking for. Walking across the field was his Bulbasaur. If anyone would make gathering everyone easy, it would be his longest caught pokemon. "Bulbasaur!" Ash yelled out while waving.

The Seed pokemon broke into a sprint upon sight of his trainer. "Bulba!" It cried out as the two met midway across the field as Bulbasaur jumped into Ash. The young trainer caught Bulbasaur before they both crashed into the ground.

"Hey, Bulbasaur, it's been a while," Ash said as Bulbasaur got off of Ash and interacted with Pikachu. Ash smiled as he watched his two pokemon interact together. "I was wondering if you could call everyone over here. I have something I need to show them."

"Bulba!" The grass type cried out happily before firing off one large Solar Beam up into the sky. The blast exploded into all different sorts of colors as the sky was illuminated.

"It's so pretty!" Bonnie cried out as her eyes sparkled with excitement from the display.

"But, what's Bulbasaur doing?" Serena asked. She thought the Solar Beam was nice as well, but it didn't seem to be doing anything. Looking over at Tracey, she was hoping to get an answer.

Understanding the confusion, Tracey nodded before starting to explain the situation. "You see, Bulbasaur uses his Solar Beam as a signal flare of sorts. It manages to launch it off with different colors based on the pokemon we need to find based on the region they're local to. But, in some cases it mixes the patterns to call all of Ash's pokemon. They should be here shortly," Tracey explained as everyone felt the ground shake.

"I-Is this an earthquake?" Clemont asked before losing his balance. Landing on his rear end, the gym leader could feel the ground shaking at an even stronger feel and wondered what could be causing this. "Are any of the pokemon that live on the ranch hostile to the point of attacking?"

"Oh this isn't from any wild pokemon," Brock explained as what appeared to be a giant ball of dirt appeared off in the distance. "In fact, you'll be able to see them real shortly," he said as the cloud of dirt approached them.

Without any warning, an entire herd of Tauros appeared from the dirt cloud and stampeded right through the group, causing them to cough up dirt. Once it had died down, everyone looked around upon seeing that Ash had disappeared.

"Here we go again..." Misty muttered as they watched Ash get carried away on the back of his Tauros. Somehow in all of the confusion, he had ended up on the back of them.

"Is he going to be alright?" Serena asked, her voice full of concern as they watched Ash ride off with the Tauros. To her, it sounded as if he was laughing from the thrill of riding Tauros.

"This happens much more often than you think," Tracey stated as he pulled out his binoculars to get a better sight. To his surprise, Ash managed to stand up onto the back of his Tauros and grabbed ahold of the tree branch above him. Waiting until the last of his Tauros passed, Ash dropped to the ground below. "That's a new way of getting off of them. Usually Bayleef chases him and grabs him with her Vine Whip attack. But this time Ash jumped onto a tree branch."

"You'd think I would see that coming one of these times," Ash muttered as he rejoined the group. Every time he came to visit, his Tauros would think it was a good idea to take him for a ride. He enjoyed it, but wished he had a little heads up first. "Now we just have to wait for everyone else."

Within no time at all the rest of Ash's pokemon had arrived and even his Tauros returned to join the group. Staring at all of his pokemon, a large grin crossed his face as he saw their determination and anxiety. He had specifically told Professor Oak to not tell any of his pokemon about how the Kalos League ended as he wanted to surprise them.

"First off, I just want to thank all of you for an excellent job at the Kalos League," Ash started to say as his pokemon all cried out in agreement. They were now growing restless as they had known Ash had made it into the championship match but were unaware of how it ended. "Without all of the hard work and determination that you all put in during the Kalos League we wouldn't have this," Ash told them as he pulled the trophy out of his backpack. All of his pokemon gathered around as they tried to get a better look at the trophy. For most of them, this was the first time ever seeing on up close. "Hold on, before we pass it around, I want to introduce you to all my friends from the Kalos region!" He yelled while tossing five pokeballs up into the air.

Appearing from them were the four pokemon he had caught in Kalos, plus Charizard as well. Together, all of Ash's pokemon cried out in joy before they passed the trophy amongst themselves.

Seeing how much fun the pokemon were having, Ash's companions all decided to let their pokemon out as well. Along with Clemont's Chespin and Bunnelby and Serena's Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon, Ash's other friends let their pokemon out as well. With her, Misty had brought Psyduck and Corsola while Brock had Chansey and Croagunk. Gary likewise had his Blastoise and Electivire with him.

"I see you found them all," Professor Oak stated as he made his way across the field with Delia and Mimey. "I figured they would be in this area once I saw Bulbasaur's Solar Beam attack. They all seem to be in top condition."

"Yeah!" Ash replied as he looked at all of his pokemon. Then, once he saw Charizard, a thought came back to him. "Oh, Professor Oak. I was wondering if you had any kind of device I could place this in," Ash said as he pulled the Charizardite out of his pocket. Everyone became speechless once they noticed the Stone in Ash's hand.

"Ash, is that what I think it is?" Brock asked as he took a look at the stone. He had heard stories about Mega Evolution from trainers he had helped, but never expected to see a Mega Stone in person. "Where did you find one of these? I've heard that they're rare to find."

"Well, Clemont and Bonnie's father gave it to me," Ash answered as it shocked his three Kalos friends. They had no idea that he had the Mega Stone the entire time.

"Our father gave that to you?" Clemont asked as he too eyed the Stone. He never thought of his father as someone who would collect stones. Heck, outside of Ampharos they didn't know if he had any other pokemon. "When did this occur?"

"It actually happened when I was seeing if you could all come to Kanto with me," Ash explained as he handed the stone over to Professor Oak. "He had found it during the construction of Lumiose City after Team Flare's attack and figured it would be better off with me."

"Ash, I think I do have something that could be perfect for this," Professor Oak responded as he started to head back to his lab. However, the entire field was covered in a black fog before he felt his entire body tighten up and become restrained as something tightened around him. Looking up, he saw a blue mechanical rope tied all around him as the same appeared to be over everyone else.

"W-who's out there!" Ash yelled out while coughing. He could faintly see everyone else who were also restrained somehow. Clemont and Brock appeared to be tied up together while Misty and Bonnie were as well. He couldn't see behind him, but from the sounds of it, Tracey and Gary were tied up together. Then looking right next to him he realized he was tied up with Serena. "Whoever it is, this isn't funny!"

"Prepare for trouble, the whole gang's back!" Jessie's voice could be heard through the smoke.

"And make it double, cause we won't give you time to unpack," James' voice could now be heard.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth that's right!" Meowth joined in at the end only to be immediately followed by a chorus of pokemon cries. From the sound of it, Team Rocket really did bring everyone back.

"Team Rocket!" Everyone cried out together. To some, they weren't surprised that the trio of thieves were still following Ash around after all these years.

"Oh, are those the original twerps I hear? Have you all returned to see us one more time?" Jessie asked with a smirk as she threw a cube down around the pokemon. The device opened up as a large box surrounded the pokemon. "We'd love to chat and catch up on lost time, but we have a Wailord of a catch to reel in."

"With all of these pokemon we'll be splashing around like a Magikarp in all the money we'll receive," Meowth added in as he pictured the reward. "The Boss will be excited by this particular parcel of powerful pokemon."

"Yeah, and with it our old lives as the saddest, poorest, stupidest and hungriest members of Team Rocket will be behind us!" James cried out as rockets appeared on the sides of the box. It then flew straight up to the balloon as it attached itself to the basket. "We'll now be known as the richest, smartest, coolest and nastiest members ever! We'll be basking beautifully in a bundle of bullion! Now, Carnivine, show them just how well Team Rocket is! Use Bullet Seed!"

"Yanmega, time to show off your training as well! Sonic Boom, please!" Jessie yelled as the bug and flying type started to flap its wings at an alarming rate. As she did so, the black fog disappeared as the group could now see Team Rocket and their balloon clearly. They appeared to have been wearing thermal googles as once the smoke was gone they removed the devices. The Sonic Boom however continued on as it collided with Carnivine's bullet seed attack to speed the projectiles up.

Ash and the others could only watch as the attack crashed all around them. Chunks of grass were torn up from the attack and dirt and rocks crashed into their bodies. "Is everyone alright!" Ash called out as he saw a few of his friends having been thrown backwards from the combined attack.

"We're all right!" Misty cried out as everyone managed to sit back up. As long as they were constrained, they wouldn't be able to do anything to help. "We need to find a way to get free first."

"Gary," Tracey muttered as he nudged the pokemon researcher tied together with him. Getting his attention, Tracey lowered his voice so that Team Rocket couldn't hear them. "Can you reach into my right pocket? I have Scyther's pokeball in there. If you can get it, then I think I can get us freed."

"Let me try," Gary replied as he struggled to move his left hand. After a few seconds, he had managed to reach into Tracey's pocket and gripped the pokeball. "Yeah, I got it," he told the pokemon watcher before opening the capture device.

"Scyther!" The Mantis pokemon cried out as he stretched his entire body. The sight of the elder pokemon shocked Team Rocket, but they quickly ignored it.

"Your oversized mantis won't be able to handle all of us!" Jessie cried out as she spread her arms out to show the entire arsenal of their pokemon. With them were the pokemon that had traveled through Sinnoh and Kalos with them. "Now, Gourgeist, be a dear and use Shadow Ball!"

"Okay, Inkay, Psybeam attack!" James stated as well. The two pokemon then launched off their attacks right at Scyther. "Teach these troublesome twerps how to truly fear us!"

"Quick, dodge with your Quick Attack!" Tracey called out as the elder Scyther dodged the two incoming attacks. The two blasts collided with the ground as Gary and Tracey were thrown backwards from the blast. "Now use Slash on our restraints!"

"Scyther!" He cried out before slashing right through the electronic box with ease. Cutting right through it like a knife through butter, Tracey and Gary were now freed as they stared down Team Rocket.

"Now, Scyther, get everyone else freed!" Tracey commanded as he watched Scyther make his way to the next restrained duo.

"Oh no you don't!" Jessie yelled out as she grit her teeth together. They were so close this time, but had forgotten about the artistic twerp's pokemon. "Everyone attack now!" She cried out as she flung her left arm forward.

"Mime, mime, mime," Mime Jr. said while imitating Jessie's movements. Then, all of their pokemon launched off their attacks as they roared across the sky and right for the elder Scyther. Things looked bad as Scyther just cut through Misty and Bonnie's restraints.

"Scy," he muttered before turning his back to the attack and shielding the two girls. He had to make sure everyone stayed safe right now.

"Umbreon, protect Scyther!" Gary's voice could be heard as he tossed out a third pokeball. The dark type eeveelution appeared as he jumped in between the oncoming attacks and Scyther. The large blast exploded upon impact with the dark type and Gary felt bad for what he did, but right now Scyther had to get everyone freed.

"A direct hit!" Meowth cried out in joy as the three agents started to celebrate. "This is why you twerps should start listening to us! Now with that out of the way, we'll be adding those two to our collection!"

"Think again!" Gary called out through the smoke. As it started to fade, Team Rocket could see the Mantis pokemon was perfectly fine along with everyone freed. Reaching for a pokeball, Gary recalled the defeated Umbreon. "Thank you, Umbreon. You were excellent at protecting Scyther."

"Now, Scyther, use your Slash attack on those cubes!" Tracey called out as Scyther flew up after the box containing everyone's pokemon. With a few quick swipes, the electronic device that was sustaining the box was destroyed. With it, the entire group of pokemon were freed from their storage and landed on the ground unharmed.

"Now who's outnumbered," Gary stated confidently as all of their pokemon lined up while charging their attacks.

"Everyone, together!" Ash cried out before pointing a finger up at Team Rocket's balloon. In one swift movement, all of the pokemon gathered below fired off their attacks and struck the balloon. As the attacks landed, an explosion occurred which sent the three agents flying.

"We were so close!" Jessie cried out as she thrashed around through the sky. They had them right where they wanted them and let it slip right through their fingers.

"Probably another positive prompt from the universe," James replied as he agonized their defeat. "It's a sign that our day will come soon enough. But, alas, it was not to be today."

"But look at the bright side," Meowth stated as they continued their flight. "we're Kalos bound baby!"

"And with that, Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They cried out in their new found joy. It was time to get to Kalos and finish up their base's construction.

"They just never give up do they?" Brock asked before laughing at the situation. "They really do have a one track mind about going after your Pikachu, Ash. Brings back old memories."

"Actually, for a while in Unova they left me alone," Ash explained as he thought back to their short transition in priorities while they were over in Unova. "Of course, that didn't last long and they were back to their same old plans. Still, I'm surprised they aren't tired of 'blasting off again!'" Ash joked as he imitated what the three agents always screamed.

Everyone in the group was laughing except Gary. Something was bothering him and Ash had noticed it ever since they had first arrived. Finally deciding to break his silence, Gary walked over to Ash and looked him in the eyes.

"Ash, I want to battle you!" Gary declared as he raised a pokeball up to Ash's face.

* * *

 **Ash's return home also includes some reunions with past characters along with a familiar three people ruining it on him. Now with everything calming down, Gary has challenged Ash to a battle. How will things play out and who will win?**

 **Now, about TRio actually catching a few pokemon, they only did it at the end of their journey so they wouldn't need to hand over their pokemon like with their Unova pokemon. Otherwise, don't expect any captures for the TRio.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	21. The Fiery Flames of Rivalry

**Before I begin, just wanted to say that this was supposed to be put online for tomorrow, Friday June 17** **th** **, but do to some things popping up I had to upload this tonight while I had the chance. Reason why I'm saying this is because from now on (or until my schedule opens up a little) updates are going to be every Tuesday and Friday. So, sorry for the really late upload. Now that that's down, enjoy.**

 **Welcome back everyone! Last time, Ash returned home to a surprise visit from his two oldest traveling companions and also got reacquainted with his pokemon. Alas, the fun wasn't meant to last as they were attacked by Team Rocket. But, after some help from Tracey and Gary, the group managed to send them blasting off once again. However, following that, Gary challenged Ash to a battle.**

 **Ch 21: The Fiery Flames of Rivalry**

* * *

"Ash, I want to battle you!" Gary declared as he raised a pokeball up to Ash's face, a smile forming on his own. "It's been a while since I last had a real battle with you. I want to see just how far we've both come on our journeys."

"Gary," Ash muttered unsure of what to say. Gary had been his first rival and it was usually Ash wanting to prove to Gary they were equals, but right now the roles were reversed.

"Before you say anything, Ash, let me finish," Gary continued on as he lowered the pokeball and placed it back on his belt. "We may have pursued different paths. You continuing your quest to become a Pokemon Master while I'm continuing my research. But our rivalry has never ended and I know you feel the same way. After seeing you win the Kalos League, I questioned my decision to give up being a trainer. But, every time I questioned my decision I always find something new and exciting to study. I just need to see how far the gap between us has grown over the years..." Gary muttered the ending sentence so Ash couldn't hear him. Part of him wanted to battle for the fun of it, but another part was telling him to do it to prove himself to Ash.

"I'd love to battle you again!" Ash cried out excitedly as they made their way to an open field in Professor Oak's fields. "How does a one-on-one battle sound, Gary?" Ash asked as he looked at all of his pokemon.

"That's perfect," Gary replied as he pointed at Electivire. "Electivire, you're up!" Gary stated as the electric type made his way over to Gary. Standing in front of his trainer, the Thunderbolt pokemon appeared ready for battle.

"Rawrrrr!" Charizard cried out as he walked towards Ash. He wanted to battle Gary to make up for his loss during the Kalos League against Alain. However, Greninja was already in front of Ash before Charizard had the chance to.

"Alright, then I'm going with Greninja!" Ash cried out before pointing a finger forward. "You ready for this, Greninja?"

"Gren," he replied confidently before getting down into a stance.

Charizard noticed this and let off a slight puff of fire from his nostrils. "Rawrrr..." The Flame pokemon muttered to himself before flying off with the rest of the pokemon. Slamming itself onto the ground, Charizard watched as he had a scowl on his face and it was clearly directed at Greninja.

"I'll be the referee!" Both Brock and Clemont cried out at the same time. Based from their reactions, everyone realized that they both must have refereed for Ash's battles during their respective battles. Knowing how long Brock had known Ash and Gary, Clemont nodded to him as a way of saying he could be the referee.

Stepping forward, Brock raised both of his hands into the air and looked at both trainers. "This battle will be between Greninja and Electivire! The match will be decided once one of the two pokemon are unable to battle! Now, begin!" Brock cried out while dropping his arms.

"We'll take the first move!" Ash cried out while throwing a fist forward. "Greninja, use Aerial Ace!" Everyone watched as Greninja moved so fast that he appeared to have vanished before reappearing in front of Electivire. Moving swiftly, the Ninja pokemon delivered a powerful punch to the electric type's chest before kicking him in the chin.

"What speed..." Gary muttered as everyone in attendance who had never seen Greninja before agreed. No wonder Ash managed to win the Kalos League with a pokemon like this. Still, he wasn't going down without a real fight. "Electivire, use Thunder!"

"Counter with Double Team, Greninja!" Ash quickly called out. The Ninja pokemon immediately created copies of himself as they then surrounded the Thunderbolt pokemon. Electivire quickly shot off his electric type attack, destroying all of the copies.

"Where's Greninja!?" Gary asked as he didn't notice a single one remaining following the blast. Looking around, there was no sight of him at all. "Be on your guard Electivire!"

"Elec," the electric type responded as he continued to look around as well. It seemed to be a little nervous due to Greninja having vanished. The Thunderbolt pokemon had never battled someone like this before.

"Now, Greninja! Nigh Slash!" Ash called out as everyone looked up towards the sky. To their surprise, Greninja had avoided the attack by jumping into the air and was now freefalling towards Electivire. Pulling out a purple sword, Greninja slashed downwards toward his opponent.

"Block it with Iron Tail!" Gary called out as Electivire raised its tail over his head and blocked the oncoming attack. "Now use Thunder Punch!"

"Now you block that with Aerial Ace!" Ash countered as a smirk crossed his face. Greninja's feet both glowed white as he swung his left foot forward to block the electric type move. Then, still in control of his body, Greninja swung forward with his right foot, knocking Electivire right in the face.

"Wow, Greninja is amazing," Misty stated as they watched the Ninja Pokemon start to control the battle. It had seemed like whatever Gary tried to do, it was no match for Ash's water type. "It only makes sense that Ash beat that Charizard with him."

"Mhmm hmm," Serena replied while smiling. "Greninja is Ash's strongest pokemon he has. Even stronger than Pikachu!" She explained, unaware of the significance of the statement.

"Are you saying he's stronger than Charizard?" Misty asked as she eyed the water type pokemon as he hit Electivire with a move Ash just called Water Shuriken.

"Yeah, those two are unstoppable when they work together," Clemont joined in as they all watched the battle start to heat up now. "I'm sure that when he challenges the Elite Four, Greninja will be one of the pokemon Ash turns to."

Charizard listened to every word that the group had spoken and wasn't too pleased by them. Who were they to judge who Ash's strongest was? The two of them had a bond that couldn't be beaten by any of Ash's newer pokemon. They went through so much together and Ash would always call on him first whenever he was in a bind. Right? "Rawr..." He muttered angrily as he watched the battle with only a small portion of interest. If he was battling the fight would have ended by now.

"Okay, Greninja, warmup time is done," Ash said as the two appeared to be in complete sync. Then, just as they did during the Kalos League, a geyser of water surrounded Greninja as he started the transformation they were both used to by this point. Once finished, Greninja had taken on a few traits of Ash.

"What happened?" Gary asked while sounding shocked. He had seen it on TV while they had watched Ash battle, but now that he was witnessing it up close and personal, he was both confused and in awe by it. "I've never seen a transformation like it. How did this happen? I'm going to have to study this after our battle"

"Well, we're not entirely sure either," Ash answered as the duo both rubbed the back of their heads in unison. To everyone watching, it appeared as if the duo were copying each other's motions at the same time. "But, what we do know is that this form is due to our deep bond together!"

Charizard heard those words and his eyes flew wide open. Him and Ash had a deep bond, but they never had a special transformation! Was... Was he being replaced by Ash? Whatever was happening Charizard wouldn't stand for it and shot up. Flying over to the battle, Charizard landed right next to the two pokemon and started to flap his wings. "Rawrrrr!" He yelled out in anger as he disrupted the field.

"Calm down, Charizard, you can battle Greninja next if you want to," Ash told his fire and flying type, but Charizard had no interest in fighting the Ninja pokemon. Flapping his wings even harder, the Flame pokemon blew both of the pokemon off of the battlefield. "What was that for!? We were in the middle of a battle, Charizard!"

Charizard heard his trainer's voice but was too angry at him to listen. Facing Ash, Charizard had a scowl on his face that reminded him of when the Flame pokemon had first evolved. "Rawrrrr!" He cried out before launching a Flamethrower right at Ash. This one wasn't like their usual ones, but instead was filled with anger and rage.

Ash had no time to react as he took the blast head on before falling over. Without giving him a chance to get back up, Charizard flew off to a different part of the field. "Charizard... What's wrong?" Ash muttered as he watched the Flame pokemon vanish from his view.

"If I had to guess," Brock started to say as he walked over to Ash. "It appears that Charizard isn't happy about you having a stronger pokemon than him."

"What do you mean, Brock," Ash asked, unaware that the Pokemon Doctor was correct. "Charizard's never had a problem with my other pokemon."

"That's true, but he was always stronger than the others," Brock pointed out. He had picked up on Charizard's little cues of frustration ever since the battle had begun. "Ash, he's always been your go-to pokemon. Now with Greninja being stronger than him, he's probably worried about being replaced. Remember, this wouldn't be the first time it happened to him."

"But I would never replace, Charizard!" Ash shot back as he looked at all of his pokemon. "I'd never replace any of them. They're my family!"

"I understand, but look at it from Charizard's point of view," Brock pointed out as he made a good point. "He was released by his original trainer for being weak. Now you've got this special transformation with Greninja to add onto the fact that it's stronger than Charizard. You should probably go talk to him."

"I never thought of it like that," Ash muttered as he pictured Charizard back as a Charmander sitting on that rock. "Gary," Ash said as he faced his longtime rival. "We'll have to wait to finish our battle. I need to see Charizard."

"It's fine," Gary replied as he recalled Electivire into its pokeball. "I already got everything I needed from this battle." Gary knew that if it continued he would have lost in the next hit. He didn't have anything that could stand up to the power Greninja had in that form.

"Ash, if you're going to see Charizard, take this," Professor Oak stated as he tossed Ash what appeared to be a sleeve of clothing. "I placed the Mega Stone into that sleeve. It's made from a highly durable fabric and is fire resistant so you don't have to worry about changing it either."

"Thanks," Ash said as he looked at it. It looked to be a normal piece of orange cloth, but he could feel the durability from just holding it. "Pikachu, I want you to stay here. This is something that only I can do."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed as he ran over to Serena and climbed up onto her shoulder. This act surprised everyone except for the Kalos gang since it had been a frequent occurrence lately for them.

"I'll be back in a little guys," Ash said as he started to run off in the direction that Charizard flew off in.

"Well, while we wait for Ash to get back, why don't we hold our own pokemon battle?" Brock offered as he looked at Misty, Serena, and Clemont. "We can have a double battle between the four of us. You two take on me and Misty."

* * *

"Charizard!" Ash yelled out as he ran across the fields. He only had one thought on his mind and that was fixing everything between him and Charizard. It was his fault that this had happened. If he didn't try and show off to Gary by using Greninja's transformation, then maybe Charizard wouldn't be as upset. Clutching the sleeve Professor Oak gave him, Ash started to run even harder. "Charizard! I'm sorry!"

"Rawrrr?" Charizard muttered as he got up off of his rock. He could have sworn he heard Ash calling for him. Looking around, the fire and flying type saw nothing and laid back down depressed. To think that after all the time they spent together, Ash could just replace him.

"Charizard!" There it was again. Looking around, Charizard saw his trainer climbing up the pile of rocks to reach the Flame pokemon. Charizard however decided to ignore him and laid his head back down. "Charizard, please just listen to me!" Ash continued to call out as he made his way up the rocks. Rushing through his climb, Ash felt his hand slip on a wet rock and lost his balance. Falling backwards, Ash braced for the long fall down the mountain they were on.

"Rawrr!" Charizard cried out in concern once he saw Ash slip. Despite the attitude he had towards his trainer, Charizard couldn't do nothing while he was in danger. Spreading his wings, Charizard took flight as he raced to where his trainer was falling. Thinking that he was going to be late, Charizard used every ounce of energy he had and managed to pick up speed. Catching Ash in his arms, Charizard flew back up to his rock and placed Ash down gently.

"You saved me, Charizard," Ash said, sounding surprised after everything that had just happened. Normally Ash would have given his pokemon some time and space to think things out, but he knew that it might not have been the best idea with Charizard. "Thank you," he said while embracing the fire and flying type.

"Rawr?" He responded once he noticed the orange sleeve in Ash's arm. What was it? But a better question was, why did it feel like it was calling to him?

* * *

"Okay, Bunnelby, use Mud-Shot!" Clemont cried out as the Digging pokemon jumped high into the air as a ball of mud formed between his ears. The ball them shot off smaller balls of mud as they were launched at Corsola and Croagunk.

"Corsola, counter it with Spike Cannon!" Misty ordered as Corsola lowered its head while the coral on top glowed white. It then fired off dozens of spikes from the coral as they collided with the Mud-Shot attack.

"Now, Croagunk, Poison Sting attack!" Brock could be heard through the smoke. Then, to Serena's surprise she saw what appeared to be poison darts coming right at their pokemon.

"Serena, have Sylveon use protect right now. That way I'll be able to surprise them by having Bunnelby burrow underground," Clemont explained as he helped Serena through the battle. "Get ready, Bunnelby."

"Right! Sylveon, use Protect!" Serena ordered as a barrier appeared in front of the fairy type. Croagunk's Poison Sting attack bounced off it harmlessly and while that happened, Bunnelby was already on his way towards them. "Now use Swift!" Sylveon jumped up into the air as she launched off the star shaped attack.

"Misty, we've got this one," Brock stated as he pointed a finger forward. "You just be ready for Bunnelby. He'll attack once the smoke fades away."

"Are you so sure about that?" Clemont asked as his response shocked the two longtime friends. They could hear him laughing, but they had no clue as to what he had planned. "Now, Bunnelby! Wild Charge!" They then heard it, charging through the ground was Bunnelby while using Wild Charge. The attack hit Corsola dead on and caused a lot of damage as the Coral pokemon was thrown into the air.

Brock took his eyes off the battle for one second to watch Corsola be attacked, only to hear his own pokemon cry out. "Croagunk!" The poison and fighting type cried out in pain. During the confusion, Brock had completely forgotten about the Swift attack. Looking over at the Toxic Mouth pokemon, it appeared to be just fine.

"That was close," Brock muttered as he looked at the situation. "How's Corsola holding up?"

"We're just fine. Now Corsola, Spike Cannon!" Misty commanded as they saw Bunnelby still nearby. The Coral pokemon lowered its head once more as it fired off the endless supply of spikes. Clemont however didn't seem fazed by the attack.

"Counter with Mud-Shot!" Clemont ordered as the two blasts collided in an explosion. Both pokemon were thrown backwards from the blast and collapsed on the spot.

"Both Bunnelby and Corsola are unable to battle!" Tracey declared as both pokemon were returned to their pokeballs. "The winner of Sylveon and Croagunk will decide which team wins the battle!"

"Croagunk, use Poison Sting!" Brock called out as the poison and fighting type opened its mouth. Flying out of it were the same poison needles that Serena had seen before. She smiled, having an idea on how to stop them.

"Sylveon, use Protect!" She called out as the same barrier from before appeared in front of her pokemon. The Poison Sting bounced off harmlessly once more, but this time Croagunk was right behind them.

"Now use Poison Jab!" Brock ordered as Croagunk brought his right arm back. The tip of his hand was glowing purple as it smashed right through Protect and collided with Sylveon. "And Brick Break!" He finished as they noticed Sylveon stumble backwards. Driving his forearm into Sylveon, Croagunk knocked the fairy type backwards and onto the ground.

"Sylveon is unable to battle! The winners are the team of Misty and Brock!" Tracey declared as Brock and Serena recalled their pokemon.

"Sorry, Clemont, I blew it for us at the end," Serena apologized as she stared at Sylveon's pokeball. "But, why didn't Protect work at the end?"

"It's because of its constant usage," Brock explained as Misty and himself walked over. "The more often you use Protect, the more likely it is to fail. Since I noticed you were battling defensively throughout the entire battle, I decided to take advantage of it."

"I see," Serena responded. Of course, she was never going to need to know that since Performances didn't involve any kind of battles. "Thank you for explaining it."

"No problem. Anytime you guys need help with anything just ask Brock," Brock said as he pointed at himself. "I was teaching Ash a lot of what he knows since he first started off as a trainer. To think he used Pikachu at my rock type Gym."

"So you're responsible for Ash being the trainer he is today?" Clemont asked, sounding somewhat amazed. They had assumed that Ash had done most of it by himself. But to hear that he had been taught by others was something they didn't expect to hear.

"Well, not much," Misty cleared up Brock's comment. "Just simple things like type matchups and how some moves work. Everything that Ash does in battle is 100% Ash's doing. But Clemont, that was brilliant to use Dig as a way to get in close and then launch a Wild Charge."

"It was nothing," Clemont responded as he rubbed his neck. "It was something I picked up from my travels with Ash. What was amazing was how calmly you reacted after the attack. Launching a Spike Cannon from the air is no easy feat."

"We've had a few years of practice," Misty replied as she held Corsola's pokeball. "I've been running the Cerulean City Gym for almost five years now."

"Five years!" Clemont shot back in surprise. His own gym had only been open for about three years and half of that time he wasn't even the Gym Leader since Clembot ran it. "That explains how well you and Corsola are when it comes to your timing of attacks."

* * *

"Charizard..." Ash started to say after the silence was beginning to get to the both of them. After Charizard had saved him, the duo had sat there in silence for what felt like forever. Charizard had hinted at the orange sleeve, but Ash never answered him on it. "I didn't realize how upset you were towards Greninja."

"Rawrr," Charizard growled once he heard the name of the pokemon that had replaced him. Why did Ash have to bring him up now?

"But, you should know, Charizard, that no matter what pokemon I catch, no one will ever be able to break the bond we share. Something we have is special and no one can ever take that away from us," Ash started to explain as he pulled out Charizard's pokeball. "I know you were replaced before when Damien was your trainer, but you should know by now I would never do something like that. It doesn't matter if I caught the world's strongest pokemon or not, I'd always want you by my side."

"Rawr?" He asked back. If that was the case, why did Ash choose Greninja over him for the battle with Gary. He could have easily told Greninja that he wanted to use Charizard. But instead he went with the water type who proved just how powerful he was.

"Don't give me that look," Ash stated once he saw a scowl on Charizard's face. He knew how competitive Charizard was and needed to remind him of just how much he meant to him. "Charizard, the only reason I chose Greninja today was to show Gary that form he has. Otherwise you would have been my first choice. And well, I'm kind of waiting for a special occasion to use you again."

"Rawrr?" Charizard asked again, questions filling into his head. What exactly did Ash mean by a 'special occasion'? Was he planning on never using him again or only for really important battles?

Seeing that he didn't explain it well enough, Ash pulled the sleeve back out and showed it to Charizard. This time, Charizard noticed the Stone that was stitched into the sleeve and how it looked similar to the one worn by that Charizard he fought in the finals.

"You see, I recently found this Mega Stone," Ash said as he handed the sleeve over to Charizard so he could look at the Stone. "It's called a Charizardite. It can help you Mega Evolve into a form similar to Alain's Charizard. I wanted to wait to use you again until I found a Key Stone. You see, without a Key Stone that Mega Stone can't activate."

"Rawrr?" Charizard asked, a look of confusion on his face. He was definitely lost by now. He had no clue what was so important about these stones or what Mega Evolution was. All he understood was that the Stone in front of him seemed to be calling for him.

"Okay, let me try this again. Mega Evolution is a special kind of transformation where it's only possible when a trainer and pokemon share a close bond," Ash started to explain, noticing that Charizard understood where he was heading. "Thanks to their deep bonds, the pokemon gains an increase in strength and for a temporary amount of time changes into a new form. I wanted to wait until I had the Key Stone so then we could perform the Mega Evolution in our first battle together."

"Rawrrr!" Charizard cried out in agreement. The entire time he had the situation wrong. Yes, he was no longer the strongest, for now, but Ash never had any plans to get rid of him. In fact, he had gotten him something to help close the gap between him and Greninja.

"So, what do you say?" Ash asked as he pulled the sleeve up over Charizard's claw and onto his arm. The sleeve was the perfect size as it fit snug on Charizard, but it wasn't too tight where it was uncomfortable. Even the color of the fabric matched Charizard's skin so it seemed as if nothing was there. "Why don't we head back to the others now. They're probably waiting for us."

"Rawrrr!" Charizard roared in approval as he allowed Ash to climb onto his back. Together, the duo flew off into the direction of Professor Oak's lab. Charizard was feeling much better now. Even though its fear of being abandoned was crazy, he couldn't help but have been worried earlier. He had never had someone take his place as Ash's strongest. But for the time being he could relax knowing that Ash still cared about him deeply.

* * *

"So is everything between you and Charizard fixed?" Serena asked as she watched the Flame pokemon resting in the field with Ash's other pokemon. While they were gone, his Kalos pokemon had made quick friends with the rest of his pokemon.

Talonflame and Noivern hit it off fast with Ash's other flying types and were actually holding a flying race right now. The first time Talonflame had used Flame Charge due to its instincts and was scolded by the others. Luckily Professor Oak managed to explain everything to Talonflame, who learned to not use Flame Charge during the race since it was an unfair advantage.

Hawlucha managed to make quick friends with Bulbasaur just as Professor Oak expected. The duo appeared to be keeping everything in order for the time being, but of course when Ash returned there was no way of controlling his pokemon. They hadn't even tried to stop them once Charizard had landed with Ash a while ago, instead tackling Ash with them.

Finally, Greninja appeared to have made a quick friendship with Infernape, Buizel and Krookodile while also starting a rivalry with Sceptile. Ash thought it was funny when he was first told about it. Greninja was always finding a way to start a rivalry with a Sceptile.

"Yeah, he understands that I would never think of replacing him," Ash answered as the duo sat on the fence that kept the entire ranch enclosed. "Charizard and I have been through too much for a little misunderstanding to ruin our friendship. I think what the problem was that he's never had someone be stronger than him and be one of my pokemon."

"It must have freaked him out," Serena said as she looked over to the field and saw her pokemon interacting as well. Pancham was off playing with Totodile, Oshawott, Scraggy and Quilava. Braixen meanwhile was with Sylveon, Snivy, and Leavanny. "Imagine if you were the strongest for the entire time and then someone new just showed up and took over that spot. I probably would have been frightened."

"Yeah, I would too," Ash answered back as he started to really think about it. If he was in Charizard's place would he have reacted with half the decency that the Flame pokemon did? Ash wasn't so sure especially since Charizard had been released once before. "Still, I should have realized it sooner. If I did, then Charizard wouldn't have gotten upset when he did."

"Ash, you can't control everything," Serena explained as she got off of the fence. Looking up at Ash, the Performer smiled at him before the duo both walked towards all of the pokemon. "No matter what happens, they'll always care for you. Like you told us, they're your family."

"Yeah, you're right, Serena," Ash responded before they went inside for dinner. Still, he felt bad for what he indirectly did to Charizard. He should have realized why Charizard was upset before. Sighing, Ash told himself that he was going to make it up to the Flame pokemon.

* * *

One month passed by as Ash continued his training at an incredible rate. Each day he was outside training with his pokemon at the crack of sunlight. He would then train with them all day until lunch when he would take a short break before getting right back to work. From there, his pokemon would train up until dinner where they would call it a day before relaxing for the night and starting right back over in the morning.

"Talonflame, use Steel Wing to block that Thunder!" Ash called out as Talonflame's wings stiffened up. Glowing white, Talonflame turned its body so that the Thunder attack bounced harmlessly off of its wings before flying right into Electivire.

"Electivire!" Gary called out in concern as he saw his pokemon fainted on the ground. Ash had really improved during the past month, even more so than Gary would have imagined possible. At the skill Ash had been at prior to his training, Gary thought he was tough, but now he was incredible. "Thank you for your hard work today. Return!"

"Great job, Talonflame!" Ash called out as he reached for Talonflame's pokeball. It had been a hard month as he had spent almost every moment practicing for his Elite Four challenge. The first few days he had taken it easy, but following Brock and Misty leaving he had decided to kick it up a notch. "You were excellent, now take a nice rest!" He said while returning it to its pokeball.

"That was amazing Ash!" Clemont cried out while walking over from the side. He had seen Pikachu use Iron Tail in different ways before, but he had never thought to use Steel Wing to block an electric type move before. "The way Talonflame managed to block that Thunder with just Steel Wing was a great idea."

"Yeah, your pokemon have really grown this past month," Serena added in as she came walking over as well. She then handed a water over to Ash and Gary each. "You'll be ready in no time to challenge the Elite Four."

Smiling, Ash took a sip of his water before placing the bottle down "Well, I think I'm actually ready to head back to Kalos now," he said sounding rather confident. He didn't have much of an idea of how strong they were, but Ash felt he could put up a decent fight with them. "But before we leave, I need to do something." He then faced towards Gary as he raised a pokeball. "How about we finish our battle. But, just like before we left for Johto, why not have it be Pikachu and Umbreon?"

"That's fine by me Ashy-Boy," Gary replied as a smirk crossed his face. The two trainers made their way back over to the field they just were as Pikachu ran out in front of Ash. Likewise, Gary stood ready to battle and raised a pokeball. "Okay, Umbreon! We'll show them how strong we are!" The pokeball was then tossed as the Moonlight pokemon emerged from it.

"Ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked as Pikachu was already on the field. "Okay, start off with Quick Attack!" Ash ordered as Pikachu sprinted across the field and headed right for Gary.

"Umbreon, dodge it and then use Shadow Ball!" Gary countered as the dark type leapt right over Pikachu. Skidding to a stop, the electric type turned around and saw Umbreon launching the Shadow Ball right at him.

"Block it with Electro Ball!" Ash ordered this time. Pikachu quickly charged up the attack as a large ball of electricity formed on his tail. In one quick sweep of his tail, Pikachu launched the orb and watched as the two attacks collided with each other.

Pikachu was thrown backwards by the explosion and crashed into a tree. Getting up slowly, Gary used this to his advantage. "Umbreon, use Psychic!" Umbreon's eyes glowed blue as the same color surrounded Pikachu before he was lifted up off of the ground.

"Pi...Ka..." He muttered weakly while being held against his will in the air. The Psychic attack was taking its toll on Pikachu as the electric type was in obvious pain.

Ash grit his teeth as he tried to think of something. He knew that a Psychic attack was hard to break out of, but there had to be something they could do. Looking around, Ash saw something he could use. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika... Chuuu!" Pikachu screamed out as his Thunderbolt shot out in all different directions. With him unable to control his body properly, Pikachu couldn't aim his attack properly and instead the electricity just flew in random directions.

"It won't work as long as Umbreon has Pikachu stuck in its Psychic," Gary stated, unaware of Ash's true intention. Gary just watched with a smirk as Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack shot off in every which way imaginable except for at Umbreon.

"Maybe, but who says we were aiming for Umbreon!" Ash shot back as one of Pikachu's Thunderbolts finally struck where Ash had hoped. Hitting the tree branch that was above Umbreon, Pikachu's Thunderbolt managed to snap the branch and send it crashing towards the Moonlight pokemon.

"Umbreon, dodge that tree branch!" Gary ordered as they just barely avoided the broken limb. However, that was all Ash needed to get Pikachu freed from the Psychic attack. Now free, Pikachu landed back on the ground and looked ready to attack.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

"Umbreon you use Shadow Ball!"

The two sphere based attacks were launched at each other before colliding in the middle of the field. Dust and dirt were kicked up from the blast and both trainers needed to cover their faces.

"Quick Attack!" They both called out at the same time. Even after not battling for the longest time, their rivalry was still burning hot. Their respective pokemon both jumped through the smoke before ramming into each other. Pushing off of one another, Pikachu and Umbreon were unable to overpower each other. Jumping backwards, both pokemon were now panting heavily and it looked like the battle could be over at any moment. However, they were never able to finish their battle.

"I think that's it for today," Professor Oak declared as he walked out of the lab. He had been watching them battle from a window in his house and had also noticed that it had started to rain. The two were so caught up in their battle that they hadn't even noticed the weather change. "You two can finish your battle once the weather clears up!"

"You got lucky that the weather interrupted us," Gary teased as he returned Umbreon to its pokeball. "Otherwise I was going to win that battle. Pikachu looked like it could barely stand by the end."

"Were you watching the same battle?" Ash asked as he taunted Gary right back. "Umbreon looked to be running on fumes by the end. Surely Pikachu would have won."

"I guess we'll never know now," Gary answered as it started to downpour. The duo made a sprint for the laboratory and finally made it in now that they were soaking wet.

* * *

"So, you're already heading back?" Professor Oak asked the next day as Ash grabbed his backpack and placed it on his back. He had already told Professor Oak that he was only going to take his Kalos pokemon back with him, but that he would be rotating his pokemon for the Elite Four battles. "Why don't you stay a few more days?"

"Sorry, Professor Oak, but I really want to get started," Ash answered with his usual attitude. His excitement for challenging the Elite Four had skyrocketed during the previous few days and he just couldn't wait any longer. "You know how I am. I can never stay in one place for too long."

"I know, I was just expecting you to train for a little longer," the professor replied before handing Ash the pokeballs that contained his four Kalos pokemon. "Now, remember to battle with everything you've got!"

"I will!" Ash replied as he started to make his way to the door, only to be stopped by Gary.

"Hold on!" He called out, causing the group to stop walking. He then pointed at Serena as if he wanted her for something. Ash thought it was strange, but shrugged it off. "I have something I need to give to Serena first before you all leave."

"Me?" Serena asked, unsure of what Gary had for her. They had interacted a little during the first few days, but after that Gary had spent most of his time helping Ash get ready for his battles.

"Yes you, now come on!" He said as Serena followed him down the hallway. They went up a set of stairs and ended up in Professor Oak's laboratory. She had been in it once before during their time here, but nothing had really stuck out to her. This time however, she saw an egg sitting on one of the tables. Noticing that Serena saw the egg, Gary smirked. "I found this egg the other day while helping grandpa take care of the pokemon. I couldn't find the parents and brought it back to the lab. I figured that you would enjoy the pokemon that will hatch from it."

"You're giving me an egg?" Serena asked, unsure as to why she was getting a pokemon egg out of everybody here. "Why me, shouldn't Ash get it?"

"Ash doesn't need it, he's got enough pokemon as it is," Gary said while waving off the question. Taking the egg, he placed it in Serena's hands before she could decline it. "Now, you better take good care of it. Oh, and one more thing," he said while leaning in close to Serena. "The quickest way to win Ash over is through two things. One, his love of food and two, his love for pokemon," he finished before leaning away.

Serena's face was bright red upon hearing Gary's words. "Y-you knew!" Serena squeaked out as she tried to compose herself. It was hard to do as all she saw was Gary's smirking face.

"We all did," he replied as he started to lead her back to the entrance. "Wasn't too hard either. The way you always followed him and how you talked about how amazing he was made it kind of easy to see you had something going on for him. Good luck winning him over, though it seems like you probably could." He then stopped talking once they were back in the main hallway.

"Hey, Serena, you ready now?" Ash asked before seeing the pokemon egg in her hands. He had never seen an egg like that before It was completely yellow and had nothing else to it. "Where'd you get the egg from?"

"G-Gary... gave it to me," she answered while trying to keep herself calm. What Gary had said to her was still playing in her head. "He... Said he found it a few days ago. I guess it would be better being with someone who travels."

"Yeah, I wonder what kind of pokemon will hatch from it," Ash asked as he looked at the egg. He had seen quite a few during his travels, but none like this one.

"Probably something really cute," Bonnie replied as she looked at the egg.

"We'll find out eventually, but for now we're heading back for Kalos!" Ash cried out before sprinting out the door with the others behind him.

* * *

 **And we're now going back to Kalos. Yes, they were only in Kanto for two chapters, but I didn't want to drag it on longer than it needed to be. Next chapter will be their return to Kalos. Also, any guesses on the egg?**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**


	22. Following your Heart

**Welcome back everyone! Last time we left off, Ash and Charizard had a short argument and it was immediately patched up. Elsewhere, Serena was given a pokemon egg prior to the gang leaving for Kalos.**

 **Ch 22: Following your Heart!**

* * *

"Look, I can see Prism Tower from here!" Bonnie cried out as she looked out the window. Once again, the plane flight had been long and tiring, but was now nearing its end. "I can't wait to see dad and Clembot again. Not to mention all of the pokemon. Kanto was great, but it's good to be back."

Clemont nodded in agreement. Visiting Kanto was a great time. Not only had he seen pokemon not native to the Kalos region, but he had picked up some tips on battling from Ash's friends along with a few new recipes to try out when cooking. "It will be nice to be back home. I wonder how Clembot is doing with the gym and how Dad is doing overall," he said to his sister while thinking about the pokemon he left in Clembot's care.

"It really is great to be back," Ash replied as the plane touched down at the airport. The group felt a little bump run through the plane as it came to a complete stop, but they just shrugged it off. "I can't wait to get my battles started against the Elite Four!" A thought then occurred to him as he looked over at Serena who was holding her new pokemon egg. "Serena, aren't Showcases starting up soon? I can't wait to see you perform again."

Serena had been in deep thought as she rubbed the egg given to her from Gary when she heard Ash talk. Shaking off her confusion, Serena smiled at her friend before answering. "I can't wait either until they start up. Then when my egg hatches I'll have it compete with us and we'll all have fun together," she replied before a thought came into her head. _"Palermo..."_ she thought while remembering what the older lady had said to her.

* * *

" _It's that boy isn't it?" Palermo asked as she sighed. She saw something special in Serena, something that she only saw in one other performer, Aria. If she didn't want to be trained there had to be a reason. "He believes that you don't need any training and that you can win on your own."_

" _N-No!" Serena replied nervously. Yes, Ash had told her that, but he had also told her to take the offer if she had felt it was right. But, a part of her still wanted to travel, she wanted to see faraway lands and see pokemon not native to Kalos. She wanted to grow as a person and as a Performer but not by practicing in a studio every day. "It's just... Right now I feel like I can learn more from traveling and seeing the world. Interacting with everyday situations could be more beneficial. I want to travel to Kanto, even if only for a short amount of time. I feel like I could receive valuable experience from these journeys."_

" _You do realize the next Showcase season starts up in one month?" Palermo asked as she lowered her sunglasses. "As it is, you lost out on valuable training by continuing your journey through Kalos. But, now is the time to be taking your training seriously if you ever want to become Kalos Queen. Taking time off to explore other places does not help," Palermo said as a smile crossed her face. "But, it could be a good opportunity for you to grow as a person. Going to Kanto and other regions can allow you to grow a large fan base from other regions, something that Aria herself lacks. It'll teach you responsibilities and show you the different cultures of the world which can add to your performances. But, I want you to call me when you return from Kanto. Alright?"_

" _Yeah!" Serena replied as a smile crossed her face. She would be able to have more time to think about her decision while also surprising Ash in Kanto. As long as her mother allowed her to journey that far._

* * *

Serena was out of time. She needed to make a decision by the end of today about what she had planned. Was she going to stay traveling with Ash or should she take Palermo up on her offer. _"What should I do... I want to stay with Ash, but this offer is too good to pass up on,"_ she thought to herself as she struggled over her decision.

"Something wrong, Serena?" Ash asked as he looked over at the Performer. He had noticed she had been in deep thought during the entire flight back, but now she seemed to be having a hard time thinking about something. "If you need any help raising the egg, I'll help. I've raised plenty," he said while smiling at the girl.

"No, I've just been thinking about the upcoming Showcases," Serena said somewhat truthfully. She was thinking about Showcases, but it was more along the lines of training under Palermo. "Plus, I just realized I promised my mom I'd call her when we returned to Kalos."

"If that's all, you can call her from Prism Tower," Clemont joined in as everyone stood up. They had already planned to head straight for Clemont's gym, so using the phone there would make it convenient for Serena.

* * *

"Clemont, Bonnie, welcome home!" Meyer yelled as he embraced his two children in a bear hug. It appeared that he was crying upon the sight of his two kids as his face was wet. "It's been a while since I last saw you. How was Kanto, you learn anything interesting while there?"

"It was great!" Bonnie said as she squeezed out of the hug first. She missed her dad, but sometimes his hugs could get a little crazy. "You should have seen all the pokemon we can't see here in Kalos. They were all so cute and fun to play with."

"That's great to hear you had a fun time, Bonnie," Meyer said as he faced his oldest child. "Now, Clemont, did you enjoy your time there?"

"Yes, very much," Clemont replied as a smile formed on his face. "While there, I met Ash's other friends. One is a former Gym Leader while the other is currently a Gym Leader. I learned a few new techniques on how to battle and ways to overcome my opponent's advantages in a Gym Battle!"

"That's great to hear, sir," Clembot stated as Luxray pounced onto his trainer. "Luxray here has missed you greatly."

"I've missed you as well, Luxray," Clemont told the electric type pokemon. Finally able to get up, Clemont fixed his glasses while rubbing Luxray's mane. "How has the Gym been, Clembot?"

"Everything has been running smoothly, sir. Luxray has been a huge help around here," Clembot responded as everyone made their way through the entrance.

"That's great to hear, Clembot. I knew Luxray could be of use for Gym Battles," Clemont said while smiling at the robot. "I can see you've also kept the place neat."

Clembot rubbed the back of his robotic neck out of embarrassment. It was funny just how similar he was to his creator. "I wanted to keep it in pristine condition for your return, sir."

As they were walking down the hallway, Serena noticed a phone and spoke up. "I-I'll catch up to you guys. I'm just going to call my mom," she said while making her way to the phone.

"Do you want us to wait?" Ash asked while stopping. It didn't feel right just to leave her by herself.

"I'm fine. It'll be just a minute. Go on ahead," she replied while making her way over to the phone. Everyone else started to walk away except for Ash. He appeared to just be standing there, which Bonnie noticed.

"Come on, Ash!" Bonnie called out as the trainer turned to face her. "We're going to get something to eat!"

"You go on ahead. I'm going to wait for Serena!" Ash explained as he smiled at the young girl. He could go for some food, but something was telling him wait for Serena.

"Hi, mom," Serena said once someone answered from the other end. The screen immediately changed from black to show Grace in her living room. "I'm back in Kalos now! And look at this!" She cried out while lifting her egg into view. "I got this egg while there."

"That's great, dear," Grace responded while smiling. She was glad that Serena had a great time in Kanto. "It's good that you're back. I heard Showcases are starting up now. There's going to be one here in Vaniville Town in about a week."

"I... I know," Serena replied quietly. "T-That's part of the reason I called. You see, after I lost the Master Class, a famous former Kalos Queen offered to train me..." she said while trailing off.

"And you're unsure of what to do," Grace finished her sentence while her smile turned into a neutral expression. "But you're unsure of what to do."

"Exactly," Serena answered while lowering her head. "On one hand, this is an amazing opportunity. The last person she trained was Aria, the current Kalos Queen. But on the other hand..."

"You would need to end your journey with Ash and the others," Grace stated, ending her daughters statement. Sighing, Grace shook her head. "Serena, I can't make this decision for you. I've had a feeling something like this would happen ever since I overheard it after the Master Class. You're your own person, now is the time you have to decide what is more important to you."

Ash could hear everything being said down the hall and didn't know what to think. Having to sit on the ground, Ash thought over what he just heard. " _Serena wouldn't leave. She can't leave... I don't know what we'd all do without her..."_ Ash thought to himself.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked as he watched his trainer. Ash appeared to have a confused look on his face and to Pikachu he didn't seem to be doing well.

"I-I'm fine, Pikachu," Ash replied as he forced a smile on his face. But his voice gave him away. It sounded scared, as if he was about to lose someone close to him. Standing up, Ash decided that he needed some fresh air to help clear his mind. "Just nerves, Pikachu. We've never faces the Elite Four before."

"Pika..." the electric type muttered as he followed after his trainer. Pikachu just agreed with him for the time being as they walked outside of Prism Tower. The duo didn't walk too far, instead deciding to sit on a nearby bench.

"See, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about Pikachu," Ash said to his best friend. But to Pikachu, it sounded forced, almost as if Ash was trying to reassure himself instead of Pikachu. "Everything will be just fine," he muttered the last part, making Pikachu unable to hear it clearly.

"Chuuuu?" He asked after Ash finished talking He knew something was up with Ash and the electric type wasn't going to be lied to. "Pikapi, pika, Pikachu chu!" The Mouse pokemon yelled out at his trainer. They were going to figure out what was bothering Ash and they were going to do this now. Pikachu didn't enjoy seeing his best friend like this, and if they didn't fix this soon then their chances of beating the Elite Four would be going way down.

Ash just fixed his hat while keeping his gaze away from Pikachu. He knew that his best friend was worried for him, but Ash had no clue how to explain what was going on. Sighing, Ash looked down at the electric type and forced another smile. "I'm fine, Pikachu. Really, you don't need to worry."

This only annoyed Pikachu. Why was Ash being so hard today? Why didn't he just say what was bothering him? That way, Pikachu could help him out and then he would really be fine. "Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out once again as he let a small shock of electricity hit Ash.

"Ow! What was that for, Pikachu?" Ash asked as he looked at the electric type. Pikachu had a worried expression on his face and Ash understood why. He was making Pikachu worried. Sighing, Ash decided to try and explain what was bothering him as best as he could. "Okay, you win," he said as a smile formed on Pikachu's face. "But, it isn't easy to explain."

"Chuu..." Pikachu muttered as he motioned for Ash to continue. It was a funny sight for anyone passing by, a Pikachu listening to his trainer's problems. But, it didn't faze either of them as Ash started to talk again.

"I... I don't know how to really explain it, but every time I'm with Serena it just feels right," Ash started to explain as he grabbed his chin as if he was in deep thought. "It all started after that dinner back at the Kalos League. Since then, I've had this strange feeling where I want her to always be around because it's like everything is better when she is," he explained, still unsure of what he was saying.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked as he tilted his head. He didn't really know what Ash was explaining, but he did know that the problem was Serena possibly leaving. Jumping onto Ash's shoulder, Pikachu rubbed his cheek against Ash's as a sign that he would be here for Ash if he ever needed anything.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Ash replied as the electric type stopped rubbing his cheek. "I know that you and the others will always be here for me. I'm glad you're helping, but, I just wish I knew what was wrong. Why am I being selfish by wanting her to stay with us?" That would have to be for another day however, as Ash had grown bored of sitting and stood back up. He had decided it was time to head back, maybe Serena was done with the phone now.

* * *

"So, you're back in Kalos?" Palermo asked from her end of the line. She had a smile on her face since now she could finally teach Serena everything she knew.

"Yeah, I got back in today," Serena replied as she sounded nervous to the elder lady.

"There's no need to be nervous about our training together," Palermo reassured her with a smile. Palermo couldn't wait to get started on working with Serena. "Now, when can I pick you up?"

"T-That's what I'm calling about," Serena answered as she fought back her nerves. The young Performer thought back to her previous conversation with her mom just minutes ago.

* * *

 _Sighing, Grace shook her head. "Serena, I can't make this decision for you. I've had a feeling something like this would happen ever since I overheard it after the Master Class. You're your own person, now is the time you have to decide what is more important to you."_

 _"But that's the problem!" Serena yelled out at her mom. "This could be what gets me to become Kalos Queen, but I don't want to stop my travels!" She continued to yell._

 _Seeing her daughter so torn up over her choice, Grace sighed. "Serena, what did you used to think about Rhyhorn Racing?"_

 _"I hated it because of the set schedules for training and because of how hard you were on me. But then I learned that not everything about it was bad, just the way I was taught," she replied honestly. She had hated Rhyhorn Racing with her mom, but during her journey she came to see that there was more to it than just what her mother taught her._

 _"And how do you feel towards Showcases?" Grace asked while smirking. She wasn't going to tell Serena what to do, but if she knew her daughter, she'd know what to do._

 _"They're so much fun," Serena replied immediately while smiling. "I'm able to do what I want for my performances while practicing whenever I want. Plus, I get to visit all these places that I would never be able to while at home!"_

 _"And if you accepted this offer how would that affect you?" Grace continued to ask, hoping that Serena finally realized it._

 _"I... I would have to stop traveling... And have a set schedule for practicing," she muttered as a thought came to her. "Just like when you taught me Rhyhorn Racing." Realizing just what her mother was pointing out to her, Serena finally made up her mind about her choice. "Thanks, mom. I think I finally figured everything out," she said while ending the call._

* * *

"I've been thinking about your offer," Serena started to speak again as she pushed all signs of nervousness away. "And I appreciate it a lot, but I'm going to have to decline."

"What?" Palermo asked as her smile faded away. She was surprised that Serena had declined her offer. "And what would make you want to decline?"

"I understand how you trained Aria to become the person she is now, but I don't want to become Kalos Queen that way," Serena started to say as Ash reentered the building. Hearing Serena talk, Ash decided to stay quiet as to not interrupt the conversation. "I've been trained before by someone in the past and it's not my style. I need to be happy while practicing and that won't happen on a schedule. It'll only happen if I continue to travel with Ash and the others!" She finished, sounding extremely confident.

"Do as you please," Palermo said while a smirk crossed her face. Perhaps she didn't much training. Still, right now she would never beat Aria. "If you believe traveling with this Ash you speak so highly of will make you a better Performer than do it. But if you ever change your mind just call me," she finished saying before ending the call.

Ash listened to the conversation as he leaned against the wall. That feeling of nervousness was gone as excitement filled its place instead. Ash didn't know why, but he felt a sense of pride, a sense of joy that Serena had chosen to travel with him than be trained by Palermo. But, as he was celebrating inside, a thought occurred to him.

 _"Why is she risking her dream to travel with us?"_ He didn't have much time to dwell on the question as he heard Serena making her way down the hall.

Serena turned around the corner as she spotted Ash waiting for her. "Ash!" She practically screamed at him due to the shock of seeing him standing there. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I... I decided to stay behind and wait for you," he answered, unsure if he should tell her he overheard everything.

"Oh..." Serena muttered before wondering if he overheard anything. "Did... Did you hear what I was talking about?"

Ash didn't know how to respond. Fixing his hat, Ash looked at Serena. "Not everything. Just something about Showcases." That was simple, technically he wasn't lying to her. He did overhear something about Showcases, but he wasn't going to let her know that he heard everything.

"Oh. Alright then," Serena said, sounding a little more relaxed. She was worried that Ash might have heard about her choice about Palermo's training. "Why don't we go find the others. They're probably wondering where we are," she said before they made their way up Prism Tower.

* * *

"How is the base coming along?" Giovanni asked through their connected call. He couldn't see much from his end, but what he did see looked to be similar to a kitchen. "Has it finished construction?"

"Sir," Jessie said as they lifted up their mini-computer. "The base has finished completion and we are ready to open operations in the Kalos region."

"Excellent," Giovanni muttered as he started to pet his Persian. It had taken a little over a month to have the entire base built. It wasn't a bad timeframe, but he had wished it was finished a little sooner. "Now, how has the business side of the operation been? Has your café idea worked out?"

"Business is booming," Meowth stated as the three agents moved the computer screen so that Giovanni could see the large pile of money they had stored away in their safe. "We've only been open for about a week, yet we've been packed here."

"It appears that Kanto recipes are quite the popular treat in Kalos," James stated as they closed the safe door. "Many citizens of this region have never tried food local to us and have been falling in love with it. We've had to turn people away due to us running out of food."

"Very well. It appears your café idea has worked out extremely well for Team Rocket's Kalos branch," Giovanni told the three of them as a smile crossed his face. Maybe it was a good idea to leave them in charge of Kalos after all. Although, he could have used their expertise in Alola following Cassidy and Butch's botched mission. "As you three believed, the Kalos branch can be self-sustained, allowing their projected resources to go to other regions' branches. Now, I'm curious about the actual base."

"Right away, sir," Jessie said as they opened a door in the kitchen. The room was bare and Giovanni wondered why they had brought him into this closet. "You might be confused, but hold on for one more second, sir."

Just then, the back wall slid open to reveal a long passageway that led deep underground. The three agents walked through the opening as the door slid shut behind them. The hallway was immediately lit up as it revealed a staircase that went right to the bottom with other passageways connecting to the main one.

"The entire base is underneath Lumiose City to allow for fast travel," James stated as they started their descent. "We designed the passageways ourselves to allow us easy access to the entire city. Each tunnel that you see will lead an agent to one of the main gates of Lumiose City, granting them a quick route to another section of Kalos."

"But this main passageway takes us right to the base," Meowth said as he turned the doorknob to the metal door blocking their path. Walking into it, the three agents showed Giovanni the entire base. It looked exactly like the one in Kanto, but it was smaller in size due to the restraints. "We designed the base after your very own in Kanto and we've included some of the very best facilities one could dream for."

"Excellent," Giovanni muttered as he looked around the base with admiration. He had a few fears that they might have gone crazy with the base, but this proved him wrong. It was well done. It was just what he hoped for when he had heard they started construction on a base in Kalos. "You three continue to exceed expectations. Now, how many men will you need to help run the base?"

"We've already recruited two dozen new recruits in the time since returning to Kalos," James explained as they entered a training room where the newest members were going through the Team Rocket training course. They were now running through an obstacle course to test their reactions and endurance. "These newest Team Rocket members have shown an undying support of the organization, but alas it is hard to properly train them due to the demands of the café."

"I see..." Giovanni said softly as he appeared to have a thought in his head. Slamming his hand onto his desk, Giovanni smirked at his three agents. "Alright, I'll send you one dozen agents to help you oversee their training and to help run the café. I need you three in the field, not behind a counter. Remember to work on the operation you were assigned. The agents will be out there in roughly three days."

"Understood," the three agents stated in unison as the call ended. Once Giovanni was off the line, the three of them started to celebrate. "He's so proud! Team Rocket's Kalos branch is number one!"

* * *

"Ash, have you decided on which member of the Elite Four you plan on facing first?" Meyer asked as everyone sat down for dinner. It had been a long first day back in Kalos for both Ash and Serena and it felt nice to just relax for the first time all day.

"No, I haven't decided yet," Ash answered truthfully as he crossed his arms over his chest. Outside of training, he hadn't really thought about his battles with the Elite Four that much. "I guess I'll just decide on it in the morning after Diantha tells me where they're all located."

"That's right, I almost forgot that you mentioned Diantha was showing up," Clemont stated in shock as he placed his utensil down. Ash had called Diantha during the afternoon to let her know he was ready to challenge the Elite Four. "When exactly did she say she'll get here?"

"She didn't say, just that she was showing up tomorrow to tell me something," Ash said before taking a fork full of pasta. Swallowing the food, Ash wiped his mouth off before continuing. "I don't even know why she has to show up. What's so important that she has to tell me it personally?"

"If I had to guess, it's probably the locations where each member is located," Meyer answered as he rubbed his chin. The locations weren't exactly well known for the Elite Four, with the exception of Siebold of course. "Yeah, she's probably giving you the exact location of each member so you can battle them."

"That would make sense," Clemont added as he likewise rubbed his chin. It sounded like the most likely explanation for Diantha showing up. "I wonder if she's going to give you a map or something of the sorts."

Ash just shrugged at his friend's question. It didn't bother him if he had a map or not. "Let's worry about that when tomorrow comes. Right now I just want to know if I can have seconds!" He cried out while lifting his plate up. Everyone practically fell over from the shock of Ash's request before laughing. That was Ash, it didn't matter if he was challenging the Elite Four. He was always going to act the same way.

* * *

"Ash..." Clemont muttered as the duo were laying in Clemont's living room. They were both ready for bed, but neither of them were able to fall asleep. "Do you remember what you asked of me the first time we slept in this room?"

Ash sat up at the question. Of course he remembered it, how couldn't he. "Yeah, that was the day you battled Clembot and regained ownership of your Gym. That night I said I wanted to battle you once I earned four badges. And that the battle would be between myself and you. What about it?"

"Well..." Clemont started to say before trailing off. Gulping, Clemont pushed his nerves aside as he forced himself to speak. "I'm doing the same to you! Once you've earned all four of the medals from the Elite Four, I want to battle you. I started my journey with you so that I could grow as a person, to gain confidence, but lately I haven't done anything of the sorts. I want to face you; I want to see just how much I've grown as a trainer. Will you accept my challenge?"

"Of course I will!" Ash cried out as excitement filled his voice. He was never one to turn down a challenge no matter who asked him to battle. "Once I earn all four of my medals and battle Diantha, we'll have a battle that no one has ever seen before!"

"Right!" Clemont agreed as he laid back down. He was now excited for his future battle with Ash. He was just hoping that he'd be ready by then. "And I don't want you to hold back either, Ash. Use your entire Kalos team. Okay?"

"You should know by now that I never hold back, Clemont," Ash replied as he gave the inventor a toothy grin.

* * *

"Serena..." Bonnie muttered as she sat up in her Tyrantrum pajamas. She was having a hard time sleeping due to something on her mind and she needed to find something out. Until she knew, the young child didn't think she'd be able to sleep. This thought had been on her mind for a while now.

"Y-Yeah..." Serena muttered while yawning. She had been in a deep sleep when she could hear Bonnie saying something. Waking up, Serena had noticed the child sitting up in her bed. "What's the matter?" She asked once she saw the sad look on her face.

"It's... It's just," Bonnie started to say as she looked up at Serena. Serena could see a few tears in her eyes and wondered what was wrong. "Are you going to train with that old lady? I know you talked with her before leaving for Kanto, but did you agree to it? Because I don't want you to leave!" Bonnie cried out as the thought of her little family being broken came into her mind.

"Ohh, Bonnie," Serena said as she pulled the younger girl into a light hug. Serena knew that the thought of Ash leaving had brought Bonnie to tears, but she never expected her situation would do the same. "I'm not going anywhere. I turned down Palermo's offer so I could continue to travel with you guys."

"What!" Bonnie cried out. Serena couldn't tell if she was happy or upset about it based on her tone. "I don't want you to leave, but why would you turn it down!?"

"There's more to it than just traveling with all of you," Serena said while smiling at the girl. "I realized that I wouldn't enjoy training under her. It would be just like how Rhyhorn Racing was with my mom. I'd have a set schedule while having to follow her orders. After thinking it over, I realized that I'd be much better off practicing and training on my own, surrounded by my friends."

"So, you're not leaving?" Bonnie asked as she wiped away the few tears she had. Hearing that Serena had declined the offer had made Bonnie both happy and sad at the same time. But, realizing that it wasn't because of them that Serena had declined the offer made Bonnie happy that the Performer was going to do it her way.

"Not as long as you want me around," Serena stated with a smile. "Now why don't we go to bed. It's going to be a long day tomorrow since we're planning on leaving for Ash's first Elite Four challenge."

"Okay!" Bonnie cried out before laying back down. Serena then copied the younger girl, as they then fell back to sleep with smiles on their faces. Bonnie for knowing that Serena was staying and for Serena knowing she made the right choice.

* * *

"I'll get it!" Bonnie cried out as everyone heard a knock at the door. They were just finishing up breakfast when they heard the knock. Bonnie was the first to react, jumping out of her seat and racing to the door. "Hi!" She cried out while opening it. Looking up, she realized that it was the champion of Kalos herself, Diantha. "Diantha!"

"Hi, it's been a while, Bonnie," Diantha stated as she removed her disguise which were a hat and a pair of sunglasses. Walking into the house, she was greeted by hellos from each person sitting at the table. "And hello to everyone else. I'm still grateful for everything you all did during the crisis that nearly destroyed Kalos. Without your help who knows what would have happened."

"It was the only thing we could do," Ash replied as he rubbed the back of his head. "Besides those guys were using pokemon and Squishy's friend for evil purposes," Ash continued on as he placed his plate down. He had been in the middle of finishing his plate up when Diantha walked through the door. "You mentioned you had something important to say yesterday on the phone. I was wondering, what was it?"

Diantha smiled at the young trainer's question. Pulling a flash drive out of her pocket, the champion showed it to everyone. "On this flash drive is the locations of each member of the Kalos Elite Four. Without them, you'd have a hard time trying to find each person. Now, I'm going to give this to you so that you can plan your challenge accordingly."

"I think you should give that to Serena," Ash muttered once he saw Diantha handing it to him. "I've been told I'm not the best with directions."

"Very well," Diantha replied before handing the flash drive to the Performer. "I look forward to seeing you later, Ash. I'm hoping to have a great battle with the boy who saved Kalos."

Ash smirked as he heard Diantha's request. "I'll win those four medals and then I'll be challenging you. Greninja and I still want to finish our battle against Gardevoir. We never had a chance to finish that battle."

"Yes, I too look forward to our battle," Diantha said as she stood back up. Putting her hat and sunglasses back on, she made her way to the door. "I would love to visit longer, but I have a busy schedule to keep up with. I wish you the best of luck, Ash," she said before walking out the front door.

* * *

"Hmm... So the locations of the Elite Four are on this flash drive?" Serena asked as she looked at the storage device in her hand. "I wonder..." she muttered while pulling out her travel guide. Plugging the flash drive into the USB port on her device, Serena watched as her device started to download the files. Once finished, four red pokeballs appeared on the map of Kalos. Each one marked the location of the members of the Elite Four. But, to her surprise, her device had only managed to download four of the five files on the flash drive. _"I wonder if the fifth file is the location of Diantha?"_ Serena thought as she handed the tablet over to Ash. "It looks like it really did have their locations."

"Yeah!" Ash cried out in agreement as he looked at it. The four markings were spread out among the entire region, meaning they were going to have to travel it all over again. "By the looks of it, Siebold is in Ambrette Town. Wikstrom is in Shalor City. Malva is near Laverre City and Drasna is in Kiloude City. I have no clue who they are or who specializes in what, but now we know where we're heading!" Ash cried out as he closed the tablet ad handed it back to Serena.

The others all sighed at Ash's reaction. Only he wouldn't know who the Elite Four of Kalos were. Then again, it did make sense since he wasn't from here. "Ash, I can tell you who specializes in wha-" Clemont started to say as a hand was placed in front of him to have him stop.

"No way!" Ash cried out, excitement still in his voice. If there was anything he enjoyed about battling it was the thrill and excitement that was present whenever you were surprised by your opponent. "I want to go into each of these battles without any knowledge outside of the fact they specialize in water, fire, dragon and steel. I want to be surprised by who uses what."

"That's Ash," Bonnie said as they remembered back to the Anistar gym. "Even during your Gym battles you didn't want to know anything about your opponents."

"Yeah I know," Ash said while nodding in agreement. "It makes the battles much more exciting for me and my pokemon. Half the battle is trying to figure out your opponent while mid-battle."

* * *

"You're already leaving?" Meyer asked as he and Clembot were seeing them off. "You guys just got here yesterday. Why don't you rest up a few days?"

"We can't Meyer," Ash replied as he smiled at Clemont and Bonnie's father. "We need to make it to Vaniville Town for Serena Showcase. We can't have her missing it," Ash said, revealing that he knew about the Showcase.

"H-How do you know about that. I haven't told anyone about it yet," Serena said as she wondered how Ash could have known about it. She was certain she hadn't mentioned it at all.

"You had it marked on your map when you handed it over to me last night," Ash explained to the honey-blonde Performer. Yes, he had overheard her talking with her mom, but it had also been marked off on her travel guide. "I just assumed we were heading there so you could compete."

"Well... I was going to ask after you decided on which Elite Four member you wanted to challenge first," Serena replied as she responded to Ash. Part of her didn't want to go to the Vaniville Town Showcase due to the thought that it was the first one of the year and Palermo may be there. Serena did not want to run into her right now, especially after declining her offer.

"Then it's decided," Ash stated as he pointed towards the skyline. "We'll head to Vaniville Town first so Serena can compete and then it's off to Ambrette Town so I can face Siebold!" Ash declared before running off for one of the town's many exits.

"Ash, wait!" Serena yelled as she chased after him. He was heading in the wrong direction again. "The exit to head towards Vaniville Town is in the opposite direction!"

Bonnie quickly hugged her dad before sprinting after Serena and Ash. "Bye, dad! I'll see you when we get back again!"

"Don't worry, dad, I'll keep an eye on her," Clemont said while bowing to his dad. Once finished, Clemont looked over to Clembot and smiled. "I'm leaving Luxray in your care, Clembot. Keep the Lumiose City Gym's name in high regards amongst other trainers by giving them some tough fought matches."

"Will do, sir," Clembot responded as he took in the praise from his creator. "I'll make the Lumiose City Gym proud. I'll battle with all of my mechanical heart."

"Great!" Clemont responded as he turned around. Looking, he noticed just how far away everyone else was now. Starting to run, Clemont realized this was going to take him a while to catch up. "Guys! Wait up a moment!" he cried out while chasing after them.

* * *

"Phase one is complete," Meowth stated as he made his way back to the base through their underground passage way. "The cameras have been stationed all over Lumiose City."

"Microphones have also been placed in their designated areas," James' voice could be heard over their communication. "Everything is going according to plan. Now phase two just needs to begin."

"Phase two shall commence shortly," Jessie stated as the three agents met back up. "The speakers were also placed in the designated areas. To think, we managed to do all of this undetected."

"The boss is going to be so proud of us!" Meowth cried out as they all started to picture his response. "Meowth, you and your friends are doing an excellent job with Operation Homonoia! Take this reward and treat your two subordinates to a treat," Meowth stated as he crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.

"Wait just an apricorn picking second!" James cried out as he realized just what Meowth had said. "What do you mean by subordinates!? You're the pokemon and we're the humans!"

"Plus, it was my idea," Jessie joined in as she handed James a flash drive. "If anyone should get the credit, it'll be me!"

"It was all of us who created this plan!" James shot back as he plugged the flash drive into a strange looking machine. It appeared to be a large computer monitor that was attached to a large antenna through a line of wires. "Now quiet down as I run test number 001!" He yelled while slamming his finger onto the key.

The machine started to make a loud buzzing sound as it soon turned into a high pitched noise that was causing everyone to cover their ears, but especially Meowth.

"Are you sure you gathered the correct data?" Meowth asked as he laid on his back in pain. The noise coming from the machine was causing him so much pain that he wished they never tried it.

"Yes, I'm sure," Jessie shot back as she shut the machine off. "That data you had me grab is no good. That's what happens when you try and combine the information from the failed Lake of Rage mission with the information we stole from Colress back in Unova!"

"Hey, Jimmy. Where exactly did you test those waves in?" Meowth asked as he looked at the monitors. To them, Lumiose City was perfectly fine as nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Out on Route 3. We can't have a mishap happening in Lumiose City. So instead I sent the waves to the furthest point we can reach. Now, we should head out and check on the results," James answered as the three agents exited the room as they prepared to head over to Route 3.

* * *

 **Well, what exactly is Operation Homonoia? You'll just have to read and find out. But, there are a few hints dropped in there. Also, I will be covering Showcases... so RIP me. I'm just kidding, I'll do my best with them and I do have a surprise to try and change them up a little, but more about that later.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**


	23. A Pika Pika Pokeworld

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Serena finally made a decision on Palermo's offer while Ash learned of the locations of each Elite Four member before the gang decided to head to Vaniville Town for Serena's first showcase.**

 **Ch 23: A Pika Pika Pokeworld!**

* * *

"Hey, Jimmy. Where exactly did you test those waves in?" Meowth asked as he looked at the monitors. To them, Lumiose City was perfectly fine as nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Out on Route 3. We can't have a mishap happening in Lumiose City. So instead I sent the waves to the furthest point we can reach. Now, we should head out and check on the results," James answered as the three agents exited the room as they prepared to head over to Route 3.

"Sirs," one of the grunts said while saluting the three agents. He had noticed the three leaving the base and was curious as to where they were leaving for. "What were the results of Operation Homonoia? Did it work as intended?"

"We're leaving now to check on the results," Jessie shot back as they grabbed their equipment to check the results. "Make sure the base and the café operations run smoothly in our absence."

"Yes, mam!" The grunt responded while they ran out the door. "Hmm, I wonder if it worked..." he muttered before walking off to another part of the base. "Oh well, doesn't concern me."

* * *

"Are picking up any traces of the radio waves?" James asked Meowth as they landed on Route 3. They had been following the trail of radio waves found in the air to see if it had any effect.

"I've got a small amount in this area, but nothing else," the normal type responded as he moved the meter around as it reacted to the small amount of radio waves. "Perhaps we'll have a better chance if we head further into the woods."

"Well, what other choice do we have?" Jessie asked as she followed her feline companion while James brought up the rear. "This better have worked, otherwise most of the money we earned through the café is already gone."

"Jessie, isn't that because you went on a shopping spree the other day?" James asked as he remembered back to Jessie running off with most of their income. "If I remember correctly, you said you just needed to buy a few things, but when you came back you had used all our money."

"They were just a few things," Jessie replied as she ran her hand across her face. "It takes a lot to look this gorgeous every day! Besides, I need to be ready when it's my time to become Kalos Queen!"

"Quit daydreaming and quiet down!" Meowth yelled behind him, snapping Jessie out of her fantasy. The machine in his paws were going off, almost as if they detected a large amount of radio waves. "It's picking something up. Whatever it is, it contains a large amount of the radio waves!"

"I like the sound of that!" Jessie agreed as pokeballs formed in her eyes. If the device actually worked, they would be able to build an army of super powerful pokemon at their disposal.

"We're going to dance to the bank with this radio! Controlling pokemon through music is easy!" James cried out as Meowth wacked him over the head. "Owww... What was that for, Meowth?"

"It isn't a radio! They're radio waves!" Meowth shouted as they heard a rustling in the bushes. Walking through them were three Pangoro who appeared to look a little out of it. They didn't seem to be different, but their eyes had a faint red glow to them. "It worked! You see, the radio waves a launched at an ultrahigh frequency that only pokemon can hear. Once they're in contact with it for a decent amount of time then they fall under our control!" He cried out while the machine in his hands was recognizing a large amount of radio waves being emitted from the three pokemon.

"Alright! Now we have an army of super buff, Pangoro!" Jessie cried out as she walked over to one of the three Daunting Pokemon. Placing a hand on its shoulder, Jessie started to pat it. "I'm your new master and you'll do what I command of you. The first thing we want is for you to capture this Pikachu," she commanded while showing them a picture of the twerp and his Pikachu.

Pangoro didn't seem to interested in listening and instead turned around as he rejoined his two friends. "Pan, pangoro," it muttered before yawning. It appeared they weren't completely under their control yet.

"It appears that we'll have to increase the level we're emitting the frequency at," James noted as he pulled out three devices. "It seems that right now it still isn't strong enough as the Pangoro are still fighting back. But for now, we'll use our manual device," he stated while strapping the three bands around each Pangoro's neck. "Now, go and capture Pikachu!" James cried out as he typed some information into his mini-computer.

The three Pangoro were immediately shocked with electricity upon completion of the order and appeared angered by it. Who were these three to show up and command them around? Turning to face the three strangers, the three Pangoro launched Hyper Beam attacks at them before running off on a rampage.

"It appears we miscalculated something," James muttered as they flew across the sky. He could have sworn they had all the correct information, but the results of today's test proved otherwise.

"Really? You don't say," Jessie mocked him as she got ready to strangle her partner. They were promised that everything was all set for a test run of their invention only for this to happen. "I thought you commanded them to blast us off!"

"Well, it appeared to work somewhat," Meowth pointed out as they reached the climax of their ascension. "We learned that the machine works, just need a higher frequency to get them to listen. So, we'll return with a stronger frequency and get those Pangoro to listen!"

"But for now, we'll make like a frequency and ride the airwaves again!" The three cried out in disappointment.

* * *

"Hey, Serena," Ash asked as the group decided to stop for a break. They had been traveling from Lumiose City for the past three days now as they were making their way over to Vaniville Town for Serena's first showcase. "How much further are we from Vaniville Town?"

"Hold on. Let me check," she replied as she pulled out her travel guide. Opening up the map function, Serena looked at the route they were currently traveling on. "According to this we should make it into town by tomorrow night."

"That's great!" He cried out while pumping his fist. "That'll give you more than enough time to practice for your Showcase," Ash stated while giving Serena a genuine smile. After overhearing her conversation with Palermo the other day, Ash wanted to show his support for Serena's goal more than he did before.

"Y-Yeah..." She replied nervously. She had almost forgotten about the Showcase. Almost. She wasn't nervous about the Showcase; it was more from _who_ would be there. Serena didn't know how Palermo would react in person after declining her offer.

"Serena," Bonnie muttered as she pulled on Serena's red vest. "Are you nervous about having to perform in front of all your friends and family?"

"Well... I..." Serena started to mutter as that thought came into her head. She had performed in front of all of Kalos during the Master Class, but the majority of those people didn't know her like her town.

Seeing Serena start to grow nervous, Ash decided to speak up. "Serena will do fine," he said while giving her a reassuring smile. She had helped him during the Kalos League, so it was his turn to repay her. "Why don't we take a break here? It's a beautiful day and I think the pokemon would enjoy the break," Ash mentioned as he grabbed his pokeballs. "Come on out everyone!"

Four pokeballs opened up and revealed Greninja, Talonflame, Hawlucha and Noivern. Clemont and Serena did the same as their pokemon joined in on the fun. Ash was right, the sun was shining and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. A light breeze was blowing as well, allowing everyone to stay cool thanks to it. Nearby, there was a lake that the group could go swimming in if they wanted to.

"Wait for me!" Bonnie cried out as she appeared in her swim suit. She had already thought about going swimming once it was stated they would be taking a break for the time being. Running into the water, she was joined by Greninja who appeared to be enjoying the time resting by laying on his back in the water. Likewise, Dedenne and Bunnelby played with Bonnie as she splashed each of them.

"Chespin!" The grass type cried out happily as he sprinted towards the water. Everyone else was having fun in it, so he figured he would as well. Making it to the edge of the lake, Chespin placed his foot into the water only to realize it was too cold to his liking. "Chespin, pin..."

"Cham?" Pancham asked while smirking. The Playful Pokemon found it funny that Chespin had lost its excitement for going into the water. Sticking his own foot into the water, Pancham reacted in the same manner as Chespin. "Cham, Pancham," it muttered stubbornly as he saw Chespin's own smirk.

"Come on in, Chespin, Pancham, the water's great!" Bonnie cried out before splashing the duo. They didn't seem to enjoy being wet as they just stared at each in as they shivered as a gust of wind blew by.

"Pancham, pan..." Pancham cried out silently as he shook the water off of his fur. Some of the water accidently splashed onto Chespin, who immediately glared at Pancham. Thinking that the splash was intention, the grass type pushed Pancham into the water. "Pancham! Pancham, cham!" The Playful pokemon cried out angrily as he glared at Chespin.

"Chespin! Chespin, ches!" Chespin cried out while laughing. The Spiny Nut Pokemon was enjoying his little fast one he managed to pull over his rival and friend. Laughing so hard, Chespin accidently slipped on a stick and tumbled into the water right next to Pancham.

"Pan, Pancham," Pancham teased before splashing Chespin in the face with water. This angered Chespin as the duo started a splash fight which the other pokemon all joined in on.

"Those two are always at each other," Clemont sighed as he finished setting the table up. He figured that if they were going to stay here for a little, then it would be the perfect place to have lunch for the day. "They always seem to get into trouble together. I wish they'd just get long for once."

"If you ask me, fighting with someone means you really care for them," Ash stated as he thought back to all of his fights over the years. By the time he had finished fighting with each person, their friendships were that much stronger. In fact, it had also happened recently with his friendship with Serena. Following their fight, if you could consider something like that one, they appeared to understand each other better and were closer. "Them fighting is a way that they show their friendship."

"Still, sometimes even I wish they could tone it down just a little," Serena sighed as she polished her egg a little. Ever since she had received this egg, she had been taking excellent care for it. "It can get tiring for us while they continue fighting," she finished as she could hear Clemont yelling at Chespin.

"Chespin! Stop holding Pancham under the water with your vines! And if you try that again then no pokepuffs for a week!" The inventor yelled out as he forced the grass type to let his friend up for air. "Yeah, like you said, Serena, those two can be a handful at times. Why can't they act like friends in the sense that Hawlucha and Noivern do?"

Letting out a light chuckle, Ash looked over to his three birds. The trio were all resting up in the shade of a tree as they seemed to be rather content. Ash couldn't disagree there, ever since Noivern had hatched from an egg, his three birds were almost always together. Of course, he could tell that Noivern looked up to Hawlucha and that helped to create their special bond. He really had no way to answer Clemont's question. Just as he was about to however, Serena's voice could be heard.

"Look, it's glowing!" Serena called out as all eyes were on her. She didn't know how to react; she had never hatched an egg before. "The egg, it's glowing. What do I do now!?" She asked as everyone gathered around.

"Nothing now but we just wait," Ash replied as he watched on with joy in his eyes. It was always a great moment watching an egg hatch since you could never tell what would come out of it. "It's glowing pretty bright, so it must be ready."

"I agree, it'll probably hatch any moment now," Clemont joined in as the egg started to glow even brighter than before. Then, in one final flash of white light before the egg disappeared.

"Pichu?" The newborn electric type asked as it looked around the group. The Tiny Mouse Pokemon appeared to be a little spooked by all of the eyes watching it. But, the first thing it had noticed were the warm, welcoming eyes of the person holding it.

"It's a Pichu!" Bonnie cried out excitedly as she pushed to the front of the group. "Oh, I knew it was going to be a cute pokemon!" She yelled out, causing Pichu to grow scared of her.

"Pi... Pichu!" It cried out in fear before hiding its face in Serena's vest. Realizing that this might be a little too much right away for the baby pokemon, everyone took a step back.

"Everything's alright, Pichu, no one's going to hurt you," Serena told the crying baby pokemon in a soft voice. She then started to rub the back of Pichu's head to help comfort the electric type. "Everyone just wants to be your friend." Whatever Serena was doing, it seemed to be working as Pichu lifted its face out of Serena's clothes and looked up.

"Pichu?" It asked again softly. Everyone else seemed scary to the newborn, but this person was nice. She was comforting and it made Pichu feel relaxed. Looking around, the young electric type noticed all of the warm smiles greeting it and immediately relaxed.

"See, no one will hurt you," Serena reassured the baby pokemon before placing it on the ground to interact. One by one, each pokemon came up to introduce themselves, except for Chespin who was held back by Clemont. Finally, Serena decided to introduce herself. "Hi, Pichu, I'm Serena. I'm a Pokemon Performer and I was wondering if you'd want to be a part of it with the rest of us," she said while motioning to her three pokemon. "We can show you right now what it is."

* * *

"Hmm, it appears the main problem isn't with the frequency, but the tone we used," James explained as he looked over the data they had programmed into the machine. When they had returned, the grunts were surprised to see them beaten and bruised. But to the three agents this was nothing new. "The tone that we were using was the same one we used on Garchomp."

"So why would that matter?" Jessie asked as she paced around the room. If it wasn't for Giovanni assigning this operation himself, she would be more than fine to just toss it aside. "Just change the tone so it can control the Pangoro."

"But that's where the problem begins. Without the full information from Colress' studies, we can't program the machine with different tones. We've only got the formula to use it on dragon type and draconic pokemon because of the tests done back on Garchomp."

"But the collars should work, right?" Jessie asked as she laid down on a couch they had placed in the room. This was starting to get too complicated, even for them. "It should place them under our control."

"Yes, but due to the two different means of mind control between the radio waves and the collar, it's causing the pokemon to lash out in fits of rage," James explained as he pulled up a video monitor. On it, two of the three Pangoro could be seen attacking anything in their path as they walked through the forest on Route 3.

"So how do we get the radio waves to work on all pokemon?" Meowth asked as he watched the Pangoro leave a trail of destruction behind them. If only they had the complete set of data from Colress and Team Plasma before they were arrested.

"Through the use of psychic waves," James explained as he pulled up a map of Anistar City. "We'll go to Anistar and study the psychic powers belonging to Olympia and her pokemon. Once we have the correct data, Inkay can use his psychic energy to match the same wavelengths needed on every type of pokemon imaginable!"

"You've really thought this one through haven't you?" Jessie asked with a smirk. This might actually work, but when would they have time to go to Anistar City between keeping everything running smoothly, Jessie's Showcases, and chasing the twerps? "But, how are we going to have any time for this?"

"Just send some of the grunts," Meowth answered as James shrugged in response. They had plenty of people who could go and figure this all out for them. "Just send any of the new guys."

"Right, we'll send the two new guys, Mike and Sil," Jessie stated as she looked over their newest grunts. Giovanni's batch of experienced men had just come in, and these two were some of the better ones who came over. "They're the top two men in the group Giovanni sent over. They'll be more than enough."

"Until then, it's Pangoro season," Meowth said as he pulled out a net. If they wouldn't listen to them, then the pokemon would have to just be taken by force until Operation Homonoia was up and running.

* * *

"And finished!" Serena cried out as she ended the mini-performance. Sparkles created from the mixture of Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, and swift filled the sky as it painted a beautiful picture for the four performing underneath it. Looking up, Serena smiled at Pichu as the Tiny Mouse pokemon looked on in wonder. "What did you think, Pichu?"

"Pichu, pichu, chu!" It cried out excitedly while running over to Serena. It then started to twirl around and tried to imitate the dance routine the pokemon had just performed.

"You want to try and perform with us, Pichu?" Serena asked as they all got into position. Then, Pichu joined in with them as the electric type did a little spin. "That's the spirit. Okay, Pichu, I want you to start off with a Thundershock, but try and aim it so it lands around the five of us. Okay?"

"Serena, I don't think that's a good idea..." Ash tried to warn her, but it was too late. Before he could finish his sentence, Pichu had already fired off the command. Everything seemed fine at first, but then the electricity stopped before being relaunched. But this time, it wasn't as controlled as before, causing Serena and the others to all get shocked.

"Pichu..." Pichu cried out sadly as the electric type stopped the attack. Everything was going nice and well, but then it lost control and zapped everyone. Pichu felt horrible about it and just hung its head.

"It's alright, Pichu," Serena said while trying to cheer the baby pokemon up. Lifting the electric type up into her arms, Serena looked it right in the eyes. "You didn't mean to zap everyone. It was an accident. Eventually you'll learn to control it better."

"Well, that's what I tried warning you about," Ash said as he approached the duo. Pichu looked at him for a second and wondered what he was coming to do. "Pichu as a species have a hard time controlling electricity. That's what happened at the start of your performance."

"I see," Serena said while looking at Pichu. The Tiny Mouse Pokemon appeared to have a sad look on its face again. The look reminded Serena of the one she had after her first Showcase, it was one of self-doubt. "Don't worry, Pichu. Together we'll learn to control your electricity and then together with the others we'll become the best Performers out there."

"Pichu!" It cried out happily before rubbing its face into Serena's vest again. To the baby pokemon, Serena was quickly seen as its mommy. Serena then lowered the baby pokemon so that it could interact with the others.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out as he patted his pre-evolved form on the back. The electric type knew how frustrating it was to be unable to control his own electrical attacks. Even if it had lasted for all of a day, it had been a frustrating time for Pikachu.

"And Pikachu is willing to help teach, Pichu! Right, buddy," Ash offered as Pikachu pumped his fists just like his trainer. "We'll have Pichu controlling those electrical attacks in no time!"

"And Dedenne can help out as well," Bonnie offered as the Antenna Pokemon hopped out of her purse and scurried over to Pichu. The electric type then tried to share electricity with Pichu as to communicate with it, but the baby pokemon accidently released too much and sent Dedenne flying backwards.

"Pi..." Pichu muttered once again. Once more the electric type had lost control and accidently hurt someone. At this rate, it was never going to get control of its electricity.

"It's alright, Pichu," Bonnie told the baby pokemon as she picked Dedenne up. "Dedenne knows that you didn't do it on purpose. So why don't we try it again?"

"Pichu..." the Tiny Mouse Pokemon muttered. What was the point in trying anymore? Every time it tried, someone always ended up hurt.

Serena saw Pichu's reaction and sighed. If Pichu didn't believe in itself, then they were never going to be able to control its electricity. "Pichu, someone once told me that we never give up. So it doesn't matter how long it takes, I'll be right there with you the entire time."

Pichu lifted its head up upon hearing this. This girl that the electric type had just met was already acting so nice to it. If she was going to help, then Pichu knew it couldn't quit just yet. "Pichu! Pichu, pi!" The Tiny Mouse Pokemon cried in agreement before a rumbling noise could be heard. "Pichu..." the electric type muttered sheepishly.

"Pichu must be hungry!" Bonnie cried out as her own stomach rumbled.

"I think now is a good time for lunch," Clemont stated as he joined in. He had already gotten most of the meal ready, so it wouldn't be much longer. "I'm almost finished now. We can eat lunch and then continue on towards Vaniville Town."

* * *

"This is a waste of time," one grunt said as he packed a backpack filled with supplies. He had just been informed that he was to travel to Anistar City to study the psychic energy used by Olympia. He was dressed in the usual Team Rocket uniform, but that wasn't what stuck out. The most striking characteristic of his was his dark red hair that was shoulder length which blew around as a slight breeze was made by the ceiling fan. "At this rate we'll never learn anything about Operation Homonoia! What was Lance thinking when he had us come out here!? We would be better off in the field instead of helping Team Rocket!"

The other grunt didn't appear to be fazed by his anger. "Think of it like a vacation, Silver," he said while laying up. He was dressed exactly the same as his partner, barring the red hair. He instead had short black hair which was trimmed neatly. This grunt appeared to be much more relaxed unlike his partner based on the large smile he had. "You don't just gain their trust like nothing. You need to earn it over time. You know, when Lance assigned us to this mission, I was told you were something special. to be trained directly by him is an honor. But all I've seen is a spoiled boy."

The first grunt, now known by the name Silver, glared at his partner. "Michael! You know not to use our real names while on a mission! I don't know how you're one of the top agents for the Pokemon G-Men!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Michael made his way over and threw an arm around Silver. "Because our fake names of 'Mike and Sil' were drastically different than our real names." He then let go of Silver before throwing his hands behind his head. "Oh, and by the way new guy. To answer your question, it's because unlike you I know how to respond properly in the field and to not let my emotions run wild. Stick with me and soon you'll be climbing the ranks in no time at all, new guy. Now, we need to be going."

Silver just shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his bag. He had been approached by Lance himself after losing in the finals of last year's Vertress Conference. Lance himself had tuned in to watch once he heard that a Johto native was competing. After losing, Lance had said that Silver had what it took to be a G-Man and personally trained him before assigning him to his former student Michael. At first Silver thought it was a great opportunity, but now he wasn't so sure.

* * *

"I hope Pichu can control its electricity soon," Serena muttered as she placed her utensils down. "I want to use it during Showcases, but if Pichu can't control itself then I won't be able to."

Swallowing the food in his mouth, Ash looked over at Serena. "It'll take some time. Pichu might not be ready for your first Showcase. But soon enough you two will be performing together."

Looking over at Pichu, Serena smiled from Ash's words. "I know. I just wish that I could help Pichu out."

"Well, it seems like Pichu is enjoying itself right now," Clemont stated while watching the pokemon eat away. Pichu had been welcomed rather quickly into the group and appeared to be enjoying itself.

"Pichu, chu," the electric type apologized to Dedenne for shocking him earlier. Pichu still felt bad about the whole incident.

Dedenne wasn't upset at all and smiled at Pichu to show that there were no hard feelings. "Dedenne," he replied happily as a smile formed on Pichu's face. Seeing that Pichu was happy, Dedenne decided to go over to Bonnie.

"Pika, pikachu," Pikachu told Pichu as he patted the young pokemon on the back. Pikachu knew that one day, Pichu would be able to control its electricity properly.

"Pichu, chu, pi," Pichu said back, happy that so many people were willing to help it. Smiling, Pichu decided to wander around the area for a little and got up. Walking around, Pichu watched each of the pokemon interact before hearing a noise come from the bushes. "pichu?"

"Cham, cham," a Pancham's voice was heard from the bush. The Playful Pokemon then poked its head through the bushes and appeared before Pichu. It appeared that something was bothering the wild pokemon as it looked worried. Not knowing what to do, Pichu decided to follow the Pancham.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked once he noticed Pichu had stumbled off. He had plenty of experience taking care of baby pokemon from his time around Togepi and Axew, so he knew to keep his eyes on it. Catching a glimpse of Pichu jumping into the bush, Pikachu followed his pre-evolved form into the woods. "Pipi!" He cried out, causing the young pokemon to stop walking and lose sight of the Pancham.

"Pichu!" The baby pokemon replied happily as it pointed over to the Pancham. "Pi, chu pi." The electric type was following the Playful Pokemon since something seemed wrong. Since everyone else was helping it, Pichu wanted to help out the Pancham.

"Pika, pikachu, pi," Pikachu explained to the baby pokemon. It was alright trying to see what was wrong, but the electric type shouldn't have wondered off on its own. Pichu was still a baby and shouldn't be running off.

"Pi..." Pichu muttered. It had tried to do something good and only messed up again. Turning to head back to where they had lunch, Pichu couldn't tell which direction to head in. Likewise, Pikachu was lost. Not knowing which way to go, the duo decided to follow the path they were on.

"Pichu, why don't we try and practice a little bit," Serena called out while putting the dishes away. Now that lunch was finished, Serena wanted to try and help Pichu out a little. Not hearing any responses from the baby pokemon, Serena called out again. "Pichu!"

Still nothing. Now a little nervous, Serena walked over to where Pichu had been sitting before and noticed that the area was deserted. It appeared as if Pichu just disappeared during the time they ate lunch.

"Pichu's gone!" Serena cried out in shock. It must have wandered off during lunch. Slouching, Serena noticed a small trail of footprints that led into the woods. "It must have saw something in the woods and followed it. I should have kept a better eye on it."

Ash noticed just how worried Serena was and walked over to the Performer. He too noticed the footprints, but also saw a second pair of larger footprints. Noticing that Pikachu was also missing, Ash realized that his best friend must have chased after the baby pokemon right away. "Everything will be alright Serena," Ash reassured her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Pikachu is with Pichu and won't let anything bad happen. We'll start looking for them immediately," he said before looking at his three birds. "Guys, can you search for Pikachu and Pichu in the woods?"

The three birds immediately cried out in agreement as they took off into the sky. Well, Hawlucha jumped from tree to tree while the other two took to the sky. Still, even with everyone searching, Serena couldn't relax and for good reasons.

"We need to find them soon," she said while looking down at the ground. She was worried someone else would find Pichu first. "I... I still haven't caught Pichu yet, it's a wild pokemon so anyone could capture it."

"That's right!" Clemont shouted as he realized what Serena said was true. The group had decided to let Pichu see the world a little before being captured. They had no idea that the electric type would wander off though. "We need to find Pichu immediately."

"Dedenne can help as well," Bonnie said as the electric and fairy type jumped out of her bag. "Dedenne can pick up on Pikachu and Pichu's electrical energy."

"That's right, Bonnie," Clemont stated as he fixed his glasses. "Dedenne can feel electrical energy in the air, so all we have to do is follow him until he leads up to Pikachu and Pichu."

Bonnie then bent down next to Dedenne and smiled. "Ready to help, Dedenne? We really need you to find the others before someone else does."

"Dedenne!" The Antenna Pokemon cried out while pounding his chest. It was his time to shine by finding Pichu.

"Let's move out then," Ash stated as the group started to follow the trail of footprints. Looking over at Serena, Ash could still see the nervousness present on her and he understood why. "We'll find them, Serena. With everyone looking it won't take too long. Everything will turn out alright."

"I know," she replied while gripping her blue ribbon. She may have only done this while nervous about Ash, but right now she needed to do something to help calm her nerves. "I'm just worried about how Pichu is."

* * *

"Pi, pi, pika..." Pikachu muttered tiredly as he sprinted away from three angry Pangoro. Something seemed different about them as their eyes were glowing red, but right now he didn't have time to worry about it. Looking to his left, he noticed that Pichu was keeping pace with him. The duo had been walking through the woods trying to find everyone else when these three Pangoro jumped out and attacked them for no reason. Knowing that he had to protect Pichu, Pikachu had told the baby pokemon to run.

"Pichu, chu!" Pichu cried out in fear as a Hyper Beam attack just missed the duo. Whatever had made the three wild pokemon angry, Pichu had no intention of finding out. The Tiny Mouse Pokemon sprinted across the forest floor with all its energy as Hyper Beam attacks flew right by them every few seconds. Looking behind itself for a split second, Pichu tripped over a root in the ground and fell.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in concern. Moving quickly, the Mouse Pokemon turned around and saw Pichu laying down in the dirt. He then noticed the approaching the Pangoro and knew he needed to act fast. Using Quick Attack, Pikachu ran straight for Pichu and picked the Tiny Mouse Pokemon up before diving off the trail and into the bushes.

Looking over at Pichu, Pikachu smiled as he realized it was alright. He couldn't have anything happening to Pichu on his watch. Just as he thought everything was alright, Pikachu heard a rustling sound in the bushes. Getting ready for the worst case, Pikachu had sparks flying from his cheeks. But before he attacked, a Pancham with worry in his eyes appeared through the bush.

"Pancham, cham," the Playful Pokemon muttered while pointing at the three Pangoro who were still running on a rampage. This must have been the same Pancham that Pichu had met earlier as it ran right up to Pichu while trying to pull the baby pokemon. "Cham, cham!"

Realizing that those Pangoro were Pancham's friends, Pikachu took a look at their disappearing figures and noticed something familiar. Around their necks were collars that he had seen previously while on his journey through Kalos. They must be what was causing them to go berserk right now. Whatever it was, Pikachu knew that he had to help.

"Pikachu," the electric type replied as he looked over at Pancham. Right now they wouldn't be able to help the Pangoro until they found the rest of their friends. Looking over at Pichu, Pikachu noticed how it struggled to its feet. "Pika?" He asked while looking over at the baby pokemon. It was then that Pikachu noticed that Pichu had hurt its knee during the fall.

"Pi... Chu!" Pichu cried out while trying to stand up. Despite pushing itself past its limits, Pichu just couldn't stand. The pain was too much for the baby pokemon. Lowering its head in disappointment, Pichu was about to cry about its shortcomings again when it noticed Pikachu squatting in front of it. "Chu?"

"Pika," Pikachu said while motioning for Pichu to climb onto his back. If they were going to find Ash and the others plus help those Pangoro they would have to get going. Smiling, Pichu climbed onto Pikachu's back as the electric type started to walk with Pancham right next to them.

"My, what do we have here?" Jessie asked as they watched from a nearby tree. They had come out here to take the rampaging Pangoro, but the sight of Pikachu was too much to pass up on. "It looks to be our lucky day."

"I concur," James agreed as a smile crossed his face. Not only would they get the three Pangoro, but they would also capture Pikachu plus a Pichu and a Pancham. "It's a Pikaparty down there and it's time for us to get our goody bags."

"I hear ya," Meowth stated as they watched Pikachu walk off into the distance. They then watched on his monitor as the Pangoro were heading in the same exact direction. "But, why don't we let them all tire each other out first."

"I like the way you think, Meowth," Jessie replied as a smirk crossed over her face. Allowing the two groups to tire themselves out would only make it easier for them to catch them all.

* * *

"Dedenne?" The Antenna Pokemon cried out in surprise. He had just felt something similar to Pikachu's Thunderbolt, but now it was gone.

"Did you find them, Dedenne?" Bonnie asked the electric type. But instead of responding, Dedenne broke out in a sprint. He couldn't lose the signal while it was still in his memory. Following the faint trail, Dedenne lead them through the forest until a familiar cry stopped him in his tracks.

"Vern!" Noivern cried out again as he landed in front of everyone. He had just spotted Pikachu's thunderbolt attack and immediately flew off to find Ash. The others were staying nearby so that he could find them again.

"You find Pikachu, Noivern?" Ash asked while receiving an affirming head nod. "That's great, Noivern! Can you lead us there?" He asked as Noivern took to the skies and led them in the correct direction.

" _Please be alright!"_ Serena thought as they ran through a few bushes. If Pikachu was using Thunderbolt, the only thought that was coming to Serena's mind was that they were in trouble. As they reached an opening in the forest, her worst thoughts were proven to be correct.

Pinned against a tree were Pikachu, Pichu and a wild Pancham while they were looking right at three angry Pangoro. Things didn't look good as Pikachu was also carrying Pichu on his back. Serena could only watch as the Pangoro all fired off their Hyper Beam attacks at once.

"Noivern, block them with Boomburst!" Ash called out as they reached Pikachu. The Sound Wave Pokemon fired off the sonic waves as they collided right with the Hyper Beam, canceling each other out. "Pikachu, are you alright!?" Ash asked as the group all ran over to him and Pichu.

"Pika," Pikachu sighed as Serena held Pichu in her hands. They had been walking along when the Pangoro appeared from nowhere and attacked them again. This time however, there was no way to escape them as they were immediately cornered by the angry pokemon.

"Thank you for watching out for Pichu," Serena said as she continued to hold the baby pokemon close. "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to it." She said as Hawlucha and Talonflame joined the group.

"I don't know why you three are angry, but whatever happened we can solve it!" Ash called out to the Pangoro. They didn't seem interested in talking however as they quickly launched off another round of Hyper Beam attacks which were canceled out by another Boomburst. Smoke filled the area as everyone coughed on it until they heard someone.

"Please, no amount of talking will help you!" A familiar voice was heard through the smoke. Ash grit his teeth immediately once he heard it. This explained why the Pangoro were upset. "Now, prepare for trouble it's a fight you'll see."

"And make it double, these Pangoro only listen to me," the second voice stated as the smoke faded to show Jessie, James and Meowth.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all people within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie,"

"And James,"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight,"

"Meowth, that's right," Meowth added in at the end before Wobbuffet appeared.

"Wobbu!" The psychic type chimed in before jumping in front of his fellow teammates.

"I should have guessed it was you three!" Ash yelled as he balled his hands into fists. He thought those collars looked familiar to him, but he didn't know from where. "What did you do this time!

"Why do you always have to blame us?" Jessie asked sarcastically as they all jumped down from their branch. "We didn't do anything except open up their eyes to the world of fashion and accessorizing."

"I have to admit," James started to say as he looked at the collars. "A little metal always manages to bring out my best features, why don't you give it a try!" He yelled while throwing out three more cubes. The devices immediately opened up to reveal three large nets which trapped everyone except Pikachu, Pichu and Serena in them.

"You missed some, James," Meowth stated somewhat annoyed at the mistake. He didn't seem to care too much however as he took a remote from his partner's hands. "We can just test out the new tone with the Pangoro!" Meowth said as he pushed a button. However, the Pangoro didn't respond to the command and instead went off to sleep.

"What did you do now!" Jessie screamed as she watched the Pangoro go off to sleep. "It doesn't matter, we'll just handle it the old fashion way! Seviper, dear, please wrap our guests a nice surprise," Jessie ordered as the Fang Snake Pokemon emerged from its pokeball. Moving quickly, Pikachu was wrapped tightly by the poison type so that he couldn't even release any of his electrical attacks.

"Okay, Inkay, enter the fray and use Foul Play!" James ordered as he tossed out a pokeball. Inkay then emerged as he flew straight for Pichu. Ripping the Tiny Mouse Pokemon from Serena's arms, Inkay slammed Pichu into the ground.

"Pichu!" Serena cried out as she grabbed a pokeball. They were not going to get away with that. "Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, come on out!" She yelled as the three pokemon appeared between Inkay and Pichu.

"Please, do you really think they can protect her?" Meowth asked as he looked over at Pichu.

"Her?" Serena asked as her gaze made its way over to Pichu as well. Serena had no idea that Pichu was a female. "It doesn't matter! Braixen, use Flamethrower! Pancham, Dark Pulse! And Sylveon, use Swift!"

With a wave of her hand, Jessie sighed. "Please, you can't beat us like that. Gourgeist, please be a dear. Shadow Ball, pronto!"

"You too, Carnivine, use Bullet Seed!" James yelled while also pointing at Inkay. "Okay, Inkay, you join in as well! Psybeam!"

Carnivine and Gourgeist appeared from their pokeballs before firing off their respective attacks. The three attacks all collided in an explosion as all of Serena's pokemon were thrown backwards by the blast. She never expected Team Rocket to become this strong. Looking over, her pokemon had no time to react as they were blasted backwards by a Sonic Boom from Jessie's Yanmega who had just appeared.

"Pi..." Pichu muttered as she watched everyone get beaten up for her. Once again she was letting everyone down. Forcing her way onto her feet, Pichu yelled out. "Pichuuuu!" The Tiny Mouse Pokemon cried out before firing off a Thundershock attack.

"Ha, that tiny baby pokemon couldn't hit the side of a barn!" Meowth cried out as he watched the Thundershock move everywhere but towards Team Rocket. It was then they watched as the attack struck the sleeping Pangoro.

"Pan?" One cried out angrily. Looking up at the healthy group of pokemon, the Pangoro believed that Team Rocket had attacked them. Growing upset over that, they three pokemon all fired their Hyper Beam attacks at the three agents.

"Do something Jessie!" James shouted in fear as the blast grew closer.

"I guess I'll handle everything then," Jessie muttered as she snapped her fingers. Wobbuffet jumped right in front of the blast before it could strike them all. "You know what to do."

"Wobbu," the Patient Pokemon cried out before glowing different shades of color. The blast then bounced off of Wobbuffet before heading right for the Pangoro. The blast struck all three of them as the collars surrounding them were broken.

"You really handled that well," Meowth muttered as he saw the Pangoro freed from their, somewhat, control.

"Now, Pichu, use Charm on Seviper!" Serena called out. They needed to get Pikachu freed from that Wrap attack. Tilting her head, Pichu made a cute face at Seviper which caused the poison type to loosen its grip on Pikachu.

"Now, Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash called out as Pikachu knocked Seviper back into Jessie, James, Meowth and all of the pokemon. "Send them flying with Thunderbolt!"

But before Pikachu could launch the attack, the Pangoro had already fired off another round of Hyper Beams. The blasts struck Team Rocket directly as they went flying high into the sky like always.

"Looks like we're blasting off again!" The group cried out before vanishing from sight.

* * *

"Pan, pancham, cham," the wild Pancham thanked the group before leaving for a deeper part of the forest with his friends. If it weren't for them, who knows what would have happened to the Pangoro.

"Pichu, chu!" Pichu cried out happily as the wild pokemon them vanished from sight. Looking over at Serena, she saw that the person held something in her hand.

"Pichu, I was wondering if you'd like to travel with me?" Serena asked as she held the pokeball next to her. Pichu didn't even hesitate before tapping the pokeball. The device shook three times before dinging. "I caught a Pichu!" Serena cried out before letting the pokemon back out.

Upon release, Pichu ran right over to Pikachu, having grown a bond with the pokemon. Bonnie however noticed it right away and smirked. "You know, Clemont once told me that pokemon act like their trainer. Including their feelings," she teased as they all watched Pichu follow Pikachu around. Luckily for Serena, Ash and Clemont had no clue what Bonnie was implying about and just watched. They were both amused by the situation happening.

Serena however was embarrassed by Bonnie's teasing about the situation as Pikachu didn't seem to be bothered by Pichu's attention. The baby pokemon appeared to be thanking Pikachu for taking care of her during their time lost in the woods today. Without Pikachu there who knows what would have happened.

"Pichu, together with you and the rest of my pokemon, we'll become Kalos Queen," Serena promised as she picked the Tiny Mouse Pokemon up off of the ground. "But first we need to win the Vaniville Town Showcase," she stated confidently. After seeing Pichu be brave today, Serena had to be strong and brave just like her pokemon.

* * *

 **Yes, it was a Pichu. I will admit, it was foreshadowed way back in chapter 9 during this little part:** **Finally, something came to her when she eyed Pikachu. "Electric attacks! That would work better at the end! A controlled electric attack to create what looks like pollen on the flower. That's what is missing!"**

 **Now, we know that Operation Homonoia involves mind control, but how exactly will it play out with the TRio running the show. Will it actually work, or as shown in today's chapter, be a mess. Just wait and see.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	24. A Change in Performance

**Welcome back everyone. Yes, this chapter is early this week. Last time Serena's egg hatched into a female Pichu while she also got tangled up in Team Rocket's crazy plans. After stopping Team Rocket, the group continued on to Vaniville Town.**

 **Ch 24: A Change in Performance**

* * *

"Look, there it is! I can see your home town from here, Serena!" Bonnie could be heard yelling from in front of them. She had run off in front of them once she had seen the edge of the forest and grew excited. As she exited the woods, the first sight Bonnie had seen was of the entrance to the town. The rest of the group caught up to Bonnie as a large gate separated them from the town.

"Yeah, this is Vaniville Town," Serena replied nervously as the gates opened up, revealing the town. To Ash, the feel of the town reminded him of Pallet Town because of the smaller houses, but that was where the comparison ended. Most of the buildings were two stories with moderately sized yards which were all fenced in by stone walls. All of the houses appeared to look exactly alike as they were lined down the paved roads until a convention center which looked brand new was in the center of town.

"So, Serena," Clemont started to say as they continued through the town. "Why are you competing again? Don't you already have three Princess Keys. So that would mean you could already compete at the Master Class."

"Well, the keys can only be used once and then you would need to earn three more," Serena started to explain as she pulled out her old Keys. They appeared to be a little scratched up by the tips due to the moment Serena used them to unlock her door during the Master Class. "Even if they would work again, I would still compete. Practicing is great, but nothing beats actual competition."

"I think I understand," Ash said as he fixed his hat. "It's like when I battle with random trainers as well as personal training with my pokemon. You can only improve so much without anyone else pushing you to work harder."

"That's actually an excellent idea," Clemont responded before fixing his bag. "Plus you can learn new ideas from the other Performers that you wouldn't have been able to come up with on your own," he finished before noticing Ash's confused expression. "Is everything alright, Ash?"

"Do all the houses look the same? Or is it just me?" Ash asked as they walked along the road towards the Pokemon Center. At first he thought just this section of town was going to have similar looking buildings, but every street had the same exact houses.

"When they built the town, they decided to use the same design for every building," Serena explained as they turned another corner. The Pokemon Center was now in full view of them. "Sometimes it makes it seem like you're looking at a mirror image because of the symmetry," she finished as they reached the Pokemon Center. "But for right now, I have to register for the Showcase."

"We'll be cheering you on the entire way, Serena," Ash told his childhood friend as they walked into the Pokemon Center. "First you get your first Princess Key tomorrow and then you'll be competing in the Master Class again in no time."

"I wouldn't be thinking that far ahead just yet, Ash," a familiar voice said as everyone turned towards it. Standing in the entrance to the Pokemon Center was Shauna. "She still has to beat me tomorrow. I'm not going to fall behind."

"Shauna!" The entire group cried out in joy. The last time they had seen her was back during Ash's match against Tierno in the Kalos League. It was a pleasant surprise to see her again after such a long time.

"What are you doing here?" Clemont asked as Shauna walked over to them. "Are you going to be competing as well?"

"Of course," Shauna replied while smiling towards the entire group. Once she had heard where the first showcase was being held, Shauna had rushed to make it to Vaniville Town. "So, Serena, have you already registered for tomorrow's Showcase?"

Serena shook her head back and forth before answering. "I was just about to when you showed up. We might as well both do it together now."

The duo then walked over to the Nurse Joy behind the desk and waited for her to begin. "Alright, if you would both just scan your Pokedex right here, I can register you for the Vaniville Showcase real fast," she explained as the two Performers places their respective pokedex onto the screen. Within seconds, information on the duo were appearing on the computer as Nurse Joy typed away on her computer. "Okay, you two are both registered for the Vaniville Town Rookie Class Showcase. Good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks," the two Performers said in unison before picking up their pokedex. They then made their way to the outside of the Pokemon Center where everyone else were waiting.

"We're all set for the Showcase," Serena told them as they all walked over to Serena. "Everything is all set for me to win this Showcase. But, I'm going to go train for a little to get ready."

Shauna smirked as she looked at her rival and friend. "It makes sense to train, but I'm going to be the winner of this Showcase. Ivysaur and I still haven't gotten you back for our losses in Anistar City and from the Master Class."

"We'll see about that!" Serena shot back with a smirk of her own. Any nerves that she had about Palermo being at the Showcase were now gone as she got ready to practice. Turning towards Ash and the others, Serena smiled. "I'm going to train for a little. You should take a walk around the town to see it a little," she offered before walking off to one of the multiple practice fields.

"How does some special training sound, Pikachu?" Ash asked as both himself and his best friend pumped their fists in excitement. They then looked over at Clemont with smirks on their faces. "Do you mind helping, Clemont?"

"I would love to," Clemont responded as they made their way over to the battlefield in front of them. It had been a while since the two of them trained like this, so it would be good for Bunnelby and Chespin. "Alright, Bunnelby, you're up!"

* * *

"Okay, now Fire Blast, Braixen! And Sylveon you use Swift on the Fire Blast!" Serena commanded as the two pokemon did a few flips in midair before firing off their respective attacks. The large Fire Blast collided with the Swift attack, creating one giant golden star that had flames surrounding it. "Now, Pnacham, sprinkle a light Dark Pulse straight up!"

"Cham!" Pancham cried out happily as the dark type move was sprinkled up and over the blazing star. The effect of the Dark Pulse made it seem like the star was actually in outer space and only made it look even priettier to Serena.

"That was perfect everyone!" Serena cried out as the pokemon who were performing made their way over to Serena. They were excited to be competiting in another Showcase after how the Master Class ended. "And then in the next Showcase we'll include Pichu as well," Serena finished as she smiled at the baby pokemon.

"Pichu!" The Tiny Mouse Pokemon cried out happily. She was looking forward to the chance at performing with everyone else.

"That was pretty good. I can see why you were runner-up for the Master Class," an old voice said while clapping. The person had surprised Serena as she thought she had been alone the entire time. Turning around, she saw a boy dressed in a blue and white jacket, gray pants and a red hat. He also had black shoulder length hair that ran staright down. "So these are the pokemon your mom's been telling me about. They do seem like a friendly bunch."

"Calem..." Serena muttered to the name of the person standing there. It had been a while since she had seen her friend. Calem had told her about how he was leaving for a journey through Kalos and had wanted Serena to come along. She had declined, and then a few weeks later saw Ash on TV. Everything had turned out for the better because of it. "W-What... What are you doing here? I thought you were off traveling."

"I came back for a short visit after a lost in the Kalos League. I can't believe I made it all the way to the Top 16," Calem replied as he fixed his hat before smiling at Serena. "Your mom then told me how you would be coming by and I decided to stay around to see you."

"Oh," Serena replied to the boy as she sat there uncomfortably. She had known for a while that the boy had some form of feelings for her, but Serena never viewed him as anything more than a friend despite the countless advances he would make. "I didn't even realize you were at the League. Ash managed to win the entire League though. It was amazing to watch him battle," Serena said as she remembered that exciting final battle.

"Ash?" Calem asked with a confused expression. He had left the League grounds following his loss to that A guy and actually didn't know who won. Though if he had placed a bet, it would have been A. "Was he the guy who had that powerful Charizard?"

Serena shook her head as a smile came across her face. "No. Remember that boy I told you about. The one from that Summer Camp. That's Ash. I traveled through Kalos with him and he managed to beat Alain in the finals."

Calem didn't seem too excited by the mention of this Ash. Now that he thought about it, the name did seem familiar as if he had heard it quite a few times. "The boy you always talked about after coming back from Kanto?" He asked, annoyance present in his voice.

"Yeah, he's been such a big help for me," Serena replied as she stood back up to head to the Pokemon Center. "Without him, I don't know if I'd even be performing right now. Why don't I introduce you to him?"

"Sure..." Calem muttered as he stood up and followed Serena. He couldn't care less about this Ash guy, but he had to see him to make Serena happy.

* * *

"Bunnelby, use Mud-Shot!" Clemont called out as he pushed his glasses up. The battle had been going on for a while now and both sides were tiring.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack and then use Electro Ball!" Ash commanded as the electric type sprinted across the field, dodging every ball of mud sent his way. Then, once the situation was safe, Pikachu fired off the orb of electricity.

"Quick, dodge it, Bunnelby," Clemont called out, but it was too late. The electric orb crashed right into Bunnelby, knocking the normal type out upon contact. Sighing, Clemont wiped a few drops of sweat from his face before reaching for a pokeball. "Thank you, Bunnelby, you fought extremely well," Clemont said as he recalled Bunnelby.

"That was a great battle, Clemont," Ash said as the duo sat down on a bench. Despite the difference in experience, Clemont managed to keep Ash and Pikachu off-balance through the use of different tactics. "We'll have to battle again in a little. I'm going to need to stay sharp for my battles with the Elite Four."

"Ash!" Serena's voice could be heard as she made her way back to the Pokemon Center with her partners and a boy Ash had never seen before. Funnily enough, the boy looked almost like Ash because of the way he was dressed. "Ash, I want to introduce you to Calem. You see, Calem is my neighbor and friend of mine. He also competed in the Kalos League and made it to the Top 16," Serena explained as Ash looked at Calem with a smile.

"I'm Ash, it's nice to meet you Calem," Ash said as he introduced himself. Clemont and Bonnie likewise introduced themselves as well before Ash continued on. "I didn't see you at all at the League."

"Yeah, I know," Calem said, sounding somewhat upset. It was bad enough that Serena appeared to be all excited around Ash, but for him to have gone further than him at the League only rubbed salt in his wounds. "I was beaten by A. I was surprised when Serena said you defeated him though."

"It was a hard fought battle for sure," Ash responded, unaware of Calem's tone. Ash didn't realize that the boy didn't seem to like him. "Now I'm going to cheer on Serena in her Showcase tomorrow!"

"You didn't tell me that you were performing tomorrow," Calem said, now sounding hurt by the fact that Serena didn't invite him to watch. He then had an idea. If he could show that he supported Serena more, maybe she would rather travel with him instead of Ash. "If it's alright, I would like to watch you perform as well."

"Sure," Serena responded nervously. She didn't really mind Calem being there, she just didn't want him to be bothering her the entire time.

* * *

"Good luck today, Serena! I'll make it over to the performance hall for your Showcase," Grace called out as she watched Serena and her friends make their way to her Showcase. They had all stayed at her house for the night and once the sun had come up Serena couldn't stay still as she prepared for the Showcase.

"Thanks, mom!" Serena called back as she waved to her mom. It was finally time for her first Showcase of the new performing season. As they made their way down the road, Serena could make out a large crowd of people standing outside of the performance hall.

"Look! There's Jessilee!" One fan cried out as Serena could make out the image of the eccentric Performer walking through the crowd. "She finished in third-place at last year's Master Class! This is for sure going to be a tough Showcase!"

"Make way for your future Kalos Queen!" Jessie's voice could be heard from all the way down the street. Even after the time off from Showcases, the Team Rocket agent was still overly confident about her chances of winning. "I'll be more than happy to sign autographs for all my adoring fans following my victory today!"

"She's still as loud as ever," Shauna joked as she walked over towards Serena. The group had been shocked by her sudden appearance, but it made sense due to their current location. "She's pretty good. If only she knew how to tone it down a little."

Serena just laughed at Shauna's remark. Jessilee may not be one of her main rivals, but even Serena knew she had to be careful with her. "Yeah, but it works for her. All of her flashy displays have won her plenty of fans. Especially after her run to the semi-finals of the Master Class. But, right now I've only got my sight set on winning." Serena then watched as Shauna made her way down the hall and towards the dressing room while laughing with excitement.

"And you'll win for sure!" Ash said as they all walked through the entrance to see Calem sitting there waiting. Once the boy saw them all, he made his way over to Serena.

Smiling nervously, Calem wasn't sure what to say to his neighbor. "I'm sure that you'll win today, Serena. I'll make sure to cheer extra loud for you," he finally decided on as he blushed from his own statement.

"Just remember to do your best," Clemont joined in while fidgeting with his backpack. Even if it was Serena performing, the inventor still got nervous for his friend. "You've been in plently of Showcases, so nothing should catch you by surprise."

"Yeah!" Serena replied with a large smile. Thinking, Serena then reached for a pokeball and released the creature that was held inside of it. Appearing in front of her was none other than Pichu, who looked up at her trainer with a confused expression. Bending over so that she was now eye level with the Tiny Mouse Pokemon, Serena started to speak. "Pichu, I want you to sit with the others so that you can see what a Showcase is like."

"Pichu, chu!" She responded happily while smiling at her trainer.

"If you'd like, Serena," Calem started to speak as he moved forward nervously. "I could keep an eye on Pichu during your Showcase," he offered politely. Calem figured that if he was shown to have a good relationship with Serena's pokemon, then it would possibly help him with Serena. Calem then made his way over to Pichu to pick the baby pokemon up.

Pichu however wanted nothing to do with him and instead ran around him and straight to Ash. Pichu liked this guy a lot more than the previous one. Jumping with everything she had, Pichu landed on Ash's unoccupied shoulder and appeared to be content.

"Ash, is it alright if Pichu stays with you?" Serena asked, unsure if Ash would want to babysit her pokemon for the entire day.

"Yeah," he replied before scratching behind Pichu's ear. The electric type cried out in joy just like Pikachu always did whenever Ash scratched behind his ear. "Pikachu can keep her company during the entire Showcase."

* * *

"I can't wait to see Serena down on that stage," Bonnie stated in amazement as everyone sat down in their seats. The stage was already lit up with different displays of color bouncing off of the parquet floor that covered the stage. On either side of the stage were two large monitors for everyone to see and at the moment they displayed the official symbol for the Showcase. "I just know she's going to win!"

"Yeah. There's no way Serena can lose," Ash replied as he looked over at Pichu. The baby pokemon was sitting in the chair next to him along with Pikachu as she watched the lights bounce around the stage. "You're going to enjoy this, Pichu. It's so much fun!" He exclaimed. Ash thought it was funny how he thought that Showcases were fun to watch. Just a few years ago, he might have said they weren't his thing and instead would have trained during them. But now, he wanted to support Serena as much as he could, especially after everything she had done for him.

Calem grunted from his seat as if he was annoyed with Ash for one reason or another. The boy from Pallet Town however didn't seem to hear as he was too busy being fixated on the stage. Rising up out of the middle was a familiar sight as Monsieur Pierre made his grand entrance rising up from underneath the stage.

Smoke filled the entire performance hall as the announcer looked upwards towards the entire crowd. The lights in the hall dimmed as well as a spotlight landed directly on the man, who was dressed in his famous blue suit and top hat along with his cane.

"Bonjour, all you Pokemon Showcase lovers!" Pierre's voice boomed through the stands as the smoke faded away. "I, Monsieur Pierre, welcome you all to today'z Vaniville Town Rookie Class Showcase!" He cried out as a few fireworks exploded behind him in the shape of Vaniville Town's famous gate. "Today, one lucky Mademoiselle will walk away with zis!"

As if on cue, the firework display faded as Pierre's partner, Klefki flew right through them with an additional key attached to its body. By the looks of it, it appeared to be just like any other key, but upon inspection one could tell that it was a Princess Key. This key was silver like all the others, but for the design that made it unique was none other than a replica image of the town's gate once more. Coming to a stop, Klefki planted itself firmly into Monsieur Pierre's staff and allowed him to continue.

"After ze Master Class spectacular from last year, we have received an increaze of Performers!" He continued on to the sound of a thunderous applause. No one could deny the fact that Pierre knew how to get a crowd going. "Zo, to make up for zes revelation, ze Showcase committee haz created a new round!"

* * *

"A new round!?" Serena cried out as she put the finishing touches on her outfit. She had been listening to the opening ceremonies only with half interest due to the amount of times she had seen them before, but upon this reveal, she was now listening with all her attention. "What could be the change?"

"With ovar thirty Performers, ze committee has agreed to ze idea of uzing the Free Performance zyztem in a new and unique way!" Pierre continued on as his spotlight disappeared, only to reappear on a balcony. "To help explain zes new format, please welcome Palermo!"

Serena watched from the television screen as the former Kalos Queen and current Performer coach made her way onto the balcony. Like always, Palermo didn't seem too thrilled to be here at all and Serena herself wasn't too thrilled herself to see Palermo. She could only imagine what Palermo would say to her if she lost.

Clearing her throat, Palermo began to speak into a microphone. "Yes, thank you Monsieur Pierre. The committee which I, myself, am a part of have agreed upon a new format to help narrow down all registered Performers to see who should qualify onto the theme round. In doing so, we have adapted the process used for the Free Performance tournament from the Master Class. Two Performers will face off head to head in what will now be known as a 'performance battle'," Palermo explained, her facial expressions not changing at all. "They will both be allowed the use of two pokemon of their choosing. One shall perform with the Performer while the other will try to disrupt the other performance while at the same time trying to protect their partner's own performance. A winner shall be decided upon through two methods. Both pokemon have fainted due to an unforeseen reason or after two and a half minutes, the panel of judges shall decide who was the better Performer. The winner shall then move onto the theme round," Palermo finished speaking as the light dimmed on her and immediately glowed on Pierre once more.

"Thank you for ze exzellent explanazion Palermo!" Pierre cried out as the lights in the hall all turned back on. "Now, turn your attention to ze screen s'il-vous-plait," he continued on as the two large screens showed the images of all the performers before coming to a stop on Shauna and a girl Serena had seen at a few other Showcases. "Ze first 'battle' zhall be between Performers Shauna and Blanche!" Serena heard through the television screen before the sound of the audience clapping drowned the broadcast out.

"A Performance Battle?" Serena muttered to herself as she watched Shauna and the other Performer be whisked to the waiting area. What would it consist of? Would she actually be able to perform well enough to win or would she fail at this? Shaking her head, Serena forced the thoughts of failure from her mind. "No, don't think like that! Like Ash says, 'we never give up'!" She told herself as Shauna appeared on the screen alongside her Ivysaur and Floette, who must have evolved following the Master Class.

"Alright, Floette, start off with Grassy Terrain!" Shauna said as she struck a pose. Shauna had her right hand in front of her face slanted as they formed a victory sign. Floette, meanwhile, had created a beautiful mist that covered the entire stage as a gorgeous meadow appeared around them.

The crowd applauded in amazement from the scene unfolding before their eyes. Shauna had transformed the plain parquet into a lovely landscape for her performance. Blanche meanwhile wasn't going to sit back and watch.

"Okay, Meowstic, use just like we practiced," Blanche said to her partners as the male Meowstic glowed a yellowish-orange while the female one glowed blue. Within seconds, both Blanche and the female Meowstic were lifted high off of the ground as they flew around the performance hall, captivating everyone in attendance.

"Now, Floette, use Moonblast and follow it up with a Magical Leaf to slice it up!" Shauna cried out as she extended her right arm to her side while pointing at the fairy type. Floette nodded as a large ball of energy formed high over its head. Instead of firing it off however, it just floated above them as a set of leaves sliced right through the orb. Immediately, the Moonblast was cut into sparkling pieces as they rained down around Shauna and Floette. "Andd now your turn, Ivysaur! Use Solar Beam to disrupt their timing!"

"Saur!" Ivysaur cried out as the bulb on its back glowed with energy. The blast continued to glow until it was ready to launch. Once ready, Ivysaur wasted no time at all as the grass type aimed right for the female Meowstic.

Blanche was surprised by this, having forgotten about the reason for the second pokemon. Before she had a chance to react, the Solar Beam crashed into her female Meowstic, causing the both of them to crash onto the ground with a loud thud just as the timer ran down to zero.

"And zats it! Finne!" Pierre shouted out as the loud alarm started to die down. Looking up to the stage, it was clear just who the winner was, but they still needed to go to the judges. "We zhall now have ze judges vote on ze winner! Ze judges are off in a separate room to prevent any performers to try and bribe them, but zeir choice shall appear on the screen!" He continued on as an image of Shauna and her two pokemon appeared on the screen. "And, ze winner of zis round is Performer Shauna!"

* * *

"Shauna made it!" Serena stated in joy as she took a deep breath. It looked simple enough, but, if she knew anything then it was that nothing seemed as simple as it looked. The timing needed to command both pokemon at once would take some getting used to, but she felt she could do it. "Congratulations, Shauna!" Serena cheered once her rival came through the door with her pokemon.

"Thanks, it was a little nerve-wracking to head out first for such a new addition to Showcases, but once you get the rhythm down it isn't too bad," Shauna answered as they watched the next set of performers. One by one each pair of Performers went on stage and delivered their own performances. Some turned out great while others were a mess. Then, it finally came time for Serena.

"And now, please welcome out our next two Performers! Performers Serena and Jessilee!" Monsieur Pierre was heard through the television.

"Not her..." Serena muttered as she saw the image of the eccentric Performed right next to her very own image. This was the one person she did not want to face off against, at least not in this round.

"Out of the way, your Kalos Queen is coming through!" Jessilee could be heard as she walked across the dressing room. Stoppin gin front of Serena, Jessie smirked at the Performer. "Better luck next time, dear. I'll be winning today."

"Just remember who won between us back during the Master Class," Serena replied as the duo walked out to the waiting area where they would be brought up onto the stage. "If I remember correctly I won back then."

"Please, this is a brand new season!" Jessie said as her smirk turned into a frown. If those voters knew any better, then she would have won that matchup and then beaten Aria with ease. "In this you need to be able to multitask. And by the looks of your pokemon, you don't seem like much of a battler," she finished saying as the duo appeared on stage with their pokemon. Serena had with her Pancham and Braixen while Jessie had Gourgiest and to everyone watching, a new pokemon in the form of Yanmega.

"Pleaze begin!" Monsieur Pierre cried out as the timer began to count down. Both Performers started off immediately, knowing that every second was going to count in this matchup.

"Braixen, just like we've practiced," Serena called out as Braixen started to run in a circle while Serena ran as well, but was across from the fire type as they moved in a circle. "Flamethrower on the stage!" Serena cried out as Braixen rubbed her branch against the ground, surrounding half of their circle in a column of fire.

"Brai!" Braixen cried out as she tossed the branch over to Serena who finished off the circle of fire. The display was starting to look good for the duo as the circle of flames started to rise up off of the ground.

"Now, use Hidden Power and then cut it up with Scratch!" Serena commanded as she tossed the branch back over to her partner as the fire type fired off three orbs. Jumping into the air after them, Braixen sliced through them as the remains of the attack glistened all around them.

Jessie didn't seem to be fazed by the fast start for Serena as she looked over at the clock. There was still over two minutes remaining which was more than enough for her. "Yanmega, dear, we'll show them a real performance! Start off with Ancient Power right above us!"

"Yan!" The Ogre Darner Pokemon cried out as a ball of silver energy was launched straight up into the sky. The duo waited until the time was right to then continue on with their performance.

"Now, slice it up with Steel Wing!" Jessie commanded as Yanmega flew right at the descending sphere of energy. With her wings glowing and hardening, Yanmega sliced right through the orb with ease. A glittering effect immediately covered the duo as Yanmega started to glow a light green. "Perfect! Now fly in a circle as fast as you can!"

Yanmega flew as fast as she could, managing to create a small tornado that kept the silver powder from falling onto the ground. Thanks to her ability activating, the tornado was a beautiful blend of green and silver that captivated the audience. To their surprise though, it appeared as if Jessie was actually flying around the inside of the tornado due to its strength.

Serena noticed this and decided that she needed to go on the offensive now. Nodding at Pancham, the duo knew what needed to be done. "Pancham, use Dark Pulse to break up that performance! And Braixen, create some Hidden Powers and have them collide with a Fire Blast!"

The two pokemon were on the move as Pancham fired the black and purple beam of energy right at the green tornado. The blast struck the beautiful combination, causing it to weaken and make Jessie start to fall. Serena didn't want her to get hurt, but if Jessilee fell it would look better for her. However, Yanmega was faster as she flew across the stage and caught Jessie before she could fall. Improvising, the bug and flying type performed a backflip in midair before bringing Jessie onto the ground.

The Performer looked over at Serena only to notice the girl continuing with her performance where a large Fire Blast was being shown off with the silver sparkle from a well timed collision with a Hidden Power.

"If she wants to play like that, she better be prepared to handle what I dish out!" Jessie cried out in anger as she jumped onto Yanmega's back. The audience appeared to enjoy that, and so Jessie was going to use that to her advantage. "Yanmega, fly around gracefully as you use Silver Wind on us! And Gourgiest, launch a Shadow Ball at those troublesome brats."

The two pokemon nodded as Yanmega flew around not just the stage, but the entire performance hall, captivating the audience as she left a trail of Silver Wind behind them wherever they flew to. The crowd enjoyed the interactions and were applauding loudly for the eccentric performer.

Serena however had taken her eyes off of Pancham for a few seconds and forgot about the chance of Jessie fighting back. Looking over, it was already too late as the Shadow Ball crashed into Pancham and sent him flying into Braixen. The two pokemon struggled to get up.

"Please, we need to continue!" Serena called out as she looked at the time remaining. There was less than a minute now and she knew that the outcome was going to be close for both of them. Listening to their trainer, the two pokemon stood back up. "Great! Okay, Braixen, let's dance together and while that happens I want you to shoot columns of fire all around us. Pancham, keep attacking Gourgeist and keep her off of us!"

The two pokemon nodded as Braixen and Serena looked ot be in complete sync with each other as they gracefully danced around the stage together as columns of fire sprouted up around them. The duo appeared to be dancing around geysers of fire as when one column fell back down, another sprung upwards until an entire circle of them existed. Pancham meanwhile was firing off another Dark Pulse, only this time it was at Gourgiest.

"Gourgeist, show them a real attack!" Jessie could be heard as her aerial dacne with Yanmega was coming to a close. "Fire a real Dark Pulse and then wrap it up with Leech Seed!" Gourgeist nodded in approval as she fired off her own wave of black and purple energy. The two blasts consumed each other as smoke filled the area and made it impossible for Serena to see the Leech Seed that was approaching.

"Okay, Braixen, let's finish this off with a large Fire Blast!" Serena called out, only to have the tight sensation of Leech Seed wrapping around her. Looking at her two partners, Serena could only watch as they too were tied up by the attack. Just as she was about to issue a command, the buzzer went off signaling that the time limit was reached.

"Finne! Hold ze performancez!" Pierre shouted as both Performers stopped. Jessie hopped off of Yanmega as she and her pokemon immediately waved to the audience. They were enjoying all of the attention that was coming their way. "We zhall now wait for ze judges to decide ze winner of zis round!" Pierre continued as the screens lit up. Serena watched on with anxiety as they stayed blank for a while. This must have been a tough choice for the judges, but then when the image appeared her heart sank. Sitting up on the screens was the image of Jessilee. "And ze winner is Jessilee! Congratulazions Mademosielle!"

Palermo sighed at the outcome before turning away from the balcony and walking back to her seat. Serena had gotten distracted during the ending otherwise she was going to win.

* * *

"Serena lost..." Ash muttered as he watched Serena down on the stage. She seemed disappointed and he wanted to help her get over this as much as he could. "I really thought she was going to win too."

"We all did," Clemont said as he fidgeted in his seat. Serena looked to have gained the upper hand during the performance, but Jessilee used the attack to her advantage. "But the way Jessilee used her two pokemon in such combination shows that she's used to switching commands between them real fast."

"She'll get it next time," Calem stated boldly as he crossed his arms. He wanted to talk to Serena after the entire Showcase to try and brighten her mood up. It must not be easy to lose in the first round especially after finishing as the runner-up at the Master Class. "She just needs a little more practice."

Ash then stood up as Pichu and Pikachu jumped onto his two shoulders. Looking at Clemont, he started to speak. "I think I'll go check on Serena. Make sure she's alright about how this ended. Plus, I think Pichu really wants to see her," Ash said, unaware of the glare that Calem was casting towards him right now.

Calem continued to glare as Ash walked down their aisle and made it to the exit. _"Who does he think he is!? I'm the one who's supposed to cheer up Serena, not him!"_ Calem thought as he watched Monsieur Pierre walk onto the stage.

"Hold on for ze rest of ze ride Monsieurs and Mademoselles! We are now advanzing onto ze Theme Round!" He cried out as stations to bake Pokepuffs appeared around him. "Today's theme zhall be Pokepuff baking! Each Performer zhall have thirty minutes and the help of up to three pokemon to bake Pokepuffs. The ones choosen by our three new judges before us zhall advance on!" He said as the lights appeared onto a Nurse Joy, Palermo herself and Gena the professional Pokepuff baker.

* * *

"Pan," Pancham muttered as he lowered his head. If only his Dark Pulse was slightly stronger then maybe he could have overpowered that Gourgeist and prevented that Leech Seed.

"Pancham, it isn't your fault at all," Serena reassured the Playful Pokemon as she smiled at him. She may have been disappointed in losing, but she would never blame any of her pokemon for it. "we just need to practice a little. Once we get used to these Performance Battles, it'll be easier for us," she said as there was a knock at the door.

"Serena?" Ash's voice could be heard from the otherside. Once she knew who it was, Serena went over and opened the door for Ash. "Pichu wanted to come and see you," he said while Pichu jumed from his shoulder and into her arms. Ash watched on with a smile as Pichu embraced the hug before jumping out of her arms to speak with the other pokemon.

Now with the room silent, an awkward feeling was cast between the duo as neither knew what to say. Deciding to break the silence, Serena spoke first. "Thank you for watching Pichu for me, Ash. Of course, today didn't go as planned for me."

"You'll win next time. Besides, you were caught off guard from the news of that new round," Ash said as his familiar smile formed across his face. "With a little practice I know you'll win the next Showcase."

"Yeah!" Serena replied as she returned Ash's smile with one of her own. Raising her arms up in front of her body, Serena formed them into fists as she pumped them in excitement. "This loss has only made me want to try harder." Serena then looked over at her four pokemon as they all had determined looks as well. "we'll just have to train harder until we all get used to these Performance Battles!"

"That's the spirit!" Ash said as Serena stood up from her seat. "Why don't we go and watch the rest of the Showcase. It should be time for the last few performances," he said while the duo walked back to the main area with Serena's pokemon following behind them.

* * *

"Ivysaur, use Vine Whip while Floette uses Fairy Wind!" Shauna cried out as she was lifted high off of the ground. Anyone who had seen her perform before knew this was her finisher. Ivysaur continued to make it appear as though Shauna was soaring through the sky as Floette managed to paint a majestic background through the use of her Fairy Wind. Finally coming to an end, Shauna touched down as her performance finally came to a close. The floor underneath her started to descend as the Performer disappeared from sight.

"Shauna did a great job," Serena told Ash as the duo applauded from their current location up in the standing section. There weren't enough seats where Ash and the others were sitting and he didn't want to make Serena stand by herself. He had originally offered her to go and take his seat while he stayed by himself, but she declined. Serena couldn't make Ash stay by himself the entire time. "They've improved quite a bit after the Master Class."

"Yeah, she's in complete sync with all of her pokemon now," Ash commented as the lights in the entire hall started to dim. Leaning against the railing, Ash tried to get a better view of the stage and managed to see someone rising up onto the stage.

"And now, Performer Jessilee!" Pierre cried out while welcoming the Performer onstage. Ash watched on as he could have sworn he saw a man with blue hair yelling out extra loudly for the Performer. Before he could fully make out the pokemon onstage, the entire hall went pitch black before a single spotlight landed on Jessie.

"Leech Seed…" Jessie muttered the command. To the audience it was barely audible but her pokemon heard it easily. By now, Ash could make out Jessilee's Gourgeist who immediately fired off the barrage of seeds at Jessie's feet. Upon impact with the stage, a giant vine emerged and lifted Jessie high off of the ground.

Twirling around while the vines lifted her higher and higher, Jessie appeared to be enjoying the lift as she posed elegantly while perched atop the column of vines. Spinning in different directions, she pointed to the other pokemon on stage as she issued commands.

"Haze." Was the first command as a now present Seviper opened its mouth. A black cloud of smoke filled the entire hall as there was no visibility at all for the audience. Jessie didn't stop there however, calling out two more commands. "Seed Bomb! And, Yanmega, slice through them with Steel Wing!"

The crowd listened on as they could hear the grass and ghost type firing off a barrage of seeds through the thick Haze. Then, to their amazement they watched on as a trail of silver could be seen flying through the black cloud before an explosion could be heard.

The strength from the explosion managed to blow the entire Haze attack away as the now sliced Seed Bomb managed to create the look of fireworks in the background. But that wasn't what caught their attention. To the audience's shock, Jessilee had performed a front flip from her spot on the Leech Seed and was now falling towards the stage floor. Without issuing any commands, both Gourgeist and Yanmega were on the move.

Firing off a Dark Pulse attack, Gourgeist's actions surprised the crowd until Jessilee's final pokemon made its appearance. Jumping from behind the Leech Seed was the familiar Wobbuffet of the Performer who launched the attack right back at Gourgeist but only stronger than ever. The crowd watched on as Gourgeist countered with her Seed Bomb, causing the two attacks to explode in colorful display, painting the background for her finishing move.

As the audience had been occupied with Gourgeist and Wobbuffet's display that they had completely forgotten about Jessilee. The Performer however wasn't going to let that go as her voice was immediately heard through the entire hall. "Sonic Boom!" The sudden cry of the command brought everyone's attention back to the front of the stage as Jessilee was now riding on Yanmega who was glowing light green herself.

Thanks to the increase in speed, Yanmega managed to perform a backflip while carrying her trainer and was now behind the Leech Seed. Flapping her wings, the bug and flying type created one giant shockwave that tore the Leech Seed tower to pieces as the duo flew across the stage with Gourgeist and Wobbuffet's explosion painting a beautiful scene for the Performer.

Touching down on the stage, Jessie waved to the crowd, signaling that she was finished. Pierre took the cue as Jessie and her pokemon started to descend from the stage.

"She's gotten a lot better as well," Serena muttered as she tried to understand how Jessilee got so good in such a short amount of time. "Even while incorporating new pokemon into her performance, they all moved flawlessly." As she spoke, Ash could hear a bit of nervousness creeping into her voice.

"She was good, but you can do even better," he reassured her while smiling. After a tough loss like today, Ash knew Serena was going to need the support of her friends. And she had been there for him when he needed support so he was going to be there for her. "I just know that you'll win the next Showcase!"

"And now choose ze color of ze Performer who you believe dezerves to be declared ze winner s'il-vous-plait!" Monsieur Pierre cried out as he lifted a glow stick up to his face a clicked a color to demonstrate. Everyone in the audience grabbed their glow sticks as well and decided on who the winner should be.

Serena watched as multiple colors flew across the performance hall and towards each of the Performers. Ash and herself had both selected Shauna to win as did the rest of their friends from what she could see. However, she continued to watch as more and more votes soared towards Jessilee until they came to an end.

"And ze winner is Performer Jessilee!" Pierre cried out as the entire hall started to applaud for the Performer. "Congratulationz mademoiselle!" Jessie walked forward confidently as Pierre's Klefki popped out from the announcer's staff and made its way over to Jessie.

Removing the Princess Key from its own collection, Klefki handed the award over to the Performer. Jessie took a hold of the key in both of her hands before celebrating onstage with her pokemon.

* * *

"I guess neither of us won," Shauna said jokingly as she rubbed the back of her arm. Neither of them had expected Jessilee to be that good. "I'll be seeing you around, Serena. And next time I'll be the one getting that Key!" Shauna said as she left the performance hall and made her way over to the exit for the town.

"Bye, Shauna!" Serena cried out as her rival and friend left. "But next time I'll be winning that Princess Key!"

"Sorry about the loss today, Serena," Calem said while walking up from behind. Joining him were Clemont and Bonnie since Ash had already been with Serena. "I really though you were going to win. But I do have to say, you looked beautiful up there on that stage."

Serena blushed a little from the comment due to her embarrassment. However, Calem thought it was for a different reason and sent a smirk towards Ash who didn't notice it. "Thank you, but what you saw wasn't exactly my best Showcase."

"Nonsense!" Calem cried out as he wrapped an arm around Serena's shoulders. "I just know you would have won if it wasn't for that Leech Seed."

Serena however was uncomfortable with the current situation and let out a light yawn. Deciding to use it as an excuse, Serena raised her arms up over her head and stretched a little. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought. Guess it's time to head home," she said while Ash and the others followed her back to her place.

* * *

"Congrats on winnin, Jess," Meowth said as the three agents all looked at her first Princess Key with admiration. "You were absolutely fabulous out there!"

"Of course I was!" Jessie shouted as she did a little twirl before coming to a stop. "Now, we need to head to the next town holding a Showcase so that I can practice."

"But what about Operation Homonoia?" James asked as Meowth and himself tried to catch up to Jessie. "We need to make sure that the plan works otherwise the boss might get upset."

"Allow the grunts back at the base to run the tests," she replied without any interest. Right now, all she was worried about was earning two more Princess Keys. "How hard is it for them to push a button?"

Knowing not to argue with her, the other two agents merely sighed as they nodded in agreement before following after her.

* * *

 **And it is finally over. The first Showcase came with a few twists involved. At the beginning, how many thought that Serena was going to win only to be shocked by Jessie. In all seriousness though, please let me know how I did with the Showcase since these are probably the hardest parts for me to write.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**

 **One more thing, I'm unsure what to do with Pierre's accent. Is it just the stereotypical hard s that sounds like a z or is it also sometimes the t that sounds like a z as well? Any help with him is appreciated. Thanks!**


	25. Ash vs Calem: A Battle of Rivals?

**Welcme back everyone. Last time, Serena lost in the Vaniville Town Rookie Class Showcase due to the addition of a new round. To her surprise, Jessilee managed to beat not only her, but also Shauna to claim the Princess Key.**

 **Oh, by the way, it isn't a love triangle as explained in this chapter. It's more like this: Serena likes Ash, Calem likes Serena and Ash is oblivious to all of this.**

 **Ash vs Calem: A Battle of Rivals!?**

* * *

"Everyone ready now?" Serena asked as she placed her fedora back on her head and grabbed her backpack. Placing it onto her back, Serena looked over to the entranceway and noticed that Ash back yet. He had gone for an early jog to get a little exercise in after not doing much training while they all stayed in Vaniville Town.

"We're all set, but Ash isn't back yet," Clemont answered as he took his bag off his back and sat down.

"Knowing him he probably got lost," Bonnie added in as she sat down on Serena's couch. She was probably right due to the fact that Ash was always getting lost easily. "We should just wait here for him."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Heading to open, Serena realized it was Ash. "Sorry about being late," he admitted while rubbing the back of his neck. "All the houses look the same... And when I thought I was at your home, it turned out to be the wrong house."

Sighing, Serena couldn't help but laugh at Ash's story. "What would you do if you had no one to give you directions?" She asked while getting a shrug in response. Deciding to not dwell on the situation, Serena was about to head out the door with the others when her mom stopped her.

"Serena, where are you off to?" Grace asked as she noticed that her daughter and her three friends looked to be leaving. "You didn't forget about the party Calem's parents are throwing him today. Did you?"

"Not at all," Serena answered while mentally kicking herself. She had wanted to get out of here before her mom could try and say anything about the party. Even though she was good friends with Calem, she didn't enjoy the fact that he had feelings for her. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but she also had no interest in him like that. "We just really need to get going. Ash has a really important battle to get to and we can't make him wait any longer."

Ash, not realizing the truth behind Serena wantig to leave just shook his head. "I can wait one more day, Serena," he said while placing a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we all go over to Calem's party. It wouldn't be right to not go."

"Well, now that it's settled, why don't we get going to the party," Grace said as she walked out the front door. Personally, she didn't care for the party either, but it wouldn't look good if both her and Serena didn't show up.

"Oh, maybe I can find a keeper at the party for Clemont!" Bonnie cried out as she followed behind Grace. "There's bound to be at least one person there who can take care of my brother."

"Bonnie, please don't embarrass me today..." Clemont maoned out as he followed behind his sister. The lat thing he needed was Bonnie asking every single girl she met today to take care of him. "I'm too young for a relationship!"

Ash and Serena were the last two out the house as Serena closed the door behind her. Looking at her childhood friend, Serena offered a small smile. "Sorry about this, Ash. I know just how much you wanted to get going towards your first match."

"It's fine," Ash said happily as the duo kept pace with the others. Yeah, he would rather be on the road than going to Calem's party but it was important for Serena to go. "We can just leave first thing in the morning. Ambrette Town isn't going anywhere."

* * *

"Welcome!" Calem said as he brought the group of five behind his house. He had been expecting Serena and her mother, but not the others so upon sight of them he had to put on a fake smile. Clemont and Bonnie he liked but it was just Ash he couldn't stand. "I'mglad all of you could make it."

Walking into the backyard, the entire group was amazed by the party. Calem's parents had gone all out with it as there was a large tent in the middle of the backyard where an entertainment group was performing. There was also a buffet of food that caught Ash's attention. The party was packed with almost everyone from Vaniville Town and it reminded Ash a little on his first Pokemon League where his mom threw him a party as well.

"Please, help yourself to anything you want," Calem said as they passed the buffet table as everyone eyed the exquisite food that lined the white clothed table. "Also, the entertainment is here all day so please, feel free to watch them. They're pretty good, a roaming circus made up of five siblings."

Everyone nodded in agreement as they walked by the tent, catching sight of one of their acts. There appeared to be a boy riding on the back of a Rapidash while they both performed a few tricks.

"Ohhh! Look at them all!" Bonnie cried out before separating from the group. Right in front of them was a group of pokemon that must have belonged to Calem.

"You like them, Bonnie?" Calem jokingly asked as they approached his pokemon. A Chesnaught then approached him as the duo clasped hands. "Hey, Chesnaught. Enjoying the time off?"

"Ches!" The grass and fighting type cried out in agreement. He was enjoying the relaxation after their journey through Kalos, but was also ready to get back on the road. "Naught, chesnaught!"

"I know, me too," Calem said as they let go of each other's hand. Chesnaught had been his first pokemon and they shared a bond like no one else. "I promise, we'll hit the road in a few days. Mom and dad want to see us for a little," he answered while Chesnaught walked off to join the other pokemon.

"Calem," Bonnie started to say as she played with a Meowstic. "Do you mind if I stay here with the pokemon and play with them?"

"Go right ahead," Calem told the young girl as they continued walking across the party. Looking behind, he had noticed that all of his pokemon had swarmed over to Bonnie and was glad they were treating her well. "Now why don't we continue on?"

"I'd love to, Calem, but I need to go train for a little. Do you mind going on without me?" Ash asked as he took a step back. The party was nice, but he was really itching to get some training in with his pokemon. Looking over at Clemont, he had a question for him as well. "Do you think Chespin and Bunnelby could help me out?"

"Of course, we'll go find an open area right now," Clemont stated as the two boys apologized before running off. Or, in Clemont's case, tried to run. They felt bad about just leaving, but it actually made Calem excited since he was now alone with Serena.

"Umm, Serena," Calem said as he started to lead the Performer to a secluded area of the party. He had planned a confession of sorts for his feelings and knew that right now was his best chance of admitting his feelings to her. "Do you mind following me?"

"S-Sure," she replied nervously. If this was what she assumed it to be, then Serena had no idea how to let Calem down softly. She had no feelings at all for the boy, but didn't want to break his heart.

The duo walked across the entire field until they entered a small clearing in the woods just behind Calem's house. The area appeared to have been set up by Calem as the entire area was cleaned perfectly. Sitting on a nearby rock, Serena looked to her left as Calem sat down right next to her.

"Now, you're probably wondering why I brought you here," Calem started to say as a light blush appeared on his face. This was going to be harder than he thought. Swallowing all of his nerves, Calem forced himself to speak. "But, there's something that I've been meaning to tell you for a while now. And it can't wait any longer. Serena... I... I," he started to say as an explosion occurred in the distance.

"That might be Ash and Clemont battling," Serena said as she stood up. This could be the perfect excuse to get out of Calem's confession without hurting his feelings. "Their battle must be heating up, let's go watch!" She saif while running off towards it.

Calem sat there for a moment as he glared in the direction that Serena just ran off in. "Sure..." he muttered while walking in the same direction. That Ash just knew how to ruin everything for him.

* * *

"Alright, Hawlucha, use X-Scissor!" Ash cried out while throwing his fist forward. The Wrestling pokemon ran across the open field as he crossed his arms against each other. They then began to glow a light blue as he made his way towards Chespin.

"Keep him away with Pin Missile, Chespin!" Clemont countered as the spikes on Chespin's head all stiffened. They then shot off the white orbs as they all approached Hawlucha.

The flying and fighting type wasn't worried at all as he dodged each of them with extreme precision before appearing in front of Chespin. The grass type was surprised by Hawlucha and had no time to react as Hawlucha's arms crashed into him.

"Chespin!" Clemont cried out as the grass type tried to stand back up, only to fall back down from fatigue. Looking over at Ash, Clemont knew they were done for the day. "Thanks, Chespin, you were great! Wow, Ash, all of your pokemon seem to be in excellent condition."

"Thanks," Ash said as he recalled Hawlucha to his pokeball. "Of course, they wouldn't be this well off without all the help everyone has given me."

"It's already over?" Ash could hear Serena's voice as the two trainers turned their heads to see the Performer walking towards them with an upset Calem behind her. "I was really hoping to see you two battle again."

"Yeah, we just finished," Ash said as Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder. "It was an amazing match as well, too bad you missed."

This gave Calem an idea. What if he battled Ash and beat him? Then Serena would like him more since she enjoyed great battles. Deciding to go through with it, Calem stepped forward. "How about you battle with me? It seems like everyone wants a good battle, so why don't we face off. Unless your afraid."

"That's a great idea, Calem," Ash said excitedly as he ran up to the boy. Calem was caught off guard by Ash's excitement at the idea of a battle and had to take a step back. "I just need to run to the Pokemon Center and switch a few of my pokemon."

"Why? You need your strongest to handle me?" Calem asked as he started to sound overconfident. He already decided to go with his three strongest pokemon, but was curious to see who Ash would use.

"Well, I wouldn't say they're my strongest, but I want to give the ones who didn't battle in the League a chance as well," Ash answered as he rubbed the back of his head. He really wanted to give them all a chance at some point since it wouldn't be fair to them. "Give me about fifteen minutes and then we can begin.

* * *

"You ready now?" Calem asked as he sounded a little annoyed. Ash had said it would only take him about fifteen minutes, but the trainer had gotten lost on his way to the Pokemon Center. Nodding in agreement, Ash showed that he was ready. "Alright, this will be a three-on-three battle."

"And I'll be the referee," Clemont offered as he stood off to the side where it roughly in between the duo. "This match has been agreed upon as a three-on-three match. Once one side has lost all three pokemon then the match is over! Now, begin!" Clemont explained before dropping his arm to signal the beginning of the battle.

"I'll choose first," Calem said as he gripped a pokeball in his hand. He was going to start off real strong with one of his best pokemon. "Go, Altaria!" He cried out as the dragon and flying type emerged from its pokeball.

"An Altaria..." Ash muttered as he looked at the Humming Pokemon before gripping a pokeball of his own. This one appeared to be of a different design as it was blue on top with a red strip that went across the blue section. Tossing it forward, Ash cried out. "Totodile, I choose you!"

The Lure Ball opened up as the water type emerged on the field with his usual joyful dance by kicking his feet while jumping around. "Totototo," the water type chanted until coming to a rest in front of Ash. The Big Jaw Pokemon was excited for his first real battle in a long time.

"Altaria, start off with our strongest attack!" Calem stated while snapping his finger. They were going to show Ash, and mostly Serena, just how strong they were. "Use Dragon Rush!"

"Tariaaa!" The Humming Pokemon cried out in agreement as it flew towards its opponent. In less than an instant the dragon and flying type was covered in a blue aura that was reminiscent to a large dragon.

"Dile?" Totodile muttered in confusion. The water type had never experienced an attack of this magnitude. At least not this early in a battle.

"Totodile!" Ash called out as he saw the look on his pokemon's face. "Just relax and do what you do best!" Ash explained as he knew the only way Totodile would dodge this attack was through his unorthodox style of battling.

Understanding what Ash meant, Totodile managed to relax and act more like his usual self. Instead of trying to dodge the attack, the Big Jaw Pokemon merely danced around as he jumped around the field while kicking his feet around freely.

"I don't know what they have planned, but we aren't stopping! Keep pushing forward Altaria!" Calem demanded as Altaria continued to soar forward. Unfortunately, Totodile had managed to time his dance at the perfect time and had jumped right over Altaria. "But how!?" Calem said angrily. Shaking his head, Calem tried to calm himself down. "It doesn't matter, go right after him!

"I knew you could do it, Totodile!" Ash praised the water type as he spun around in the sky and faced Altaria as it appeared to be flying right at him now. "Okay, time to show everyone how strong you are! Use Ice Punch!"

The command had shocked everyone. They had no idea that Totodile knew such a move, but then they realized the water type must have learned it during the time Ash had trained with all of his pokemon.

Raising his fist above his head, Totodile started his freefall descent before colliding with Altaria. The two attacks met head on as Totodile's frozen fist collided with Altaria's head as an explosion erupted from the two attacks.

Falling down towards the ground, Totodile performed a front flip as he landed back on his feet with ease. Altaria however was in a tailspin before recovering and gliding just above the ground prior to flying over to its trainer.

"Altaria, now use Dazzling Gleam!" Calem called out once Altaria was flying right in front of him. Opening its wings wide, Altaria released a bright light that managed to collide right into Totodile. The water type was flung backwards from the blast as he skidded across the ground. "Follow it up with Dragon Pulse!"

"Totodile are you alright?" Ash asked only to notice an incoming attack. Thinking quickly, Ash ordered a new command. "Use Scald on the ground to propel yourself high above the blast!"

"Dile!" Totodile commented as he opened his mouth despite being pressed against the ground. Within an instant, the steaming water emerged from his mouth as it pushed the water type high above the blast. Looking down, Totodile watched as the Dragon Pulse crashed right into the ground, creating a crater.

"I thought you'd try something like that," Calem responded confidently as he snapped his fingers again. "Now, Altaria, take the to the sky and strike Totodile with Steel Wing!"

"Al," the Humming Pokemon agreed as its wings glowed white while stiffening up. Then, in one swift movement the flying and dragon type was off. Before Ash or Totodile knew it, Altaria was already slamming its wings into the water type.

"Totodile!" Ash cried out in concern as the water type was falling towards the ground at an alarming speed. There was no way to stop the collision, but maybe they could slow Totodile's descent just a little. "Quick, aim a Scald at the ground!"

"Stopping his flailing around, Totodile aimed a well-placed Scald right at the ground. Managing to slow himself, Totodile landed softly on the ground only to be hit backwards by Altaria who had been following him the entire time.

"That Altaria is fast," Ash muttered as he watched the Humming Pokemon circle back around for another hit. _"There has to be another way to stop it,"_ Ash thought as an idea came to his mind. "Quick, stop it with Scary Face!"

"Totodile danced happily for a second before a nasty scowl appeared on his face. He immediately sent the look right at Altaria who appeared intimidated by the attack and started to slow down a little, giving Ash and Totodile their chance.

"Now, Totodile, use Ice Punch!" Ash commanded as Totodile threw his now frozen fist right into the approaching pokemon. Altaria had no time to dodge the attack and took the full force of the attack head on. Falling backwards, it was clear who the winner was.

"Altaria is unable to battle! The winner is Totodile!" Clemont decided as Altaria was returned to its pokeball.

"Totodile that was great, now take a nice long rest," Ash said as he recalled the water type back into his pokeball. "Now, Swellow, I choose you!" Ash cried out as the flying type emerged in the sky.

"A Swellow," Calem muttered as he reached for his own pokeball. Tossing it out, the device opened up and revealed his next pokemon. "Go, Meowstic!" Appearing before him was a female Meowstic who had the same annoyed expression as Calem did.

"Okay, Swellow, start off with Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered while throwing his fist forward. Calem watched as Swellow disappeared for a brief moment before crashing right into his Meowstic at an alarming speed. The boy didn't know if he should be annoyed at Ash's strength or fascinated by how strong others could be.

Shaking his head, Calem knew that he still had to win this battle. He just had to prove to Serena that he was a better trainer than Ash. Gritting his teeth together, Calem pointed his index and middle fingers forward and issued his first command.

"Meowstic, use Psybeam!" The psychic type launched off the blue streaky beam in no time as it hit the back of Swellow. The flying type was momentarily shocked by the attack but quickly regained its composure before swooping back around for another attack. "We won't let you get close! Now, Thunderbolt!"

Meowstic was covered in electrical energy as the energy continued to build up inside of it before launching it straight at Swellow. Both Ash and Swellow didn't seem worried about it at all though.

"Quick, dodge it with Double Team!" Ash cried out as copies of Swellow emerged from the original. Within seconds, there were a dozen Swellow all flying right at Meowstic as the Thunderbolt collided with one of the copies.

"Which one is the real one?" Calem asked as he started to sound worried. Maybe he was out of his league battling Ash. No, he was not going to give up, not as long as this battle was for Serena. "Meowstic, Thunderbolt once more!" He cried out as loud as he could. Listening, Meowstic fired off the largest attack she could as all of the copies were destroyed. "Hey, where'd Swellow go?" Calem asked while looking around.

"We're right here!" Ash cried out triumphantly as everyone looked up to see Swellow dive bombing right towards Meowstic. "Now, let's end this with Sky Attack!" Ash commanded as the flying type was surrounded in a bright white aura.

"Stop it with Thunderbolt!" Calem, issued as the psychic type listened. Despite the electrical move striking Swellow directly, the Swallow Pokemon was unharmed as it flew right through the blast and struck Meowstic head on. Smoke filled the area as everyone waited for it to clear so that they could see what had happened.

"Meowstic is unable to battle!" Clemont issued the declaration once the smoke faded to show Swellow still flying while Meowstic was on the ground defeated.

"We lost again..." Calem muttered as he recalled Meowstic into her pokeball. It was bad enough that they lost the first round, but to also lose the second as well was even worse. He now had to hope for a comeback with his strongest pokemon. "Alright, we've just been going easy until now! Go! Chesnaught!"

"Ches!" The Spiny Armor Pokemon cried out as he appeared from his pokeball. He knew the situation was bleak with them already having lost twice. It was all up to him now to try and sweep the entire match.

"Swellow, take a nice rest," Ash said as he recalled Swellow. Despite the type advantage over their opponents, Ash wanted to give his third pokemon a chance to battle as well. "Okay, Scraggy I choose you!" Ash cried out as he tossed the third pokeball out.

"Scraggy, scrag!" The fighting and dark type cried out as he stared down Chesnaught. Scraggy tried to intimidate his opponent only for Chesnaught to be unaffected by the stare down.

"Okay, Scraggy, start off with Focus Blast!" Ash ordered as Scraggy placed his two hands together while a blue sphere of energy started to form. Raising it over his head, Scraggy was prepared to toss it right at Chesnaught as the sphere grew in size. With one swift movement, Scraggy threw the sphere with everything he had.

"Spiky Shield," Calem countered without beating an eyelash. With Chesnaught out on the field, he seemed to be much more confident than how he was with Meowstic. Nodding in agreement, Chesnaught slammed his two fists together as a large shield was formed out of green energy as it surrounded Chesnaught and blocked the Focus Blast with ease.

"Now, Headbutt!" Ash cried out quickly once the shield had disappeared. Calem hadn't even noticed that Scraggy had gotten in close to them. Rearing his head back, Scraggy quickly launched it forward as it appeared to be a direct hit.

"Block it with Needle Arm!" Calem continued to counter as Chesnaught raised his arms. They were then enveloped in a green shade of energy as spikes grew off of the arms. Moving them quickly, Chesnaught used his right arm to block the Headbutt attack as Scraggy bounced back harmlessly before swinging his left arm right into Scraggy.

The Shedding Pokemon skidded across the ground before coming to a stop right in front of Ash. Getting up, Scraggy indicated that he was fine to keep going and wanted to get back at the grass and fighting type for that last blow.

"Alright, Scraggy, let's show them just how tough you can be!" Ash yelled out as he pointed his index finger forward. "Let's show them your High Jump Kick!"

"Scrag!" Scraggy cried out as he got in close to Chesnaught. Once close enough, Scraggy jumped high into the air as he twisted his body around. Swinging his leg forward, the appendix started to glow an orange-red in color right as it struck Chesnaught in the neck.

"Great job, Scraggy!" Ash complimented the fighting and dark type on landing a direct hit. However, it appeared to do nothing as Chesnaught grabbed ahold of Scraggy's leg and held the Shedding Pokemon upside down.

"Please, do you believe that an attack like that could actually hurt us?" Calem asked as he smirked at Ash. If this was the best they could do, then it was going to be easy. "Now, use Drain Punch!"

"Chesnaught!" The grass and fighting type cried out as he punched Scraggy with his free hand. Ash could only watch as Chesnaught's now green fist connected with Scraggy and sent the Shedding pokemon flying backwards again.

"We're not finished yet!" Calem continued while snapping his fingers. As if on cue, Chesnaught broke out into a sprint as he chased after the flailing Scraggy. "Needle Arm once more!"

"Scraggy!" Ash cried out as the pokemon forced himself to come to a halt. Rolling on the ground, Scraggy got up really quick and lunged towards Chesnaught. "Use High Jump Kick!"

"Just like we thought!" Calem responded as he saw Scraggy jumping towards them with his leg a shade of orange. Before the attack could land however, Chesnaught dropped his arms as they stopped glowing green. "Now, Spiky Shield!"

Chesnaught quickly raised his arms once more, but this time the sight of a shield was present. Ash could only watch as Scraggy crashed into the shield only to bounce off and crash into the ground, but what surprised him was the fact that Scraggy appeared to be hurt more than usual if High Jump Kick failed.

"Don't tell me you don't know the effects of Spiky Shield?" He asked only to know he was right. "I'll explain then. When a pokemon touches the shield it receives damage due to the spikes present on it. So, I knew you would be drawn into an attack and used it. But, time to end this! Chesnaught, use Drain Punch!"

Chesnaught swung his arm down onto the tired Scraggy as his glowing green fist connected with the fighting and dark type as he drained the last bit of energy out of him. Finishing the attack, Chesnaught pulled his fist away from Scraggy to show that the pokemon was defeated.

"Scraggy is unable to battle! The winner is Chesnaught!" Clemont declared as Ash recalled Scraggy into his pokeball.

"You did great today, Scraggy. Now take a nice long rest," Ash said as he praised his pokemon for his hard work today. Gripping a pokeball, Ash tossed it forward again. "Alright, Swellow, I choose you!"

"Swellow!" The flying type cried out, happy that it was having another shot at battling. Taking to the skies immediately, Swellow waited in anticipation as both it and Ash waited to see if Chesnaught would move first.

Waiting long enough, Ash decided to take the first move instead. "Swellow, start off with Aerial Ace!" He ordered while throwing his left fist forward. Swellow however was already off and flying right at Chesnaught as a white aura surrounded its body.

"Wait until it gets close," Calem responded as if he was now bored. He had watched the way Ash had battled during the first two matches and despite his shock and surprise at how well he battled, it was obvious that this boy enjoyed using a good offense. Once Swellow was within striking distance, Calem issued his command. "Knock that bird back with a Needle Arm!"

Chesnaught raised his two arms as they were both enveloped in the familiar, green, spiky energy that Ash had seen before. Chesnaught continued to keep his arms raised until Swellow was right in front of him. Once that happened, Chesnaught clapped both of his hands together and trapped the flying type between his arms. Then, with one swift movement, the grass and fighting type threw Swellow backwards.

Ash watched as the Swallow Pokemon spun around in the air before crashing hard against the grassy field. Not one to give up easily, Swellow forced itself back onto its feet before flying high into the sky.

"That's the spirit, Swellow! Now, let's get in close with Agility and then follow it up with Sky Attack!" Ash issued while praising his pokemon for its endurance. Not only had it just taken a beating, but Swellow had also put up with a super effective hit from Meowstic's Thunderbolt earlier in the battle.

"Swellow!" The flying type cried out as it flew across the field while vanishing every few seconds only to reappear in a different location. Finally in front of Chesnaught, Swellow was now glowing a bright white as it approached the Spiny Armor Pokemon.

"Brace yourself," was all Calem mentioned to his starter as the grass and fighting type pokemon braced his entire body for the attack. Getting hit by the attack wasn't easy for Chesnaught, but the opening it gave him was perfect. "Now! Drain Punch! Fast!"

Chesnaught swung his right arm around as fast as his body would allow him and managed to strike the retreating flying type square in the back with his glowing green fist. The blow managed to throw Swellow off its course and started to fall back towards the ground.

"Quick, Swellow, straighten yourself out with Aerial Ace!" Ash issued as he watched not only Swellow avoid crashing into the ground, but Chesnaught appeared to have healed from the Drain Punch as well.

Calem watched as Swellow soared across the sky as both it and Ash were falling into his trap. Once Swellow was too close to stop its attack, Calem issued the command that Ash had forgotten all about.

"Spiky Shield!" He cried out while snapping his fingers again. The Spiny Armor Pokemon quickly formed his signature shield as Swellow tried to stop itself from flying right into it. Swellow's momentum was too much however and there was no way for the flying type to stop.

Crashing into the shield, Swellow felt the aftereffects just as Scraggy had before while being flung backwards. Ash grit his teeth as he watched the shield be dropped. It was starting to make things hard for him. Just as he was about to issue another command, Calem beat him to it.

"End this with Rock Slide, Chesnaught!" The Vaniville Town boy cried out while pointing forward. Ash was shocked as he never expected Chesnaught to have a move like this. Ash had no time to react as Chesnaught raised his hands above his head while rocks all fell from the sky.

Shaking off his shock, Ash got his head back into the battle and issued another idea. "Use Agility to dodge those rocks!" He called out to the Swallow Pokemon, but it was too late. Too many rocks were falling at too fast of a rate for Swellow to avoid them. As the falling rocks made it too difficult to fly, Swellow felt itself pelted by the attack before crashing into the ground. Without a chance to get back up, Swellow was immediately buried under the rocks.

Ash could only watch as he noticed the rocks start shaking as Swellow tried to escape them. After a few more seconds, Swellow finally broke free as the flying type sent the pile of stones it had been buried under flying in all directions. The strain from all the battles had taken its toll however as the flying type soon collapsed after freeing itself.

"Swellow is unable to battle! The winner is Chesnaught!" Clemont declared as Ash recalled his defeated flying type. "The winner of this final battle will win the entire match!"

"Now this is a battle," Ash stated happily as he grabbed ahold of Totodile's pokeball. "Calem, you've trained Chesnaught extremely well. But, I'm not going down without a fight. Totodile, I choose you!"

Totodile emerged from his pokeball dancing once more as he kicked his feet around happily. Once finished, Totodile looked up at his huge opponent as he gave the grass and fighting type a glare before breaking it and dancing again.

"Totodile, please, I need you to focus right now," Ash pleaded as Totodile finally finished dancing. Calem just watched the entire display in confusion since earlier in the match Totodile hadn't danced this much. Looking determined now, Totodile was ready to battle again. "Great! Now, let's start off with Ice Punch!"

"Tototo," Totodile muttered as he ran towards his opponent. The water type pulled his fist back as it was enveloped in an icy freeze.

"Now, Spiky Shield!" Calem called out as he believed that Ash had forgotten about this move once again. Chesnaught raised his two arms as the green shield was formed right as Totodile was about to strike.

Ash smirked as he saw the shield form once more. "Not this time, Calem! Now, Totodile, use Scald to push yourself up and over the shield!" Ash cried out as the Big Jaw Pokemon fired off the stream of hot water. The blast was just strong enough to carry Totodile up and over the shield as he struck Chesnaught right on the top of its head with the Ice Punch.

"You won't get off easily!" Calem cried out as excitement filled his words. Something about battling with this boy had turned his anger into excitement, but he couldn't forget what he was battling for. "Use Drain Punch!"

Chesnaught reared his fist back as it was slowly enveloped in a green glow. Throwing it forward, the attack never landed due to quick thinking by Ash.

"Stop it with Bite!" Ash ordered as the falling Totodile clamped down hard onto Chesnaught's fist. The Bite attack had prevented the grass and fighting type from finishing his attack and had given Ash a perfect opportunity. "And now use Scald!"

Totodile loosened his grip on Chesnaught's hand just enough so that he could fire off the stream of steaming water. The heat from the attack being able to actually harm the Spiny Armor Pokemon as Totodile flew high into the sky due to his attack.

"Now, before he can counter! Use Needle Arm!" Calem called out as he tossed his arm off to the side. Nodding, Chesnaught's two arms glowed green as he waited for the falling water type to be in distance for an attack. Once close enough, Totodile tried to bite down onto the first hand just as he did with the Drain Punch but was met with a Needle Arm from Chesnaught's second fist.

Rolling across the ground, Totodile came to a stop in front of Ash. "Totodile are you okay?" Ash asked as the water type struggled back onto his feet. He was already tired from his battle with Altaria and Chesnaught was no easy opponent either for the little water type. However, Totodile wasn't ready to go down just yet.

"Totodile?" Ash asked in awe as the water type got back onto his feet. This time however, Ash could see the determination in his eyes. Instead of dancing happily, Totodile stared forward as he eyed Chesnaught. Then, to Ash's surprise, a light blue aura surrounded Totodile as his eyes also changed to a light blue in color. Unsure of what was happening, Ash pulled his pokedex out.

"Torrent, Totodile's ability where once it is fatigued, all water type moves gain an increase in strength along with a slight boost for Totodile itself," the pokedex explained before Ash put it back away.

"So it's just like Blaze..." Ash muttered as he watched on in surprise at just how serious Totodile looked. "We'll show them just how strong we really are then! Use Ice Punch!"

"This again," Calem muttered as he watched Totodile run across the grassy field with an increase in speed. Waiting for the right moment, Calem snapped his fingers as if he was bored. "Chesnaught, Spiky Shield."

"Ches!" Chesnaught grunted as he raised his arms in front of his body once more. Waiting as the shield was fully formed, Calem was already prepared for an attack from above as well. He was then surprised as he heard a command he wasn't expecting.

"Slide underneath them, Totodile!" Ash told the water type as Totodile listened to the command and slid right underneath the large pokemon. Now on the backside of Chesnaught, Totodile prepared an attack. "Scald, let's go!" Ash yelled out while pumping his right fist.

"Dile!" Totodile cried out as he fired off the stream of boiling hot water. This time however, the blast appeared to be even larger than before as it collided right into Chesnaught and pushed the grass and fighting type forward.

"And now Ice Punch!" Ash commanded as Totodile dashed forward after his opponent.

"Block it with Drain Punch!" Calem quickly countered as Chesnaught turned around. His fist barely had time to lock in place against Totodile's and the duo were now in a stalemate as Ash noticed that Chesnaught was now glowing a shade of green. "And end it with Needle Arm!" Calem cried out as Chesnaught's free arm glowed green.

"This isn't over yet!" Ash responded confidently as Totodile grinned in agreement. "Now! Scald!" Ash cried out as Totodile fired off the water type move once more. The stream of water crashed right into Chesnaught's face as it allowed Totodile to dodge the incoming attack with ease. However, that wasn't the only reason they were happy. Upon impact, Chesnaught's entire body had burst into flames for a short amount of time.

* * *

"Clemont, what just happened?" Serena asked as she watched the flames die down around Chesnaught. She was unsure of how a water type move had created fire. "Why was Chesnaught on fire just now?"

"Scald is a move where there is a slight chance of the target getting burnt from the attack," Clemont explained as they watched Totodile descend from the sky. "Also, a pokemon who has been burnt will be hurt throughout the battle along with his strength being weakened."

"Oh," Serena replied, realizing that this would be good for Ash and Totodile.

"Now finish this with Ice Punch!" Ash commanded as Totodile was picking up momentum as he continued his freefall. Pulling his right fist back, the little water type waited for his chance to land the finishing move.

* * *

"Block it with Drain Punch!" Calem cried out in a hurry. He didn't know what to do now that Chesnaught was burnt. The young trainer watched as Chesnaught's fist was struck dead on by Totodile's own fist.

The two trainers watched as neither pokemon backed down from their confrontation until Ash noticed the determination in Totodile's eyes. With one last push, and a little help from Chesnaught's burn, Totodile pushed right through Chesnaught's fist and smashed his Ice Punch right onto the grass and fighting type's head. Totodile landed on the ground as he started to dance happily right as Chesnaught collapsed onto the ground.

"Chesnaught is unable to battle! The winner of the battle and match are Ash and Totodile!" Clemont declared as he pointed in Ash's direction.

"I lost..." Calem muttered as he recalled Chesnaught. Still, even with the defeat he didn't feel bad. Something about giving it his all had made him happy. Maybe Serena was still impressed even though he had lost, he would have to ask later today. To his surprise though, Ash was standing in front of him and extending a hand.

"That was a great battle, Calem," Ash said as Calem took his hand. Helping the boy onto his feet, the two trainers locked eyes as smiles crossed their faces. "Thanks to you and Chesnaught, Totodile and the others all had an excellent chance to train. Without you two, who knows if I would have been able to get an intense battle like that."

"Thanks," Calem said as he couldn't help but smile at the trainer who just beat him. He could tell why Serena had always talked about him when they were younger now. If Ash was only ten percent of the person he was now when Serena met him as kids, he would have been an amazing person. "Next time we battle, Chesnaught and I will be sure to win!"

"And Totodile and I will be ready to give you guys a hard fought battle!" Ash cried back as he watched Totodile dance around.

"Totototo," the water type cried out as he danced happily around the grass field. It may have been destroyed a little because of their battle, but it was nothing that some yard work couldn't fix. Stopping his dance, Totodile looked around as if something was wrong. "Dile?" He asked before a bright white light covered his entire body.

Totodile's body grew in size as the light started to die down. Ash watched on as not only did Totodile grow, but he also looked different as well. His jaw was bigger than before as he also sported three red spikes on his head. He also had a diamond shaped spike on his tail along with two spikes on his back.

Pulling his pokedex out again, Ash scanned the new pokemon in front of him. "Croconaw, the Big Jaw Pokemon and the evolved form of Totodile. Its powerful jaw is used for attacking. If it loses a tooth, they are able to grow back quickly," it explained before being put away.

"This is amazing, Croconaw!" Ash said as he embraced the water type in a hug. He hadn't expected Totodile to evolve after the battle, but this was a present surprise. "All that training paid off after all!"

"Crocococo," the Big Jaw Pokemon cried out happily as he started to do his signature dance. It was kind of funny seeing the larger pokemon dancing now that it didn't look like Totodile, but Ash wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

"So where do you plan on going next?" Calem asked Serena as she helped him clean up after the party. Ash had ran off to the Pokemon Center to heal his pokemon so they could leave in the morning and Clemont and Bonnie were cleaning up in a different section of the party.

"We're leaving for Ambrette Town first thing in the morning," Serena answered as she threw away a pile of used plastic plates. "I can't wait to see Ash battling an Elite Four member. It's going to be so amazing."

Calem nodded in agreement as he wished Serena would talk about him the way she did for Ash. Looking at his childhood friend, he could feel a blush coming across his face as she stood perfectly in front of the sunset. He couldn't take it anymore and knew he needed to tell her how he felt.

"Serena... Can I tell you something?" Calem asked as he stopped cleaning for a moment. He then looked at Serena with a determined face as he waited for her response.

Serena looked up from the pile of plates she was about to toss out and noticed his determined look. The Performer knew that there was only one thing he could have been that determined about. "Sure... Go ahead," she said, dreading the words she was going to tell him.

"Serena, I've known you for a very long time. We've been close friends since we were both infants due to us being neighbors. But, I've always felt like we should be more than friends, like there was something special between the two of us that we only shared," he said before swallowing. He knew he was rambling on now and just had to get it over with. "I... I... I love you! I love you as more than a friend and want you to travel with me as my girlfriend!" He cried out while looking down at the ground in embarrassment. He could feel his face heating up as he couldn't bring himself to look at his crush.

Serena didn't know how to respond. She had always had a feeling that Calem liked her, but to Serena he was nothing more than a brother. "Calem..." she started to say, trying to be careful of her words. "I'm flattered that you think of me like that, but the truth is, I also think we have a close bond. But to me, that bond is more like a brother-sister bond," she answered truthfully as she saw the depressed look on his face. "You see, I know there's someone out there who will like you for who you are, but there's someone out there for me as well."

"Is it Ash?" He asked while hiding the disappointment in his voice. After their battle today, Calem had finally understood why Serena could have possibly liked someone like him. Looking up, he noticed the deep blush on Serena's face and smiled since it was true.

"Y-Yeah," she answered, finally admitting to someone that she really liked Ash. The closest she had been to this was when Miette and Shauna teased her. In both instances she had claimed to like Ash's positive attitude among other qualities while never outright stating she liked him. "I just don't know if he'll ever notice me. Ash is... Dense."

"Well, I know you'll get through to him eventually," Calem said while smiling at his friend. It may have hurt to be declined by her, but he wanted to see her happy as well. "Just don't give up with him. It may take a while but don't stop."

* * *

"Bye, Calem," Ash cried out as he waved to his new friend and rival as his group approached the Vaniville Town gate the next morning. The boy had decided to walk them out of town and see them off. "And next time we meet let's have a battle again! I know Croconaw will be up to the challenge!"

"Yeah!" Calem replied while smiling at the boy from Pallet Town. "And I'll be rooting for your during your Elite Four challenge. You better not lose to any of them Ash!" He said before facing Serena. "And I'll be watching your Showcases as well, Serena. I expect to hear that you made it to the Master Class again."

"Thanks, Calem," Serena said as she gave her friend a big smile. She was glad that he had taken everything relatively well especially with what the situation was about. "I'll make sure to win three Princess Keys. But you make sure to train as well!"

"Right! Next time I'll be the one winning the Kalos League!" Calem cried out happily as the group started their walk out of town. "Goodbye, everyone!" He yelled as they vanished from sight.

* * *

The computer stationed inside of the testing room for Operation Homonoia started to go off as a call was being transmitted. One of the grunts answered the phone to see his three superiors on the other end.

"Sirs!" He cried out in shock at the sight of Jessie, James and Meowth. They had left control of the base in the hands of the grunts while they traveled Kalos for more information that could be used for their operation. "What is the honor of having you three call?"

"How are the tests going?" Jessie asked nonchalantly. She wasn't interested in small talk. Once they finished this conversation, it was back to practicing for her next showcase. "Has everything been running smoothly?"

"Everything has been well here," the grunt replied as he showed them a quick scan of the room. "But we have encountered one slight problem."

"And what would that be?" Meowth asked as he eyed the grunt. He had been warned about a talking Meowth being a part of the Kalos branch, but he had just thought his fellow grunts were teasing him. Seeing Meowth now though, he wasn't sure to be amazed or scared by the fact he could talk.

"We cannot generate enough electricity to properly power the entire machine," the grunt responded as he showed them a chart showing the machine and its energy output based on the amount of power that is being input. "We cannot extend the radius to any Route further than Route 3 due to this issue. Likewise, tests 002 through 005 have all ended in the same results as test 001 where the pokemon seem to grow hostile and are unresponsive."

"Interesting," James replied as he stroked his chin. He would have to look at the machine and see where the energy shortage was being caused. "I'll look at it the next time we're in Lumiose City. But for now continue running the tests on the pokemon we have at the base. We can't afford word of this getting out. And, any word from Mike and Sil?"

"I understand, sir," the grunt responded as he saluted his three superiors. "And no, we have not received any contact from the duo since they arrived in Dendemille Town earlier this week. At the current rate they were traveling, they should reach Anistar City by tomorrow night."

"Very good," Jessie replied as she stood up. "Jessie, James, and Meowth are out. Keep up the good work!" She told the grunt before ending the call.

* * *

 **So, like I said, no love triangle/drama. That isn't for me. But, Calem did give Ash a run for his money in that battle. It required Totodile activating Torrent and getting a burn off to win. Plus he evolved. Personally, if Totodile ever returns, he should evolve to finish off the Johto trio all being in their mid-evolution stages since the other two evolved once.**

 **An important update about my schedule. Recently, my work fired a few employees. And until they find new workers, myself and the other employees will be covering their shifts and the shifts they usually work after this week. Because of that, I don't know how much free time I'll actually have and so I'll update whenever I get the chance but I will make it a point to update 1-2 times a week. Thanks for understanding.**

 **Thank you for reading the chapter and supporting this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	26. The Culinary Cook by the Sea

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash and the gang were invited to Calem's party. While there Calem challenged Ash to a battle where he lost once Totodile's Torrent ability activated. Following the battle, Totodile evolved into a Croconaw and the next day the group bid farewell to Vaniville Town and left for Ambrette Town.**

 **Ch 26: The Culinary Cook by the Sea**

* * *

"We're finally here! Ambrette Town," Ash cried out in excitement as the entire group finally made it to the top of the hill. Down below, they all witnessed the familiar view of the town they had visited once before. The entire town was built on the cliff while down below it a beautiful beach stretched for miles along the coast. "I can't wait for my battle with Siebold!" He continued to cry out as he raised his arms in front of his body. This was going to be the first time he was going to have an official battle with an Elite Four member where something was on the line. He just couldn't wait any longer as adrenaline took over his body.

"Pi, Pikachu!" The electric type cried out in agreement as he too raised his arms in excitement. He was ready to give it everything he had today during their battle.

"So, Ash," Clemont said as he walked forward. He was nervous for his friend, but was there to lend any support he needed. "Have you decided on which pokemon you'll use today during your match?"

Folding his arms, Ash looked to be in deep thought as he heard Clemont's question. Turning around to face his friends, the Pallet Town native started to speak. "Not really, but I just know whoever I choose will have a great battle!" He cried out before sprinting down the hill.

"Ash, wait up!" Bonnie joined in as she followed in pursuit of the trainer. She wanted to be right there when Ash challenged Siebold and didn't want to miss any of the action.

"Bonnie! Ash! Wait for us!" Clemont yelled as a few of his nerves kicked in. Those two were always off in a rush without the slightest idea of where they were heading. "Do you even know where Siebold is?"

The question had caused Ash to stop running immediately as he turned around to face his friend. "Not really. I was just going to search around town until I found him," Ash answered truthfully while rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't much of a think first person and instead acted on impulse.

Serena just sighed as she pulled out her travel guide. She had remembered that each location had been marked off thanks to Diantha and that she could easily find it. "Let's see," she muttered while scrolling through the entire town. Finally stopping on something of interest, Serena thought she figured out the location. "His restaurant is located by the ocean. We should head near it first and see what we can find."

"Good idea, Serena," Ash answered as his two other friends caught up to him and Bonnie. Now that they were all reunited again, the group of four made their way over to the outer edge of the town.

* * *

"I'm starving," Ash muttered once all of his excess energy had burned off. He had been so excited about his match today and finding the location of it, that he hadn't even thought to stop for lunch at all. Looking at the blond inventor, Ash had a sheepish grin on his face. "Clemont, do you think we can stop for lunch?"

"Unfortunately, no. Not right now, Ash," Clemont answered as he took his backpack off and emptied out its compartments. Lowering his head in shame, Clemont then placed the backpack onto his back as he showed their few supplies. "I didn't have a chance to go shopping for any food or supplies today. We immediately went searching for Siebold."

"But what are we going to do for food?" Ash asked as his stomach along with everyone else's whined in agreement with him. They needed to eat something and soon.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance?" A new voice asked as a man dressed in an elegant suitcoat walked up to them. "I know of a nice restaurant not too far from here. I actually work there and so I can take you the rest of the way."

"Would you really be willing to help us?" Serena asked as she clapped her hands together out of excitement. What were the odds that this man was going to help them out while just appearing out of nowhere? "We'd really appreciate the help."

Clemont stared at the man as he appeared to look familiar from somewhere. Something about the man's blond hair and facial features stuck out to the inventor, but he couldn't remember why.

Ash however wasn't waiting around and decided to take the man up on his offer. "Thanks, you don't know how much you've helped us," he explained while rubbing the back of his head. "You see, I'm here to challenge Siebold of the Elite Four since I won the Kalos League," he explained before letting out a nervous chuckle.

"Ah, you must be Ash then," the man said as his gaze drifted on the boy from Pallet Town for a second longer than the others. "I've heard about you. You had some five star battles, creating a masterpiece with your pokemon on the battlefield. I must warn you though, Siebold is no ordinary trainer. His specialties aren't for the faint of heart."

"It sounds like you know Siebold," Bonnie asked while tugging on the man's suitcoat with excitement in her eyes. "Is he really as strong as the rumors say?"

"Siebold's strength is like that of a raging wave," the man started to say as he looked over the edge of the cliff. "His pokemon are swift like the ocean and can manage blows just as the shore absorbs the impact with the ocean. He is truly a master of water type pokemon," he explained while closing his eyes for a second. He didn't want to ruin all of the surprises for his challenger just yet. "Now, I must be getting to work. Those meals won't cook themselves. So if you don't mind, please, follow me."

With that, the entire group followed the man as they all thought about the delicious food that was awaiting them at the restaurant. Well, Ash was also having another thought.

" _So, Siebold uses water pokemon. Well, I guess I already know who to use,"_ he thought while glancing every few seconds up at the man leading the way. There was something different about him, as if he was hiding a secret from them.

* * *

"Please, make yourselves at home," the man said as they approached the restaurant. Ash and the others had been completely surprised when they had approached it. The outside looked to be based off of a coliseum due to the circular design while it overlooked the ocean on one side. On the other, the beautiful view of Ambrette Town could be recognized. Once inside however, they had been stunned beyond words. They were actually inside Siebold's restaurant. They hadn't realized it until they noticed a painting of the Elite Four member himself.

The inside was even more spectacular as a large fountain graced the middle of the dining hall as it poured water down into a stream that covered the center of the building. Surrounding the fountain were elegant, white clothed, rectangular tables.

"W-We're actually in Siebold's restaurant!?" Ash cried out in shock as they were brought over to a table for seating. The shock was a little too much for even Ash as he tried to take his surroundings in. "So that means after lunch I can actually have my battle with Siebold!" He cried out happily once the shock had passed through him.

"Unfortunately, it'll have to wait until tomorrow," a familiar voice stated as the man from before walked out while carrying a tray of dishes to their table. He had wanted to personally deliver their food to the group of young travelers.

Looking up at the man, everyone gasped in shock at who he actually was. Now dressed in his famous attire of a white chef outfit complete with his neck tie and hat, the man from before was none other than Siebold himself.

"I'm sorry for not revealing my identity sooner, but I wanted to make sure you all found your way here," Siebold said as he did a little bow to the four friends after he placed their dishes down. "They're all on the house. I hope you enjoy them since they're my specialty."

Unlike his usual self, Ash didn't dig into his plate of food despite the delicious smells coming from it. Instead, Ash kept his eyes right on Siebold. "How come we can't have our battle today? I was really looking forward to it."

"As was I," Siebold stated as he looked at the young trainer. He could see the passion burning inside of him just as the passion for cooking burned inside of himself. "But, I have a rather different platter to attend to first. This is a rare delicacy for myself as an A-Class Pokemon Connoisseur has requested a battle with me."

"I've never heard of a Pokemon Connoisseur," Serena said as she placed a finger on her cheek. She was trying to figure out what exactly they did based off of their name. After being unable to, she finally gave up. "What exactly do they do?"

"Well, Pokemon Connoisseurs are well known in the Unova region for their skills of being able to read the bonds between a trainer and pokemon. You see, there are actually four different ranks with C-Class being the lowest and S-Class being the highest," Ash explained as everyone looked at him in shock.

"Ash, since when did you know about Pokemon Connoisseurs?" Bonnie asked as she instinctively slammed her hands onto the table, causing it to shake for a bit.

"Well you see," Ash started to say as he rubbed the back of his head. "While in Unova, I traveled with an A-Class Connoisseur myself. He managed to teach me all sorts of different things about pokemon."

"Well, I'm glad you listened to some of my evaluation times then," a teasing voice could be heard before being drowned out by the sound of shoes walking across the tiled floor. Upon hearing the voice, Ash had shot out of his seat and turned to see a familiar green haired man walking towards him. "It's been a while, Ash," he said while smiling at his old friend.

"Cilan!" Ash cried out as he walked up to his friend as the duo met while clasping hands. "Why are you in Kalos? Shouldn't you be traveling through Johto?"

"It's kind of a long story," the former Gym Leader responded with an awkward smile. "How about I explain it over lunch?"

* * *

"And so you see, after you won the Kalos League, I had to return to Unova to take part in their S-Class Connoisseur written test," Cilan explained while pointing a finger up at the ceiling, signaling that there was more to the story. During their time eating, Ash had introduced Cilan to his friends from Kalos and was happy that they seemed to hit it off right away. "However, to fully pass the test, I still needed to finish the field exam as well."

"Field exam?" Ash asked, confused by Cilan's statement. "I thought you said that it was only a classroom exam needed with experience in the field to advance in class."

"That's true, but for an S-Class rank you also have one extra test," Cilan said as a smile crossed his face. "I have to be able to perfectly read the bond between an Elite Four member and their pokemon. You see, I had chosen Siebold to evaluate due to our mutual love of cooking."

"Are you now ready for our main dish?" Siebold asked as he rose from his seat. The match wasn't to be much of a battle. Nothing more than a one-on-one match. "But be warned, my specialties are sometimes too much for the customer."

"You won't have any need to hold back against us," Cilan responded as he too stood up. "Together with my pokemon we'll create the perfect recipe that will culminate in the accusation of our goal."

"Your passion burns bright," Siebold said before turning to Ash and the others. "Will you all be joining us today?" He asked despite already knowing the answer. Siebold smirked upon seeing that Ash was already up and waiting.

"Alright, Cilan, this match will be a one-on-one pokemon battle where the winner shall be crowned upon the defeat of the other," he explained while raising a pokeball. The duo were standing in a coliseum of sorts which gave the battle an even more intense feel to it. "Your goal is to not win, but to be able to prove to me that you're able to read the bond between myself and my pokemon. Now, go, Blastoise!"

Upon release from his pokeball, Blastoise landed with a loud thud as everyone took notice of something different with this water type. Unlike with Tierno's pokemon, this one was wearing a headpiece of some sort.

"Could Blastoise possibly Mega-Evolve?" Bonnie asked as they all noticed the stone embedded into the head piece that Blastoise was wearing.

"Maybe, but we've never seen one that could before," Ash responded as he knew to keep an extra close eye on this battle for any ideas to use in his own battle.

"Hmm, I thought you would go with your main course today," Cilan told the chef as he tossed his own pokeball into the air. "And so I'll present to you my own delicacy, go, Pansage!"

"Pan, pansage!" The grass type cried out as he landed on the field. It wasn't anything fancy like the one used for the Kalos League finals, being just a plain field but it still carried an air of importance to it. Looking over at the large Blastoise shocked Pansage for a moment before the grass type looked back at his trainer. They both knew what was at stack and so they had to give it their all.

"Pansage, let's spice this battle up a bit, start off with an elegant taste of Bullet Seed!" Cilan called out as he pointed towards Blastoise. It was best to test and see just what they were really up against.

"Pansage!" The Grass Monkey Pokemon cried out as a round of small green seeds flew out of his mouth. The seeds crossed the entire field until crashing right into Blastoise. Cilan watched on as he knew that it would take more than that.

"Blastoise, we'll show them a true display of a five-star battle!" Siebold yelled out as the seeds finally ceased their assault on the water type. Just as Cilan had thought, the attack had done next to nothing to the large water type. "We'll cool them down with a refreshing dosage of Hydro Pump!"

"Blastoise!" The Shellfish pokemon cried out while lowering his cannons. Jets of water shot out of them as Pansage was thrown right onto a defensive position. Pansage continued to jump about the field, nearly dodging each blast that escaped from the water type's cannon until he was finally hit by a surprise blast. Being thrown backwards, Pansage landed right in front of Cilan as he struggled to get back up.

"Pansage, I know you can do it! Just remember all of our training!" Cilan pleaded with the grass type as the duo remembered the sleepless nights they stayed up together while studying for their countless exams. All their hard work had paid off, and there was no way Pansage was going down when they were this close to their dream. Seeing the grass type stand back up, Cilan snapped his fingers in excitement. "Alright! We'll have to fight with not only fiery passion of offensive, but also with the refreshing qualities of defense. Now, Grasswhistle!"

Pansage reached for the plant that was atop his head and managed to rip a piece off much to the surprise of everyone watching. Then, before anyone knew what was happening, a nice and peaceful melody filled the air.

"Hey, what's happening to Blastoise?" Serena asked as she noticed that the water type looked to be struggling to stay awake. Looking to her left, she then noticed that Pikachu was acting the same way as Blastoise was. "And now Pikachu is acting the same way. Is something wrong with them?"

"No, that's what happens when a pokemon uses Grasswhistle," Clemont started to explain while fixing his glasses. "You see, the tune that is created is such a relaxing melody that is causes a pokemon to fall into a deep sleep."

"That was a great idea by Cilan then," Ash said as he pumped his fist in excitement. "Come on, Cilan, show them what you've got!"

"Of course," the Pokemon Connoisseur replied as he looked over at Blastoise. The Shellfish Pokemon had finally fallen asleep and thus allowed Cilan his window of opportunity. "Now, Pansage, let's show them our premium brand style of battling! Gather the energy of the sun for a Solar Beam!"

Pansage nodded in agreement as he raised his hands up towards the sky. As if listening to the grass type's request, sunlight started to travel down and into his body as the plant on his head began to glow bright white. Once ready, Pansage transferred all of the energy into his hands and fired off the attack.

"Blastoise, please respond to my calls!" Siebold called out to the sleeping pokemon He wasn't so much worried about the attack as he was giving Cilan a proper battle. "You must wake up and drop to the ground!"

And just like that Blastoise responded. His eyes shooting wide open, the water type saw the incoming attack and dropped right onto his shell as the Solar Beam flew right above him. Getting right back up, Blastoise made his way across the field while shocking Pansage and Cilan with his speed.

"And now, deliver to them your most powerful Skull Bash!" Siebold commanded as Blastoise rammed his head right into Pansage as the grass type shot backwards.

Getting back up again, Siebold smiled at Pansage's determination as he waited to see how they countered that previous attack. "You know, Siebold, you and Blastoise are a lot alike, and I'll explain this to you through an evaluation time!" Cilan stated while grabbing his bow tie. Fixing it a little, the Connoisseur then snapped his fingers as he pointed at the chef with his free hand. "Blastoise's ability Torrent allows him to become much stronger during a difficult time which is highly similar of how you're known for developing some of your best dishes while under pressure from critics. Likewise, Blastoise's Hydro Pump attack provides a refreshing experience just as you pride yourself to provide a great experience for all who come to eat at your restaurant."

As Cilan was explaining all of this, Ash's friends watched on in confusion. This had been their first time ever hearing about Cilan or his evaluation time and were unsure of what was happening.

"Ash, what's he doing?" Bonnie asked as she watched in disbelief at everything he was doing.

"He's evaluating Siebold!" Ash cried out in excitement, unaware of just how crazy Cilan looked. "This is what a Connoisseur does, Bonnie."

"Well to me he looks like a fool," Bonnie remarked before laughing at a few of Cilan's poses. If this was a battle, why did this guy think he had time to talk and pose so much.

"And Skull Bash also shows me how you both have developed rock hard heads to handle any situation," Cilan continued on as he knocked on his own head for emphasis, Pansage copying the motion. "Blastoise so he can handle other pokemon and yourself to handle critics and fellow competition. But, you know full and well that I can't test your true bond until you Mega Evolve," he stated with a confident smirk

"Very well, Cilan. But be warned, my specialty isn't for the faint of heart. So prepare yourself for the boldest dish you've ever been served!" Siebold responded as he grabbed ahold of his neck tie. Touching the object embedded into it, everyone watched as it gave off a bright light and shined in accordance with the Mega Stone on Blastoise's head.

Blastoise was bathed in a bright light as his body changed in size and shape. Watching in awe, everyone noticed as his shell grew in size as well as having a third cannon present on his back. His original two cannons were now on his arms as well and he looked ready to battle.

"So it is true that your pokemon can Mega Evolve," Cilan said with a glisten in his eyes. He had never seen this new phenomenon in person and was excited to see how exactly it worked. "And from what I've heard, only those with a strong bond can perform this. Now, Pansage, Bullet Seed!"

"Blastoise, Ice Beam!" Siebold commanded as the three cannons were lowered and ready to fire. Within a split second three beams of ice were shot out of them and managed to freeze every single Bullet Seed. "You'll have to do better than that if you wish to win, Cilan."

"Oh, but that was just the appetizer! Prepare for our main course attack in this battle! Now, Pansage!" Cilan cried out as he pointed high into the sky. Looking up, Siebold and Blastoise both watched as Pansage fired off a Solar Beam from right above them. "We knew that with your rock hard defense that it would be impossible to land a hit without a little bait and switch. So, by having you worry about Bullet Seed, Pansage charged up our ultimate course in battling."

"That was a nice try but it won't do," Siebold stated as he snapped his fingers in a manner just like Cilan. "Blastoise, let us end this fray with a Dragon Pulse!" Nodding in agreement, the water type reared his cannons all back so that they were now pointing at the descending Pansage. With one quick launch, three beams in the shape of a dragon were all launched right at the grass type.

"Pansage, deflect it with a spicy Bullet Seed!" Cilan cried out, but it was too late. Before Pansage could even react to the command, the Dragon Pulse had crashed down right onto him. The Grass Monkey Pokemon crashed into the ground, defeated by the powerful attack.

"Well, did you see enough?" Siebold asked as Blastoise reverted back into his normal appearance. "Please finish your evaluation once Pansage is alright," he asked, curious to hear what Cilan had to say.

"Of course, it would be my pleasure," Cilan said as he pulled an Oran Berry from his bag. Feeding it to the defeated Grass Type, Cilan watched as Pansage managed back onto his feet. "You see, thanks to Blastoise's Mega Launcher ability while Mega Evolved, it only shows just how much of a match you two really are. With Mega Launcher, you're able to create many different recipes during battle that will leave a taste of defeat in your opponent's mouth. Just as you can create a spicy dish, a refreshing drink or an ice cold treat, Blastoise can create the same exact dishes with his moves. A spicy Dragon Pulse to catch opponents off guard, a refreshing Hydro Pump to cool down a fiery battle and a delicious Ice Beam to turn the tides. All of those moves in accordance to Skull Bash just prove how well off the two of you are." Cilan took a pause to catch his breath for a moment, but when he went to continue, Siebold held a hand up to stop him.

Siebold then dropped his hand as he looked down to Cilan with a smile. "I've heard enough, Cilan. There is no doubt in my mind that you are worthy of the rank of an S-Class Connoisseur. I'll be signing your papers later today before mailing back to the Connoisseur headquarters back in Unova. You should be extremely proud of how far you've come."

"T-Thank You, Sir!" Cilan cried out as a few tears formed in both his and Pansage's eyes. After years of hard work, they had finally reached the rank of S-Class. "I may have the bitter taste of defeat from our battle, but right now I'm smelling the aroma of a delicious victory."

"Congratulations, Cilan!" Ash cried out as he and the others all reached down onto the field. "You're now an S-Class Connoisseur! What are you planning to do now?"

"Well, technically I'm only an S-Class on pokemon. I've still got quite a few other areas I could work on," he replied while standing up. Placing a hand on his hip while raising a finger with his free hand he started to laugh. "But now that this is over. I'll probably explore Kalos for a little before returning home to tell my brothers the good news."

Ash was excited for his friend as he had finally accomplished his dream, but it only meant that Cilan had more work to do as a Connoisseur. Taking his eyes off of Cilan and onto Siebold, Ash knew that he had to be ready to face someone as powerful and cunning as this man was.

"Siebold," Ash said as he stared at the Elite Four member and chef. "I was wondering if we could hold our battle tomorrow afternoon. I'd really like to challenge you."

"Why of course," Siebold replied while smiling. He too had been looking forward to challenging Ash. "Tonight we shall toast Cilan for his magnificent job evaluating mine and Blastoise's bond and then tomorrow our full course battle shall begin."

"Full course?" Ash repeated as he was unsure of what the chef meant by that.

Seeing the confusion, Siebold smiled at the boy. "By full course, I mean a full six-on-six battle. That way, I'll be able to see just how creative you are when it comes to building a recipe for victory. Or possibly defeat, not every soufflé comes out perfect. Until then, think carefully as one wrong ingredient can ruin an entire dish."

* * *

"Ash, are you sure about facing Siebold so soon?" Clemont asked as the group made their way into a Pokemon Center. It was now starting to get dark out and so they decided to go and rent a few rooms for the night. "Maybe you should wait a few more days. A little extra training is never a bad idea."

"I concur," Cilan said as he joined in. He knew just how powerful Siebold and his Blastoise was, but imagine just how powerful the rest of his team was. "You don't feel the pressure until you walk onto the field. To Siebold that's his kitchen and he'll bake a masterpiece against anyone who challenges him. I think you should train a little longer as well, Ash."

"I think he's fine," Serena said out loud. It had meant to be kept to herself, but somehow it just slipped out. Now with everyone looking at her, she started to blush a little due to her embarrassment. "What I mean is... By now Ash is more than ready. He could beat Siebold right now if they battled."

"Do you really think so?" Ash asked as he only received a smile back that meant yes. Knowing that she was right, Ash fixed his hat before making his way over to the phone. "That settles it then. Tomorrow I'll battle Siebold and earn the first of those medals."

" _Hmm, there appears to be a distinct flavor between those two,"_ Cilan thought as he watched on with a smirk. Perhaps Ash wasn't a kid like Iris always called him. Cilan then made his way over to Nurse Joy, leaving Pansage in her care for the time being. "Perhaps another time I'll evaluate their bond..." he muttered while sitting down on the Center's couch before falling asleep, exhaustion finally kicking in from his busy day.

* * *

"Welcome, Siebold's been expecting you," two men stated as they opened the door to the stadium that Cilan had battled in the day previously. Walking in, Ash and his friends noticed that unlike yesterday, there was a crowd that packed the stadium as everyone cheered when Ash entered.

"Are they all here for me?" Ash asked as he rubbed the back of his head. However, his question was soon answered once Siebold walked through his corridor to the sound of thunderous applause and cheering. "I should have known they were here for him. It's like my battle with Tucker all over again."

"Good luck today, Ash," the group said before making their way off to specially reserved seats. Siebold has stated that the match would be televised to the public so that there were no questions of anything being awarded unless it was truly earned by Ash. But this was crazy, Ash looked around and saw at least half a dozen cameras down on the field as a member of a news organization interviewed Siebold.

"Ah, you're finally here, Ash," Siebold said while clapping his hands together. As if it were a signal for the reporters, everyone got off of the field as a referee walked forward and into his box. "I'd like to have you leave here with a quality meal, so in that case I'll use a special field of mine.

"A special field?" Ash repeated as the normal plain field disappeared and was immediately replaced by a wetland. Ash studied the field as a large lake sat in the center of the field connected to the marshland through a series of streams and rivers. The Marchland however consumed the rest of the battlefield. Also present were a few hills, but it wasn't anything special compared to the lake. Ash looked at it again as he seemed to notice something about it. It appeared as if whirlpools were present in it, but within an instant they disappeared.

"I hope you'll enjoy this. The League recently upgraded our fields to their new ones that have been in development," Siebold said as he raised a pokeball. "This will be our christening battle, so please try not to destroy it like you did the last one," he joked while Ash remembered how he and Alain completely destroyed the field used for their championship match.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The referee called out as he gained everyone's attention. Looking around, Ash noticed just how everyone was now watching the two of them down on the field. Looking to his left, he finally saw his friends sitting in the front row and he gave them a little thumbs up once he saw how nervous they looked. "Today's challenge will take place between Siebold of the Elite Four himself and the challenger, Ash Ketchum, this year's winner of the Kalos League! This battle as declared by Siebold himself will be a full six-on-six with no substitutions for either side! Once on side has lost all six of their pokemon the match will be over. Now I wish the both of you good luck, Siebold will choose the first pokemon while the challenger will make the first move! Now begin!" He cried out while waving his two flags.

"Starmie, let us cook up a masterful dish!" Siebold cried out as the water and psychic type emerged from its pokeball and dove right into one of the many streams present.

Ash grit his teeth as he looked at the field. It was as if it had been built to give Siebold an advantage for his pokemon. Ash also had to be careful as unlike with Gym Battles, he couldn't switch out his pokemon. Looking onto his shoulder, Ash noticed just how excited Pikachu was.

"You want to go first Pikachu," Ash asked as Pikachu grinned right at his trainer before leaping off of his shoulder. They had started their journey together all the way back in Pallet Town and now they would start the next stage of their journey battling together. "Alright! Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu ran out onto the field as electricity sparked around his cheeks. "Pika," he muttered while trying to figure out where Starmie would be hiding.

"Hmm, an electric type like Pikachu is a shocking aroma, but it'll take more than a type advantage to defeat me," Siebold said as he placed one hand on his hip. He watched as Pikachu appeared to be trying to locate Starmie. "I warned you to have a recipe for victory. Now, Starmie, Surf!"

Starmie emerged from one of the streams that ran along the field long with a large wave that was being controlled by its psychic powers. Both Ash and Pikachu had no time to react as the wave crashed down onto Pikachu and swept the electric type into the marshland.

"Quick, Pikachu, use a Thunderbolt!" Ash cried out as Pikachu charged up the electricity inside of him. However, when it came time to actually launch the attack, Pikachu was unable to. "Huh! What's wrong, Pikachu!?" Ash asked before seeing the mud that covered Pikachu. It must have happened while Pikachu was washed away by the surf attack earlier. "If we can't use electric moves, then try your Quick Attack!"

"Now, Starmie, use Grass Knot!" Starmie didn't even need to move as the water and psychic type glowed blue for a second as the grass in the marshland grew in height and tied itself together so that Pikachu tripped across it. "Keep them on the run! Hyper Beam!"

Starmie concentrated all of the energy in its body to the tip of its body. Focusing it all into one large blast, a dark purple energy formed on the tip until it was ready to fire. Launching the blast off, Ash quickly thought of a way to dodge.

"Use Iron Tail as a spring!" Ash quickly commanded as Pikachu pushed his tail off of the ground while stiffened. The motion caused Pikachu to go flying high into the sky as he dodged the Hyper Beam before landing in the lake. Now that he was cleaned of the mud, Ash knew he could use electric attacks again.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as he swam out of the lake. Once back on land, the electric type shook himself clean of any remaining mud as his cheeks sparked with electricity again.

"Alright, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash cried out as Pikachu allowed the electricity to soar from his body. The blast traveled across the field before striking Starmie head on. "Great, a direct hit!"

"Starmie, show them another Grass Knot!" Siebold asked of the Mysterious Pokemon as Pikachu immediately felt the grass near his feet tighten until he couldn't move an inch. "And Hyper Beam!"

"Pikachu, you have to break free!" Ash cried out as he watched his best friend struggle to get free from the grass. Looking over at his opponent, Ash noticed that the Hyper Beam was just about finished. "Hurry, Pikachu!" But it was too late, within a split second of those words, Pikachu was blasted backwards into the lake by the blast.

"Don't stop yet, Starmie," Siebold continued on as he was going for the victory. "Use Psychic on the lake!" Starmie started to glow blue as the lake then glowed in accordance to the same shade that the water and psychic type was glowing. Now above the water, Pikachu could do nothing as he was sucked into a whirlpool that was created by the Psychic attack.

"Pikachu, use a Thunderbolt!" Ash called out in concern, but due to the waves Pikachu was unable to concentrate enough to charge up the attack. He did receive some luck however as the waves from within the lake started to splash around with some of it landing on Starmie. The brief distraction was more than enough for Pikachu to break free and land back on dry ground.

"Pika... Chuuuuu!" Pikachu cried out while firing off his signature attack. The bolt of electricity flew across the field before striking Starmie head on. The water and Psychic type cried out in pain, but otherwise appeared to be just fine.

"Starmie, you're not too well done just yet, are you?" Siebold asked as he looked at the water and psychic type. It had taken a few super effective hits, but otherwise it was perfectly fine to continue on. After signaling as best as it could to show that it could battle, Starmie waited for a command. "Alright, Surf once more!"

Starmie jumped back into the body of water closest to it as a large wave emerged shortly after with Starmie riding the top of the wave. The pokemon and its attack rode across the field as they approached Pikachu with the intent of knocking him back into the water.

Ash however had a different idea. He knew that the Surf attack was nothing more than a method for Siebold to get his plan off, but Ash had a feeling he could use it to his advantage. "Pikachu! Use Electro Ball!"

Pikachu nodded in agreement as the sphere of electricity started to form on his tail. Once fully charged, Pikachu leapt high into the air as he swung his tail around. The Electro Ball crashed right into the Surf attack as electricity flew right through it and shocked Starmie as the Surf managed to still sweep him up in it.

The surf carried the two pokemon across the entire field as it then ran off into the other bodies of water, filling them with electricity just as Ash had hoped for. Looking up, he could now see that both pokemon were nearing the end and he had to do something quick.

"Hyper Beam! We'll cook them a dish they'll never forget!" Siebold called out as he snapped his attention. Ash had been taken aback by the command as he assumed Starmie would be too beaten up to continue right away.

"Pikachu you use Thunderbolt!" Ash countered as both pokemon fired off their respective attacks. The two attacks met right over the center of the lake as they exploded upon contact and sent both pokemon flying backwards. Ash watched as Pikachu crashed into the hill located on the field while Starmie landed in the marchlands. "Pikachu are you all right?"

"Pika..." he muttered back as he stood up. Pikachu pumped his arms showing he was fine, but then something came over him as he fell face first onto the ground.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner is Starmie!" The referee declared as Ash scooped Pikachu up in his arms. He was careful with his tired best friend while bringing him over to his friends. Leaving Pikachu with his friends, Ash walked back over towards the field.

"Thank you, Pikachu," Ash muttered to himself as he looked at the field. The entire water portion of the field was unusable just as he had wanted it. Now with the electrical current flowing through the water, anyone who entered it would be hurt. Reaching through his pokeballs, Ash picked his second pokemon. "Staraptor, I choose you!"

"Staraptor!" The Predator Pokemon cried out as he circled the field before eyeing the tired Starmie. Flying back down towards Ash, the flying type landed in front of his trainer.

"Hmm, quite the unusual choice when preparing a meal for victory," Siebold stated as he eyed the large flying type. How would it be able to handle some of the moves he had cooking up his sleeves. "Starmie, start off with a Psychic attack!"

Starmie glowed blue as the water and psychic type lifted a large body of water out of the lake. Siebold had taken a notice of the electricity as well and decided to take advantage of it. Raising it up, Starmie threw it right at Staraptor who managed to avoid it the first time.

"Staraptor, use Quick Attack to dodge!" Ash cried out as Staraptor broke into a high speed flight as the water chased after him. Ash then watched as the water broke off into multiple streams. It was as if Siebold was trying to cage Staraptor as each time he avoided one stream, two more appeared to block his path. Seeing an opening, Ash decided to take it. "Aerial Ace, now!" He yelled out while punching a fist forward.

"Starrrr!" The flying type cried out as a white aura surrounded his body before flying straight at Starmie. A blotch of water appeared right in front of him, but at the rate Staraptor was flying at, the flying type soared right through it with ease before crashing right into Starmie.

The water and psychic type was launched backwards by the attack as it lost its concentration and dropped the remaining water onto the field. Circling around, Staraptor looked ready to strike again.

"Finish this up with Brave Bird!" Ash commanded as Staraptor broke out into a blue flame. Diving right at his opponent, Staraptor gave Starmie no chance to avoid the attack as his body crashed right into the Mysterious Pokemon.

Smoke filled the area as everyone waited to see what happened to Starmie and Staraptor. Within seconds, everyone heard Staraptor's cry as he flew out of the smoke with only a slight appearance of any harm due to the recoil damage from Brave Bird.

The referee waited as the smoke started to fade. Once visibility was back, everyone saw that Starmie was finished. Raising his arm into the air, the referee made his decision. "Starmie is unable to battle! The winner is Staraptor!"

"Thank you, Starmie, you delivered an elegant dish for our opponent," Siebold said as he recalled the defeated pokemon. Reaching for his second pokeball, Siebold tossed it forward. "Let's add a little spice to this battle! Gyarados, go!"

"Be ready, Staraptor," Ash warned his flying type. He had seen plenty of Gyarados over his years of traveling and he knew they were all hard opponents. "We're going to need everything to win this!"

"Gyarados, start off with Dragon Dance!" Siebold issued as Gyarados' entire body was glowing bright red. Ash had no clue what was happening, but he also knew he couldn't wait around and find out.

"Staraptor get in there with an Aerial Ace attack!" Ash commanded as the Predator Pokemon was off in rush once more. Staraptor was about to crash right into the water and flying pokemon when Siebold snapped his fingers.

"Let us cool down this battle just a bit," Siebold stated as Gyarados bit down onto Staraptor. "First we need to freeze our bird before preparing it for dinner. Use Ice Fang!" Gyarados' mouth created an icy aura as four fangs formed around the now trapped Staraptor.

"Staraptor!" Ash cried out as he watched the flying type struggle against the icy grip. Ash could only watch as the ice started to travel up Staraptor's entire body, freezing the Predator Pokemon in place.

* * *

 **Well, that was a different chapter. My fourth favorite male companion returns for a little development on his goal, something that the anime never bothered to do at all outside of maybe one (two?) episodes. Anyway, I was going to wait to put this up, but with the Kalos League starting today, what's better than an Elite Four fight? Any guesses on Ash's last four pokemon? Siebold's team?**

 **Thank you for reading the chapter and supporting this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**


	27. A Five-Star Battle!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash had just started his full battle with Siebold and it wasn't off to a good start for the Pallet Town native. How will Ash handle the water type master?**

 **Ch 27: A Five-Star Battle!**

* * *

"Staraptor get in there with an Aerial Ace attack!" Ash commanded as the Predator Pokemon was off in rush once more. Staraptor was about to crash right into the water and flying pokemon when Siebold snapped his fingers.

"Let us cool down this battle just a bit," Siebold stated as Gyarados bit down onto Staraptor. "First we need to freeze our bird before preparing it for dinner. Use Ice Fang!" Gyarados' mouth created an icy aura as four fangs formed around the now trapped Staraptor.

"Staraptor!" Ash cried out as he watched the flying type struggle against the icy grip. Ash could only watch as the ice started to travel up Staraptor's entire body, freezing the Predator Pokemon in place.

"Starrrr!" The Predator Pokemon cried out as his entire left side was frozen solid. Ash watched as the ice continued to slowly creep across his body. If they didn't try something soon, then they would be done for. Thinking for any ideas to break free, only one would come to Ash's mind.

"Quick, Staraptor, use Close Combat to break free from Gyarados' grip!" Ash commanded as the flying type started to thrash around. Swinging his right wing and leg into Gyarados' face, Staraptor managed to break the death grip he had been in before falling hard onto the marshland. Standing back up, Staraptor found it impossible to fly as long as he was half frozen.

"Gyarados, get in close and use a refreshing Waterfall!" Siebold commanded as the Atrocious Pokemon was immediately covered in a geyser of water. The attack looked similar to an Aqua Jet to Ash, but the trainer could tell that it was much stronger.

Gritting his teeth, Ash looked over at Staraptor and watched as the flying type was unable to fly due to the ice that covered half of his body. Watching as Gyarados drew closer, Ash finally managed a thought to help Staraptor out.

"If we can't fly because of the ice, then we'll just find a way to get around it!" Ash yelled as he pumped his left fist in front of his body. The ice would just have to be used against Siebold. "Staraptor! Turn your entire body so that the ice is facing Gyarados!"

"Hmm... Just what do you have planned?" Siebold muttered quietly as he watched the Predator Pokemon shift his body. The large chunk of ice was now separating Staraptor and Gyarados and had appeared to take on the image of a shield of sorts to Siebold. "Let them do what they want! Just smash right through it!"

Gyarados cried out in agreement as he continued on a crash course for Staraptor. Finally reaching the flying type, Gyarados smashed his head right against the ice and shattered it into thousands of pieces while also sending Staraptor soaring into the air.

"Just like we wanted!" Ash cried out confidently. Looking up at Staraptor, Ash could see that his wing was now completely freed from the icy constraint and was now able to fly freely. "Now! Aerial Ace!" He yelled triumphantly as Staraptor performed a barrel in midair.

Now flying right above the water and flying type, Staraptor flew straight down as a white aura appeared to be surrounding the outside of his body. Disappearing for a split second, Staraptor reappeared right as he rammed his entire body into Gyarados.

The Atrocious Pokemon was caught off guard by the sudden attack and crashed into the field before skidding to a stop in front of the large lake that inhabited the center of the field. Ash watched on as Gyarados was struggling to get back up from the surprise attack and decided he needed to stay on the offensive.

* * *

"Ash's unique battle style never ceases to amaze me," Cilan said while crossing his arms against his chest. From when he first met Ash in Unova all the way to now, Cilan had seen a huge improvement in Ash's skills as a trainer. "Using his opponent's own move to free Staraptor was a risky decision but it paid off in the end."

"I know," Clemont agreed as he nodded in approval. "Knowing that Staraptor couldn't fly, Ash used the momentum from the Waterfall to not only launch Staraptor into the air, but to also destroy the ice!"

"So he had it planned out the entire time?" Serena asked while loosening the grip on her ribbon. When she had seen Staraptor go flying, she had grown worried for Ash's pokemon as she didn't have any idea as to what he had planned.

"Yes, Ash's spicy style of battling had him devise a plan to rid Staraptor of that pesky ice along with powering up Aerial Ace for one attack. If you noticed, the way Staraptor spun following the attack allowed him to carry the momentum into the Aerial Ace," Cilan explained to the group next to him.

"Yeah," Clemont said while fixing his glasses. He too had picked up on Staraptor's movements and noticed something peculiar about them. "Normally an Aerial Ace like that wouldn't effect Gyarados to the degree that it did. But, thanks to the speed and power behind it, Gyarados took more of a beating than either it or Siebold expected.

* * *

"Staraptor!" Ash called out to the flying type as it flew away from Gyarados before circling back around. "Get in close with a Brave Bird! Put everything you have behind it as well!" He cried out with the sound of excitement evident in his voice.

"Staraptor!" The Predator Pokemon cried in agreement as he circled around Gyarados. Once in a good location for an attack, Staraptor performed a backflip in midair before flying straight at the water and flying type. Picking up speed, Staraptor burst into blue flames as a direct hit appeared imminent.

"Dodge it!" Siebold yelled out calmly as the Atrocious pokemon got back up. "Now, into the water to hide!" Gyarados followed through on the order as it quickly dove into the lake and hid in it. "Now you won't be able to land a hit while we hide underwater."

"That's what you think!" Ash countered as he threw a fist forward. The sudden declaration had actually surprised Siebold, causing the Elite Four member to take a step back. "Staraptor, speed up with a Quick Attack! Dive right in after Gyarados!"

Staraptor signaled in agreement before a trail of white light appeared behind his flaming body. If he was moving fast before, Staraptor was now moving at a speed many in attendance had never seen before. Diving in right after Gyarados, the Predator Pokemon caused a huge splash as he slammed right into the lake. Disappearing into the lake, Ash waited for any sign of his flying type.

"It appears that your attack burned just like a meal that is left alone for too long," Siebold commented while both trainers waited for any signs of Staraptor. "Perhaps you were planning too far ahead before having all the needed ingredients."

Siebold immediately stopped talking once he noticed a small section of the lake fill with ripples. Ash noticed it as well and a smirk crossed his face.

"I believe in my pokemon and know they can follow through!" Ash cried out as Staraptor burst through the water while the flames from Brave Bird died down. But, what really surprised everyone was the fact that Gyarados was draped around Staraptor's body like a rag. "See! I knew Staraptor would come through!"

Siebold didn't appear to be worried at all as he watched the Predator Pokemon fly through the sky carrying Gyarados. Watching, Siebold noticed Gyarados raise its head.

"I wouldn't get too confident, Ash," Siebold responded as a smirk flashed across his face. Raising his left hand up, Siebold pointed up at Gyarados. "This will teach you to not judge a dish just by looks alone! Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"

"What!" Ash yelled out as he watched the Atrocious Pokemon lift its head up. From its position of being right on top of Staraptor, there was no way the water and flying type would miss its target.

Before Ash could even issue a counter command, the black and purple blast erupted from Gyarados' mouth and smashed right into Staraptor's back. The Predator Pokemon was blasted downwards toward the field as Gyarados floated above and watched.

"Staraptor, you need to straighten out!" Ash yelled to his falling pokemon, but it didn't seem to faze him. Ash could only watch as Staraptor's falling body crashed into the lake before floating back to the surface. "No! Staraptor!"

"Staraptor is unable to battle! The winner is Gyarados!" The referee declared as Ash recalled his defeated flying type.

"Thank you, Staraptor. Now take a nice rest," Ash told the Predator Pokemon as he clipped his pokeball onto his belt. Grabbing his third pokeball, Ash enlarged it as he threw it forward. "Glalie, I choose you!"

* * *

"Glalie!?" Ash's friends cried out in confusion. They were all thinking the same thought, but no one was saying it out loud.

Finally, Bonnie decided to break the silence. "Why would he choose Glalie? I thought Clemont told me that ice types aren't effective against water types."

"They're normally not, Bonnie," Cilan answered as he gripped his chin. "It is a peculiar blend of flavors but perhaps Ash has a plan for Glalie."

* * *

"Hmm, quite an interesting choice if I may say so," Siebold stated as Gyarados floated down in front of him. Placing one hand on his hip, Siebold then pointed towards the field. "But, right now you're in no condition for such a crazy idea."

"Type matchups don't bother me at all! Besides, I've made some crazier choices!" Ash shot back before laughing at some of his old battles. "Just you wait, I think Glalie will surprise you!"

"Very well, surprise me with whatever you have cooking up in your brain," Siebold responded as he gave a cold stare at Glalie. "But, it won't hold a candle to the dish I'm about to serve. Gyarados, start off with Waterfall!"

Gyarados immediately burst into a geyser of water as the Atrocious Pokemon roared straight for Glalie. Despite the strength that was apparent behind the attack, Ash and Glalie didn't seem to be worried one bit at all. Instead, the duo appeared to be smiling at the challenge.

"Just as we practiced, Glalie!" Ash yelled while pumping his fists upward. This attack had been a pain in his side not too long ago for the trainer and he figured that it would be helpful for his battles with the Elite Four. "Gyro Ball! And don't back down!"

"Glalie," the Face Pokemon grunted in agreement before spinning at an alarming rate. As he did so, a grey aura surrounded Glalie's entire body as a white light surrounded the aura. Ash smirked as he watched Gyarados crash right against his spinning pokemon only to be met in a stalemate.

"Come on, Glalie! I know you can push Gyarados back! Show them all your strength," he cheered the ice type on as Glalie appeared to be growing stronger the longer he was spinning. Ash watched on with now grit teeth as he could hear the two attacks shredding against each other, neither side willing to back down. Then, to his excitement, Ash noticed how Gyarados was tiring out to the point that Glalie could overpower him. "Now!"

Just as Ash yelled out to the Face Pokemon, Glalie followed through on the command and pushed forward. The momentum of the attack managed to catch Gyarados off guard and pushed him backwards until the Atrocious Pokemon was pinned between a rock structure and a spinning Glalie.

Seeing that the rock structure was about to collapse due to the force from the attack, Ash quickly called off the attack as Glalie stopped spinning and floated back towards Ash. The trainer appeared to have timed it perfectly as once Glalie was away, the rock structure collapsed onto Gyarados.

"Gyarados! Van you continue battling?" Siebold asked as the water and flying pokemon easily tossed the broken rocks off of its body. Nodding in approval, Siebold understood what had to be done. "Okay, Gyarados! Hyper Beam, let's go!"

"We won't back down either!" Ash replied as he threw a fist forward. Gyarados was proving to be a hard opponent for him. "Ice Beam, Glalie!"

Both pokemon launched off their respective attacks as they met in the middle of the field and collided. The two blasts exploded upon impact, shaking the entire stadium and causing the lake to spill over onto the stadium floor. Both pokemon were thrown backwards by the blast as they both collided with the stadium's wall. Smoke filled the entire battlefield, making it impossible to see anything at all.

Ash however had decided to stop trying to look for his opponent and instead listened for them. Hearing a splashing sound, Ash knew exactly what Siebold had planned and couldn't allow them any time to try and rest up before then. Rubbing his nose, Ash let out a light chuckle. "You know; I wasn't expecting to need this attack so soon but here goes! Glalie, Freeze-Dry!"

Glalie opened his mouth as a chilling breeze filled the entire stadium. Then, a large blast of ice erupted from his mouth which surprised everyone. Instead of a concentrated blast like Ice Beam, this attack was wide spread as the ice spread over the entire field freezing all of the water and marshland frozen solid.

"No way," Siebold stated, sounding surprised by the sudden change in the field. His marshland that contained countless waterways was now completely frozen and to make matters worse, Gyarados was stuck under the water. "Still, there is always a way to cook a masterpiece even when things start to go bad. A great chef doesn't panic under pressure and I surely won't! Gyarados, use Waterfall!"

"Glalie, you use a Gyro Ball attack again!" Ash cried out as he watched Gyarados smash right through the frozen lake with ease, but just as he thought, the hole was immediately frozen over. Glalie, likewise had begun spinning as the grey aura surrounded his body.

The two pokemon collided once again as a loud screeching sound could be heard from their collision. Looking down from the stands, the audience could see smoke rising off of the point of impact and could only applaud as the two pokemon wouldn't back down. Despite their fatigue, both pokemon stood their ground in this battle of strength until they both jumped backwards to catch a breath.

"Ice Beam!"

"Hyper Beam!"

The two trainers issued their similar commands as the two attacks collided once again. This time, the two beams appeared to merge together as a large ball of energy formed in between the two attacking pokemon, growing in size as the two attacks continued on. Finally reaching its breaking point, the sphere erupted in an explosion and blew both pokemon backwards. Both trainers watched as their pokemon crashed through the frozen rock structures and smashed into the stadium walls once more. This time however, both pokemon remained slouched over and unable to continue on.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle! Siebold shall select his next pokemon first!" The referee declared as both trainers recalled their pokemon to their pokeballs.

"Now it all makes sense," Clemont muttered as he watched Glalie be returned to his pokeball. "Ash had chosen Glalie to freeze over the entire field. This way, Siebold and his pokemon couldn't use the waterways located all over the field as an escape passage."

"Not only that," Serena started to say as she recalled Glalie using Gyro Ball. "But it seemed like Ash was using Wulfric's strategy of Gyro Ball to slow down Gyarados during that last battle."

"Alright, for our next dish, I choose Barbaracle!" Siebold called out as he tossed a pokeball into the air. Emerging from it was none other than the water and rock type pokemon.

"Alright, then, Heracross, I choose you!" Ash decided on as he tossed out his fourth pokemon. He was already down three while Siebold had four remaining and so Ash knew he had to play it smart. "Okay, Heracross, start off with a Horn Attack!"

"Hera!" The Single Horn Pokemon cried out as the horn on his head glowed white. The bug and fighting type then rushed right towards his opponent, surprising them with his sudden burst of speed.

"Barbaracle, block it with your X-Scissor attack!" Siebold countered as he snapped his fingers together. Raising his two arms, Barbaracle placed them over each other in an X shape as they started to glow a light blue.

Heracross was now in front of the Collective Pokemon and rammed his horn forward only to have it blocked by the X-Scissor attack. As was present in the previous battle, both pokemon appeared to be locked in a stalemate with neither side willing to back down. Due to the icy field however, both pokemon started to lose their footing before sliding backwards from their attacks.

"Get right back in there with Megahorn, Heracross!" Ash commanded while throwing his right fist forward. They needed to play to their strengths right now which was getting in real close and fighting from there.

"Hera!" The bug and fighting type cried out joyously as his horn glowed a light green this time. Opening his wings from his back, Heracross sped across the field while flying through the air.

"Block it with another X-Scissor!" Siebold countered as Barbaracle crossed his arms into the shape of an X. However, Heracross wasn't aiming for the pokemon, but instead the ground was his target. Ducking underneath his opponent's attack, the Single Horn Pokemon rammed his Megahorn attack right into the frozen field underneath Barbaracle's feet.

"Now send him flying!" Ash yelled, sweeping his right arm across his body as a smirk of adrenaline covered his face. Grunting from the exhaustion of the command, Heracross used all of his strength as the entire ground below Barbaracle shattered.

Before Siebold even knew it, Barbaracle was now airborne and spinning around aimlessly while Heracross was in the air flying right after the Collective Pokemon with his horn still glowing a light green.

"Barbaracle, brace yourself!" Siebold warned the water and rock type as Heracross approached him. In their current situation, there was no way for a counter attack and instead they had to just hope for the best. Watching as Heracross rammed his large horn down onto Barbaracle's head, Siebold could do nothing as his pokemon crashed down onto the icy field.

"Let's end this, Heracross," Ash stated confidently as he watched Barbaracle get up slowly. The water and rock type looked to be badly beaten from that last strike and so they needed to finish him off right away. "Hyper Beam!"

Heracross slammed his arms down onto the ground as he reared his large horn right at Barbaracle. The appendix was now glowing a bright white as a large amount of energy was being absorbed into the horn. Finally full, the light died down as Heracross fired off the large blast.

Despite the situation at hand, Siebold didn't seem to be worried at all. Standing there without even a sign of nervousness, the Elite Four member sighed. "Barbaracle, block their attack with Stone Edge," he said with a wave of his hand. Ash had battled much better than this, but he had gotten too overconfident and let it get the better of him.

"Barbara," the Collective Pokemon cried out while slamming his hands into the ground. Pillars of light blue rocks emerged as they appeared to shield the pokemon from the incoming attack. Standing behind them, Barbaracle watched as the Hyper Beam smashed straight into his rocks, but flew off around them once it had made contact.

Ash grit his teeth as he watched his plan fail before taking a quick look at Heracross. The bug and fighting type appeared to be panting heavily and Ash also knew he needed to rest as well following a Hyper Beam. Things weren't looking good for the due at the moment and that was when Ash realized he had fallen right into Siebold's plan.

"Now, Barbaracle, deliver that Stone Edge to Heracross before his meal gets cold!" Siebold called out as Barbaracle slammed his fists into his own Stone Edge. Then, within an instant the rocks were flying across the field having been hit right at Heracross. "And follow it up with a Razor Shell!" He commanded as Barbaracle ran right behind the rocks, his two arms glowing blue as they stiffened and grew in size.

Ash watched as his pokemon was being battered by the incoming rocks and could only grit his teeth in frustration. There was nothing he could do until Heracross was ready to continue. Then, just in the nick of time he saw that Heracross was fully rested.

"Alright, deflect those rocks with Megahorn!" Ash called out, gracious that Heracross was able to still go at it. Swinging his large horn around, Heracross deflected the remaining rocks from the Stone Edge only to be met by Barbaracle's Razor Shell to the face. "Heracross!" Ash yelled out in concern as the Single Horn Pokemon slid across the icy field. Looking up after seeing Heracross struggle to his feet, Ash saw as Barbaracle was running right at them again. "Heracross, you need to block that attack with Megahorn!"

"Please, that won't work on us again," Siebold stated confidently as he snapped his fingers. He then pointed his hand out to the field with an open palm facing up towards the sky. "Barbaracle's ability is Tough Claws where all physical attacks are much stronger. So your Heracross doesn't stand a chance," he said while Heracross was blown away once again.

"That doesn't matter!" Ash shot back as he clenched his fists and held them down by his sides. He wasn't going to lose; he wasn't going to give up! There had to be a way around Barbaracle. "An ability doesn't make the pokemon! I believe in Heracross to pull through and that's just what he'll do! Now, get in close with Horn Attack!" Ash commanded as he fixed his hat.

Heracross was already off as his horn started to glow white. The entire crowd was loving this battle, but Siebold himself wasn't that impressed by how Ash was battling.

Sighing once more, the chef waved his hand before speaking. "Go for another Razor Shell attack, Barbaracle," he said without any interest. The boy how had some of the best League battles this year was starting to disappoint Siebold after an impressive start to their battle.

The two pokemon met once more as their two attacks clashed against each other. This time however, Ash had been correct. The determination inside of Heracross was proving to be all that was needed to compensate for the difference in power and Siebold was actually impressed now. He had to take back what he just said when given the chance.

Ash just smirked at the sight before him. Heracross was holding his own just like he thought, but now it was time to take advantage of their little stalemate. "Low Sweep, let's go!" He called out while Heracross swept Barbaracle's legs out from underneath him. The attack had caught both Siebold and his pokemon by surprise as he watched the Collective Pokemon crash onto the icy ground. "Now, Heracross, end it with a Horn Attack!"

"Catch it," Siebold countered quickly, much to Ash's shock. Moving his arms in a fast manner, Barbaracle caught the attacking pokemon's horn and stopped Heracross in his tracks. Getting back up off of the ground, Barbaracle kept Heracross suspended off of the ground before tossing him across the field. "And Stone Edge!"

"Bar!" Barbaracle grunted before slamming his arms into the ground. A large pillar of stone once more appeared out of the ground, but unlike last time it hadn't surrounded Barbaracle. Instead, it appeared in the exact spot Heracross was heading for. Without any time to react, Heracross crashed right into the Stone Edge before slouching over on the ground.

"Heracross is unable to battle! The winner is Barbaracle!" The referee declared as Ash recalled his defeated pokemon.

Looking over at Barbaracle, Ash could see just how tired the water and rock type pokemon was but also knew he couldn't risk anything as well. He was down to just two pokemon by this point and needed both of them to deliver with everything they had.

"Thank you, Heracross," Ash said as he placed his pokeball back onto his clip. "You fought extremely well against Barbaracle, take a nice rest." He then reached for his fifth pokeball, knowing that he needed to go all out right from the start. Tossing it forward, Ash yelled out. "Greninja, I choose you!"

"Gren!" The Ninja Pokemon cried out as he landed on the icy field. Looking across from him, Greninja locked eyes with his opponent as they entered a stare down. The two water pokemon didn't separate their gazes until Ash finally called out to Greninja.

"You ready to do this together, Greninja!?" Ash asked as they both pumped their fists while crying out in agreement at the same time. A geyser of water then surrounded Greninja as Siebold only watched on in amazement. Within no time, the water died down as it moved for Greninja's back and formed a giant water shuriken.

"They're using Ash-Greninja!" Bonnie cried out happily as she jumped out of her seat. "Siebold's in trouble now. Greninja is going to beat all of his pokemon."

"Ash-Greninja?" Cilan asked as he tilted his head in confusion. He could see some similarities between the duo but he didn't know where the name originated from.

Clemont noticed the Connoisseur's confused look and decided to explain. "Well, you see, we didn't know what to call this unique transformation and so Bonnie coined it 'Ash-Greninja'. You see, the duo not only look similar, but their actions are in sync as well."

Cilan nodded in agreement as he watched the duo down on the field. He could see that even the slightest movements such as raising an arm were in sync with each other. "Such a unique name for a unique transformation. Never before in all my travels have I seen a form such as this. It truly leaves a distinct flavor of power just from watching him transform."

"This is nothing, just wait until the battle actually starts," Serena said as everyone could hear Ash issue the first command.

"Greninja, start off with Aerial Ace!" Ash yelled out as he threw an open palm out towards the field. Greninja wasted no time at all as he moved so fast across the icy field that it appeared as though he was running across thin air. Siebold watched on in shock as the water and dark type vanished from his sight only to reappear right as he slammed his right foot down on top of Barbaracle's head.

The Collective Pokemon was pushed back by the attack, but had no time to catch its breath as Greninja was coming at it again. Barbaracle had just enough time between the attacks to raise its hands to block the second strike, but was unable to block the third as the water and rock type felt Greninja's foot smash right underneath its chin.

"Barbaracle, are you alright?" Siebold asked as his pokemon was having a hard time getting back up. The fight against Heracross must have tired it out more than Siebold had expected. Plus, he had never expected Greninja to be this strong. There was just no way to truly prepare for it even after watching the water and dark type on TV during the League.

"Bar... Barbaracle," the Collective Pokemon grunted out as it stood back up. Bruises and scrapes covered its entire body but the water and rock type wasn't ready to back down just yet.

"Alright, let's serve them a Stone Edge!" Siebold commanded as Barbaracle slammed its hands into the ground as pillars of stones shot up out of the ground and straight for Greninja.

"Don't worry!" Ash yelled out as both himself and Greninja appeared to be reaching behind their backs. "We have a plan to win this in one hit! Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded as they both motioned to throw the shuriken over their shoulders. Ash and Greninja watched on in excitement as the Water Shuriken blasted all of the incoming stones to pieces before it slammed right into a stunned Barbaracle. The attack didn't stop there however, instead, Barbaracle was pushed backwards until the Collective Pokemon was slammed into the stadium wall.

"Barbaracle is unable to battle! The winner is Greninja!" The referee declared as Siebold just stared at the defeated pokemon in shock.

"Bar... Barbaracle..." Siebold muttered as he felt himself sweating just a bit. He had only seen this kind of power once but that had belonged to the Champion, Diantha, herself. To actually face off against something of this magnitude was something else completely. "He defeated us... With just one hit..." He continued on before recalling the defeated pokemon. Knowing that strength alone couldn't beat a pokemon of Greninja's caliber, Siebold reached for his fourth pokemon. "Lapras, you're up!"

The Transport Pokemon landed on the icy field with a loud thud as Greninja watched the water and ice type look around the field. To both Ash and Greninja, their newest opponent didn't look like much of a battler but they both knew better than to assume it.

"Greninja, start off with a Night Slash!" Ash commanded as Greninja broke into another hard sprint. The water and dark type made his way across the ice, careful not to slip on it, before reaching his opponent. Pulling his hands back towards his waist, the Ninja Pokemon pulled out two purple kunai as he slashed them forward and against Lapras.

The Transport Pokemon just sat there and took the hits head on. It appeared that no matter how many times Greninja hit Lapras, the water and Ice type wouldn't budge. Ash and Greninja were both growing frustrated at how sturdy Lapras was proving to be while Siebold on the other hand was smirking.

"Now, cool down our guests with a Freeze-Dry attack!" He ordered as the command shocked Ash. He wasn't expecting Lapras to know an attack like that. There was no time to warn Greninja either, as right when the Ninja Pokemon went to slash across Lapras with another Night Slash, the Transport Pokemon released the chilling wave of ice.

Greninja was thrown backwards from the attack as he rolled across the frozen surface before sliding to a stop in front of Ash. Knowing how important today was, Greninja hopped back up immediately before rushing right at Lapras again.

"That's right, we'll grow even stronger together if need be!" Ash cried out as Greninja sprinted right for the remnants of the attack. Bracing himself against the icy conditions, Greninja jumped out of the attack as his hands and feet started to glow white. "Aerial Ace!"

"Gren! Greninja!" The water and dark type yelled out in agreement as he landed a barrage of punches and kicks on his opponent. One after the other, Greninja's appendixes flew right into Lapras' body as the water and ice type once again took each of the blows with ease.

"Now, let us give some refreshments," Siebold stated while smirking at Ash. Once again, the trainer from Pallet Town had fallen into one of his plans. "Use Hydro Pump!"

"Quick, get out of there with Double Team!" Ash yelled while swinging his left arm across his entire body. The command had been just in time as once Lapras opened its mouth to launch the large stream of water, dozens of Greninja copies appeared around the battlefield. Luckily Lapras missed its target, but over half of the copies were destroyed from the attack. "Now, Night Slash!"

The remaining Greninja all flew right in at Lapras as they all pulled out purple kunai from their waist area. Moving in, they all got prepared to swipe at their opponent when a sudden command shocked them.

"Protect," Siebold issued calmly as a large blue barrier surrounded his Lapras. All of the Greninja just bounced off harmlessly as the command managed to protect Lapras from all of the attacks Siebold however just sat there smirking as once he saw the Protect end, he knew he had Ash right where he wanted him. Watching the Greninja all run back towards Lapras, the Elite Four member raised his hand towards the sky. "Perish Song!"

"Perish Song!?" Ash called out as the Transport Pokemon opened its mouth and released a high pitched sound that forced Ash and Greninja to both cover their ears. Once the sound died down, nothing appeared to be wrong but Ash couldn't shake the feeling that something was now wrong. "Greninja, are you alright?" Ash asked as he looked over the Ninja Pokemon.

"I wouldn't be worrying about anything right now," Siebold spoke out calmly. Looking over the situation, the chef could tell that Lapras was beyond tired but he needed it to hold out for just a little bit longer. "Perish Song won't take effect for another three turns. But once that time passes, then both pokemon shall faint on the spot."

"What kind of move is that!?" Ash asked as he looked at Siebold. He wasn't sure what to expect after hearing that Siebold had practically just used his pokemon to set up a move that would get rid of his own without actually planning on using Lapras. "Who would purposely let their pokemon faint?"

"It is necessary for a strategy," Siebold stated as he pointed a hand over at Lapras. "Think of it as a cook off. You need to know what dishes you'll sacrifice so that your main course will star. In my case, none of my pokemon bar Blastoise can hold a candle to this 'Ash-Greninja' and so Lapras was needed to get it out of the picture. It is nothing more than playing the long game in this match."

"Well, Greninja will defeat all of your pokemon in one hit so it won't matter how many turns we have remaining!" Ash cried out as he pumped his right fist forward. Greninja appeared to be in agreement as he shifted his body to look exactly as his trainer did at that moment. "Get in close and Night Slash!"

"Gren!" The Ninja Pokemon cried out as he waved his two purple kunai through the air. He wasn't too sure about how this Perish Song attack worked, but the water and dark type knew he had to move quickly and attack with everything he had. Now in front of Lapras, Greninja struck the Transport Pokemon with all of his might and actually managed to move the large pokemon backwards.

"We can't stop, Greninja! Keep going at them with everything you have!" Ash cheered on his pokemon as they both knew the clock was ticking on them. Moving in for another attack, only to be blocked by a barrier.

"Excellent Protect, Lapras," Siebold said approvingly as he clapped his hands together. Now, he knew that there was only one turn left before Perish Song would activate and there was nothing Ash could do. "Keep Greninja at bay with a Hydro Pump!"

Gritting his teeth, Ash watched as Greninja could only jump above the stream of water and do nothing else. Wanting to finish this battle off right now, Ash clenched his fists together. "Okay, let's end it now! Water Shuriken!"

"Gren... Ninja!" Greninja cried out as he threw the attack with all of his might. Ash and Greninja both watched on with excitement and joy as the ninja star crashed right into Lapras. Their joy died down immediately however upon seeing the attack absorbed into Lapras' body.

"That was an excellent idea, but with Water Absorb being Lapras' ability, all water type moves only heal it," Siebold explained as a chime noise could be heard through the stadium. "And now the dinner bell is ringing!" He explained as both pokemon on the field immediately fainted.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle! Please choose your next pokemon!" The referee declared as both trainers recalled their defeated pokemon. Things weren't looking good for Ash know as he was down to his last pokemon while Siebold still had two remaining.

"Alright, you're up now!" Siebold declared as he tossed a pokeball forward. Opening up, the pokemon that emerged from it was none other than a Clawitzer.

Gritting his teeth out of nervousness, Ash reached for his sixth and final pokeball. "I'm counting on you! Sceptile, I choose you!" Ash yelled out as he threw the capture device forward. Opening, the pokeball revealed Ash's final pokemon to be his Sceptile. "you ready, Sceptile?"

"Sceptile!" The Forest Pokemon cried out as he landed on the icy field with a loud thud. The last battle he had been in didn't end in the way he wanted and he was more than ready to make up for it.

"Great! Let's start off with a Leaf Blade!" Ash declared as Sceptile charged forward as the blades on his arms stiffened and glowed a shade of green. Racing across the field, the Forest Pokemon was in front of Clawitzer before the water type even knew it.

"Quick, block it with Crabhammer!" Siebold countered as the Howitzer Pokemon raised his right claw as it started to be covered in a jet of water. Raising it up, Clawitzer blocked the Leaf Blade before rearing back and smacking Sceptile on the side of his body. "Now, keep at it with a Dragon Pulse!"

Sceptile was now sliding across the icy terrain as he noticed a bright purple light heading his way. Looking up, the distinct shape of a large purple dragon appeared to be getting ready to crash down on him. Bracing himself for impact, the Forest Pokemon was sent flying once more as his speed also picked up.

Ash had noticed not only the attack, but also how fast Sceptile was gliding across the ice now. Getting a quick idea, Ash decided to try it out. "Sceptile, I think I have an idea on how we can win! Just continue gliding across the ice and make sure you take the next blast!" The command appeared to confuse Sceptile, but he also knew that Ash wouldn't ask for anything other than what he knew his pokemon were capable of.

Siebold also was confused by Ash's command and could only watch as it appeared that Sceptile was skating circles around Clawitzer by this point. "Fine, if he wants to lose then we'll end it here! Dragon Pulse once more!"

"Okay, Sceptile, start running as fast as you can!" Ash commanded once he saw the attack blasted at his pokemon. Sceptile nodded in agreement as he had an understanding of what was going to happen. Running as fast as he could on the ice, Sceptile positioned himself so that the Dragon Pulse would hit him in the back. And upon impact, just as Ash had thought, Sceptile was launched across the entire field at a speed even faster than Greninja had moved. "Now end this with a turbo-charged Leaf Blade!"

"Sceptile!" The Forest Pokemon cried out as the blades on his arms grew in size. They then started to glow green right as the grass type reached his opponent. Slicing right through Clawitzer, Sceptile was amazed that the water type was hanging onto his blade still. Smirking, the grass type launched him up and into the sky.

"Now, use Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded as Sceptile jumped up after the now falling water type as his claws grew in size and appeared to take on the distinct look of a dragon's. Now eye level with the Clawitzer, Sceptile slammed his claws down onto the water type's back and watched as it smashed into the ground.

"Clawitzer is unable to battle! The winner is Sceptile!" The referee declared as Siebold recalled the defeated pokemon.

"Ash, I have to admit, that was a gutsy move back there. Using my own attack to increase Sceptile's own speed and give his attacks greater momentum," Siebold started to say as he grabbed his last pokeball. "But at what cost? Sceptile appears exhausted from taking those direct hits and I still have a fully rested pokemon. Go, Blastoise!" Siebold yelled as he tossed the pokeball out.

Ash watched as the water type landed with a loud thud on the field, making both Ash and Sceptile momentarily lose their balance. Once they were good, Ash noticed just how heavy Sceptile was actually panting now. They were going to have to attack early and often.

"Well, Sceptile isn't one to back down from a fight and neither am I!" Ash yelled out as he raised a fist over his head before pointing it at Blastoise. "Sceptile, get in close and use Leaf Blade!"

"Scep!" Sceptile yelled out in agreement as the blades on his arms grew in size once he started to run at Blastoise. Once he was within striking distance, Sceptile slashed downwards only to feel his attack be caught.

"Excellent work, Blastoise," Siebold stated while pointing towards the field. "Now give it a good toss!" Blastoise nodded in agreement as he picked Sceptile completely up off of the ground before tossing him straight up in a manner similar to what Sceptile had just previously done. Watching Sceptile flail around, Blastoise lowered his guard for a split second.

"Leaf Storm!" Ash called out in that split second. Doing so gave Sceptile the perfect opening to attack his opponent. Turning around in midair, Sceptile pointed his tail right at Blastoise as an entire tornado of leaves was created. The vortex shot straight down before crashing into the water type ad pinning him to the ground, unable to move a muscle.

"Hmm, you truly are quite skilled," Siebold said as he reached for his tie. Ash knew what was coming now and braced himself for it. "It's time for you to see my specialty. Blastoise, Mega Evolve!" He yelled while touching the Keystone embedded in his tie.

A bright light emitted from the Keystone as the Mega Stone on Blastoise's head glowed as well. Ash could do nothing but cover his eyes to keep from going blind and by the time the light finally died down, Ash saw the now Mega Evolved Blastoise standing in the middle of the Leaf Storm.

"Now, Ice Beam, Blastoise!" Siebold commanded while snapping his fingers. Pointing his three cannons up at Sceptile, Blastoise fired off the three streams of frozen energy as the leaves surrounding him were frozen just from being near the blast.

"Sceptile, block it with Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled up to his grass type. He didn't know if it would work, but he had to try something. Turning his entire body back around, Sceptile ended the Leaf Storm so that his front was now falling towards Blastoise.

"Tile!" Sceptile cried out as he raised his two arms in front of his body. His claws then grew in size as they managed to cover the grass type's entire body. Sceptile then held this pose as he fell straight into the Ice Beam, managing to block the entire blast as he fell right through it. Once in striking distance, Sceptile slashed his claws against Blastoise as he knocked the water type off balance.

"Into your shell, Blastoise and then use Hydro Pump!" Siebold commanded as the Shellfish Pokemon retracted into his shell with the exception of his cannons. Now protected from Sceptile's barrage of Dragon Claws. Blasting water right into Sceptile, the grass type was blown backwards as the assault continued. "Continue the attack! But also add in Ice Beam!"

"Toise!" Blastoise grunted as he shot off the streams of water followed by the blasts of ice. The two attacks combined together as the frozen stream of water continuously bashed Sceptile until he was down on one knee.

"Stop, Blastoise!" Siebold called out, causing the Mega Evolved Pokemon to cease his attack. Looking over at Sceptile, Siebold could tell he was at his limits. "Ash, I do not wish to permanently harm your pokemon. I recommend forfeiting the battle before something irreversible happens.

Ash looked over at Sceptile and noticed just how tired he was. Panting, the grass type was on one knee as he tried to catch his breath, but he wasn't ready to give up. Staring right at Ash, he spoke up. "Sceptile! Sceptile, scept!"

Ash noticed the look in Sceptile's eyes and understood exactly what he wanted. Shaking his head, Ash let out a light chuckle. "Sorry, Siebold. But my pokemon worked too hard for this, Sceptile wants to continue going until he can't fight any longer! Now, Leaf Blade!"

"I'm disappointed you said that," Siebold said, sounding genuinely disappointed in their decision. "Blastoise, use Dragon Pulse!" Blastoise lowered his cannons as he aimed right for Sceptile before firing the attack. Once locked on, three large purple dragons were launched right at Sceptile, but the grass type wasn't fazed by it.

"We won't give up! We can't give up! All of our dreams are resting on this! All our hard work, the countless hours put into our training! We will find a way to win!" Ash yelled as Sceptile ran straight for the Dragon Pulse. "Now jump!"

"Tile!" Sceptile screeched out as he leapt right over the top of the three headed Dragon Pulse and continued his descent right for Blastoise. Slashing his arms across Blastoise's chest, Sceptile managed to land a direct hit on the Mega Evolution and went back in for a second round.

"Quick, Skull Bash!" Siebold issued the command following the second swipe. Blastoise immediately lowered his head and rammed it into the grass type as he went flying around the field before crashing into a frozen rock. "And now finish it with Ice Beam!" The blast was launched immediately, giving Sceptile no time to recover from his previous hit. The grass type felt the coldness sweep through his body as ice started to form around him. Once finished, the grass type couldn't move a single muscle as he had been frozen solid.

"Sceptile!" Ash yelled out as he saw the grass type frozen solid. There had to be a way to get out of this situation. "I know you can hear me, Sceptile! I just know that you won't give up without a fight. So please, I'm asking of you to break free, Sceptile."

"There is no way he'll break free," Siebold stated as he got ready to have the referee make the call. He had frozen Sceptile so that the match could end without any serious injuries occurring. "You gave it your best, but it wasn't good enough."

"No," Ash stated back calmly. He knew Sceptile could continue on, Sceptile wasn't someone who would just give up easily. "Sceptile! I know you can break free! I believe in you!"

Siebold just watched on in annoyance. There was no way Sceptile could break free from his icy restraint in his current condition. But, to Siebold's shock a green light appeared to be coming from the ice. Then, to Siebold's complete shock, the entire pillar of ice shattered as ice went flying off in every direction.

"Sceptile!" The Forest Pokemon cried out in determination. The green light from before was now present on Sceptile's body, his ability having been activated following that last attack. He appeared to have a look of determination in his eyes as he stared down Blastoise.

"I knew you could break free!" Now, let's start off with Leaf Blade!" Ash cried out and within an instant Sceptile was gone. Siebold couldn't even afford to blink, otherwise he risked losing sight of the speedy Sceptile. "Now!" Ash yelled as if he was timing the strikes. They both knew it was only a matter of time before Sceptile collapsed from fatigue and they needed to finish this fight off first.

"Tile!" Sceptile screamed as he slashed across Blastoise's body before retreating back into his circle. The pattern continued as both Siebold and Blastoise tried to track Sceptile only for Ash to issue an attack and have the duo be unable to see where Sceptile was coming from.

"Blastoise are you alright?" Siebold asked as he noticed his Mega Evolution panting while kneeling. The constant barrage of attacks had taken their toll, but they also knew that Sceptile was at his breaking point. Seeing Blastoise stand back up, Siebold decided to end this battle. "Use Ice Beam and fire it in every direction!"

Ash grit his teeth together upon hearing this command. Sooner or later they would hit Sceptile and then it would be over. Knowing he had to make a move, Ash played his hand. "Sceptile, Leaf Storm!"

"Sceptile," the grass type muttered while panting. Turning his tail at the approaching Ice Beam, Sceptile started up the vortex of leaves. Normally, the duo would know they were at a disadvantage but thanks to Overgrow they felt they had a shot. Both Ash and Sceptile watched as the Leaf Storm collided with the Ice Beam and created a standstill. Knowing that this was their best chance, they needed to take it.

"Now, Sceptile, run right into the Leaf Storm with Leaf Blade!" Knowing they had to time this perfectly, Sceptile stopped the attack while it was at its strongest and ran right at the vortex as the blades on his arms grew in size. This time, they had extended to an even longer length thanks to Overgrow and both Ash and Sceptile were going to use it to their advantage.

Jumping into the Leaf Storm, Sceptile allowed the attack to carry him as he spun in a circle real fast. To those watching, Sceptile was starting to look just like a plane's propeller fur to his body's motion and the length of the Leaf Blade. As the Leaf Storm weakened, Sceptile felt his entire body launched forward and crash right into the Ice Beam. Slicing through it with ease, Sceptile was now on a one-way trip for Blastoise. And everyone knew it.

"Blastoise, brace yourself!" Siebold issued but it was too late. The spinning Sceptile crashed into Blastoise as his circular Leaf Blade struck every inch of the water type's body and sent him rocketing into the stadium wall. "Blastoise!" Siebold yelled in concern, but the only reaction was Blastoise returning to his normal form.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Sceptile is the winner and that means Ash Ketchum, the challenger has defeated Siebold of the Elite Four!" The referee declared as both Ash and Sceptile dropped to the ground from exhaustion. They could hear the cheers from the crowd, but neither one of them could move a muscle.

* * *

"Congratulations, Ash," Siebold stated proudly as he pulled a small medal out of a small black box. "You managed to best me in a full course while delivering a five-star battle to all of my customers. You are deserving of this Water Medal," Siebold explained as he handed the medal over to Ash. It looked similar to his Battle Frontier symbols, but the only difference was that there was an image of a water droplet on the front.

"Thank you, Siebold," Ash said as he grabbed the medal from Siebold's hand and looked at it with excitement. "Alright! I got a Water Medal!" He cried out while placing the medal over his head. His pokemon gathered with him as they all cried out in celebration as well.

"Now, please excuse me, but due tell. Who is the next Member you plan on facing?" Siebold asked as he looked at Ash with an interest.

"Well, we were planning on heading on over to Shalor City and facing Wikstrom next. Right, Pikachu," Ash asked as he looked at his best friend.

"That'll be quite the battle," Siebold commented as he handed over a small rectangular box. "Please, take this as well. This way you'll have a place to store your Medals as you win them. I look forward to hearing about your next three victories."

"Well, you just let the other Elite Four members just what awaits them!" Ash said confidently as he pumped his right fist in front of them.

* * *

"It's time to hit the road again!" Ash cried out as he stretched himself out the next morning. He had wanted to get traveling right away, but his exhaustion had prevented him from doing so.

"Actually, Ash," Serena started to say as she grabbed at her blue ribbon. "I was wondering if we could stop in Geosenge Town first. They're going to be hosting a Pokemon Showcase there."

"Of course we'll stop! Right guys?" Ash asked as he looked over at Clemont and Bonnie. "And we'll be rooting you on the entire time!"

"Of course, there's no way we'd let you miss your Showcase," Clemont said as he walked forward. "We'll make sure to get there early enough so you can be prepared for it."

"And this time you'll win for sure!" Bonnie joined in as Cilan joined them.

"Ah, I've never seen a Pokemon Showcase before," he stated happily as he pictured just what they could be like. "Actually, I was wondering if it was alright with you, do you mind if I travel with you for a while. I want to explore a bit of Kalos before returning home, but I don't really know any major areas. I figured since you all traveled through it before, that you could show me a few places."

"Of course you can come along!" Ash shouted in joy. The others all appeared to be in agreement as well since they all nodded in agreement to Ash's statement. "You'll enjoy Kalos, Cilan. There's a lot of pokemon you can't find anywhere else!"

"Well then let's get going!" Cilan said as he picked up his backpack. Seeing Ash's battle reminded him of just what kind of adventures you could get wrapped up in while with the Pallet Town native. "We've got a Showcase to get to!" He yelled before running out of the Pokemon Center, followed by the others.

* * *

 **Okay, a little longer than usual. So, what did you think of the choices? Not ones you would think for an Elite Four battle. Now, here's my reasoning. Greninja was an obvious choice but I didn't want him to star so I had to include the whole "no switching" rule so that Ash would be caught off guard by Perish Song. Now, Glalie, Heracross and Staraptor were chosen because I felt they have shown in the actual show that they're pretty powerful. Not strong enough to take down an E4's main pokemon, but strong enough to go toe-to-toe with his others... At least under the command of this Ash. That's where Sceptile comes in, I wanted him to star in this battle and hopefully it delivered.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be up sometime between Friday and Monday, I haven't decided yet since I still have to edit it.**

 **Thank you for reading the chapter and supporting this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve this story.**


	28. An Electric Shock Showdown

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we finally saw Ash face off against his first Elite Four member and thanks to Sceptile pulled off a victory when things looked bleak and now the group is making their way to Geosenge Town for Serena's next showcase. This chapter is going to be different since it focuses on neither Ash or Serena for once!**

 **Quick little info for updates for the rest of July! From July 15** **th** **to the 24** **th** **I am going off on vacation and there will be no updates from that time. I'll try to get one more up before then, but if I don't then there will be a double upload on Monday the 25** **th** **. Thanks for understanding!**

 **Ch 28: An Electric Shock Showdown**

* * *

"James, have you figured out what is wrong with that machine yet?" Jessie asked as she flipped a page on her magazine. Following her win at the Vaniville Town Showcase, the three agents had returned to their base to check up on their secret project. "Any reason why the electrical do whats aren't working with the machine a things?"

"Those aren't even real terms!" James argued as he looked at the blueprints. "Now this is odd, Meowth take a look at this old chum," he said while handing the blueprints over to his feline companion. "Tell me if you notice it as well."

"Umm, I think you've been hit one too many times on your noggin," Meowth responded as he placed the blueprints down on the table. "Everything looks to be matching the design perfectly."

James just smirked as he folded his arms across his chest. "I know. This just proves that my machine didn't have any flaws in it after all," he started to brag before getting slapped over the back of the head.

"Well then all mighty mechanical genius, why can't we get this hunk of junk to work?!" Jessie asked as she walked over to the machine, kicking the computer that ran Operation Homonoia out of frustration.

"Don't kick it!" James cried out before quickly checking the machine for any damages. Quickly recomposing himself, James turned on the machine and watched as it started up. "Just like I thought..." he muttered upon the machine only powering up to about a third of its power. "We lack electricity flowing to the machine. But, it isn't on our end. It appears that Lumiose City only provides so much electricity to us and so we'll have to provide the rest of the power manually."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Jessie asked as she got ready to leave the entire room. They were wasting too much time in here and she needed to go win another Showcase.

"Simple!" James replied as he shot a finger up in the air. "Meowth, how are we going to fix this?" He asked, causing his two companions to fall over out of shock from his question.

Recovering from his shock from the stupidity of the question, Meowth stood up and shook his head. "Well, you said we were lacking in that electrical energy. So, I think we might as well collect a lot of powerful electric pokemon to provide a super charged battery for the machine!"

"Oh! I like the way you think, Meowth," James replied as he could already picture building the machine. "Now all we have to do is find some pokemon!"

"No!" Jessie told them as she slammed her foot down on the ground. "First we head to Geosenge Town and I win a Showcase! Then we capture electric pokemon and James can have his fun building a contraption for them!"

"Y-Yes, Jessie!" The other two responded, fear filling their voices. They did not want to get on Jessie's bad side right now.

* * *

"And so these Showcases sound like such elegant and prestigious events, Serena," Cilan replied as he helped clean the table off following their meal. "It would be an honor as a Pokemon Connoisseur to give you and your pokemon an evaluation following your next Showcase."

"Thanks, I'd love to hear what you think of the bonds between myself and my pokemon, Cilan," Serena replied as she looked at her four pokemon. "Of course, Pichu and I haven't been together for as long as the others but we're still close. Right Pichu?"

"Pichu!" The electric type cried out happily as a few volts of electricity sparked from her cheeks.

"Pichu seems to be in quite an excitable mood if I do say so myself," Cilan said while smiling at the young pokemon. He wasn't wrong, as Pichu was already up and moving before all of the others as she ran over to Serena.

"Well, Pichu is excited to be competing in her first Showcase," Serena responded as she picked the baby pokemon up in her arms. "I promised her that she would perform with the rest of us and I'm not going to go back on that."

"But, is it such a good idea?" Clemont asked as he gathered the last of the plates. "Pichu still can't control her electricity that well. What if she loses control again?"

"We'll just have to practice then. Won't we, Pichu?" Serena asked as the baby pokemon replied happily. Serena then turned to face Ash and Pikachu while giving the duo a warm smile. "Pikachu, do you mind helping Pichu practice?"

"Pikachu is more than happy to help, aren't you, buddy?" Ash replied as the duo pumped their fists into the air. "Once we're finished, Pichu will be controlling her electricity like it was nothing!"

"Okay, Pichu, I want you to watch what Pikachu does first and then I want you to try and repeat it," Ash said as he smiled down at the electric type. Moving his gaze from Pichu over to his partner. "Okay, Pikachu, I want you to just build the electricity up inside of you."

"Watch carefully, Pichu," Serena said as she kneeled down next to Pichu. The duo watched on as Pikachu appeared to start charging up an electrical current. "See how he's focusing it all towards one point? You'll have to do it as well."

"You see, Pikachu stores his electricity in his cheeks until it's time to attack," Ash explained as Pikachu then leaped high into the air and released the pent up energy. "Pichu, I now want you to try, ok."

"Ready, Pichu?" Serena asked as she smiled at the Tiny Mouse Pokemon.

"Pichu!" The electric type cried out while pumping her fists in the air. It was more determined than ever to try and control her electricity. Starting to charge up the electricity, everyone watched on as a small charge surrounded her entire body. Them to everyone's surprise, the charge started to make its way over to Pichu's cheeks. That was when things it wrong.

"She's doing it! Pichu's really starting to control her electricity!" Bonnie cheered on happily. Little did she know that her little outburst was the worst thing she could have done.

"Bonnie, no!" Clemont cried out as he tried to cover her mouth. Unfortunately, he was a second too late as Pichu was surprised by the sudden outburst and lost her concentration. Before anyone knew what was happening, they all felt an electrical surge flow through their bodies. "You... never make sudden... noises around a Pichu..." Clemont muttered as he laid on the ground.

"He's right..." Ash joined in as he shook off the electrical shock. He had been through worse attacks from Pikachu, but the others had never felt such a jolt. "Pichu are very excitable and even the slightest noise can cause them to lose their concentration."

"I'm sorry... I didn't know that," Bonnie replied as she hung her head low towards the ground. She felt really bad for ruining Pichu's progress.

Serena just smiled at the young child as Pichu ran up to her and hugged her leg. "It's alright, Bonnie. We all know you didn't mean it."

"I think it would be best if I take Bonnie somewhere else for now," Clemont said as he walked over towards his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That way there aren't any more accidental outbursts. I'll go explore the nearby woods with her."

"That sounds like a recipe for fun," Cilan chimed in as he placed a hand underneath his chin. Thinking of all the Kalos pokemon he might encounter, the Pokemon Connoisseur had a smile on his face. "Is it alright if I join you two. I want to encounter the rare taste that are Kalos pokemon."

"Sure!" Bonnie cried out as she grabbed ahold of the two Gym Leaders and dragged them away. At first, she had wanted to stay, but once she heard about meeting pokemon Bonnie had been more than willing to leave. "Let's go see all the pokemon!"

* * *

"Clemont, you said there would be pokemon out here," Bonnie muttered as she crossed her arms. They had been walking for a good thirty minutes now and there was still no sight of any pokemon at all.

"I know there should be some pokemon around here," Clemont muttered as he looked at his digital map. It had shown that some wild pokemon were native to the area. "I wonder why none of them are showing up."

"Perhaps we're instore for quite the tasty adventure where we'll encounter a rare pokemon," Cilan stated as thoughts of running into a never before seen pokemon ran through his head. "This is half the fun of searching. Never knowing when something will show up."

As if on cue, the small group stopped walking as they heard a rustling come from the bushes next to them. Perhaps they had just stumbled upon a rare pokemon after all. Moving slowly, the group made their way over to the bush and peered inside of it. To their surprise, it looked like two green and yellow canine pokemon were battling it out.

"Woah... Clemont what are they," Bonnie asked excitedly as she remembered to keep her voice down, otherwise she risked the chance of the two pokemon running away.

"Those are Electrike, Bonnie," Clemont responded as he looked at the two pokemon. They both appeared to be well off, but one appeared to be beaten up more than the other. "But I don't understand why they're fighting."

"Hmmm," Cilan chimed in as he watched the duo fight. One of the two Electrike appeared to be shooting off multiple bolts of electricity despite its injuries. "There appears to be a battle over the leadership of a group. Just look at the healthy one. He's shown to keep his composure while obviously being battle tested. No doubt from constant fights for the right to be the leader. However, the younger Electrike never seems to give up."

The group then continued to watch on as the younger Electrike had his attack canceled out by a powerful Thunder. Not one to give up, it then ran forward while a trail of white light followed behind it. The attack never had a chance to land as Electrike was struck down by another powerful Thunder attack.

"He's resilient," Clemont muttered as he watched the now fatigued Electrike try to stand back up. His entire body was covered in burn marks from the constant Thunders and Clemont could tell that he had been constantly hurt. "No matter how many setbacks occur to him, Electrike keeps getting back up ready to prove something."

"Kind of sounds like you, Clemont," Bonnie replied as they watched Electrike get bashed to the ground by an Iron Tail by the elder.

Clemont heard what his sister had said and thought back to all his previous failures. No matter how many times his inventions failed, he was always moving forward and thinking about his next great creation. His failures never held him back and only helped to motivate him that the next one he built would prove he was improving. "Yeah, you're right Bonnie," Clemont muttered while a smile formed across his face. Electrike appeared to be an excellent pokemon.

"It looks to be all over," Cilan said, braking Clemont from his thoughts. Looking over to the battle, the elder was now standing over the beaten and bruised younger Electrike. The younger one appeared to be unconscious as he wasn't moving at all. The whole group watched as the elder appeared ready to slam another Iron Tail down onto the already defeated pokemon.

Clemont couldn't explain his actions at that moment, but within seconds he was standing over the injured Electrike and blocked the final Iron Tail. Feeling the strength of the attack hit him in the back, Clemont fell onto one knee as he continued to shield the young Electrike. The elder just looked on with disgust as he appeared to growl at Clemont, but the inventor didn't care. Electrike was in no condition to continue battling and they both knew it.

"I don't know why you're continuing, but you obviously can tell that this Electrike is in no condition to be battling!" Clemont yelled as he faced the elder. There was no reason to continue at this moment. "Leave him alone!" He continued on before spreading his arms wide to block anything else. He had never felt this urge before, but every thought in his head came back to one common denominator and it was to protect Electrike.

Roaring at Clemont, the elder Electrike continued to glare at the inventor before running off into the woods. He had kept his position and that was all that mattered to him right now. If the other was too weak to make it back to the pack, so be it.

"Clemont, are you okay?" Bonnie asked as she rushed over to her brother. As soon as he heard her voice, Clemont felt the force from that Iron Tail and sat on the ground. "What were you thinking!? Just taking an Iron Tail head on like that is crazy!"

"I... I don't know what came over me," Clemont answered as he looked down at Electrike. The electric type has breathing heavily, no doubt from his injuries. "I just knew that I needed to protect him from that last hit."

"It appears that after spending so much time with Ash, that you've picked up on a few of his qualities," Cilan said as he waved his index finger back and forth through the air. "What you just did screams 'Ash'".

"Well, it doesn't matter right now," Clemont responded as he laid his backpack on the ground. Looking over at Electrike, Clemont knew he needed to do something for him. "Right now Electrike needs some medical help. And with no Pokemon Center nearby we'll have to help him."

"I've got some bandages and ointment for those burns," Cilan responded as he pulled said medical supplies from his bag. "We'll have to be careful while applying them."

"And I've got some Oran Berries to help restore his strength," Clemont added in as he moved the exhausted pokemon onto its side so that he could start to apply the ointment. "Now this is going to sting just a bit..." Clemont muttered as he started to spread the ointment across Electrike's burns.

Clemont wasn't joking when he had said that it was going to burn. As soon as the substance touched Electrike's skin, the electric type jolted awake as he howled out in pain. Looking up, to his surprise were three people tending to him. Not wanting the help, Electrike jumped up off of the ground and started to walk away.

"Electrike, please wait!" Clemont pleaded as he tried to follow the Lightning Pokemon only to be stopped by what he presumed to be a Discharge attack. Being blocked from the pokemon, Clemont shielded his body from any stray blasts. "Don't go! Your injuries still need to heal!"

"I think it's best to just let him go for now, Clemont," Cilan stated as he placed a hand on the inventor's shoulder. "If he doesn't want help then we can't force Electrike to accept it."

"But still..." the young inventor muttered as he stared off in the direction that Electrike had just wandered off in. "We can't just leave him like this!" He yelled while running off after the pokemon.

"What's gotten into Clemont?" Bonnie asked as she tried to follow her brother, only to be stopped by Cilan.

"I think it's best if we allow him to finish things here," Cilan responded with a smile. Right now he had a feeling that Clemont was determined to help out Electrike more than ever right now. "Like you said, Bonnie, those two are a lot alike thanks to their resilience and determination. Let's go look for some more pokemon."

"Okay! Come on, Dedenne!" Bonnie cried out as she looked in her bag only to see her electric and fairy type sleeping away.

"Electrike!" Clemont yelled with all his might. He had been running frantically through the woods looking for the injured pokemon and was surprised by his suddenly found stamina. Right now however he wasn't thinking about that as all he worried about was the electric type. _"He needs to rest! Otherwise he'll never get healthy and strong!"_

Just then, Clemont turned to his left and saw the same Electrike who was attacking a tree. "Huh... Just what is he doing? He needs to rest and recover his strength before training!" Clemont stated as the electric type tried to launch what appeared to be a Thunderbolt at the tree. The attack however seemed to never finish as the electricity surrounding his body disappeared as he passed out from his previous injuries. "Electrike!" Clemont cried out as he ran towards the electric type.

* * *

"That's better, Pichu," Ash said as he watched the Tiny Mouse Pokemon manage to hold the charge in place. It appeared to be tiring for the baby pokemon but they needed to see how long Pichu could hold it. "Now, I want you to focus on launching it at Pikachu!"

"Ash, are you sure?" Serena asked as Pikachu got in position. The electric type was standing in the open field roughly ten feet away from Pichu, giving a thumbs up to show that he was ready.

"Of course I'm sure," he replied with his arms pumped by his sides. "It's good if she can store the electricity, but what happens when it comes time for Pichu to launch it all? You can't have it flying all through the stage."

Serena sighed as she listened to Ash's words. He was right. What would happen if Pichu launched the attack in a wild manner? "Okay, Pichu, launch all that stored electricity at Pikachu!"

"Pichu!" The Tiny Mouse Pokemon cried out happily as the electricity swarmed around her body now. The energy was quickly condensed into one bolt and it was launched right at Pikachu.

"Everything's good so far," Ash muttered as he watched the attack strike Pikachu with no harm apparently coming to the elder electric type. But that was when things got bad, the bolt grew in size and started to spread around the field. "Quick, stop, Pichu! Stop now," he told the young pokemon.

"Pichu!" The Tiny Mouse Pokemon cried out, the attack causing her pain as well. Stopping the flow of electricity, Pichu dropped to the ground exhausted from all her exertion.

"That was good, but she lost control at the end," Ash stated as he sat down next to Pichu. He could tell that she was getting the hang of it, but was still a long way from controlling it fully. "But for now I think I have a plan where you can use her in the Showcase."

"You do?" Serena asked as she saw Ash nod in response. "Well then, let's take a quick break and then we'll try it out!"

* * *

"All better," Clemont sighed as he put the last of his supplies back in his bag. Looking down at Electrike, Clemont could see just how hurt he had been. Most of his body had been covered in the bandages and ointment now and he was currently feeding Electrike crushed up Oran Berries. "You really are determined to beat that guy. Aren't you? But you need to rest, otherwise you'll never get at full strength."

Electrike could hear someone talking to him and opened his eyes briefly. Not too long, but just long enough where he could make out the shape of the same boy from before. Electrike tried to move, but his entire body was overcome with fatigue, making it nearly impossible to move. He then noticed how the boy was feeding him and gave up.

"I know just how you feel," Clemont started to say out loud, unaware that the electric type was now awake. "All of my inventions failing on me, exploding right in my face. But Ash told me that it would only lead to success and so I continue on, building one invention after the other. Hoping that this one wouldn't explode. It's just like you and your battle. No matter how badly you lost, you were ready to go right back at that other Electrike. And so, I promise to help you once you're healthy," he continued on as he felt his eyes grow heavy. The adrenaline that had taken over him was now gone and he felt his entire body grow tired. Hanging his head, Clemont couldn't fight the urge anymore and fell asleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Clemont knew that it had been a few hours now. Looking down at his lap, the inventor had a frown form across his face as Electrike was no longer there. He had been hoping to help the electric type out. But looking up, the frown quickly changed into a smile as he saw the Lightning Pokemon standing in front of him, launching a now powerful Thunderbolt at the tree before them.

"Electrike! You're doing so much better!" Clemont practically shouted as he jumped up. The electric type halted his attack to give a nod of recognition to the boy before continuing his training. "So, you're still going through with it?"

This time, Electrike stopped his training completely and turned around to face Clemont. There was a look of far more than just determination on his face. It looked to also contain worry, but Clemont didn't know why.

"Well, I'll help you become stronger and I have the perfect way to!" He cried out happily as he pushed his glasses up. "The future is now thanks to science! I thought we might need an invention like this thanks to three electric types traveling with us and so I now present 'The-Portable-Electricity-Power-Up-Shower!'" He cried out while an invention that looked similar to the Electric Shower he had built as a child appeared. "You see, I took the design of my original Electric Shower and designed a portable version of it. All we do is attach these wires to the pokemon who needs a good charge and then I turn it on!"

Electrike seemed skeptical, but before he could even respond, Clemont had already attached the wires to his body. With a flip of a switch, Electrike watched as electrical currents ran right through his body and felt himself growing stronger. The fatigue that plagued him previously was now gone and he felt himself super-charged and ready to battle again.

"Just as I thought," Clemont proudly spoke as he saw the smile upon Electrike's face. "Now that you're fully charged, let's go and find that other Electrike so that you can beat him!" Clemont continued on as he shut the machine off. To his surprise, it hadn't exploded when he shut it off and was proud of that. Looking over at Electrike, Clemont smiled. "You ready?"

Electrike was about to respond when they both heard a loud explosion. Looking over at the forest, the duo could now see smoke rising up from it. Without even a second thought they both broke into a sprint as they followed the rising smoke.

* * *

"Prepare for trouble, we're super charged and power packed!"

"And make it double, we're going to shock you with our blasts!"

"To protect the world from static charges!"

"To unite all circuits within our contraptions!"

"To denounce the evils of cords and shocks!"

"To extend our reach to the grounded outlets afar!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off with the power of electricity!"

"Surrender now or prepare to be shocked with all our might!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"Wobbu!"

The familar sounds could be heard through smoke. The group, sans Clemont, had just finished having a mid-day snack when the field was filled with smoke. Ash watched on as the three Team Rocket agents finished their traditional welcoming motto which he had heard more times than he wanted to and then looked over at the cage that had trapped all their pokemon. Before he could react, the cage shot back into the machine only to vanish from sight.

"Team Rocket!" Ash cried out as he choked on the smoke. They had been relaxing quietly following a day of training when the three usual thieves showed up in their newest contraption. It reminded Ash of a giant Barbaracle as there were four hands attached to it along with a long slender body which Ash noticed contained what looked to be a chamber of sorts in the center. "Why are you here!?"

"Please, we just wanted to take our pokemon for a walk," Jessie stated as the machine placed two of its arms behind its head. "We then stumbled upon this giant machine and figured it would be a waste to not use."

"So we then searched for you," James added in before pushing a button. The entire machine started to glow with electricity before firing the blast off. Ash and the others barely dodged the attack and looked to see a giant crater where they stood before. "My... This really does have a super shocking surprise."

"You mean you didn't even try it first!" Ash shouted as he realized that blast would have probably killed them all. Team Rocket had done some crazy things to them, but trying to kill them was never one he thought they'd do.

"We told you, we wanted to surprise you," Meowth stated as he pointed down at the center of the machine. "Besides, we're turbo charged thanks to our beautiful battery brigade of electrical Electrike!"

Looking at the center of the machine, Ash and the others noticed how there were a whole group of Electrike strapped up to the machine. With another push of a button they all watched as electricity was sucked from their bodies.

"Is everyone okay!?" Clemont's voice could be heard as he ran through the bush right behind Electrike. "I saw the explosion and hurried over here!"

"Huh!? We missed the science twerp!" Jessie exclaimed as she looked over at the group. "But there's already four over there! Did they add another?"

"Look, the eccentric twerp rejoined them!" Meowth stated as he finally noticed Cilan. "Oh please... Don't do one of those evaluating times..." Meowth muttered as he got stares from his teammates. "Don't ask, just catch the twerp!"

"Well, it looks like he also brought back the energetic Electrike. The only one who escaped from our wrath!" James stated as he noticed the electric type down below. Electrike appeared to be even angrier now that he noticed all of the Electrike, even the leader, captured by Team Rocket.

"Elec!" The Lightning Pokemon cried out as he launched a Thunderbolt attack at the machine. The attack did absolutely nothing as it appeared to be absorbed right into the machine before being launched right back at them.

"Watch out!" Clemont cried out as he grabbed Electrike and dove to his left. The duo barely avoided the attack as they saw the scorched area where they had been standing. "Electrike, we can't just attack freely! We need a plan, come on out Bunnelby!" He stated as the Digging Pokemon appeared.

"Bunnel?" Bunnelby asked as he looked around the area. He was confused by the sight of Team Rockets giant contraption.

"Bunnelby, I need you to do me a big favor. See that machine? I need you to dig tunnels underneath it!" Clemont explained as Bunnelby took off under the ground.

"Ha, your little rabbit was spooked away!" Meowth stated confidently as they fired off another electrical blast at Clemont. Once more the duo avoided it by rolling to their right and back into the bushes.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Jessie could be heard as Clemont made sure to stay quiet. They couldn't be found yet, not at long as Bunnelby hadn't finished his job yet.

"We promise to take good care of your precious pokemon!" James joined in as Clemont still waited to strike. It needed to be a perfect chance. "They'll be useful agents for Team Rocket!"

"Okay, Electrike," Clemont started to say as he could hear Bunnelby making his way back and it would only be a matter of time before they could attack. "Once, Bunnelby is here, we're going to rescue all of your friends!"

Electrike didn't say anything at all. Instead he just watched and listened to Clemont. Despite not knowing this boy, he had been willing to help him all day. Nodding in approval, he then noticed the Digging Pokemon burrow up next to them.

"Okay, time to move out!" they said while diving out of the bushes. Then, Bunnelby jumped forward and into the air. "Mud-Shot, Bunnelby!"

"Please, do you think something like that could hurt us?" Jessie mocked Clemont as the mud splattered against their window. The mere act alone managed to infuriate the female Team Rocket member. "Now look what you did, pests! The window's a mess! James, clean it off!"

"One second," he muttered while pushing a button. The machine then shifted its weight as it wiped the mud from the window just as Clemont hoped. "now we're good to go?" James asked as he heard a rumbling sound. Then, before they could react, the entire machine fell deep into a hole.

"What gives!?" Meowth yelled as they were unable to get free. No matter how much the machine struggled to break free, there was no escaping.

"You see, I could tell that the way you built this machine that it absorbed electrical energy and then used it to attack," Clemont stated as Bunnelby jumped into the air. "So, we needed a way to not only stop your movements but to also cut off your power supply! Now, Bunnelby, use dig right through that containment device!"

"Bunnelby!" The normal type grunted as he started to spin quickly through the air as he headed right for the contraption. Within a split second, the glass that housed the holding cage was shattered as Bunnelby drilled right through it and back out the back of the machine.

"Now, Bunnelby! Use dig to cut all those wires!" Bunnelby once more shot through the air as his spinning body sliced through not only the wires, but also a giant cage that housed the gang's pokemon. Now with all of the pokemon freed, they could attack! "Okay, Electrike, let them have it!"

The Lightning Pokemon growled in agreement as electricity flowed all over his body. The electric attack soared across the field before entering the gaping hole in the machine. The entire machine was now being super charged to the point that it couldn't hold anymore power.

Seeing what Clemont was getting at, Ash and Serena both had their electric types launch off their own electric attacks before the other Electrike joined in as well. Unable to handle all of this energy, the machine started to smoke before glowing a bright white.

"James, what's happening!?" Jessie shrieked as the machine was now rattling.

"It appears that it can't handle all of this electrical energy!" He screamed as the machine exploded and sent them all flying.

"And because of that," Meowth started to say as they were now flying across the sky.

"We're blasting off again!" The three cried out in unison.

"We did it, Electrike and Bunnelby," Clemont said while wiping the sweat from his brow. He then turned around to see the elder talking to Electrike. Based on their expressions, Clemont could tell that the elder was apologizing for his actions earlier. That was when he finally put everything together. "Electrike were Team Rocket the reason why you challenged the elder earlier. You must have encountered them and wanted to get rid of them, but your leader declined as they weren't seen as a threat."

Electrike merely nodded in agreement as he gave a smile to Clemont. Someone had finally figured it all out even if they were now gone.

"And so you only challenged him for the right to become leader so that you could get the whole pack to attack," Clemont continued on as he smiled at the electric type. "You're a very courageous pokemon. To go against your entire pack just to protect them. You should feel proud of yourself, you saved everyone."

"Elec!" He shouted out in agreement as the entire pack howled in agreement. If it wasn't for him then the entire pack would have been captured. If he hadn't lost and wandered off, then he would have been with them when that Team Rocket captured them all.

Electrike turned to face his pack and watched as they all made their way back into the woods. Knowing that it was time to follow, Electrike started to make his way towards the woods but stopped.

"What's the matter, Electrike? All your friends are leaving, you better hurry up," Clemont stated as Electrike just stood there before turning around to face him. "Electrike?"

"I think Electrike wants to travel with you, Clemont," Cilan spoke as he snapped his fingers. "You two are a perfect match as well so it only makes sense."

"Is this true?" Clemont asked as Electrike leapt at him. The sudden impact caused a pokeball to fall from Clemont's pocket and land on the ground. Jumping from Clemont to the pokeball, everyone watched as the ball rattled around before coming to a stop with a ding.

Smiling, Clemont reached down and picked up his newly caught pokemon. "Today is a great day for science, I caught an Electrike!"

* * *

"Another failure!" Jessie shouted as she thrashed about. "At this rate we'll be demoted again!"

"i wouldn't call it all a failure," James said while a smirk crossed his face. Reaching behind his back, the male agent pulled out a strange looking canister. "I managed to save the backup generator from the machine. The one super-charged by the Electrike. This one battery should provide enough power to the machine for a good three days!"

"But, we should only use it when the time is right," Meowth said as he caught the attention of the others. "We have one shot at this. Screw it up and we're done."

"So, I say we save it for now!" Jessie chimed in as she grabbed the canister. It was now glowing a faint yellow thanks to the amount of electricity stored inside of it. "Right now we should find another way to power the machine."

"Yes, Jessie!" The two agreed as they got ready to continue on.

* * *

 **Well, like I said it was going to be a different chapter. It was shorter than the others but that was how it was planned. Anyway, Electrike will play a role later on, don't think of it as a random capture for Clemont. This chapter literally took me four tries and even still I'm not entirely happy with it, but it was the one I liked the most out of them all.**

 **So, all those broadcast data released for the upcoming episodes. Can anyone else think 3-parter for Ash vs Alain followed by Team Flare starting in XYZ 39. Anyone complaining about the League now better stop since this will probably be the best league to date. Others will argue still, but I don't care. Sorry for the little rant, just annoyed by everyone complaining about the Kalos League.**

 **Well, on a different note, I just wanted to thank everyone so far. When I first started I never expected this story to get to the point of over 150 reviews and almost 190 followers. So, without all of your support this story wouldn't be what it is. Thank you.**

 **Thank you for reading the chapter and supporting this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.**


	29. An Electrifying Appeal! Take the Stage!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Clemont stumbled upon an injured Electrike and helped him recover before the duo took on Team Rocket. Once defeated, Electrike decided to travel with Clemont and now the group has continued onto Geosenge Town.**

 **Ch 29: An Electrifying Appeal! Take the Stage!**

* * *

"We're all set," Serena said while looking down at her pokemon. They had reached Geosenge Town the previous day and she had started practicing for the upcoming Showcase. She then woke up early today to register for the Showcase. "Today, we'll win our first Princess Key and then be one step closer to the Master Class."

Serena's pokemon all cried out in agreement as the group of five made their way outside of the Pokemon Center. The Showcase would be starting later today, but for right now they could just relax, or at least that's what Serena had hoped for. The peace lasted all of a few seconds as once Serena turned around the corner to meet up with her friends, the familiar voice of a blue haired performer could be heard.

"I saw your victory in the Kalos League, Ash," Miette's voice could be heard, causing Serena to be surprised. As she came around the corner she saw just how close she was to Ash, nearly on top of the boy. "You looked amazing out on the field with all of your pokemon. Like a true champion."

"Thanks, Miette," Ash replied with a nervous chuckle. He then turned around before taking a step back and noticed Serena coming over. "So, Serena, are you all ready to compete!?" Ash called out as he smiled towards the Performer.

"Yeah, I'm all signed up and ready to win," Serena said before paying attention to Miette. "Oh, Miette, are you competing as well?"

"Of course I am. I can't become Kalos Queen without winning three Princess Keys. I'll win today and then I'll be one step closer. May the best Performer win," Miette responded as she held a hand out. Serena, being the polite person she was, reached for it and shook it. Instead of letting go however, Miette pulled Serena in closer and whispered into her ear. "And I mean it for both of our competitions."

Serena didn't respond, instead her face flushed red as she listened to Miette's words ring in her head. The blue haired rival just laughed as she saw Serena's reaction. Finally getting herself composed, Serena managed to speak. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to win."

"Confident, I like it," Miette responded as she looked behind Serena and noticed a Pichu. "So you caught a new pokemon? And it's a Pichu."

"Yeah, she's just a baby but she'll be making her debut in today's Showcase," Serena replied as she introduced the Tiny Mouse Pokemon. "It'll be quite the shock when everyone sees Pichu performing. But, we have to practice for a little before then." Serena then made her way off to a private field, her four pokemon following behind her.

Looking around, Miette was now alone with just Ash and the others and decided to have a little fun. "So, Ash, are you going to cheer for me?" Miette asked as she got close to the young trainer. Ash seemed to be a little confused by how close Miette was to him and took a step back.

"As long as you don't face Serena I'll be cheering for you to advance," he responded truthfully as Miette took another step closer to him. He didn't know what she was doing, but wasn't feeling comfortable about it. Trying to figure out a way to leave, Ash thought up a quick excuse. "Sorry, but I just remembered that I needed to help Serena. Pikachu and I have been helping her with Pichu. We'll see you at the Showcase," he said before hastily leaving in the same direction as Serena.

" _Well that's an improvement,"_ Miette thought as a smirk crossed her face. At least she found out Ash could be flustered by closeness, but he had jumped to help Serena. _"Maybe she is making progress,"_ she continued to think as she placed her hands behind her back. Turning to the three still with her, Miette spoke to them. "Sorry to just run like this, but I need to do some last minute preparations myself."

"That's fine, you need to be prepared for the Showcase today," Clemont responded as the Performer ran off to who knows where.

"Hmm, that entire encounter left a sour taste in my mouth," Cilan said once the girl had left. He hadn't known her for more than a few minutes, but the Connoisseur could tell she was just trying to mess with Ash and Serena. "Their relationship seems to have an ounce of friendship and a pinch of spiciness."

"Well, you could say it like that," Bonnie said, glad that someone finally realized what always happened when those three were together. "It's their way of staying friendly rivals throughout their journey."

"I see, those two are quite the rivals. I could tell just by looking at them that they have a deep bond over not one, but two similar goals," Cilan responded as he snapped his fingers. "That mutual understanding allows this rivalry to be cooked to perfection every time they meet."

"Wait, two goals?" Clemont butted in as he looked on in confusion. "But they only compete in Showcases together."

"You're too dense to understand," Bonnie answered his question with a wave of her hand. She then let a smirk cross her face before continuing on. "I'll explain everything to you once you're older."

* * *

Ash was now further away from the Pokemon Center as he followed the trail out to the private field that Serena had headed out to. He hadn't meant to run off like that, but after everything that had happened between him and Serena since the Kalos League and how he still didn't understand everything that he was feeling at times, Ash had felt uncomfortable with Miette getting that close to him.

"I wonder how they're doing," Ash asked Pikachu as they continued on. The duo didn't want to interrupt Serena's training, but they were also curious if what they had practiced would work. As they rounded the last corner on the trail, the duo saw a wave of electricity flowing through the sky. With a silent sigh, Ash felt better after that. "They should be just fine, let's go find the others, Pikachu," Ash said as they turned around once the electricity died down. There was no need for anymore practicing, Serena had it all under control.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in agreement as the duo remembered the training they had done with Pichu to help her.

* * *

" _Okay, I think I know why Pichu can't aim her attacks," Ash said as he got off of the ground following a Thundershock hitting him. "Pichu can't launch any of her electricity without hurting herself. So, we avoid the aiming portion with a tactic that should also incorporate your dancing theme."_

" _A tactic?" Serena asked while tilting her head in confusion. Pichu copied her trainer's look as she had no idea what Ash was talking about. "What exactly did you have in mind."_

" _Just watch," he responded with a cheeky smile on his face. Looking down at Pikachu, Ash signaled to his best friend that they had work to do. "Okay, Pikachu, I want you to spin around on your back real fast while launching off Thunderbolts!"_

" _Pika... Chuuuu!" Pikachu cried out as he started to spin at a fast speed. As the pace picked up, streaks of electricity started to sly around as if they were ribbons filling the sky. To Serena it looked perfect for what they needed._

" _Wait, isn't that..." Serena started to say only to be cut off by Ash._

" _Counter Shield? Yeah," he answered as Pikachu's spinning came to a conclusion. As the electric type climbed up onto Ash's shoulder, the trainer continued his explanation. "With Pichu using the Counter Shield, you won't have to worry about her aiming the attack. This way the electricity can just flow naturally and help create a great performance."_

" _Thank you, Ash!" Serena cried out as she wrapped her arms around the boy. Just as he had done so without realizing it back at the Kalos League, she had reacted the same way. Realizing what she was doing, a blush quickly formed across her face as she let go and backed away. "S-Sorry... I don't know what came over me."_

 _Ash had no idea what just happened, but he had wished it had continued for a while longer. Although he didn't know why, his heart had begun beating a little faster the moment Serena wrapped her hands around his body and he had felt his face heat up a little. "It's alright. Besides, you were just excited because of your Showcase. Just like how I was excited for the Kalos League," he told her despite not believing his own words._

" _Pichu, chu!" Pichu cried out as she tugged on Serena's overcoat. The electric type wanted to start practicing so that she had it all under control for the Showcase._

" _Right, we'll get right to work," Serena said as she snapped back to her surroundings. She had nearly forgotten about what they were doing if it wasn't for Pichu right now. "Pikachu, do you mind doing it alongside Pichu and helping her?"_

" _PiPika!" The Mouse Pokemon cried out happily as he jumped off of Ash's shoulder. Getting on the ground, Pikachu started to spin as Pichu soon after copied his motions._

" _That's a great job, Pichu!" Both Ash and Serena cried out together. For being a beginner, Pichu was picking up the concept rather quickly._

* * *

"Bonjour, all you Pokemon Showcase lovers!" Pierre's voice boomed through the stands as the smoke faded away. "I, Monsieur Pierre, welcome you all to today's Geosenge Town Rookie Class Showcase!" He cried out as a few stage lights brightened the area up. The stage this time was decorated in some of the most beautiful gems and stones anyone had ever seen before. "Today, one lucky Mademoiselle will walk away with zis!"

Just then, the lights all died down except for in a small area of the stage. In that spot, Klefki appeared from behind one of the appropriately placed stones and flew through the entire hall as he performed for everyone gathered. Finally reaching Monsieur Pierre, Klefki came to a stop and planted itself into the show master's staff. Clinging against it was none other than the Princess Key that was up for grabs today. Just like the others, it looked like an ordinary key, but was engraved with gems found only in Geosenge Town.

"Now, please give a round of applause for our all the lovely Performers who will be giving it their all today!" Pierre cried out to the crowd as they broke into a loud applause. "They are all competing right before your very own eyes as they continue on their quest to become Kalos Queen! Whoever wins today shall be one step closer to that dream! Please hold onto your seats because the battle for zis key starts now!"

"My, the people of Kalos really enjoy Showcases," Cilan stated while sounding a little shocked. He had expected a large turnout, but to see everyone here showing the enthusiasm that they were was surprising. "But then again, I've never sampled something so delicate and refined like this. It'll be such a valuable experience."

"Uh huh," Bonnie said as she kicked her feet back and forth while waiting for the first Performers to show up. "You'll really enjoy it once they get going! The way Serena and her pokemon move in sync, it'll make you think they can read each other's minds."

"Well, now I really am excited," Cilan replied back. But before he could continue on with his little talk with Bonnie, the first two Performers were already being brought up onto the stage.

"And begin!" Pierre yelled out as the two Performers began their 'battle'.

* * *

"Everyone's grown so much stronger since last year," Serena muttered as she watched the finishing touches of the first performance battle and noted how both of the Performers, ones that Serena had seen at the Master Class last year, were much better now. "This is going to be harder than I thought." Serena's face then took on the expression of nervousness as she watched the Performer known as Sara Lee won with her Glaceon and Leafeon.

"They're good, but it's still nothing compared to what Slurpuff and I can do," Miette stated as she walked up behind Serena. "I'm sure you'll be impressed by what we've come up with." Miette then noticed just how stressed out Serena looked and wondered what was up. "You know, they say you'll face will get stuck like that after a while."

"M-Miette!" Serena cried out as she jumped back a little. Her pokemon were also caught off guard by her presence as they had all been watching the Showcase. "W-What do you want?"

"Nothing much, just wanted to wish you luck today," Miette responded truthfully as the two made eye contact. For all the stuff Miette did to her, Serena had to admit she was one of her closest friends. "You seem nervous over something. I've never seen you like this, where's the confident Performer who made it to the finals of the Master Class?"

"I... I'm just nervous," Serena answered as she closed her eyes and tilted her head down towards the floor. "What if I'm not good enough? What if I make the same mistakes as last time? Performing with just my pokemon is easy, but doing it while another group is performing at the same time is hard!"

"Will you just relax!" Miette yelled out as it was enough to make Serena stop. Opening her eyes, Serena looked up to see Miette staring at her with eyes that could pierce through a Steelex. "Stop talking like that! You're one of the best Performers I've seen, so what if you made a mistake last time! Everyone makes mistakes, even Ash. What would he do following a mistake?"

Serena just stared at her friend and rival, unable to get the words out. Finally, able to speak again, Serena managed to get the right words out while stumbling. "H-He... He would say that nothing is a waste of time. And that we could learn from a mistake to become better."

"Then do it," Miette said as she walked away, having been called away by an attendant. Turning around for a split second, Miette flashed a smile at the girl and spoke quickly. "Besides, I only want this victory today if it's when you're at your best. Anything else won't count."

"She's right..." Serena said as she gained a determined look on her face. What had she been thinking? Everyone made mistakes, but the best knew how to get past their mistakes and use them to grow stronger. "I was worrying over nothing. We've grown just as much, if not more than, everyone else who's out there performing. Together we'll win today and then be one step closer to becoming Kalos Queen."

* * *

"Alright, Slurpuff, let's wrap this up!" Miette cried out as the duo struck a pose. They had noticed that the timer was about to go off and decided to end it with a bang. "Use Cotton Spore, followed by Energy Ball and then wrap it all up with a Fairy Wind!"

"Slur..." Slurpuff muttered as balls of cotton emerged from her mouth. Miette's side of the stage appeared to be covered in the soft substance and no one knew what she had planned. Then, to the crowd's surprise, Slurpuff released an Energy Ball into the center of the cotton before releasing the powerful winds. The three moves combined together to the point where Fairy Wind sliced through both Cotton Spore and Energy Ball to create what looked to be a mix of snow and sparkles falling around the duo.

"And fini! Zat's it!" Monsieur Pierre chimed in as the buzzer came to a sound. "And now ze judges will choose one of zese lovely ladies as the ze winner." Within seconds the large screen immediately behind Pierre flashed on as Miette's image covered it. "And congratulations Performer Miette! You'll advance onto the theme stage!"

"Miette advanced..." Serena muttered as she watched with determination as Jessilee was now taking the stage. "If I want to get better, it might be best to watch her. She seems to understand how to balance between two pokemon at once," Serena continued on as she watched Jessilee perform. This time, she was using her Gourgeist and Wobbuffet.

"She's improved quite a bit. I saw her win back in Vaniville Town, Miette stated as she approached Serena while wiping some sweat from her face with a towel. This time Serena just nodded, not even taking her eyes off of the screen. "But no matter how much she's improved, she's still the same flashy Jessilee."

"You're right, but look at the way she's switching between her pokemon," Serena stated as the Performer managed to command Wobbuffet to block an incoming Dark Pulse without even looking away from her dance with Gourgeist. "It seems like she's in perfect sync with all of her pokemon."

"Still, look at the way she performs," Miette stated as Jessilee twirled through the air before being caught by a seat made from a Leech Seed. "It's just showing herself off. The audience loves it because of how flashy it all looks, but in the end she isn't performing for the people of Kalos but for herself. That's where the difference between her and us are. We perform to bring a smile onto the audience's face while she performs for the cheers. In the end, someone like her will never become Kalos Queen unless she changes."

"Alright, Gourgeist! Time for a shower, Dark Pulse at full power!" Jessie could be heard commanding over the TV as a large black wave encompassed the entire stage in blackness before breaking into a display of majestic black and purple sparkles that sprinkled down around the Performer.

"Serena, you're up next," an attendant stated as she walked into the room. The sudden voice managed to snap Serena's attention away from the screen and made her way over towards the lady.

" _I have to do my best,"_ Serena thought as she made her way down the hallway alongside Braixen and Pancham. She had decided to use them again after how the last Showcase ended. _"Not for myself or my pokemon. But for the people of Kalos. They watch these Showcases to be given joy. To allow, even for a small amount of time, themselves to forget about anything going on in their lives. I need to go out there and give it my all!"_

Looking at her pokemon, Serena smiled at them and they both returned her smile. They had a plan coming into it now and it had been decided upon while Miette was up on stage but was now cemented in her head after their talk.

* * *

" _Pancham, Braixen, we're going to do the same exact thing as last time," Serena said as she bent down towards the duo. "We'll use the same exact performance but with one catch."_

" _Brai?"_

" _Pan?"_

 _Both pokemon were wondering what the catch could be. They hadn't practiced anything new at all. Looking at their trainer, they gave a nod to signal for Serena to continue. "Alright, while we're performing, I want Pancham to do whatever he sees fit to keep us safe."_

" _Pan..." the fighting type muttered somewhat nervously. He still felt responsible for them losing at the last Showcase and wasn't so sure if this was the best thing._

" _Pancham, last time wasn't your fault at all," Serena reassured the Playful Pokemon while smiling at him. "It was all on me since I'm still getting used to switching back and forth between attacking and performing. Until I'm better at that, we're going to play up to our strengths. That's our bond together. I believe in you to make the right decisions on when to attack, Pancham."_

" _Pan, pancham!" The fighting type cried back, understanding completely. Serena was putting everything into this plan for this Showcase and there was no way he was going to let her down._

* * *

"Look, Serena's finally up!" Ash cried out excitedly as she appeared on the stage accompanied by Braixen and Pancham. "They're going to be awesome, I can just tell!"

"I hope so. After seeing all of these other performances, I have a whole new understanding of Showcases," Cilan muttered as he waved a finger back and forth. "Not only do they take precision and timing, but a deep understanding of pokemon and Performer. Without that bond, they won't be able to perform to the best of their ability."

"So how do you think she'll do?" Clemont asked as they all waited for the timer to begin. "As a Connoisseur do you think her bonds are strong enough?"

"Well, it's hard to say," Cilan responded as he frowned. He had never had a chance to fully meet Serena's pokemon. "I've never really met any of her pokemon except for Pichu. But, if she's as good as you all say then I don't see how she could lose."

"She'll be just fine," Ash stated as they all waited for the first commands." Serena has been practicing for a while now. There's no way she can lose." As he finished, the lights on the stage started to dim down until they were only shining on Serena and her opponent. The two both gave their first commands as everyone watched on.

"Okay, Braixen, start off with Flamethrower! Surround us in a pillar of flames!" Braixen ran around the stage while rubbing her branch against it, igniting a half circle of flames around them. Once her side was completed, the fire type tossed the stick across the stage and watched as her trainer finished the circle.

Serena then tossed the branch straight up into the air as the fire spun off of it and created a small vortex that died down and into embers as Braixen caught the branch. Out of the corner of her eye, Serena watched as Pancham launched a Dark Pulse at the other Performer who was using a Solrock and Lunatone. The attack landed perfectly, causing the performance to be interrupted.

"Nice job, Pancham," Serena praised her fighting type before getting back to her own performance. Nodding at Braixen, the fire type understood exactly and launched three spheres of Hidden Power directly up into the sky. "Now, use a Flamethrower! But add a spin into it"

"Brai!" The fire type chirped before spinning on her legs. The Flamethrower emerged from her branch, but due to her movements the attack was in the shape of a vortex instead. The Hidden Power were then enveloped into the vortex and were consumed before exploding from the heat.

Silvery dust lined the spinning Flamethrower, creating a beautiful scene for the duo as they danced underneath the falling remains. But, before they could get comfortable, Serena noticed that Pancham was slamming his fists into the ground. A column of stones then surrounded the three as a Shadow Ball crashed right into them, causing no damage to them.

"Pan, pancham!" The Playful Pokemon cried out happily. He was glad about being able to protect Braixen and Serena much better than last time.

"Alright, let's finish this up," Serena cried out as she noticed the clock strike thirty seconds. "Braixen, use Fire Blast and use all of your strength. Then, add in one large Hidden Power!"

The Fox Pokemon nodded in agreement before firing off the large blast. For anyone that had seen Serena perform before, they knew what was coming. Jumping back and twirling her branch, Braixen launched off a large Hidden Power which collided with the Fire Blast.

The normally red and orange flames were now outlined in a sparkling silver as everyone was mesmerized by the combination. Then, Serena finally heard the sound of an alarm and let out a small sigh. It was over and they had made it through without any hiccups this time.

"And now, we await ze judges' choice!" Monsieur Pierre claimed to the entire crowd. The lights in the entire hall dimmed before flashing onto the two large screens that were on the walls. Then, they finally lit up with Serena's face on it. "Congratulations, Performer Serena!"

* * *

"She did it!" Ash cried out happily, nearly jumping out of his seat. He was right by thinking she was going to win, but he couldn't help but be nervous throughout the entire round. "Now she just has to make it through the Theme Round and then she's in the Freestyle Performance round!"

"I have to admit, combining Hidden Power with that Fire Blast was an excellent idea," Clemont agreed as he adjusted his glasses. His worry was a lot more noticeable as his jumpsuit now had visible sweat marks.

"That's true," Cilan joined in as he nodded his head. "The combination of a sizzling attack like Fire Blast and a mysterious aurora of Hidden Power complimented each other like two dishes in a five-star meal."

"Do you always talk like that?" Bonnie asked, annoyance clearly evident in her voice. At first she had thought that it only occurred while he was "evaluating" but now it was noticeable in every aspect of his speech.

"Being the Connoisseur that I am, my vocabulary always includes the richest comparisons to my other work as a waiter at the Striaton City Gym," Cilan explained as he pulled on his bow tie. "Growing up, I was always surrounded by the desire to cook quality food while observing the bonds between people and Pokemon."

"Well can you tone it back?" Bonnie asked, only for Monsieur Pierre to reappear on the stage at that moment. Cilan's answer would have to wait as the stage was being changed for the Theme Round.

"It is with my honor to announce zat today's theme round is none other than Pokemon Quiz!" He cried out as the stage lit up to reveal three desks which were where the Performers would stand and answer questions. "In this round, Performers shall choose one Pokemon to race against the others to retrieve a ball hidden among stones. The first to return with their ball shall be given the chance to answer ze question first! The first Performer to three correct answers and zey shall advance onto the Freestyle round."

* * *

"Pichu, do you want to go for this round?" Serena asked as she bent over in her robes and looked at the Tiny Mouse Pokemon. She figured this would be the best chance to get the electric type used to being in front of a large group of people.

"Pichu! Chu!" The Tiny Mouse Pokemon cried out happily. She hadn't even thought that Serena would choose her during her first Showcase. The duo was getting prepared now as they wondered exactly who they would be facing off against.

"And Performer Miette is the first to three correct answers!" Pierre's voice could be heard through the television set. Looking up at the screen, Serena noticed how they were already getting a new set of Performers up on the stage.

* * *

"And Performer Jessilee advances onto the Freestyle round!" Monsieur Pierre's voice echoed down the hallway as Serena and Pichu awaited their turn. They were in the last group now, and their fellow Performers were using a Teddiursa and a Furfrou.

"Ready, Pichu. We're going to show everyone just how great you are," Serena told the baby Pokemon while Pichu jumped into her arms. "This isn't too hard. All you have to do is find the ball and make it back to me."

"Pichu!" She cried out happily while snuggling against Serena. There was no way she would let Serena down, especially after all the training they did. Pichu then looked up in surprise as she felt the floor below them rising up. "Chu?"

"It just means we're up now," Serena reassured Pichu as they appeared up on the stage. To Pichu's surprise the entire building looked packed with people. Compared to sitting in the audience, the crowd looked a little overwhelming to the baby Pokemon.

"You'll be just fine. Just focus on finding the ball," She continued on once she saw Pichu looking a little intimidated. "Just picture that we're the only ones out here," Serena told the Tiny Mouse Pokemon as they made their way over to their booth.

"And now for ze final Performers!" Pierre cried out as the spotlight flashed onto the three Performers. Now paying attention, Serena noticed that these two were both new to Showcases or at least ones that she competed in. "Please welcome Performers, Serena, Adeline and Emily! These three lovely ladies are competing for ze final spot in the Freestyle round!"

"Now, you all know how the Pokemon Quiz segment works," Monsieur Pierre said as he faced the three ladies. Pausing for a moment, Pierre bowed to them all before continuing. "Each of your pokemon shall race to see who finds their colored ball first. The first Pokemon to retrieve their ball and return with it, will have earned ze chance to answer ze question first!"

"Alright, Pichu, give it your all," Serena said as the electric type jumped down onto the floor. Nodding up at Serena, Pichu got ready to run.

"Geosenge Town is known for its Evolution Stones. Which stone is used to evolve Murkrow into Honchkrow? And begin!" Pierre cried out as the audience started to applaud in the background. Upon those words, the three pokemon were already off and running with Furfrou making it there first with Teddiursa just behind it followed by Pichu.

The three Pokemon were all going hard at it as Furfrou appeared to be smashing its head into the rocks while Teddiursa was using its claws to chip away at the rocks. Pichu however was smashing her hands against the rocks while they appeared to be glowing white. "Look at them all go! All three of them are hard at work! And it appears Teddiursa has found its ball first! But, Pichu isn't too far behind either!" Pierre explained to the crowd as the two Pokemon started to run back to the starting line. Using every ounce of energy that she had, Pichu rushed to the line only to finish second.

"And Performer Emily has won the chance to answer first!" Monsieur Pierre called out as the Performer had the spotlight appear on her. "Now, which evolution stone is used to evolve a Murkrow into a Honchkrow?"

"A Dusk Stone," the Performer replied confidently. The hall was then filled with a ding showing that she had answered correctly.

"Pichu..." the electric type muttered. She was upset that she had lost the first race.

Serena noticed this and bent over to see Pichu. "It's alright, Pichu. We don't have to win every race. Just give it your best."

Pichu nodded in agreement before lining up once again. She then looked over to the man on the stage, awaiting for him to tell them to go.

"Alors! Time for question number deux!" Pierre cried out happily as he twirled his staff around. "Eevee has multiple evolutions. Which of them requires a Thunder Stone?"

The Pokemon were all off and running as they made their way over to the rocks. Punching away at the stones again, Pichu saw itself falling behind once more and was growing frustrated at herself. Pounding away even faster, Pichu managed to crack open her stone and find the ball first.

"And Pichu finds her ball first thanks to her determination!" Monsieur Pierre explained to the crowd as the electric type raced to the starting line with all her might. "But, Furfrou and Teddiursa are right behind her so this will be a photo finish!"

All three Pokemon dove across the line right as Pierre finished his sentence, proving the show master to be correct. After looking over the replay, he had finally come to a decision. "After careful examination, it has been seen that Pichu was the first to cross the line! Her ear making the entire difference," he explained while the video on the screen zoomed in and showed Pichu's left ear crossing the line a split second before the others. "Which evolution of Eevee is caused by a Thunder Stone?"

" _A Thunder Stone would be for an electric type,"_ Serena thought to herself as she remembered every evolution that belonged to Eevee. She knew that Espeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon weren't the choices as they evolved without any type of stone. Thinking over the remaining choices, Serena realized the answer. "The answer is Jolteon."

"Correct!" The Pokemon were then all lined up, ready for the next question to begin. "Which of these Pokemon do not require an Evolution Stone to evolve. Vulpix, Helioptile, Inkay?

* * *

"Look at Serena and Pichu go!" Ash cried out as the electric type crossed the starting line once again in first place. "If Serena gets this question right, she'll be in the Freestyle Round!"

"She just needs to relax and think over the question," Clemont chimed in as he rocked back and forth in his seat while holding onto Chespin. The grass type had released himself from his pokeball to watch the competition.

"Chespin, ches!" The grass type agreed as everyone waited for Serena's question.

"Even I'm sweating from the heat of this competition. All of them are delivering tasteful dishes in Performing," Cilan joined in as he leaned forward a little.

"Now, which is the only known Pokemon to have two known Mega Evolutions?" Monsieur Pierre's voice boomed through the stadium.

" _A Pokemon with two Mega Evolutions? Think Serena!"_ The Performer told herself as she tried to remember everything she knew about Mega Evolution. She had encountered many different Pokemon who could Mega Evolve, but none that had two forms.

Struggling for an answer, Serena looked up into the audience where she saw Ash's own face filled with nervousness. Seeing Ash immediately reminded her of a past conversation with said boy. _"That's right, Ash said that his and Alain's Charizard had two different Mega Evolutions!"_ She thought to herself before answering. "The only known Pokemon with two different Mega Evolutions is Charizard!"

"Correct!" Monsieur Pierre responded as the stage lights all flashed onto Serena. "Congratulations, Performer Serena! You'll be advancing onto the Freestyle Round!"

* * *

"So, the Freestyle Round is exactly like the Performance Battle we saw at the beginning?" Cilan asked as Jessilee was finishing up her performance with a combination between her Gourgeist and Wobbuffet by having the psychic type use Mirror Coat on the grass and ghost type's Shadow Ball.

"Not quite," Clemont answered first as he raised a glowcaster from under his seat. "This round we decide on who the winner should be. After everyone who made it this far performs, the entire audience sets their glowcaster to the color of the Performer who you believe is the best."

"Yep, and this time they can use as many Pokemon as they want for their performances," Ash added in as they all watched a firework explosion occur in front of them.

"I see," Cilan responded as he was captivated by the fireworks before his eyes. "This one has quite the knack for flashiness." The fireworks were then blown into the audience by a light Silver Wind and everyone watched in amazement.

"That's just Jessilee," Bonnie replied as she sighed about the Performer. "She always tries to be the center of attention by overdoing it with her performances. But if you think that's good, just wait until you see Serena perform!"

"My, it sounds like quite the delectable experience," Cilan said, excitement filling his own voice. Today had truly been a different experience for him as he watched everyone perform through the rounds. "I've witnessed quite a few different types of competitions during my travels, but never one just like this. It truly is a one of a kind flavor."

* * *

"Jessilee was just as good as last time," Serena stated nervously as she watched the Performer soak up all of the audience's applause. Feeling a light tug on her dress, Serena looked down and saw her four partners looking at her. "If she's done this well, then that just means we'll have to do better! Right!?"

Her four Pokemon all cried out in agreement as they watched on in anticipation until their turn came. Already performing now was Miette who appeared on stage with her Slurpuff and Meowstic as usual.

"And Miette is doing really good as well," Serena continued on as she took a glance at the screen one more time. "But, it'll only make the victory that much better. Knowing that your rivals are pushing you towards new levels as well."

"Serena, you're up next," an attendant said as Serena looked away from the screen right as Slurpuff was being lifted into the air.

"And now, Meowstic, lift Slurpuff into the air with Psychic!" Miette cried out as the psychic type glowed blue briefly. The blue glow then surrounded Slurpuff as the fairy type slowly floated off of the ground. "Now use Cotton Spore and follow it up with Fairy Wind!"

The fairy type opened her mouth as large blobs of cotton filled the air. They however didn't last long as a powerful breeze filled the hall and sliced through the cotton, creating a snow like effect as it rained down onto the stage.

"And, Slurpuff use Energy Ball! Meowstic, Psybeam!" The blue haired Performer commanded as she did a twirl. The two Pokemon launched off their respective attacks as they collided in midair. The two blasts exploded on impact, creating a dazzling light display while the cotton continued to rain down behind them.

"And finished!" Miette told the crowd as Slurpuff landed next to her. The three of them waved to the crowd as they were slowly lowered off of the stage.

"Such a magnific performance from the young mademoiselle Miette. Give her one more round of applause," Monsieur Pierre asked of the crowd as the Performer finally vanished from sight. Taking a minute for the crowd to relax, the show master started the next introduction.

"Et fini, our last Performer for today's Showcase. I'm honored to introduce to you, Performer Serena!"

Serena and her four Pokemon were all lifted up onto the stage to the sound of a thunderous applause. They knew that they were going to have to give it their all today if there was any chance of beating Miette or Jessilee. They waited until the spotlight finally landed on them to make their first moves.

"Ready!?" Serena cried out as everyone broke into the performance. Pancham and Pichu appeared to back off from the front for the time being as they moved closer to Serena and danced alongside of her, the three moving in perfect unison.

In the front though was where Sylveon and Braixen were taking control of the performance. Not needing any commands for this portion, Braixen launched a Flamethrower directly at the fairy type who countered with a well-timed Fairy Wind. The two attacks then collided as the Fairy Wind blew the Flamethrower opened and pushed it upwards.

The attack now resembled more of a Fire Spin than anything else, but that was exactly what they wanted as the vortex surrounded the five of them completely. Both Pokemon then did a few flips as they jumped backwards until they were the only two outside of the vortex of flames now.

"Braixen, Sylveon, you know what to do!" Serena cried out as the audience watched Pichu and Pancham both jump off of her arms and perform front flips in midair.

"Bria."

"Syl."

The two pokemon once again performed a few more flips around the stage before coming to a stop at the edge of the vortex. Lifting her branch up, Braixen launched off her Fire Blast attack once more only to have it meet with Sylveon's Swift. The two attacks combined to form a glowing golden star to which the audience applauded to. However, Sylveon quickly used a Fairy Wind to shock everyone as it moved the Fire Blast-Swift combo to the top of the vortex.

That wasn't the end though. Looking inside of the vortex again, the crowd could see what appeared to be stairs formed out of a Stone Edge filling the inside of it and what appeared to be Pancham and Pichu climbing them.

"Okay, time to finish this!" Serena called out to the two Pokemon once they reached the center of their climb. Now standing underneath the giant star, the two Pokemon dropped onto their backs and begun spinning at an increasing rate.

"Pancham!" The fighting type cried out happily as he launched off his Dark Pulse. This time, due to his spinning motion, the Dark Pulse flew off in multiple directions as the attack flew out of the top of the vortex.

"Pichu!" The electric type cried out as well while spinning. Trying her best to direct the Thundershock as best as she could, Pichu tried to focus on one point. Despite her best efforts, Pichu just couldn't control the flow and her Thundershock was just flying off in every direction as it lit up the stage to show the three colors from the Flamethrower, Dark Pulse and Thundershock merging together.

"We're so close too," Serena muttered to herself as she watched Pichu start to struggle despite using Ash's idea to help. Looking over at her other Pokemon, Serena gained a new idea and without a moment to spare. "Quick, Sylveon, time to finish this! Fairy Wind on the vortex!"

Sylveon nodded in agreement as she whipped her feelers backwards before unleashing a large gust of wind. The pink wind flew across the vortex and merged the three attacks together into one constant flow before slicing through it to create a showering effect while their Fire Blast "star" glowed brightly.

"And finished!" Serena cried out as they all struck a pose quickly. Breathing heavily, the ending could have gone a lot more smoothly than what occurred, but for their first time performing all together she would take it.

Hearing the applause, Serena closed her eyes for a second as they were all lowered off of the stage and brought down below so they could get ready for the closing ceremonies. Taking a short breath, Serena looked at everyone and gave them a warm smile. "You were all fantastic today. I couldn't have asked for more."

* * *

"And if you would all raise your glowcasters, s'il vous plait and vote for the performer you feel best deserves this Princess Key!" Pierre told the crowd as he lifted one up himself as he quickly flashed a color to show the crowd what he meant.

Everyone in the stands reached for their device and quickly picked the color of their favorite Performer. Shades of pink, yellow and blue flew across the hall as they made their ways to their respective Performer.

Serena watched as at the moment it appeared to be a three-way tie between herself, Miette and Jessilee as the votes started to slow down. Finally coming to a crawl, Serena closed her eyes for a moment and hoped that she had won. Only did she open them once she heard Monsieur Pierre's booming voice.

"And the winner of the Geosenge Town Rookie Class Showcase is... Performer Serena!" Serena looked up at the screen and noticed just how close it had been. Both herself and Miette had pulled away from Jessilee, but their final outcome had come down to the final few votes.

* * *

"Congratulations, mademoiselle!" Pierre continued on once it was just Serena on the stage. "Congratulations on your first Princess Key of the season and may we see more wonderful performances from you."

Serena made her way over towards him as Klefki Popped out of his Pierre's staff. Klefki then floated over to the girl as it disconnected the key from its set. "Thank you so much! This is unbelievable!"

Grasping the key in her own hands now, Serena couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the outcome as she celebrated with her Pokemon. "Ta da! We got the Princess Key!" She shouted out as her Pokemon all cried in agreement while the crowd applauded them on a job well done.

* * *

"I guess you won this time, Serena," Miette said as she extended a friendly handshake towards her rival. "I didn't think it was possible for you to improve even more."

"Well, you were just as good if not better at times. It all came down to those last few votes," Serena said as she reached for Miette's hand, only to be pulled in closer. "Miette!?"

"Listen, Ash isn't as dense as you think. You'd better make your move before it's too late," she said before pulling away. Noticing the confused expression on Serena's face, Miette just smiled while throwing her hands behind her back. "Just... Trust me on this. Okay?"

"Sure..." Serena replied as the duo let a small laugh escape between the two of them. Turning around to head back towards Ash and the others, Serena paused for one moment. "Wait? How would you know he isn't that dense?"

"That's my secret and something for you to never find out about," Miette replied before running off into the distance, leaving a vet confused Serena behind.

"Miette!"

* * *

 **Well, that was that. Miette is around again and her job of pushing Serena to confess might be coming to an end. She'll still make an appearance here and there, but it won't include the constant flirting like in the anime (or will it?). Also, the performances might feel rushed, but you can only do it so much without it feeling tedious. I won't lie, the Showcase chapters are the worst in my opinion compared to the other chapters. Anyway, the next chapter will be up later today just like I said. Although, it might not be uploaded until late at night.**

 **Also, Jessie will not be involved in every Showcase that Serena competes in. These first two were more to show that she's a bigger threat than in the anime.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	30. Ash's Mega Quest

**Welcome back. Sorry about the late upload. It was meant to be posted late last night/early this morning but after editing it I kind of forgot to upload it... I won't say much about it other than it has some mega revelations... Sorry about that bad pun. Anyway, last chapter Serena won her first Princess Key and the gang continued onto Shalor City for Ash's next Elite Four battle.**

 **Ch 30: Ash's Mega Quest**

* * *

"So Shalour City is home to the Tower of Mastery?" Cilan asked as he closed his travel guide about Kalos. There were quite a few places he had found interesting, but since they were going to Shalor City, he figured he could see this first. "According to the guide book, the Tower of Mastery is where people study to try and understand Mega Evolution and to strengthen their bonds with their Pokemon. It sounds like quite the delectable place."

"Not only that, but it doubles as a Pokemon Gym!" Ash cried out happily as he pumped his fists in the air. "The Gym Leader, Korrina, is extremely strong. Not only does she have a really strong Lucario, but they can also Mega Evolve!"

"My, that is exciting," Cilan replied before they all stopped walking. The group had finally reached the edge of the city and the sight of it caught everyone's attention. "Look at it all! It's got quite the view!"

"Hey, I have an idea," Serena said while breaking the silence. "Why don't we head over to the Tower of Mastery and go see Korrina. She would definitely enjoy the surprise."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. It has been a while since we last saw her and Gurkinn," Clemont agreed while fixing his glasses. "Perhaps they would know where to find Wikstrom so that Ash could battle him."

"Well, let's get going then!" Ash cried out as he pointed a finger towards the Tower. "The sooner we reach the Tower; the sooner I'll have my next battle!"

Everyone just watched on as Ash broke into a sprint. Making his way towards the edge of the cliff they were on, the group watched Ash come to a stop. Slowly, everyone caught up to the energetic trainer.

"Ash, we can't go to the Tower just yet," Serena told him once he had settled down a little.

Looking on, Ash didn't understand why they couldn't go yet. It wasn't like they had anything planned for the moment. "Why not?"

"Don't tell me you forgot," Bonnie asked as she ran up to the safety railing that ran along the cliff. Looking down the edge, the young girl pointed over towards the Tower of Mastery and then ran it along the beach. "The path to the Tower is blocked until the tide changes."

"That's right! I completely forgot!" Ash yelled in shock as he noticed the path was completely blocked off by the water surrounding the ancient building. "What are we going to do until then?"

"Perhaps now would be a good idea to think over a strategy for your match with Wikstrom," Clemont offered as everyone else took a seat on a nearby bench. "I'm more than willing to help you train."

"As am I," Cilan joined in as he stepped next to Clemont. "You can never be too prepared for an important battle, Ash."

"Alright, then let's get started!" Ash agreed as he pumped his fists into the air. "Everyone come on out!"

* * *

"This has been nothing but a waste of time, you know that Michael," Silver stated as he kicked an empty can across the street. The duo had been in Anistar City for at least a week now, but hadn't made any progress in their "mission" for Team Rocket. "Those idiots don't understand how just because a Pokemon can control psychic energies doesn't mean it can control someone's mind."

"Obviously you don't know much then, kid," Michael responded as he bit into an apple. Crunching away at the fruit, the elder man took his time answering. "A few years back there was an incident in the Orange Islands. A small group from Team Rocket used a Drowzee to put all of the local Pokemon under their control. Now, if one Drowzee could control an island's worth of Pokemon, imagine what would happen if they hooked it up to that machine."

"It still wouldn't work," Silver replied apathetically as they turned a corner. "Those three bumbling buffoons wouldn't know how to use it. Besides, a machine like that can't run on the electricity from Lumiose City alone. They would need some sort of energy provided to them."

Michael just shrugged his shoulders as he tossed the remains of his apple into a nearby trashcan. Sometimes there was no arguing with Silver since he was usually so stuck on his own thoughts. Throwing his hands behind his head, the elder agent had a smile across his face as he picked up the pace so that he was even with his partner.

"Look at it on the bright side. We got to see Anistar City, home of the legendary Sundial." Silver didn't seem to be amazed by the thought and instead just picked up his pace.

"The sooner we get this over with, the better for me," he replied while shoving his hands deep into his pockets. How he wished he never agreed to Lance's offer to join the G-Men now. "Because once we get back home, I'm officially resigning."

Surprised by the young agent's response, Michael couldn't help but to stop in his tracks. "Now why would you do that? Especially since we haven't caught your daddy yet," he said, teasing the agent about a secret he wanted no one to know about.

"It doesn't matter. Based on what I see from the G-Men, I would be better off working by myself," Silver answered fiercely as he glared back at his partner. How he wished that anyone else in the world could have been his father. "And besides, you're all too busy trying to keep protocol despite the proof to arrest them all right now."

Shaking his head, Michael reached forward and latched his hand onto Silver's shoulder. "You're not thinking about the bigger picture. Yes, we could arrest the entire Kalos branch of Team Rocket right now. But then Giovanni and the other leaders would know about a mole in the organization. Once that happens it only puts us all in more danger. If we continue to help them out, it'll draw Giovanni to us sooner or later. Once that happens we grab the head honcho himself and the rest of the organization will crumble." Michael then let go of the young boy and continued on towards the Anistar City Gym. Today was their final lesson under Olympia and they couldn't be late. "But for now we do what they tell us to do. We can't afford to mess this up at all."

"Whatever," Silver mumbled knowing that he had no way to argue back. This entire organization was filled with people too afraid to try anything risky. "Let's just get this over with."

"Oh, hello there," the attendant told the duo as they walked through the entrance to the gym. "Lady Olympia has been waiting for you two. She is quite impressed with your progress. No one else has ever come this far in this short amount of time." She then smiled at them, only to be surprised by a sudden action.

"Why, it's all thanks to your help. Your beautiful smile is pushing me forward to new heights," Michael said as he grabbed the hands of the attendant, only to feel someone else whacking him over the head. Looking over his shoulder, Michael saw Silver with a clenched fist just staring at him.

"She isn't smiling at you! She's smiling because you're leaving!" He yelled. Silver then sighed and tried to relax. This man was going to give him a heart attack at a young age. Grabbing Michael by the back of his shirt, the young agent dragged him away.

"Well you didn't have to hit me so hard. A simple tap would have been better," Michael whined as he got loose and followed behind his partner.

"Welcome you two," Olympia's voice boomed as the duo came to a stop. Despite training under her to get a better understanding of the true power of psychic Pokemon, they just could never get used to the scene of her floating without any help from her Pokemon. "I was wondering when you would be returning. It isn't every day I work with the G-Men."

"Please excuse our tardiness, my partner here took a while to get out of bed," Michael said while bowing to the Gym Leader. "We would have been here much sooner otherwise. Oww!" Michael shouted before clutching his head once more.

"Don't even try to blame me for being late! You're the one who had to stop for breakfast after waking up late," Silver reminded the elder man as Michael just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry for that outburst, Lady Olympia. My partner can be a handful at times," Silver apologized before bowing. "Now, could you tell us how exactly we could use the psychic energy to control things."

"It isn't that hard," Olympia responded as she floated down towards the duo. "I understand why you need it, but isn't there a better way than to risk it all?" She asked, fully aware of the plan that the G-Men had. "Couldn't you find a way without using their machine?"

"Unfortunately no," Michael answered as he shook his head back and forth. They had already thought of ways to try and draw Giovanni out of hiding, but since his failed attack in Unova he had been in hiding. "We believe that the completion of this machine will make Giovanni come to Kalos. What better way to frighten the world than by demonstrating his machine himself? Remember, he had flown all the way to Unova himself just to try a plan."

"I understand, but it doesn't sound like a good idea. Kalos just recently had a crisis and I don't know if it can handle a second so soon," Olympia answered as she grasped her head in what looked to be pain. "Ughhhh..."

"Are you alright?" Silver asked, unsure of what was happening. To both sides of the Gym Leader, her Meowstic were glowing blue and now the glow had surrounded Olympia herself. "I-Is this normal for her?"

"I... I don't know, kid," Michael responded as he ran to get help. Neither of them had seen this happen before and they had no idea of what to do.

* * *

"Uhh... Are you... alright?" Silver asked as he took one step closer to the now floating woman. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Step away from Lady Olympia!" A woman dressed in similar robes to Olympia stated as she ran into the room with Michael right behind her. She had long blue hair and green eyes which were the only features Silver really noticed due to the hecticness of the situation. "She's having another vision. This is common, but don't interrupt it."

"Ahhh!" Olympia shouted out as a projection of her vision appeared. There wasn't much to it, but what was seen was clear as day. There appeared to be a group of people standing on top of Prism Tower as fights were breaking out below them. "I see... I see a large fight occurring back in Lumiose City. One on the scales of the previous crisis, but this time it'll threaten the entire world as we know!"

A quick image of Silver appeared behind Olympia and the boy was surprised to see himself there. "Hey! Why am I in this vision!?" He demanded despite his voice sounding a bit nervous. This was not what he signed up for.

"I see you playing an important role in this entire conflict. Alongside the boy who saved Kalos, Ash Ketchum, you must gather a group of powerful trainers for what is to come!" Olympia explained before the vision ended.

"Wait! Tell me more! What exactly do you mean by a great threat!?" Silver demanded as he tried to walk forward, only to be held back by Michael. "Let me go! I need to know what is going on!"

"Silver, calm down," Michael stated in a voice Silver had never heard from him before. Those few words lacked the usually cheerful tone that accompanied Michael and were instead actually made Silver worried about getting him upset. "Allow Charlene here to help Olympia rest. Once she is all set, then we'll try and figure out the rest."

"And so you saw the end of the world as we knew it!?" Michael asked, sounding shocked by the news. Olympia had just gotten back up following her vision and everyone had been caught off guard by her news.

"Yes, if you do not stop this threat before it reaches its full potential, then life as we know it will be over," Olympia stated with a sober tone. This had been the third crisis to occur within a year. The first was small enough in Kalos that she had handled herself, but the previous one had rocked Kalos and caused extreme damage to Lumiose City.

"But, I saw a small group of trainers leading the fight against them. And Silver will play an important role in all of this."

"And how exactly am I supposed to find a way to gather some of the strongest trainers around the world?" Silver asked as he started to come over the shock that accompanied the news about the threat. "It isn't like I can just say 'the world is ending unless you come and help me right now' and expect them to think I'm sane." Silver then started to pace back and forth as they tried to figure out any possible ways to prevent this.

"Olympia, did you happen to see anything else that might have been important?" Michael asked as he rubbed his chin. "Any small pieces of information might be crucial right now."

"I did see one thing. The machine you've spoken about. I saw it atop of the Prism Tower and fully functional."

"Then we go and break it right now. Prevent it from having a chance to be completed!" Silver stated confidently while pounding his fist into his other hand. "That way we stop this from all happening."

"You can't!" Olympia interrupted his thoughts as she looked at the boy. "Trying to stop something from happening is dangerous. My visions aren't meant to stop something from happening early, but to rather prepare us. Changing the future could lead to a far more dangerous event."

"Then we wait and plan something," Michael finally decided as he stood up. "Come on, Silver. We have a long trip back to Lumiose City. Once we're there, we'll contact Lance and let him know everything so far."

* * *

"Electrike, use Thunderbolt!"

"Stunfisk use Thundershock!"

The two blasts of electricity flew across the field and right at Ash and Greninja. Not appearing to be worried about it at all, the duo appeared to remain calm in the situation.

"Greninja, use Night Slash to block their attacks!" Ash commanded as the Ninja Pokemon pulled out two purple swords from his sides. The two blades were lifted at the perfect angle to block the two attacks with ease while Greninja ran across the field. Moving swiftly, the water and dark type slashed across his opponents as they dropped to the ground.

"Well, you really have improved quite a bit since I last saw you," A familiar voice could be heard. Looking down the road, the group, minus Cilan, all saw a familiar looking man. "It's been a while Ash."

"Gurkinn!" The gang cried out as they made their way over to the elder. It appeared that he had been out shopping as in his hands were grocery bags.

"Yeah, I've been training extra hard for my battles against the Elite Four," Ash responded once their surprise of seeing the older man dies down. "You see, I won the Kalos League this year and now I just need to be as ready as I can be."

"Yes, that's good thinking," Gurkinn responded as he shifted the bags so that he could raise a finger in the air. "A good trainer must always remember to follow an excellent training regimen. Not only for their Pokemon but for themselves. Otherwise they'll be unprepared come time for battle." He then smiled at the group before putting his bags down.

"Now, I wish Korrina was around. She would really enjoy seeing you all again, but Professor Sycamore has asked her to help him with a favor. She's currently in Lumiose City helping him with his research on Mega Evolution. But, Ash, who exactly are you planning on facing next?"

"We came out here so that I could face off against Wikstrom! I've already beaten Siebold, but that battle was harder than I expected," Ash explained as he pulled out the Medal he was awarded from the chef. "Did you know that Siebold can Mega Evolve his Pokemon?"

"Yes, he once trained at the Tower of Mastery before he was even an Elite Four member," Gurkinn answered as he thought back to the times that each of the current Elite Four members, except Drasna, trained under him. "In fact, each member of the Elite Four can Mega Evolve their Pokemon."

"Really! That just makes the battles even more exciting!" Ash cried out happily as he thought about his upcoming battles. Then, a thought came to him. "Hey, Gurkinn, where exactly do I get a Keystone? You see, I was recently given a Mega Stone, but I don't have a Keystone. Do you think you could possibly give me one?"

"No," Gurkinn responded quickly while turning his head away. "Keystones are not just given out to any trainers who ask for them. It takes years of hard work and practice before I believe someone is able to use it correctly. But..."

"But what?" Ash asked, hoping that he was going to like this answer.

"But, I have heard of a location not too far away from here where there are supposedly Keystones hidden within a cave." Gurkinn finished his sentence as a smirk crossed his face. "Legend has it that the trials one has to face in this cave strengthens the bond between trainer and Pokemon but not without quite the risks that they encounter."

"So where is this cave?" Ash asked as excitement could be heard with his voice. If he could get this Keystone, then he would be able to Mega Evolve. "Could you show me where it is?"

Gurkinn just smiled at the request before responding. "I can take you to where the trail begins. From there you're on your own. Now, let's get going. You don't have all day."

After walking for what felt like forever, Ash and the others had finally reached a trail that appeared to be covered in wildlife which kept it hidden from travelers.

"Here it is," Gurkinn told the energetic trainer as he pushed a bush out of the way, revealing a stone pathway that led up to a mountain. The path appeared to have not been used in quite some time as grass was growing right over it and the few stones that were covered were instead broken to pieces. "This is as far as I'll take you. From here on the bonds between you and your Pokemon will guide you."

"We'll be right behind you the entire way, Ash," Serena joined in as they all moved forward towards Ash. "Together I'm sure that we'll find a Keystone."

Ash however didn't seem as enthusiastic about the idea. Turning to look at his friends, the Pallet Town native had an apologetic smile on his face. "I'm sorry, but I don't think it would be right if you all helped me here. This is something that I have to do on my own, just my Pokemon alongside me on this journey."

"I understand completely," Cilan responded as he placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "It's like creating a dish. Despite your extra ingredients, you should only do it with what it calls for. In this case, you need to do this on your own. To prove that your bonds with your Pokemon are strong."

"Exactly," Ash replied with his more usual smile. "If I had everyone else helping me, it would be like taking the easy road. And I've never been someone who likes to take things easy." He then threw a fist up into the sky as a sign of determination. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it!" He reassured them all before walking towards the path.

"We'll wait for you back at the Pokemon Center then," Clemont decided as the gang turned to head back to the city. Now it was just Gurkinn standing there all alone.

"He is quite the determined one," Gurkinn muttered as a smile crossed his face. Those were usually ones to master Mega Evolution the fastest. "He reminds me a lot of Wikstrom himself. That guy was always so determined in his ways."

"What are you saying this time, Gurkinn?" A voice boomed out as a rather large man dressed in steel armor made his way towards the path. "I was just heading to my usual training spot when I overheard you."

"Nothing but the fact that there's a young trainer here who reminds me a lot of you, Wikstrom," the Mega Evolution master explained as he smiled at the smirk that crossed the Elite Four member's face. "His determination is unlike any I've seen before."

"Sir, Gurkinn, are you stating that the steel used to craft my sword has an exact replica?" Wikstrom asked as he started to make his way towards the path that Ash just went down. "Let us follow the lad and see for yourself the trust he shares between his pokemon."

"Same old Wikstrom," Gurkinn muttered as he shook his head before following the excited trainer. "Always looking for an exciting match. Just wait until I tell him this is the boy who won the Kalos League."

Ash continued to head down the path until he was finally at a spot that he could stop for a break. Seeing that the wildlife wasn't covering the path like before, he slowed his pace until he came to a clearing.

"Alright, everyone come on out!" Ash cried excitedly once he was a little further in. His four pokeballs opened up to reveal his four Kalos Pokemon that had helped him make it this far. Looking at their situation, the team wondered just what was happening. "Who's ready to find a Keystone!?"

The five Pokemon all cried out in agreement as they looked at the path before them. It was hard to see anything more than a few feet away and so Ash came up with an idea.

"Talonflame, Noivern, can you two fly above the trees and see if there's a clear path anywhere?"

"Talon!"

"Noi!"

The two Pokemon then spread their wings and took to the skies before vanishing from sight. Once in the air, the duo noticed just how lush the forest actually was as the trees only grew in size the further you walked in. Flying around the area, the two Pokemon realized they were getting nowhere fast and returned to their trainer before becoming lost.

Seeing his two Pokemon returning, Ash decided to call out to them as the others stood up from their resting spot. "Guys, did you find anything?"

"Talon, Talonflame," the fire and flying type responded negatively. Despite flying around for a good twenty minutes, neither it or Noivern had found anything at all.

"Well, that's fine," Ash responded positively as he turned his hat around and pointed down the path. "It just means we continue moving forward! Sooner or later we'll find that cave!" He shouted before running off further down the path, all of his Pokemon sharing his energy as they followed behind.

"Hmm, the lad is quite the determined one," Wikstrom muttered as he peered from behind his bush. "He doesn't allow a setback to hold him back. Quite the adversary in battle, but can his sword slice through the obstacles that'll be blocking his path?"

"I wouldn't count Ash out just yet," Gurkinn responded as they walked down the path, keeping a safe distance from Ash. "He always seems to find a way around anything. You should have seen how he beat my granddaughter."

"The lad has the makings of a true knight. Determination, a good heart, and the brains for quick thinking. Not anyone would think to cancel out a Blast Burn that was set to destroy the entire field."

"So you knew?" Gurkinn asked as they came to a stop. "That this boy is your next opponent. That he's come all this way to face you in a battle?"

"Of course. I watched the League's final battle and those two trainers are just what I've been waiting for!" Wikstrom practically screamed from his excitement. "The joy they get from battling each other, the bonds between their Pokemon. It all fills me with excitement!"

After continuing on for quite some time, Ash had now come to a fork in the path where the stones continued on both ways. "Wait, I thought Gurkinn said the path would lead us to the cave? How are we supposed to know which path is the correct one?"

Ash and his Pokemon all stood there, clueless expressions on their faces as they tried to decide which path was the correct. Not knowing which one to take, Talonflame decided to take to the skies again to see if it could find the paths. Leaving only to return in a few minutes, Talonflame managed to explain how once again the trees were blocking the paths out from its sight.

"There just has to be a way to figure out which one is correct..." Ash muttered as he crossed his arms and shut his eyes. His Pokemon all copied the action as well, trying to come up with some reason to pick one path over the other.

Ever so silent, the group stood there, deep in thought as they couldn't decide. Then, interrupting the silence was a faint sound. It sounded like something familiar, like that of a river.

Noivern was the first to hear it and immediately alerted everyone else to it. "Vern, Noivern!" The youngest member of the team cried out, snapping everyone else out of their trance. With everyone now looking at the dragon and flying type, Noivern pointed down the left path.

"Do you hear something, Noivern?" Ash asked as he strained his ears to try and hear whatever it was. Listening with all his might, Ash could hear the sound of water running along. The sign that a river was nearby. "I can hear a river down the left path. Maybe we could follow it and see where it leads us," he offered as they all walked towards the left path. "Great job, Noivern!"

"Vern..." The Soundwave Pokemon replied sheepishly as they continued on the path.

As the group continued on down the path, the sound of the river could be heard growing louder and brought their hope up. If they could find the river, then maybe there would be a clue to where the cave could be hidden.

"Alright, there's the river!" Ash yelled out once they finally made it out of the forest. Looking down the river, Ash's hope immediately died down once he noticed that there was no way continue on since there was no way to cross the water.

"Now what do we do?" Ash asked as he immediately turned around to see his Pokemon already planning something. Looking over at them, Ash noticed that they were all chopping down the nearby trees and lining them up. "That's a great idea! We'll build a raft and ride down the river!"

"Now, Greninja use Night Slash! Hawlucha, use Karate Chop! Knock as many trees down as you can!" Ash commanded as the duo continued to hit away at the trees standing before them. With a loud thud, the two trees fell to the ground, bringing their total to a total of eight now. "I think this should be enough. Noivern, Talonflame, can you two try and find something to tie these trees together?"

Without hesitation, the two flying types flew off to look for anything that could be useful for their raft. After a few minutes, the duo returned to Ash carrying what appeared to be a pile of strong vines.

"These are perfect, guys!" Ash praised them while taking the vines from their grasps. Unwinding the pile, Ash moved quickly to wrap them around the trees. "We'll tie the trees together with it and then do you guys think you can pull the raft downstream," Ash asked nicely as Talonflame, Noivern and Greninja picked up the remaining pieces.

Together, the entire group pushed the raft until it was sitting in the water. Talonflame and Noivern both took to the skies, gripping the vines while Greninja jumped into the water. Likewise, Ash and Hawlucha both grabbed tree branches to help steer.

"And we're off!" Ash playfully yelled before the group of six were off on their next adventure.

"They all work extremely well together. Their bonds are impressive," Wikstrom muttered as he watched the raft sail down the river. "Working together as one for a greater goal."

"He is a resourceful one," was all Gurkinn said as they moved on again. "You won't be disappointed during your battle."

* * *

"Look! I see a cave at the top of that hill!" Ash cried out as they moved the raft towards the cliff. Securing it safely against the cliff, Ash and the Pokemon separated from the raft and latched onto the rocky cliff. "This must be the cave up there. We haven't seen anything else along the way. I guess we just need to climb up there," he said while climbing up.

Ash's Pokemon immediately followed suit as they too started to climb with the exception of Noivern and Talonflame who instead flew.

Climbing forward, everyone pushed along looking forward to the top. It was as if the cave was calling out to them all as they continued their steady climb.

"Almost there..." Ash muttered aloud as he saw Greninja and Hawlucha both make it to the top. Next Talonflame and Noivern touched down. All that was left were just Ash and Pikachu, but that was when everything went wrong.

Reaching up to grab the ledge, Ash placed his hand down only to fell the rocky surface crumble away. With no time to react, Ash felt his entire body start to freefall towards the ground.

"Gren!" The Ninja Pokemon cried out before unwrapping his tongue. Throwing it right at Ash, the pink tongue wrapped around the trainer tightly and kept him from falling.

"Thanks, Greninja. Your quick thinking saved me," the trainer stated before feeling himself start to fall again. Looking up, Ash could see that Greninja was now slipping and was barely keeping himself from falling over as well.

Ash then watched as everyone else got behind Greninja and pulled on the water and dark type. Trying with all of their might, Ash's team did everything they could to hold Greninja up. Ash continued to watch as the group managed to make progress and pull Greninja back towards a safer location. Inch by inch Ash hung in midair until he was finally over the edge of the cliff and on the ground again.

"Thank you, everyone," Ash said to his now exhausted Pokemon. He had been a lot heavier than they imagined. "Who knows where I'd be right now. Let's rest up before heading into the cave."

"Okay, everyone ready now?" Ash asked as they all got ready to continue. Looking at the cave's entrance, the group stopped as they were unsure of which way to go. Looking around, Ash noticed several separate tunnels that were in the cave. "Noivern, do you think you can use your soundwaves to find the correct path?"

"Vern!" The dragon and flying type cried out happily as he shot supersonic soundwaves from his ears. Listening as they bounced around the paths, Noivern waited patiently until he found something along the far right path. "Noivern! Vern!"

"Great job, Noivern! Now let's find that Keystone everyone!" The group then went down the path in search of the Keystone. Walking through the cave, Ash could start to see a light. Now running towards it, the entire group entered into a room within the cave and were shocked when the room lit up. A small passage way extended out to the center of the room while the rest was surrounded by water.

"Where are we?" Ash asked as they stepped forward. Looking around, Ash noticed a small table in the center of the lit up room. "There's something on the table..."

Looking at it the small table, Ash could swear that there was something on top of it. Looking closely, he could just barely make out something shining.

"Could that be..."

But before he could finish his question, a Pokemon he had never seen before rushed out at him with two claws glowing a shade of silver. The Pokemon looked similar to a Scizor, but its body looked differently.

Jumping away from his current spot, Ash watched as the Pokemon slammed his claws into the ground at the exact spot he had been at before lunging again. This time however, Ash's Pokemon stepped in with Hawlucha matching the Metal Claw with his Karate Chop.

"Now, Greninja, get in there with Night Slash!"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha shouted as he shook his head back and forth. This was his battle to win or lose on his own. He wanted to do this all by himself. Understanding exactly what he wanted, Ash called off the attack but not before a stream of fire crashed into Noivern and Talonflame.

The two flying types were sent flying backwards until they crashed up against the cave wall, slouched over in defeat. "Noivern, Talonflame!" Ash called out as he sprinted over towards them. However, his path was blocked off by a Lucario and Blaziken.

"Let me through!" Ash yelled, only for the Pokemon to not listen. Ash tried to push right by them, but was surprised when a stream of fire was shot right at him. Covering his face, Ash felt a cool breeze as a Water Shuriken flew right by him and hit the Flamethrower.

The fight wasn't over then however, before Ash could react, a Bone Rush attack was heading right for him. This time, it was Pikachu who was coming to his rescue as a quick Iron Tail blocked the attack and allowed Ash to get to Noivern and Talonflame.

"The lad and his Pokemon don't even need to speak to understand each other. Rushing right at those two Pokemon, not worrying about himself but instead for his Pokemon. Quiet the valiant trainer," Wikstrom stated proudly from the shadows. He had sent out his Mega Scizor earlier to see exactly what this boy could do.

"Yes, the bonds between them all have been proven throughout this entire journey," Gurkinn responded as he pulled up a pokeball. "Gengar, return," a small red light recalled the ghost and poison type.

"One day we might tell him that the trials he faced were nothing but an illusion to test his trust in them. But for now let's see how he does in the last test."

"Talonflame, Noivern, are you two alright?" Ash asked as he raised their pokeballs. Seeing how tired they were, especially after pulling the raft for as long as they did, he decided it would be best for them to rest. "Take a long rest you two, you both deserve it."

Looking up, Ash watched as his three remaining Pokemon were all locked into battle. Hawlucha and the new Pokemon appeared to be evenly matched in their efforts to battle each other while Greninja was proving to be too fast for Blaziken.

Pikachu meanwhile was having a hard time with Lucario as he continued to dodge Aura Sphere and Bone Rush attacks. Watching, Ash tried to think of an idea right as Lucario knocked an Electro Ball away from him and into the water, splashing the three new Pokemon.

" _That's it! The water!"_ Ash mentally yelled at himself as he saw the water fall onto them. "Greninja, Hawlucha, toss those two into the water! Then Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Understanding what Ash was getting at, both of his Pokemon grabbed ahold of their opponents before raising them high above their bodies. With one swift toss each, the two Pokemon landed into the water with a loud splash.

Seeing his chance to attack while Lucario was confused, Pikachu jumped high into the air as electricity flowed around his entire body. Letting the attack fly with all his might, Pikachu watched as the two Pokemon in the water were shocked badly from the electricity.

Landing back on the ground, Pikachu was met by both Greninja and Hawlucha by his side as they all appeared ready to attack Lucario.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbo-" Ash started to yell, only to be interrupted by a loud clapping. It sounded almost like an applause to him and so he looked around the room.

"That's enough, Lucario. Stand down," the now familiar voice of Gurkinn filled the room. Looking around, Ash noticed that the Mega Evolution master was walking from out of the shadows alongside a tall, muscular man dressed in armor. "We've seen enough."

"Gurkinn, you planned all of this?"

"Yes. The entire journey was nothing more than a test to see if you were worthy of obtaining a Keystone."

"Laddie, your bonds with your Pokemon are glorious. The way they honorably protected you while everyone worked together during this quest was quite glorious. A truly valiant effort by all!" The man stated as he helped his now normal Scizor, who had returned to normal by itself, out of the water. "I am the Elite Four's famed blade of hardened steel, Wikstrom! And I'll be waiting for your challenge Ash."

"So you're Wikstrom," Ash replied as the knight laughed heartily to the question. "Then if that's the case can we battle first thing tomorrow?"

"Of course, young challenger! I admire your determination and willpower!" He stated cheerfully as his voice boomed through the cave. "But, we'll battle like the knights of old! Just as the Battle Chateau battles with one-on-ones so will we! It will be five battles and the one who wins three will be crowned the victor. Until then, fair challenger, I wish you the best of luck." Wikstrom finished his sentence before turning away from his newest challenger. He had heard from Siebold about just how interesting Ash was and hoped to see the same skill that Siebold was lucky enough to see.

Ash just stood there in shock, an Elite Four member had been following him around for the entire day due to an admiration of his own determination. Not knowing what to say, he just stood there in silence until Gurkinn interrupted it.

"Ahem. Yes, this was an entire test to see if you were worthy," the elder man said as Ash looked at him. "And you passed the entire test. If you come with me back to the Tower of Mastery, I'll be able to hand you your Keystone."

* * *

"Look at how shiny it is," Bonnie gawked at Ash's new Mega Ring. The Keystone had fit perfectly into it and luckily the Mega Ring fit around Ash's wrist as well.

"To think that today had been nothing but a test," Clemont muttered as Ash raised the Ring up above so that he could get a good look himself. The Mega Ring looked similar to Alain's in shape and size, but Ash's was blue instead of the black one Alain wore. "It must have been the adventure."

"Well, I wouldn't have been able to do it without everyone else," Ash responded as he pumped a fist in the air and turned to face his five Pokemon. Together they had overcome quite a few obstacles to acquire the Keystone. "But now our bonds have only been strengthened."

"You know, Ash, you and your Pokemon are all so similar. It's like you're a family," Serena told him as she watched the group of five emulating Ash's pose as they all threw their own fists, or wing in Talonflame's case, into the air. "They would fight until the very end for you."

"And that's why I'll be using them against Wikstrom tomorrow," Ash replied as he fixed his hat before standing up. Looking over at his Pokemon, Ash didn't even need to say anything to them as they all got up and followed him. "Time for some special training."

* * *

 **Ash has a Mega Ring now, what could that entail? Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed how he received it by using the bonds of his Pokemon to make it through an illusion created by Gurkinn. Yes, he doesn't have a Gengar in the anime, but in the Manga he had one that was given to X. Now, what could this threat be that could bring an end to the entire world as we know it? You'll find out soon enough. About Wikstrom, I'm trying to go with a knight who loves a heated battle, unsure if I captured that though.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	31. Knights of Old

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Ash managed to find a Keystone for himself thanks to a little adventure set up by Gurkinn. Also, he encountered Wikstrom who has already prepared for a battle with Ash.**

 **Okay, about the whole "Charizard wasn't there for the Keystone" it wouldn't matter if he was there. He already has his Mega Stone and so the Keystone was for Ash.**

 **One final thing, I have also started a 2** **nd** **story that I'll be working on at the same time as this. It's called Tournament of Mysteries and can be found on my profile page. Please give it a look and let me know what you think about it. Thanks.**

 **Also, this story is now over 200 hundred reviews. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this story and leave one. It really means a lot. So once more, thank you.**

 **Ch 31: Knights of Old**

* * *

"Ash! I've been awaiting for this very moment!" Wikstrom's voice boomed across the field as both trainers made their way to their boxes. "It isn't every day that a challenger gets my blood pumping just as it is now. But, as an honorable knight I will not back down in the face of adversity!"

"I've been waiting for our battle as well, Wikstrom!" Ash replied as he looked at their surroundings. Just like with Siebold, they were within a stadium but Wikstrom's appeared to take on more of a castle appearance. "But it won't matter what you do! My Pokemon and I will find a way to win."

"That determination! It fills me with excitement. Very well, lad, see if you're sword can pierce through my shield!" Just as Gurkinn finished his sentence, the field raised up from below them.

The field was another interesting one for Ash to see. The entire field was actually a replica castle of the Battle Chateau right down to the battle platform on the water.

"You like it? When I mentioned that we would fight like the knights of old I meant it. And what knight doesn't battle for his castle? The entire field is in play and you may use it to any advantage you can think of."

"I'll be the referee for this battle," Gurkinn stated as he walked over to his spot. Taking his position, the Mega Evolution master raised his hand high above his head as he began to state the rules. "This match will be five one-on-one matches between the Elite Four member Wikstrom and his opponent Ash of Pallet Town. The winner of this battle shall be decided based upon the trainer who is the first to three victories. Now, begin!"

"We shall defend this castle! Klefki, stand by me in this honorable battle!" Wikstrom yelled while tossing out a pokeball. Appearing from the device was none other than the steel and fairy type that Ash was used to seeing with Monsieur Pierre.

"A Klefki? Well, whatever he's got planned, we've got a counter!" Ash yelled out as he gripped a pokeball. "Talonflame, I choose you!" The Scorching Pokemon appeared out of its pokeball and flew up high into the sky.

"That's a smart choice by Ash," Clemont mused as he laced his hand on his chin. "Talonflame should give Ash an advantage thanks to its speed. Plus, fire type attacks will be effective against a steel type."

"Still, something about that Klefki makes me worried," Cilan joined in as they watched the two Pokemon hover above the field. "It just seems strange to see one in a battle this important."

"Now that you mention it, the only Klefki we've ever seen belonged to Monsieur Pierre," Serena stated while starting to worry a little. "They just don't seem like the battling type."

"Then Wikstrom must have a plan ready. He isn't someone to just foolishly enter a battle. I heard that he treats them as if it's war," Clemont finished right as the first commands were given.

"Okay, Talonflame, start off with Flame Charge!" Ash's voice boomed as he punched forward. Rocketing off at an amazing speed, Talonflame burst into flames and flew right across the field.

"Just as I thought," Wikstrom muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest. Staring at the field confidently, Wikstrom watched on as Talonflame flew right over the courtyard portion of field and headed straight for Klefki. "Now, Klefki, raise your shield! Use Reflect!"

"Klefki!" The Key Ring Pokemon chanted as it glowed blue for a moment. As soon as the color faded away, a blue circular barrier appeared before the steel and fairy type.

Talonflame collided with the barrier, but appeared to be unable to break through and instead bounced off of it. Deciding to circle around to see a different approach, Talonflame flew high above the castle and circled its opponent.

"Reflect is going to make it hard for Talonflame to land any attacks..." Ash muttered to himself as he watched his flying type continue to circle its opponents. "But, how will it handle consecutive attacks?"

"Talonflame! Give it another Flame Charge!"

"Talon!" The Scorching Pokemon cried out before dive-bombing right for Klefki. Being enveloped in flames once more, Talonflame moved even faster than before as it slammed right into the reflect again. Bouncing off again, Talonflame flew up again.

"Circle around and go at it again!"

"Try all you want, but in war it's about planning out your moves in advance," Wikstrom stated as he closed his eyes. "No matter how many hits you get in against Reflect, my mighty shield will not break."

"We'll see about that! Go, Talonflame!" Ash commanded as the fire and flying type crashed into the barrier once more. This time however, cracks formed on the glass and allowed a few of the flames to burst through. "Now's our chance! Use Heat Wave!"

"Flame," Talonflame confirmed as it stopped ramming into the Reflect and floated backwards a few feet. Now that it had room to move, Talonflame flapped its wings as quickly as the Scorching Pokemon could.

That was when Wikstrom appeared impressed. The flames on Talonflame's body shot off and smashed right into the Reflect. This wasn't what he was impressed about, but rather the fact that the flames were seeping through the cracks and were now hitting Klefki.

"Quite the valiant effort there," Wikstrom praised as he lifted one arm in front of his face to block the flames. "Cracking the barrier made by Reflect was only a pawn in this battle. And I feel like you're yet to reveal your hand."

"We haven't even shown half our true strength! Now Brave Bird!" Talonflame then straightened itself out before flying forward, covered in blue flames. Upon reaching the now weakened Reflect, the Scorching Pokemon smashed right through it to no one's surprise.

Even Wikstrom didn't seem surprised at all. Instead, he was smiling. It was as if he wanted Ash to break through that barrier and that was when it hit Ash. "Talonflame, get out of there! It's a trap, they were planning for this!"

"Right you are lad," Wikstrom replied as he folded his arms once more. "Thunder Wave, Klefki! Immobilize their movements!"

"Klefki!" The steel and fairy type cried out as yellow rings shot out of the center of its body. Before Talonflame could even have a chance to escape, the electrical blast struck head on and paralyzed the flying and fire type.

"Remember when I stated that you need to plan your moves out in advance?" Wikstrom asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Well, I knew from the Kalos League that you used Talonflame to attack quickly and often. So, we devised a plan to tire it out through your own tactics.

"Talonflame, are you alright?" Ash asked through grit teeth. He should have known something was up the minute Wikstrom didn't try to stop his attacks.

"Talon..." the fire and flying type muttered as sparks of electricity appeared around its body. Standing up, Talonflame was having a hard time getting back into the sky. Its paralysis was bothering it too much at the moment, but after a moment it was back in the air.

"Alright, Flame Charge let's go!"

The flying and fire type burst into flames once again, but this time it was moving at a noticeably slower pace. As it flew across the courtyard again, Talonflame was picking up momentum thanks to its attack and flew right for Klefki.

"Double Team! Confuse the enemy with our advantage!" Wikstrom ordered before Klefki created dozens of copies. Talonflame flew into what it thought was the real Klefki, only to realize it was a copy.

"Ah, Prankster is such a wonderful ability in a war. Allowing a Pokemon like Klefki to move faster than your worthy Talonflame as long as we don't use an attack move."

"Prankster?" Ash mumbled, unsure of what exactly it was. He didn't take too much time to think about it and instead went back on the offensive. "Flame Charge again! We'll find the original eventually!"

"Just as I thought," Wikstrom muttered as he smirked at his young adversary. Unfolding his arms, the Elite Four member pointed out towards the field. "Reflect!"

A number of barriers appeared all around the courtyard as Talonflame continued to crash right through them in its pursuit of the real Klefki. However, with each Reflect that Talonflame destroyed, its stamina dropped from the fatigue it was accumulating.

* * *

"This isn't good," Clemont muttered as he watched Talonflame continue to destroy the multiple Reflects. "Wikstrom had this all planned out from the very beginning..."

"Yes, he studied the recipe for Ash's battling style and created his own dish to counter act each of Ash's team members," Cilan added in as they noticed Talonflame now panting heavily. "It appears to be working as well based on how tired Talonflame is."

"But, why does Klefki keep getting its attacks off before Talonflame can?" Serena asked as Talonflame fell onto the drawbridge due to its paralysis kicking in. "Shouldn't Talonflame be faster?"

Clemont just shook his head as if he was in deep thought. "Usually that is the case. But, any Pokemon with the Prankster ability can get their attack off first as long as the attack doesn't inflict damage."

"So Wikstrom then used that to his advantage. By tiring out Talonflame with the constant Reflects it was able to land a Thunder Wave without any problems to then slow it down."

"But what could he have cooking in his mind?" Cilan now asked as he looked over at the Elite Four member. Their thoughts however were broken up by the sound of Ash's voice.

"I know you can push through it, Talonflame! All we need is one more hit! Now, Flame Charge!"

"Rushing into battle will only get you defeated in war! A true warrior knows when to wait to strike!" Wikstrom stated proudly and as if his words were magic, Talonflame's paralysis kicked in again.

"Now, Klefki, end this with Hyper Beam" The steel and fairy type charged up the powerful blast right in front of its face and fired it at the falling Pokemon. Crashing into Talonflame, the powerful blast shot it backwards until crashing it into the side of the courtyard.

"Talonflame! Are you alright?" Ash asked as he waited for the smoke to clear. No sounds however were coming from the cloud and once the smoke disappeared it was obvious as to why that was the case.

"Talonflame is unable to battle!" Gurkinn decided as he pointed over towards Klefki. "That means Klefki has won the match and one point shall be awarded to Wikstrom! Both trainers, choose your next Pokemon!"

"That was an honorable performance, Klefki! Bask in your glorious victory!" Wikstrom told the Key Ring Pokemon before recalling it. "Now, it's your turn! Aegislash!"

"Aegislash..." Ash muttered as he looked at the Steel and Ghost-Type. Ash remembered facing Sawyer's Aegislash and how it could be quite the opponent. Looking down at his best friend, they both knew who was going in this battle.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash commanded as the Electric-Type ran out into the castle field. Appearing on the drawbridge, Pikachu's cheeks sparked as Ash watched Aegislash hover above the front wall.

Wikstrom appeared to be even more excited by the matchup. "The mighty mouse. Slayer of legends and Mega-Evolutions. Thou are quite the notable Pokémon, dear Pikachu."

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out excitedly, he just wanted to get the match going. He didn't care about his past achievements since they held no relevance to today's match.

"Pikachu and I have been through quite a bit," Ash replied as he fixed his hat. Smiling, Ash threw a fist forward as he issued the first command. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack to climb the castle's wall and then switch to an Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" The Electric-Type cried out as a burst of white light trailed him. Running straight up the wall in no time at all, Pikachu had managed to get high above Aegislash and was now falling towards the Royal Sword Pokémon. Swinging his tail around, Pikachu looked poised to land the first hit.

"Raise your shield and protect thyself, Aegislash! King's Shield!" Wikstrom cried out as the Steel and Ghost-Type changed shapes. Jumping into his shield, a barrier of sorts appeared before Aegislash as the Iron Tail bounced off harmlessly.

Landing on the top of the wall, Pikachu glowed blue for a second as he felt himself weakening for a moment. Neither Ash or Pikachu had a clue for what was happening.

"Now Aegislash, raise your sword for battle! Sacred Sword!"

"Counter with Iron Tail!"

The two Pokémon exchanged blows as sparks flew from the colliding attacks. Neither Pokémon was budging an inch as they knew just what was at stake here. However, it appeared that Aegislash as the strength advantage as the Royal Sword Pokémon soon overpowered Pikachu and sent him flying into the moat.

* * *

"Clemont, why was Pikachu's attack weaker than normal?" Serena asked as she gripped the blue ribbon around her neck. Serena would have bet everything she had on the fact that something was effecting Pikachu.

Clemont fixed his glasses as he thought back to every move during the battle. "King's Shield!" He cried out in remembrance.

"Of course, that move is a rather delicate blend of both offensive and defensive prowess," Cilan agreed as the duo went back and forth about it. Serena and Bonnie appeared to have no idea what they meant, and could only listen in confusion for the moment.

Getting to the point, Clemont quickly explained why King's Shield is such a troublesome move. "Well, with King's Shield, Aegislash protects itself from all moves. But, if a Pokémon somehow touches the barrier then its attack power will drop. So in essence, the move if used correctly is both beneficial on the offensive and defensive side."

* * *

"I'm not really sure what you did, but Pikachu and I won't be giving up anytime soon!" Ash cried out as Pikachu leapt out of the water. Now back on the drawbridge, the duo watched as Aegislash floated down into the courtyard.

"King's Shield is a move worthy of your talents, young lad. Perhaps you'll find a way to overcome it?" Wikstrom asked as Aegislash flew right at Pikachu. "Sacred Sword!"

Slashing downwards, Aegislash's sword cut across the drawbridge as Pikachu leapt to the side to dodge. Turning around, Aegislash came once more at Pikachu as once again the Electric-Type dodged.

"What's he up to?" Ash asked himself as he watched the same pattern continue on. Pikachu would dodge and Aegislash would continue attacking. Then, it happened. Before Ash or Pikachu could react, the entire drawbridge started to collapse as the newly cut pieces fell into the moat.

"Quick, Pikachu, get to the platform in the water!" Ash called out as Pikachu leapt from the now broken bridge and onto the dueling circle. Panting from the constant dodging, Pikachu looked to be exhausted and Ash didn't want to push his stamina much further.

"Just as I planned," Wikstrom muttered as Aegislash now floated around the platform. Looking at the situation, Ash now realized that Wikstrom had wanted this. "Now we'll battle it out in a location where neither can escape."

"I see, you wanted Pikachu to get trapped on the platform," Ash replied as he chuckled at the fact he fell for it. "But, we won't go down easily! Iron Tail!"

"King's Shield!" Wikstrom countered as Pikachu once again bounced off of the barrier before glowing blue again. "And Sacred Sword!" Chasing after Pikachu, Aegislash's sword slashed across the ground as Pikachu tried to dodge. However, Pikachu was soon out of places to run and Aegislash landed a blow.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out as the Mouse Pokémon landed as the edge of the platform. Holding on with his paws, Pikachu tried his best to pull himself back up onto the small ring. "Great, now use Electro Ball!"

"Counter with Shadow Ball!"

The two Pokémon traded attacks as the two spheres crashed in the center of the small platform. An explosion soon followed as smoke covered the area, making visibility impossible. As the smoke vanished, it appeared that both Pokémon were fine.

"Now, Thunderbolt!"

"King's Shield!"

Ash watched as Aegislash switched over to its shield, but in doing so he noticed exactly what had to be done as Aegislash landed into a small section of the shield. The Thunderbolt then bounced off of the barrier.

"You can't win a fight with just raw power, Ash," Wikstrom replied as he folded his arms across his chest. "You won't be able to win until breaking my shield."

"Well we'll do just that! Pikachu use Iron Tail on the ground!" Ash cried out while throwing a fist over his head. Moving swiftly, Pikachu rammed the ground hard with his tail as the tiles on the platform flew up and all around Aegislash before running up on them.

"Sacred Slash, Aegislash. They won't be able to hide behind this," Wikstrom called out as Aegislash cut through a tile only to see Pikachu wasn't behind it. Turning to another, Aegislash continued on until every single tile had been cut in half only to not see Pikachu at all.

"Quickly, we must go on the defensive as Pikachu hides! King's Shield!"

"Not this time!" Ash voice rang out as even Wikstrom seemed surprised by it. Leaping out of the water, Pikachu grabbed a hold of one of the now cut tiles. "Throw it right at Aegislash! Make sure he can't switch to his shield!"

"Pika!" Giving it a hard slap with his tail, Pikachu launched the tile right into the small slot that Aegislash would normally slide into. Now unable to finish the transition, Aegislash found himself stuck between his Shield and Blade forms.

"Now let him have it! Electro Ball!" Leaping off of a nearby Tile, Pikachu charged up the electrical attack before launching it at Aegislash. Slamming into the Steel and Ghost-Type, the Electro Ball pushed it into the water, completely soaking Aegislash.

"And, Thunderbolt!"

"Pika... Chuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried out as electricity flowed from his cheeks. Shooting across the platform, the Thunderbolt crashed into the water as Aegislash was electrocuted due to being in the water.

"Aegislash is unable to battle! Pikachu has won the battle and one point will be awarded to Ash. Both trainers are now tied with one point each! Choose your next Pokémon!"

"That was a great idea, young Ash, but how exactly did you uncover our weakness?" Wikstrom asked as he recalled his defeated Aegislash. He really had no idea how Ash could have beaten King's Shield like that.

"Well, it was how Aegislash transitioned into it," Ash replied as he bent over so Pikachu could jump on his shoulder. "I noticed that the slot he enters could be jammed and so I had Pikachu launch the tiles into the air. The rest was just hoping you'd expect us to be hiding amongst the tiles."

"Once they were all cut up, that's when I had Pikachu show himself," Ash continued on as Pikachu shook the water off of his body, getting Ash partially wet in the process. "He then threw the tile at the perfect time and prevented Aegislash from activating his shield and the rest was easy."

"Admirable strategy. You truly broke our shield in more than one way," Wikstrom applauded as he gave Ash a slow clap as well. Upon stopping, Wikstrom raised his Poké Ball and tossed it outwards. "but try to stop this one! Go, Lucario!"

"Don't worry, we've got someone who can handle it as well!" Ash replied as he gripped his Poké Balls. Picking the one he wanted, Ash tossed it out towards the field. "Greninja, I choose you!"

"Gren!" The Ninja Pokémon cried out as he struck a ninja pose before crouching down into battle position.

"So, you pull out the frog of myth? The one who changes form without any detail about it? Quite interesting, young Ash," Wikstrom mentioned as he appeared confused by the choice.

"I believe in all my Pokémon to be able to win so it doesn't matter which order I go with," Ash replied as he grinned. "But, Greninja. We've promised to grow stronger and stronger together and we'll show you just how strong we've grown!" He cried out as the two mimicked each other's movements before a geyser of water surrounded Greninja.

Soon the geyser died down as the water transitioned over to Greninja's back and created a large Water Shuriken. Gurkinn appeared to be looking in shock as everything he saw reminded him of a rare phenomenon that he had read up on just recently.

"Bond Phenomenon..." he muttered while watching in awe. Something that was only thought of as a myth turned out to be true after all. He had seen Ash's Greninja transform while watching the Kalos League, but in no way did he think it was related to this.

"A worthy challenge indeed," Wikstrom replied as he smirked at the Ninja Pokémon. "Now, Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

Cupping his hands together, the Aura Pokémon gathered energy in between them before launching the sphere right at Greninja. The Water and Dark-Type didn't seem fazed however and just watched the attack.

"Okay, Greninja, kick it away with Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded as both of Greninja's feet glowed white. Moving swiftly, Greninja jumped into the air and kicked it right into the side of the courtyard's walls. "Now, use Night Slash!"

"Counter with Power-Up Punch!" Wikstrom stated while throwing a fist forward at Ash.

Both Pokémon ran forward as they readied their attacks. Greninja's purple kunai glistened in the sun as he ran through the courtyard. Lucario's fists also glowed a bright orange as flames flew off of them.

Meeting at the middle of the courtyard, the two Pokémon exchanged blows as they both brushed against each other's faces. Jumping back, they were then caught in close quarter combat as kunai met fist and fist met kunai. Blow after blow, both Pokémon weren't backing down as the exchanged blows appeared to be gaining power. Finally leaping backwards, both Pokémon took a second to rest up.

"Gren," Greninja muttered as he wiped his chin after the previous hit. Feeling excited, he was ready to go at it again.

"Great, Aerial Ace, Greninja!" Ash called out in excitement. It appeared to look equal, but really Greninja had been holding out to have a good battle. They hadn't been able to have a good one since the Kalos League had ended.

"Now, Bone Rush!" Wikstrom countered as Lucario created two bones out of aura. The Aura Pokémon then once more met Greninja at the middle of the courtyard as they exchanged blows until Greninja landed an uppercut punch which sent Lucario flying backwards.

Growing tired from taking so many hits from before, Ash could see Greninja panting. Lucario may not have been as strong as Greninja, but by holding back it did allow him to inflict quite a bit of damage. Deciding to end it before things turned ugly, Ash pulled out their trump card.

"Alright, Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash cried out as he pulled back to grab the shuriken as if it was on his back. Copying his movements, Greninja grabbed ahold of the Water Shuriken and tossed it right at the falling Lucario.

Crashing into the Fighting and Steel-Type, the Water Shuriken exploded upon impact and was followed by the sight of Lucario already being defeated. Gurkinn could only watch on in amazement as he witnessed firsthand just how strong Greninja truly was.

Snapping back to reality, Gurkinn quickly made the call. "Lucario is unable to battle! The winner is Greninja and Ash is awarded one point. He now has two points and if he wins this next one that is the match!"

* * *

"That Greninja always leaves a satisfying taste in my mouth," Cilan said as he sounded fascinated with the Water and Dark-Type. "A truly exotic blend of power and trust between trainer and Pokémon has created this delicacy."

"He did take care of Lucario fairly fast," Clemont agreed as they all waited on the next Pokémon to be chosen. "It just shows how far they've come since Greninja was once a Froakie."

"They really have grown quite a bit," Serena said with admiration in her voice. "To think that Froakie and Ash would get this far in such a short amount of time. They're going to go all the way."

* * *

"Valiant battle, that Greninja is beyond anything I would have imagined. Truly a worthy opponent," Wikstrom said as he recalled his Lucario. "However, this battle is long from over! Go, Probopass!"

"Thanks, Greninja truly is something special," Ash responded as he recalled his powerhouse. Reaching for his fourth Pokémon, Ash tossed his Poké Ball out. "Noivern, I choose you!"

"Hmm, an aerial battle between our two Pokémon. I wonder how this'll turn out?" Wikstrom asked with interest as he watched both Pokémon flying, or floating in Probopass' case, above the castle.

"I believe in Noivern and I know he'll be able to win!" Ash confidently stated as Noivern cried out in agreement. The bond Ash shared with all his Pokémon ran deeper than anyone could have ever thought.

"Alright, Noivern start off with Boomburst!" Firing off the soundwaves from his ears, Noivern managed to land the attack and send Probopass flying through the air.

"Straighten yourself up, Probopass!" Wikstrom commanded as the Rock and Steel-Type stopped its coarse through the air and appeared to be ready to battle. "Now, Rock Blast!"

"Quick, try to dodge it Noivern!"

Probopass was too quick however. Launching the attack while still regaining its balance, Probopass shot off a continuous barrage of stones as its nose glowed.

Noivern immediately dodged the first few rocks as he navigated around the roof of the castle and the used the entire sky to dodge, dip, duck and dive from the incoming projectiles.

Knowing that defending wasn't getting them anywhere, Ash tried to think of an idea right as the Flying and Dragon-Type and caused Noivern to spiral towards the ground.

Gritting his teeth, Ash knew they had to think of something and fast as two more stones hit Noivern. "Quick, use Boomburst on the ground to slow your momentum!"

"Vern!" Noivern cried out as the sound waves exploded against the ground. Doing as Ash planned, the blast allowed Noivern time to land softly on the ground before flying back up.

"Great job, Noivern! Now use Dragon Claw!"

"Double-Edge, Probopass!"

Probopass floated forward as the Compass Pokémon prepared for impact. Ramming its body against the enlarged, green claws of its opponent, both Pokémon realized immediately they were going nowhere soon.

"Come on, Noivern, I know you can push through this!" Ash cried out as he raised his two fists by his sides. "Think of all the training we've done!

Noivern nodded in agreement as he surprisingly dropped one of his claws. The lack of a second claw was all Probopass needed to push Noivern into the castle's wall. But, this was exactly what the young flyer wanted as he now swung his free claw underneath Probopass and upwards, sending the Rock and Steel-Type flying into the air.

"Ready and aim, Probopass!" Wikstrom commanded as Ash noticed its nose start to glow again. "And Zap Cannon!"

Stopping its current flight direction, Probopass straightened itself out before releasing an impressive looking electrical beam. Shooting it right at Noivern, the Sound Wave Pokémon flew upwards and alongside the castle as the Zap Cannon followed him.

Looking behind himself as he flew up over the castle, Noivern saw an entire portion of the wall destroyed by the blast and was fortunate to avoid it. However, in his brief moment of rest, it allowed the perfect opening for Wikstrom.

"Now we strike! Stone Edge attack!"

"Probo," the Compass Pokémon cried out as stones floated all around its body. Launching them forward, everyone watched as Noivern was pelted by the barrage before dropping into a freefall.

"And for the finishing blow to our worthy adversary! Zap Cannon full power!" Wikstrom declared as Probopass launched the electric attack.

"Noivern, snap out of it and use Boomburst on that Zap Cannon!" Ash quickly called out as Noivern opened his eyes. Flapping his wings to slow his descent, the Flying and Dragon-Type quickly spun his head around and fired the sound based move.

The two blasts collided midair as the explosion blew both Pokémon backwards. Probopass had been lucky to drift upwards thanks to the updraft from the blast, but Noivern wasn't as fortunate. Being thrown downwards, he had no way to slow himself down before slamming hard into the courtyard.

"Noivern is unable to battle! The winner is Probopass and Wikstrom is given one point!" Gurkinn declared as both trainers recalled their Pokémon. "The winner shall be decided upon by this final match."

"I am impressed by your effort there, valiant Ash. But, your quest ends today in our noble duel!" Wikstrom proclaimed as he lifted his final Poké Ball. "In this Ball contains my closest ally. Go, Scizor!"

Landing down in the courtyard was none other than the Bug and Steel-Type Pokémon. Looking as poised and collected as his trainer, Scizor waited for his opponent.

"Think what you'd like, but I still have the perfect Pokémon for a situation like this," Ash replied as he grabbed his final Poké Ball. "Hawlucha, I choose you!"

Tossing the device out, the Fighting and Flying-Type emerged on the field to the immediate reaction of performing his signature poses.

* * *

"Perhaps Ash should have saved Greninja for the end," Cilan muttered as he looked down at Scizor. Hanging around its neck was none other than a Mega Stone.

"I don't know if Hawlucha despite his unique style of fighting is enough to counter even a Mega Evolution."

"Hawlucha was his best choice though," Serena answered as she leaned forward in her seat. Unlike with Siebold, the entire arena was empty and allowed them a lot more space.

"During his time with Ash, Hawlucha has shown to get motivated by taking his opponents' attacks head on and using them to grow stronger. If anyone out of Ash's Pokémon would be perfect, it's Hawlucha."

"I didn't even think of that," Clemont added in as they watched Hawlucha continue his posing. "How did you pick up on that?"

"Because she watches his battles with the most interest," Bonnie teased as she watched Serena jump a little.

"Well... I do watch his battles closely and so I just picked it up as a trait of Hawlucha's."

* * *

"You ready for this, Hawlucha?" Ash asked while pumping his fist in the air. He knew if anyone was going to overcome this challenge, it would be Hawlucha. This battle just seemed like the perfect match.

"Lucha cha, haw," Hawlucha responded as he finished his poses and got into a fighting stance. He was ready to get another go at Scizor since his last bout was interrupted.

"Great, start off with Karate Chop!"

"Counter with our Metal Claw, Scizor!"

The two Pokémon's appendages glowed white as their arms collided against each other. Seeing an equality in strength, both Pokémon jumped backwards from their clash and prepared to go at it again.

"You have a good feeling for it, Hawlucha?" Ash asked as he received a head nod in response. Understanding exactly what Hawlucha meant, Ash gave the next order. "Alright, get in close with Karate Chop once more!"

Hawlucha jumped across the courtyard, forearms glowing white, and made it in front of Scizor at a speed neither it or its trainer was expecting. With a swift uppercut, Hawlucha sent Scizor flying up onto the wall that surrounded the castle and courtyard.

"Quite the fighter," Wikstrom muttered as he reached for the belt that wrapped around his armor. Touching a circular object, light began emitting from both him and Scizor as the Pokémon changed shape. "It's time to reveal my ace. Evolve beyond evolution, Mega Evolve!"

Scizor's entire body began to change as his claws became longer and sharper in design. His head was also more of an edgy look as three spikes lined the top of his head and his legs ended in more of a point.

"It isn't every day we decide to use this. Just when we think it's necessary. Now, Scizor, use Metal Claw once more!"

"Hawlucha, meet him with another Karate Chop!"

Once more the two Pokémon clashed as they met in the air during Scizor's descent back towards the courtyard. Met in a stalemate, the two Pokémon pushed hard against each other until finally Scizor managed to win out. Managing to get the upper hand thanks to his higher altitude over Hawlucha, Scizor overpowered the Wrestling Pokémon and sent him flying back towards the ground.

"After him! Land a Wing Attack!" Now flying at Hawlucha, the Pincer Pokémon's wings glowed a bright white as he readied for an attack. Without giving much of a notice, Scizor appeared before a now landing Hawlucha and slashed right across his body with a powerful Wing Attack.

Falling down onto one knee, Hawlucha appeared to be hurt pretty badly from the last attack, but the Fighting and Flying-Type fought through it and got back onto both of his feet proudly.

"That's the spirit, Hawlucha!" Ash cried out happily as he watched Hawlucha stand back up, ready for more action. "Mega Evolution or not, we'll show them how strong we are! Go in with High Jump Kick!"

Turning immediately, Hawlucha managed to ram his knee into the back of Scizor. Fortunately for Hawlucha, the Pincer Pokémon had stopped shortly after hitting Hawlucha and had been nearby. Completely caught off guard from the attack, Scizor had no way to defend and was sent skidding across the courtyard.

"He has quite the willpower there, Ash," Wikstrom muttered as he watched Scizor get back up and eye Hawlucha. Both Pokémon were now staring the other down as they moved slowly in a circle. It actually looked a little like a wrestling match by the way they both moved slowly around. "But willpower only takes you so far in war! X-Scissor!"

"Hawlucha, you use X-Scissor as well!" Ash called out while punching forward. It didn't matter how strong Scizor was, Hawlucha was going to show that he could win.

Both Pokémon's forearms glowed a light blue as they rammed into each. The two attacks collided once more, showing that the two Pokémon were on fairly equal grounds when it came to strength and so it was now up to the trainers to try and find a way to take control of this battle.

Jumping backwards from their confrontation once more, both Pokémon were now breathing heavily from their constant assaults but neither looked ready to give up just yet.

"Okay, Hawlucha, use Karate Chop!"

"Quick, Bullet Punch!" Wikstrom countered as Scizor zoomed in front of Hawlucha before the Fighting and Flying-Type could even move a step forward. Without any notice, Scizor rammed his claw into Hawlucha and sent the Wrestling Pokémon flying across the field and into the castle's wall.

"That Scizor is fast... We're going to need to find a way to out speed it," Ash muttered as he looked around the castle battleground. There wasn't anything on the field that they could use at the moment so for now they were just going to have to find a way to overcome it.

"Scizor, continue our siege with a Metal Claw!"

Ash looked up to see Scizor moving towards Hawlucha at an alarming speed while its claws glowed a white. Before Ash could issue another command, Hawlucha had already been hit by a Metal Claw and sent into another wall before bouncing off of it.

"Okay, Hawlucha, can you continue?" Ash asked as the Wrestling Pokémon nodded in agreement. Knowing that he wasn't pushing Hawlucha to far, Ash got ready to issue the next command. "Start off with Karate Chop!"

Hawlucha swung his forearm forward right as the chasing Scizor had appeared before him. Meeting his fist with Scizor's claw, both Pokémon had been locked into another stalemate in their ever longing battle. However, this was what Ash had been hoping for.

"Now, grab ahold of the other claw and send Scizor for a ride!" Ash commanded as Hawlucha did just that. Grabbing ahold of the open claw, Hawlucha tossed the Bug and Steel-Type across the field and onto its back before charging right for it.

"Bullet Punch," the command was issued by Wikstrom. Catching Ash by surprise, Scizor arose from the ground and quickly jabbed his claw into Hawlucha. The Fighting and Flying-Type flew through the air as a breeze lifted him up and onto the wall that surrounded the castle. "After him, and use X-Scissor!"

Now on top of the castle walls, Hawlucha clutched his head as he tried to get rid of the pain from the last attack. However, he didn't much time as before he knew it, Scizor was fast approaching him. Leaping backwards, Hawlucha barely avoided the latest attack and watched as a chunk of the wall was destroyed by Scizor.

"Hawlucha, jump across to the castle!" Ash commanded as the Fighting and Flying-Type glided across the field and landed atop the castle. Seeing his opponent following after him, Hawlucha struck a fighting pose and awaited his opponent.

Landing across from him on the slanted roof, Scizor likewise got into a fighting stance. He had seen enough from Hawlucha to view him as an equal when it came to fighting, and so wanted a good conclusion to their fight.

"X-Scissor!" Both trainers cried out as the two Pokémon clashed once more. Shockwaves broke out from this collision as both were not putting every ounce of energy they had into the attacks. The shockwaves caught Ash and Wikstrom by surprise, and watched on as both Pokémon separated only to go back at it with X-Scissor.

Ash watched as Hawlucha managed to push Scizor to its max and managed to see the slightest opening from their latest attacks. Deciding they had to risk it, Ash issued the command. "Hawlucha, High Jump Kick! Now!"

"Haw!" Hawlucha cried out as he dropped his arms. In one swift movement, Hawlucha's knee crashed right into Scizor's face and sent the Pincer Pokémon flying off of the castle and back into the courtyard.

"Alright, time to wrap this up with Flying Press!" Standing atop the castle, Hawlucha spread his wings open nice and wide before leaping off. Heading right for Scizor, Hawlucha prepared for his finisher.

"Never think your enemy is down for the count, lad!" Wikstrom shot out, much to the surprise of Ash and Hawlucha. "Scizor, show them our might! Bullet Punch!"

Once he touched the ground, Scizor bounced off of it and then flew straight at Hawlucha, arm thrown out in front of his body. Moving a little slower due to his fatigue, Scizor was visible through his entire voyage and quickly struck Hawlucha in the face.

The Wrestling Pokémon spun in the air as he flew backwards until crashing into the wall once more. Sliding back down and into the courtyard, Hawlucha slowly got back up as the sight of a charging Scizor was right before him.

"Hawlucha, wait until the very last moment before dodging!" Ash called out as they both watched their opponent approaching. Watching, Hawlucha saw the exact moment to jump over the top of Scizor and saw that the Bug and Steel-Type couldn't stop in time. Smashing his claw into the brick wall, Scizor found himself stuck as he couldn't remove his claw from it.

"Now!" Ash yelled as Hawlucha jumped up onto the opposite wall. "Let's do it, Hawlucha! Flying Press!" Hawlucha once more leapt off of the castle wall as he spun in the air. Flying across the courtyard, the Wrestling Pokémon slammed hard into his opponent as his momentum carried the both of them right through the wall.

Now standing right in front of the castle, both Pokémon looked to be running on fumes as they were both on one knee. Panting heavily, Scizor stood back up and was met by Hawlucha copying the action. Both Pokémon raised their arms up in front of their faces, knowing that the next hit would be the deciding factor in this match.

"Karate Chop!"

"Metal Claw!"

The two Pokémon rushed forward as their appendages glowed white for what would be the final time today. Throwing their fists forward, both Pokémon landed their hits. Ash and Wikstrom watched as both Pokémon's fists slid right across each other's faces and dust kicked up as they were quickly covered by it.

"Hawlucha!" Ash called out in concern as he covered his face from the dust. The last impact had probably been their strongest one yet and Ash could only hope that Hawlucha was alright.

"Scizor!" Wikstrom likewise called out. He too was worried for his partner, but he was also too caught up in the thrill to think they were close to being over.

Both trainers stood there as they waited for the dust to settle. Neither of them wanted to make a sound, so silence filled the arena as everyone present waited in anxiety. Then, once a gust of wind filled the stadium, the dust was blown away and the sight before them made Ash cry out in joy.

Standing over a defeated Scizor was none other than Hawlucha. The Fighting and Flying-Type was panting heavily as he was hunched over. But there was no doubt about it, he was the last one standing in their grueling battle.

"Scizor is unable to battle!" Gurkinn declared as he pointed towards Ash. "Hawlucha is the winner and so Ash is the first to earn three points in today's battle!"

"Way to go, Hawlucha! I knew you would be able to win!" Ash cried out as he ran out onto the field and towards Hawlucha.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed as he followed after Ash in excitement. It now meant they only needed two more wins before facing Diantha.

Turning to face his trainer, Hawlucha raised an arm in celebration before lunging for Ash. "Lucha!" The Wrestling Pokémon cried out in joy before leaping into Ash's arms in celebration. The duo were unable to keep their balance, and both ended up on the ground as they laughed in celebration.

"Ash," Wikstrom began to say as he helped Scizor get up onto his feet. "How exactly did you know Hawlucha could handle Scizor?"

Ash chuckled a little before standing back up. Looking down at Hawlucha, Ash grinned at the Wrestling Pokémon. "Well, you see, Hawlucha takes great pride in his fighting and so his style revolved around using his own opponent's attacks to his advantage. The harder he's hit, the more determined he gets to try and win. So, I figured he would be the best bet to use in the final battle."

"But, why didn't you use Greninja?"

"Well, Hawlucha had asked last night to wait until Scizor was on the field to be used. I guess he wanted to prove his true strength to Scizor," Ash responded as he rubbed the back of his head. "Right, Hawlucha."

"Haw, hawlucha, cha," Hawlucha responded as he raised a fist in front of his face and eyed Scizor. Extending his fist forward, Scizor met it halfway with his own, signaling that he had accepted Hawlucha as his equal.

"Ash, that was a truly valiant effort by all of your Pokémon today," Wikstrom began to say as he pulled a small box out from his suit of armor. "I would be honored to battle alongside you anytime and please, come back for another round of bouts. My Pokémon would all enjoy the challenge."

"I think we'll be coming back again soon," he responded before looking down at Hawlucha. "Right, Hawlucha?"

"Haw, hawlucha, lucha," he responded happily before Wikstrom opened up his small box.

"Well then, young trainer, there isn't much left to do but hand you your spoils from winning," Wikstrom explained as he pulled out the Steel Medal. It looked just like Siebold's Water Medal, only there was a steel beam running across the front of it. "Here is your symbol of victory over me. Thou has truly deserved the Steel Medal."

"Alright!" Ash cried out as he picked the Medal up. "I got a Steel Medal!" He continued on as he and his Pokémon did their usual celebration. "Now I only need two more before I can challenge Diantha."

"So, where are you planning on heading towards next?"

"Well... I-I'm not sure," Ash responded as it caused Wikstrom to laugh at his moment. "Serena, do you know the fastest way to Lumiose City? That way I can decide which member I want to face next."

"Well, I was hoping we could stop at Coumarine City first. They're going to be holding a Showcase there. From there it would only be a short distance to Lumiose City anyway," Serena explained as she looked at the map section of her travel guide.

"Well, I guess it's settled then. First it's to Coumarine City and then we head for Lumiose City! We'll leave first thing in the morning!"

"But," Gurkinn said as he interrupted the little celebration. He had important information for Ash regarding his Greninja's transformation and it had to be shared before they left. "Before you leave, I would like to speak with you and Greninja about your transformation. Of course, everyone is invited to come along, but this is very important."

* * *

 **Well, Hawlucha got the big win in this battle folks. The main reason is that I don't want Greninja staring in everything. He got the wins against Mega-Sceptile and Mega-Charizard, so let the other guys win. That and it's hard to write a battle for Greninja without having to nerf him or overpower his opponent, especially after what the anime has shown he's capable of doing. So, that is the main reason why Greninja didn't star.**

 **Now, the reason this chapter is so late is due to multiple reasons. The first was because I originally had writers block and had three different versions of the battle before coming up with this. The second had been due to the original final copy's file getting ruined and my backup only being done up to the Pikachu battle. The third, well, I've been having to spend a decent amount of time at my College getting ready. School starts back up September 6** **th** **so updates might be slower once my classes start back up. Sorry about the delay, but hopefully you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve this story.**


	32. A Team Rocket Grand Scheme

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash had just defeated Wikstrom and was heading off towards Coumarine City for Serena's next Showcase. But, before they could, Gurkinn wanted to talk to Ash for a moment first.**

 **Ch 32: A Team Rocket Grand Scheme**

* * *

"Bond Phenomenon?" Ash asked as he repeated the words Gurkinn had just stated. Following his victory over Gurkinn, Ash and the others had returned to the Tower of Mastery with Gurkinn as he had some important information for the young trainer. Upon reaching the inside of the Tower, Gurkinn dropped a shocker on Ash.

"Yes, Bond Phenomenon," the Mega Evolution Master repeated as he pulled out an older looking scroll. Looking over it, Gurkinn found a picture of a Greninja that had taken on a similar form while protecting a village. "It's believed to be a rare occurrence that only happens when trainer and Pokémon have a strong trust between them."

"So could any Pokémon be able to access this power as long as the bond with its trainer is strong enough?" Cilan asked as he looked at the scroll. The image appeared to be worn down due to the vast number of years that had passed since it was taken but it was clear as day that this Greninja also looked different like Ash's.

Gurkinn rolled the scroll up while shaking his head at the Connoisseur's question. "No. The activation of it is believed to be tied to the latent, or potential, power of the Pokémon itself and not every Pokémon is affected by this and so it is truly rare to see one who can access this power."

"So in a sense, without everything we've been through, Greninja and I wouldn't be able to use this form?" Ash asked while muttering the question out loud. Gurkinn had provided some answers, but in the process also created a few more questions.

"I suppose," the elder answered as he placed the scroll back with the others. "Of course I don't know all the answers about this rare occurrence. I have been in talks with Professor Sycamore and it appears he's made some progress on researching about it. The next time you're in Lumiose City, you should talk to him."

"Yeah, it would be great to finally figure out everything about this," Ash replied as he pumped a fist in front of his face. "But, first we need to head off to Coumarine City. Right, Serena?"

"Yeah! This time I'll win the Showcase there and be one step closer to challenging Aria for the title of Kalos Queen!" She replied despite a little hesitancy about heading to the city where she first messed up in.

"Well then, we better get moving!" Ash cried out as he made his way to the exit.

"Thank you, Gurkinn for everything," Clemont quickly apologized as he realized Ash rushed off in a hurry. "I'm sure it'll be useful for Ash when he tries to understand more about Greninja's form."

"Of course, just remember that it is trust in each other that fuels the power. I wish I could have been of more assistance to you," he stated while nodding solemnly. There hadn't been much information in anything he had read. This was a much rarer occurrence than even Mega Evolution and it puzzled him as to why that was the case. Watching the retreating figures disappear as they crossed the path back to the mainland, Gurkinn only wondered how far Ash would go on his current challenge.

"Now that we're on the way to Coumarine, nothing is going to stop us until we get there!" Ash boldly proclaimed as everyone else followed behind them. He didn't know what, but something had been telling him to rush to Coumarine City and make sure Serena was all set for her next Showcase.

"Ash, there's no reason to rush along," Serena told the energetic trainer as she caught up to him. Walking side by side with him, Serena couldn't help but enjoy the thought that this was how it should always be. "The Showcase doesn't start for a few weeks. We have plenty of time to get there."

"I think now would actually be the perfect time to stop for lunch," Clemont offered as everyone else agreed with him. Pulling out their table, Clemont, Cilan and Serena got everything ready as Ash decided to pull out his Medals.

Looking over them, Ash couldn't help but smile at his current achievement. "Look, Pikachu. We're halfway there," he told his best friend as the duo looked over the two Medals.

"Once we earn two more, we'll be given the chance to battle Diantha herself. I can't wait for that moment. It'll be our hardest battle yet. But I know with you and everyone else by my side there's no way we can lose!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in agreement as he raised a small fist in front of his body. He was just as excited for this as Ash was and he would make sure to give it even more effort than he had been giving it from now on.

"Yeah, together with Greninja and the others there's no one who can beat us," Ash replied as he placed the Medals away and laid down across the grass. "Remember what Gurkinn told us? That Greninja's latent power is brought out through our mutual trust in each other. And I feel like we're going all the way to the top!"

"Ash!" Bonnie's voice cried out as the Kanto native quickly sat up to the sight of said child calling for him. "Come on already, Clemont said lunch is just about finished!"

"I'm coming!" He quickly replied as he jumped off of the ground and sprinted off in the direction of his friends. There had been one thought lingering in the back of his head, but it would have to wait until later.

* * *

"So we did manage to infiltrate Team Rocket's Kalos branch just as you asked sir," Silver told his higher-up over a secure line. They had returned to Lumiose City earlier in the morning and had decided to contact HQ to give them all the details on what was currently happening.

"They don't appear to be much of a threat at the moment though. Perhaps it would be best to strike now before anything happens?"

"No," a man with carmine hair responded over the video message. He appeared to be fairly tall and was dressed somewhat fancy with his blue outfit that had orange lines that ran down the front of it and also had a black and carmine cape attached to his outfit.

"We do not attack until their leader is an accessible target. Do you understand?" He asked, pausing only to see his two agents nod in approval. "Now, what exactly have they been doing there?"

"Not much, Dragon Boy," Michael responded as he yawned towards the camera. Personally he didn't feel like contacting the G-Men at this very moment, but Silver had decided that it was necessary. "Pretty much they have this cannon that doesn't even work."

Silver was shocked by the tone that Michael used to speak to their higher-up. Did he even know who this guy was? "How can you speak so insultingly towards the Champion of both Kanto and Johto, Lance? He is the strongest trainer in all of the two regions combined!"

"Dragon Boy and I go back pretty far. Partners at one point," Michael responded, not even beating an eyelash at his own comments. Anyone else would have been bragging about the fact they worked with Lance, but Michael actually didn't care.

"So, pretty much what we learned is that sometime in the future Team Rocket launches this machine and it does whatever they had planned for it. And according to Olympia, a Gym Leader in Kalos, this will spell the end of the world as we know it."

"And do you two have any ideas on how to prevent this?" Lance asked as he gripped his chin in frustration. He wished that more G-Men could be sent to Kalos to help, but in doing so it might alert Team Rocket to their two infiltrators.

"Well, Olympia did mention that several powerful trainers would all play a role of some sorts in stopping it," Silver answered as Lance seemed to get an idea.

"Powerful trainers?" He repeated as a question appeared in his mind. Perhaps something involving the 100th anniversary of the Pokémon League's establishment could be used. It was coming up in just a few months so it wouldn't be out of the picture either. "I think I have an idea. But I'm going to need the other regions' cooperation to have it work. I'll contact you immediately once I get more information from my end."

With that, the call ended without any form of notice. Staring at the now blank screen, Silver could only wonder what Lance had in mind but knew it was too late to ask now. Placing the device back in his pocket, the duo decided it would be best to head back to the base and report their findings from Anistar City.

"Why do you act so serious all the time?" Michael asked as they made their way to the base. "Lighten up and enjoy life sometimes. It isn't always doom and gloom.

Silver just picked up the pace as he wanted to get this entire mission over with. The sooner they could lure Giovanni out of hiding, the sooner he could finish his personal mission.

"Life isn't always rainbows and sunshine either," Silver remarked as they entered through the rear building. "Sometimes you need to grow up sooner than you want."

Walking down the entrance, Silver and Michael were quickly met with a debriefing where they explained everything they learned from Olympia and how even with the psychic energy manipulating the waves it would be easier to just program it into the machine.

Sending the information off to Jessie, James and Meowth, the two undercover agents were then allowed to retreat to their bunks for the time being.

* * *

"How are the plans coming along?" Giovanni asked as his voice echoed over the computer's speakers. He appeared to be in an impatient mood based on his tone and didn't want to hear about any failures.

"Everything is right on schedule," Meowth responded as he saluted their boss. He was now sweating nervously since it appeared Giovanni wasn't buying his response. Cracking under the pressure of his boss' stare, Meowth explained what was really happening, or at least to a degree.

"Well, we've also ran into a slight problem," the Normal-Type explained as he played with his paws in a nervous manner. "The twerps ruined our first field test by interfering in it."

"You mean the boy that ruined our operation in Unova. Ketchum was his name, correct?" Giovanni asked as he raised an eyebrow in interest. Receiving a nod of agreement, the boss of Team Rocket smirked. "Don't you worry a bit. I'll handle that problem for you. Now, report back to me as soon as the machine is ready," he told them before ending the call.

Hearing the signal drop, Jessie let out a long sigh before looking over at her partner. "James, please tell me you've got that hunk of junk working," Jessie cried out as she sat up from her spot. The three of them had returned back to the base following reports that the machine was malfunctioning even worse than before. "You've been at it for almost three days now."

"Please," James replied as he appeared from underneath his contraption. "This mighty marvel of metallic mastery is going to take longer than I originally believed." Wiping a few drops of sweat from his face, the agent dropped back below the machine as he tinkered away at it.

"From the looks of it, the entire machine is unable to run off of the electricity provided by Lumiose City. We would need to provide with a supersized electrical current to have it work at its full capacity."

"So we're squat out of luck," Meowth replied as he sat down and looked at the machine. It appeared that the stronger the control became, the more energy it consumed and made it more and more unstable. "If only we had a power pack of efficient energy. Then we'd be sitting nice and pretty."

Hearing those words, James immediately shot out from under the machine and ran over to his computer. His actions caught the others by surprise and both Jessie and Meowth only watched on in confusion.

"Meowth old chum, repeat what you just said! It might be our answer to our inefficient electrical atrocity."

"What? The power pack of efficient energy? There's nothing in Lumiose that could provide that much support for this massive machine."

"Maybe not right now, but there is something else," James muttered as his fingers flew across the keyboard. As he finished typing, files from before opened up and revealed all of their contents to the three agents.

"Hmm, this would change everything then," Jessie mused as she tapped the bottom of her chin. Looking over the files, the three of them had realized they never thought to try and power their machine off of Mega Evolution energy despite the fact that it was abundant in Kalos.

"James, you might have just found us a mega miracle with this idea," Jessie continued on as James closed the folder, but not before jotting down a few notes. "Now how do we go about collecting it?"

"We don't," he replied sheepishly as the others looked at him in confusion. "I haven't the slightest idea on how to find any energy. It was nothing more than a brain storm created by Meowth's crazy cranium."

Looking over the few notes he had written down, James looked at them carefully and deduced that the amount of energy required to use the machine for one day was roughly two-thirds of the amount of electricity needed. However, there was no way to collect the energy in a timely manner.

"Bingo!" Jessie quickly cried out as a thought came to her head. "Why don't we go ask Pyroar man on how he gathered energy so quickly! He's bound to know something since he tried to destroy Kalos with it."

"Excellent idea, Jess," Meowth agreed as he shot up from his position. "That silly screwball should show us the correct path."

"I was actually thinking one step further, Meowth."

Both James and Meowth stared at their partner, unsure of what exactly she had in plan. Crossing her hands over her chest, Jessie merely smirked as she let the idea play in her head.

"Instead of just visiting Pyroar man, why don't we bring him back here and make him an official member of the Team Rocket Kalos branch!"

The duo nearly fell over from that idea. Did Jessie even know what she was saying at that very moment. Managing to recover from his shock, James quickly stood up and appeared to be worried by this exclamation.

"Jessie, do you even know where he's being held!?" He asked, a hint of nervousness being evident through his sentence. "He isn't just an anybody. He's the body! He's locked up in Lumiose Penitentiary for his role in almost destroying Kalos! How exactly do you expect us three to sneak into Kalos' strongest safe hold for the senseless?"

"We just barge right through," she replied coolly as if it was nothing at all. She did have a plan after all. "First, one of us will head in and ask to speak with Lysandre for an 'interview'. Of course yours truly would be perfect for the role of the beautiful reporter but now I'm just flattering myself."

"Then, once we figure out which cell he's locked in, we'll return later at night all prepared," she finished while letting off a laugh. "It's a fool proof plan!"

"Yeah, but is it us proof?" James muttered to Meowth only for the duo to receive a glare from the woman. "I said it was perfect!" He quickly lied as she narrowed her eyes.

"So, from there we'll break in, snatch him up and bring him all the way back to our base. Then we tell him some lies about something and what not to get him to side with us and presto! Our ultimate machine is fully functional and fighting fit!"

"I still don't like the sounds of this," James muttered again, this time being unheard from Jessie due to her constant laughter.

"Yeah," Meowth agreed as the duo spared a glance over at the machine. This whole thing was causing them more trouble than it was probably worth. "Last time we listened to her I lost three of my nine lives. At this rate I'll be needing to take out loans for extra lives."

"You and me both."

"Now let's get a move on!" Jessie cried happily while throwing a fist into the air. "Operation tame the Pyroar is a go!"

"Once we have him working with us, we'll be able to use this thing much faster. Imagine the endless possibilities we could use this wonderful contraption for."

* * *

"What is it, Electrike?" Clemont asked as he looked over at his newest capture. It appeared that the Electric-Type was sensing something wrong in the area. "Is everything alright?"

"Elec!" It growled out as he turned his head off in another direction. Something around here seemed off, but he didn't know what. Likewise, the other Pokémon all started to look around the area. Something was about to happen.

"Perhaps they all sense something off in the distance," Cilan proclaimed as a gust of cool wind blew through the area and caused everyone to shiver.

"It's not supposed to be cold around here," Bonnie muttered as she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. "We're on the coastal side of Kalos, right Dedenne?"

But Dedenne didn't respond. Instead, the Electric and Fairy-Type was also moving his head around as if something was coming for them.

"Something isn't right," Clemont continued on as he walked over to Electrike. Bending over, he pet the back of the Lightning Pokémon who continued to growl menacingly at the sky. "And whatever it is, the Pokémon all sense it as well."

"Elec! Electrike!" The Electric-Type roared out as sparks flew off of his body. Bunnelby and Chespin were also getting ready as if a battle was about to break out. Clemont had never seen them get like this, it was different from even when they fought Team Flare.

"Pikachu, are you alright?" Ash now asked as Pikachu's cheeks were sparking with electricity. Talonflame and Noivern were both flying anxiously around everyone and even Hawlucha and Greninja both seemed to be paying awfully close attention to the forest.

Then, without any warning, Electrike broke into a sprint as he headed straight for the woods. Clemont wasn't far behind as he followed after his Electric-Type with Bunnelby and Chespin right behind him.

"Clemont, Electrike, wait up!" Bonnie called out before following them. The others were also about to chase after when a Blizzard attack blocked their path while also freezing some of the Pokémon in their spots.

"Who's out there!"" Ash demanded as he looked to see all of his Pokémon were frozen solid. Running over to them, he immediately tried to free them from their icy restraints, but it was to no good.

"You've been quite a troublesome pest in the past," a male voice echoed through the woods as a shadow jumped down from a tree, a Mamoswine walking out from the woods.

"Giovanni has made it quite clear that you're to be taken care of," a female voice then joined in as a woman jumped down from a tree as well, a Slowking appearing beside her.

"Giovanni? Ash, wasn't that the guy who tried to control Meloetta?" Cilan asked as he grabbed a Poké Ball. "If I remember correctly, he's the leader of Team Rocket."

"Yeah, but why is Team Rocket in Kalos?" Ash muttered as he turned from his Pokémon. "I thought it was just Jessie, James and Meowth that were here."

"Those three idiots don't even know what's really happening here," the male spoke as he removed a mask and revealed his face. He looked to be a little taller than Ash and had neatly trimmed black hair alongside his black Team Rocket uniform which looked more like a suit than the traditional outfits.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself. The least I could do is introduce myself before taking care of you three. I am Carl, admin of the Johto branch, serving directly under our executives."

"And I am Sham," the female revealed as she removed her mask to show a female roughly the same height as Carl and had long red hair along with a white dress that served as her outfit. "Admin of Johto as well. It appears your two friends escaped for now. But it might have been worse since what's beyond us is even worse."

"But," Serena started to say as she realized Bonnie had run off as well. "Bonnie's over there!"

"Well, we won't let you get away with whatever you have planned! Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash called out, only to remember that his best friend was frozen solid.

"Ash, leave these two to us," Cilan commanded as he reached for a Poké Ball. "Try to get to Clemont and Bonnie, let them know that the whole place is a trap."

"We'll be just fine!" Serena agreed as she reached for Poké Ball herself. "We'll take care of them and then help Pikachu and the others."

"Right!" Ash agreed as he looked at his frozen Pokémon. He couldn't just leave them, but right now there was no way to free them from the icy prison. "Be careful you two!" Ash cried out as he ran off in the direction of Clemont and Bonnie.

* * *

"Jessie, are you sure this is a good idea?" James asked as they all peered out of the bushes. Across the street was none other than the heavily guarded Lumiose Penitentiary. The plan did seem well enough, but would they really fool all the guards? He had been dressed in a blue suit and had his hair tied back into a ponytail, but even still the disguise wasn't fool proof. "Look at all of them. We're outnumbered and if we blow our cover..."

"Pipe down, I'm getting into character," Jessie responded as she put the finishing touches on her disguise. She had on a marron dress and had her hair tied back while also wearing a pair of black framed glasses.

"Behold the beauty of Jessica, the number one reporter for the Lumiose Nightly. An up and coming news station led by their beautiful and charming head anchor who also has the skills to interview and gather her own stories."

"Don't forget she has no heart and an ego the size of a Snorlax," Meowth muttered as he put on his wig and picked up the camera. "Let's just get this entire thing over with."

Getting out of the bushes, the three agents made their way over to the prison only to be stopped by the guards standing in front.

"Only authorized personal are permitted beyond this point," the first guard stated as he didn't budge an inch. He knew that Kalos' most dangerous criminals were within this building and the risk of them breaking out was too much to let anyone in. "State your business or leave the grounds immediately.

"Why, we're reporters for the Lumiose Nightly Don't you recognize me, Jessica their gorgeous head anchor?" Jessie asked as she pulled out their fake papers. "We were given the rights to a full interview with one Lysandre on why he did what he did."

"I don't remember anything about an interview for Lysandre," the second guard muttered as he pulled out a list of scheduled visitors. Nowhere on the list was there anything about an interview.

"Listen, I don't know what you three have planned, but it doesn't sound good," the guard stated as he moved forward. "This is your last warning, leave now or risk the consequences."

"I think we should listen, Jess," Meowth muttered as both himself and James started to shake.

"Never, a true reporter never leaves until she gets the scoop," Jessie responded as she reached for a Poké Ball. "Gourgeist, be a dear. Leech Seed loud and clear!"

The Grass and Ghost-Type emerged from her capture device and immediately fired off the small seeds. Exploding upon impact with the ground, vines shot out of them and wrapped themselves all over the two guards and allowed them a quick entrance to the jailhouse.

"Now you've done it! They'll be after us once they get free!" James shouted as he ran right alongside his two fellow agents. He just knew something like this would happen.

"So much for the plan of coming back tonight..." Meowth joined in as the three of them ditched their disguises. Running down a hallway, the three of them luckily ran right to the cell they were looking for.

"See, just like I thought. This was too easy," Jessie bragged as she banged against the cell, accidently setting off the alarm. "Guess I spoke to soon."

"Who's out there," a gruff voice asked as the owner made his way to the light. It had been Lysandre just as they thought so, but he appeared much different than before. Gone was the calm composure that the owner of Lysandre Labs had and in its place was sorrow and regret. Seeing the three Team Rocket members, he couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh, it's just you three... Hear to kick me when I'm down as well?" He asked while leaning against the metal bars. "Go ahead, tell me how my plan would never work. How I'm nothing more than a psychopath bent on world domination."

"Of course, that was never my dream," Lysandre continued on without letting anyone say anything. "I had a dream to create a beautiful world. One without the evils of today's world. My beautiful world would have only the best people around. Those with qualities that made everyone better. Diantha, Sycamore, Aria. People like them would have been spared from everything that would happen. But along the way I lost myself."

"I became influenced with the power from Zygarde and felt that this world was deemed too corrupt to be saved. I would have to create an entirely new structure and so I covered Lumiose in roots as a beginning point. I didn't realize how wrong I was until that boy and his Greninja stopped me. He showed me that this planet still had good left on it that was worth saving. He showed just how a true bond between trainer and Pokémon worked."

"Well what if we could offer you a second chance?" Meowth asked as he immediately gained Lysandre's attention. There was no way Meowth was going to tell him the truth. "We're building a machine to help create a better tomorrow, but we've hit a problem. We're unable to get it to properly work."

"So how would you like to help us finish this wonderful weapon for world recreation?" James asked as they could hear footsteps now running down the hallway.

"And whatever you choose make it fast!" Jessie added in as she looked in a panic to see if anyone was coming.

Lysandre pondered the thought as he wondered if he could really trust these three. "This machine is really for building a better tomorrow?" He asked while receiving three aggressive head nods. Sighing, Lysandre decided that this would be better than staying in his cell.

"Very well, I'll agree to help. But on one condition. You three rescue my Pokémon and also get Xerosic. I won't leave them behind."

"Whatever you want, just grab ahold," Jessie said while rubbing her hands happily together. Their plan was coming together quite nicely and with only a minor hiccup. Extending his hand through the bar, Lysandre placed it atop of Meowth.

"Alright, everyone hang on!" James called out as he released Mime Jr. Looking down at the Psychic and Fairy-Type, James smiled at him. "Okay, Mime Jr. Just like we practiced.

"Mime mime mime," the Mime Pokémon muttered before it started to dance. Waves then flew off of Mime Jr until they finally hit the security guards coming right for them.

Meanwhile, Jessie and Meowth had freed Lysandre from his cell and the duo were now making an escape route while James handled the guards. Once a hole was created, the three agents escaped, their mission a success.

Following their return to their base, Jessie, James and Meowth quickly retrieved Lysandre's Pokémon and Xerosic just as he requested and the duo were now at work.

"So, how's everything coming along?" Jessie asked as she acted overly nice to the two men. "Is the machine going to be up and running soon?"

"This machine isn't even programmed for what you promised," Lysandre mentioned as both he and Xerosic walked away from it. "You stated that it was to help create a better world, but all it's capable of is mind control."

"The waves that are fired from this machine produce nothing more than a simple frequency which controls the minds of those within range," Xerosic stated as he turned to look back at it.

"In no way does this machine produce a better tomorrow outside of you three having control over all Pokémon. And even then it fails at that. The machine lacks a source of stable energy that could power it fully."

"Looks like we couldn't pull a fast one on you two," Jessie stated as she tried to feign innocence. "James, be a dear and explain to them what is going on."

"You see; our boss wants a machine that can control the Pokémon of the entire world at his disposal. In doing so, no one would be able to fight back against him," he explained before turning the machine's computer back on to reveal blueprints to the entire machine.

"So we designed this machine that you see before us now. The problem? We can't generate enough energy to get it working properly. The electricity that flows through Lumiose isn't enough and so we need your expertise."

"So we're nothing more than servants," Lysandre muttered as he realized his current situation. Either help them now and get whatever they promise him or try to leave and be a wanted man due to his escape from jail.

"You want us to recreate our weapon from before. But to have the difference be that the new one controls Pokémon?" Xerosic asked as he continued to eye the machine. With all the equipment in this lab, he could create a weapon even stronger than his last one!

"Not so much. More like, improve our current machine," Meowth joined in as he hopped up onto his two friends' shoulders. "Make it so this bad boy can reach its full potential and you'll both be pleasantly reimbursed."

"In what manner?" Lysandre asked as he folded his arms over his chest. "I have no want for world domination. I merely wish to finalize whatever you need and to be on my way."

Lysandre's words shocked Xerosic. What happened to the man who wanted to create the perfect place for everyone to live? What happened to the man he grew to respect?

"How does ruling Kalos sound?" Jessie asked curiously, noticing the surprise on both of the former Team Flare members' faces.

"Once Team Rocket has full control of the world, we're going to need people to watch over each region. We'll leave you two in complete control of Kalos to do as you please."

"And by that does it include _anything_ or just what your boss commands?" Lysandre asked, clearly not buying what they were selling.

"Listen, you can take the offer and do as you please or we can drop you back off at the prison. It don't matter much to us," Meowth threatened the duo while playing with his claws. If they didn't want to help, then they could just find two more people to fill in.

"Lysandre, sir, I believe this might be good for us," Xerosic stated happily as thoughts of crossing Team Rocket filled his mind. Pulling his leader in close, the scientist continued to whisper his plan.

"We play their game for now, but the moment we complete whatever they need we'll stab them in the back."

"Xerosic. I've had time to think while in prison. What we did was not what I originally had planned. But if we can even make one region a beautiful place then let's do it. We'll work with them for now before striking," he explained before the duo turned to face their hosts.

"We've decided to help you in the meantime. Obviously we're being hunted by the Kalos police and so laying low in the meantime is our only chance for escape."

"Excellent," Jessie said as she faked a smile before nodding her head in agreement. "Now, is there any way you can have the machine be powered by Mega Evolution energy?"

"Child's play," Xerosic proudly stated as he got to work. "The bigger issue is finding enough energy. It took that boy months to gather enough energy."

"We've got our ways," Meowth muttered as he remembered all of the information they recovered on the Mega Evolution energy.

* * *

"Electrike, slow down," Clemont muttered as the Electric-Type came to a halt. Whatever had made him run off in this direction must have stopped moving as well. "What got into you back there? You too, Bunnelby and Chespin."

"Trike!"

"Bunnel!"

"Chespin pin!"

The three Pokémon were still on edge about something, but what? Clemont had no clue as to what was setting his Pokémon off like this. They weren't near anything; they were now just in a forest that had a mountain ridge running alongside it.

That was when he heard it. The cry filled his ears as he turned his head in time to see a Pokémon he had only heard about. Flying low above the mountain ridge was the legendary Pokémon Articuno and not too far away looked to be something chasing it.

"Clemont, what was that?" Bonnie asked as she caught up to her brother. Neither of them had realized that the others weren't following them up until now. Realizing that, Clemont was unsure if they should follow the Pokémon he had just seen.

Growling once more, Electrike broke off into a sprint as he chased after Articuno. Knowing just how Electrike was, Clemont deduced that Articuno was in trouble.

"Bonnie, that was one of the three legendary birds, Articuno, the bird of ice!" Clemont yelled out as the duo quickly followed after Electrike. "And if Electrike is following it, then something must be wrong!"

* * *

"You're really going to try and fight us?" Sham asked as she laughed at the duo blocking their way. In front of her were a Sylveon and Crustle, but neither seemed too difficult to beat.

"Just move out of the way and we promise to leave you still conscious. Otherwise things will get ugly!"

Reaching for her ribbon, Serena calmed her breathing as her fingers felt the calming fabric. She wasn't going to budge as long as they wanted to hurt Ash.

"We won't let you hurt anyone!" Serena cried out before throwing her hand forward. "Sylveon use Swift!"

"Fine, be that way," Carl added in as he smirked. Throwing a fist forward, the man issued a command. "Ancient Power!"

The two attacks collided against each other as an explosion filled the area. Dust kicked up as the visibility became none existent. All four trainers waited now as they were ready to get this going.

Serena however had one thought on her mind during all of this. " _I won't let them hurt Ash!"_

"Crustle, let's cook up a recipe for victory with your Shell Smash!" Cilan could be heard issuing within the dust cloud. Looking over to where she could see a bright light, Serena noticed that Crustle was glowing a bright white only to change to a shade of crimson red.

"And, let's add an ingredient to this dish! X-Scissor on Slowking! Let's Go!"

"Crustle!" The Bug and Rock-Type cried out in agreement before his claws glowed a shade of white. Moving across the field, the dust had finally settled and so everyone watched as he slashed hard against Slowking and knocked the Water and Psychic-Type backwards.

"You're being a pain!" Sham yelled out as she appeared to be visibly frustrated at the two trainers who blocked her path. Forming a fist with her left hand, she threw it forward while issuing her command. "Thunder Wave!"

Slowking raised his arms before firing off the electrical currents. Before either Sylveon or Crustle could react, both Pokémon were trapped within the currents and felt the electricity flow through their bodies.

"Now, Mamoswine, Take Down!"

"Slowking use Water Pulse!"

The Ground and Ice-Type raced across the field before ramming its entire body hard into Sylveon. The Fairy-Type had no time to even try to react due to the paralysis and thrown backwards and into the nearby tree.

"Sylveon!" Serena called out in concern, but before she knew it a net was tossed onto her. It was heavier than she expected and the weight caused her to fall onto the ground.

"Serena!" Cilan called out as Crustle was blasted by the Water Pulse. "Crustle!" Cilan then began to yell out, only for him too to be caught in a net. Looking up from the ground, Cilan watched as a large helicopter landed onto the ground.

Moving the frozen Pokémon on board the helicopter, Sham and Carl stopped once they had reached Cilan and Serena. Smirking at the duo, Carl tossed the captured duo up onto the back of Mamoswine as the Ground and Ice-Type carried them onto the helicopter.

"You won't get away with this! Ash will stop you!" Serena yelled as she struggled inside of the net. The heavy material made it hard to move around and so Serena felt useless at the moment.

Carl overheard the young Performer and made his way over to her. Placing his hand onto her face, the Team Rocket Admin gripped her face and held it firmly. "You're quite the cutie. Would be a shame if something happened to you. I wonder what that Ash would do?" He asked as a smirk crossed his face.

"You know, I've already faced some of your best members already," Cilan started to say as the two Admins faced him. He was faking his courage right now as he knew something everyone else didn't. That one Pokémon was getting away at this very moment.

Having been in her Poké Ball the entire time, Pichu had avoided capture. Of course, during the commotion she had popped out of it and upon seeing the situation made a break to go and find Ash.

"And last time you were all no problem at all," he continued on as he watched Pichu make it into the wooded area now. "I know for a fact that Ash will be able to stop you."

"Where is he then?" Sham asked as she tapped against the large statue of Ash's entire team. "You say he's this great person but he left both of you to be caught. He abandoned his entire team."

"Ash didn't abandon anyone! We told him to help the others!" Serena said as she finally had enough of this whole situation. "He'll be back and you're going to pay for everything."

"I'd like to see him try," Sham responded as the cargo doors shut and the helicopter began to rise off the ground. "Pilot take us over to the mountain range. Hopefully Sird had finished her mission."

Pichu watched from her hiding spot as her mommy was taken away. Being held captive, Pichu knew she had to go find Ash and save her mommy. Running off in the direction she had just seen an electrical surge, Pichu hoped that it was the right people.

* * *

 **Well, a Team Rocket based chapter. Not only are the TRio doing their own thing by getting Lysandre's help (who shouldn't be trusted). But Giovanni is also pulling shots from HQ that the TRio don't know are happening. And what's with Articuno? Who could be chasing it and why would they want it? Sorry for the shorter chapter, but otherwise it would be too long for one chapter since everything else is going to occur next chapter.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve this story.**

 **And, I'm just going to say this now, tomorrow is the conclusion of the Kalos League and I'm calling it, Ash is going to win.**


	33. Calm before the Storm

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash and the others were attacked by members of Team Rocket sent in by Giovanni to make sure he wouldn't interfere with his plans. Also, Team Rocket broke Lysandre out of jail with hopes of tricking him into working for them.**

 **Oh, one more thing. Just a reminder since it's been a while since it was mentioned in story, but the Flare Arc was mostly different than what's going to happen in the anime due to it occurring before the League and so that's why some things will be done differently.**

 **Ch 33: Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

"Ash is going to stop you! You realize this is all a waste of time!" Serena called out from her seat in the back of the helicopter. Gone was the unusually heavy nets as they were replaced with rope that bound together both hers and Cilan's hands and feet.

"He's going to come back and then you'll regret every attacking him," she continued on as the Admins paid her no attention. "He'll beat you just like how he took down Team Flare!"

"Quiet down girly," Carl said as he adjusted his head to look at the Performer. He didn't appear to be in any playful mood at all. It was as if he had just been told some unfortunate news. "Your boyfriend isn't going to be playing hero at all. Without any of his Pokémon he won't even think about coming after us."

"Hmm. That's where you're wrong," Cilan boldly stated as a smirk crossed his face. He had seen Ash do some crazy things back in Unova, so attacking an organization without his Pokémon was something the Connoisseur expected his friend to do.

"Ash isn't someone you take lightly. He's far from useless without his Pokémon. In fact, I can already picture his brash and bold self attacking you head on."

"Let him, it'll make our job much easier," Sham now stated as she got out of her seat and walked in front of Cilan. Getting right into his face, Sham smirked at how he looked like a Deerling caught in the headlights.

"We had one mission out here and that was to neutralize Ash Ketchum. I don't see what the big deal about him is, but according to our boss he is to be taken care of immediately. But, along the way we managed to find something even more interesting."

"Something more interesting than Ash?" Cilan asked, unsure of what she could be talking about. He hadn't been in Kalos with the exception of these past few weeks so anything would have surprised him by now.

"No need to wonder about it. You'll see our new toy in action soon enough," Sham finished as she sat back down. "But, I guarantee that you won't enjoy what you'll see."

"Enough, Sham," Carl appeared to scold his partner. It was almost like he was telling her to stop talking about this secret. Like he didn't want anyone else knowing about it. "They'll see it soon enough. Now, how are we going to find that Ketchum kid?"

"Shouldn't be hard. Sird will be able to find him easily once she's finished with her job."

As if on cue, a bolt of electricity shot up into the sky. It appeared to have been coming from the exact direction they were flying to, making both Admins smirk evilly to the point that Serena shuddered.

"I guess you'll be meeting our new toy soon enough," Carl stated as the Helicopter started to slow down.

"Pilot, take it nice and easy. In no way do we need to frighten it."

"Roger," the pilot responded as the speed slowed down even more. Moving at a snail's pace, both Serena and Cilan couldn't help but gasp at the sight they saw before them; Articuno, the Legendary Bird of ice was flying across the mountain range.

"That must be what they're after..." Cilan muttered in shock. There was no way they could allow Team Rocket to get their hands on a Legendary Pokémon. "Serena, we've got to do anything we can to stop them!"

"Right!" The Performer replied as she tried to figure out what exactly they could do. Right now they were sitting Ducklett and their Poké Balls had been confiscated from them as well.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Sham asked as Articuno flew by once more. It appeared as though she ignored what her two captives were saying in the back.

"Articuno, the Legendary Bird of Ice. Its power is only matched by its fellow titans Moltres and Zapdos. But, we never expected to run into it in Kalos of all regions. Especially while hunting down a troublesome brat."

"Why exactly do you want, Ash?" Serena asked as she decided to try and figure out as much as she could. It wasn't like she could really do anything else at the moment. "What has he done in the past that has made him wanted by you two?"

"I wasn't around at the time, but according to some he helped ruin our Lake of Rage operation alongside the Lance of the Elite Four. Of course, the majority of those stationed there had all been arrested, so nothing more than rumors exist," Carl began to say as Cilan cut him off.

"Not to mention he ruined what has been your biggest operation to date," the Connoisseur proudly stated as he confidently glared at his two captors. "Thanks to him, so much time, resources and money were wasted when you tried to take over the Unova region."

Sham appeared ready to respond, only stopping once she heard something over the radio. Placing the headphones over her ears, Sham listened with intense care as whatever was being relayed appeared important.

"Right!" She yelled over the communications link as a frown crossed her face. "We're on our way to provide support, we'll be there soon."

"What happened?" Carl asked as the connection was cut. They only had one system and so he had no way to listen to the conversation.

"It appears Sird has a small problem."

* * *

"Look, Clemont, something's still chasing after Articuno!" Bonnie cried out as they followed after the Legendary Pokémon, hoping to help whatever was bothering it. "And it appears to be attacking it."

"Yes, I see it as well, Bonnie," Clemont muttered as he eyed the attack. It looked like a Thunderbolt to him based on the electrical current flowing across the sky. And a strong one as well since once it struck Articuno, the Freeze Pokémon appeared to slow down.

"Whoever is attacking Articuno is obviously up to no good! Let's try to help it out. Chespin, use Pin Missile, Bunnelby, you use Mud-Shot and Electrike use Thunderbolt!" The three attacks all shot off in the direction of Articuno, but instead of aiming for the Legendary Bird itself, Clemont and his Pokémon directed their attacks at the being flying behind.

The three attacks combined together to cause an explosion on the object, but to their surprise it appeared to be mostly unharmed. Deciding to launch their attacks once more, the three Pokémon fired off the same attacks this time only to have them blocked out by a Shadow Ball and Hyper Beam.

Smoke filled the surrounding area, but despite the low visibility Clemont was able to make out the shape of a person jumping down from the mountain range. He couldn't make out any personal details, but whoever they were walked with a calm composure.

"So, those two missed a few brats," the voice said coldly. Just hearing the voice caused shivers to run down Clemont's neck, but at this moment he knew he had to be brave. Not only for himself, but to protect Bonnie from whoever this was.

"No matter, I'll dispose of this trash myself," the voice finished as a woman walked out of the smoke clouds. She was dressed in a white robe that had a black stripe run right down the middle of it. Her hair appeared to end in four braids and was lilac in color.

"It was a foolish move to interfere in my capture. Luckily Starmie is too strong for you," she continued on as the Water and Psychic-Type flew down next to its trainer. "Go and finish the mission. I'll be over in a minute."

Listening to her commands, Starmie flew up into the sky and shot off in the direction that Articuno had just flown off into. Watching the Mysterious Pokémon fly off, the lady smirked at her current prey.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself. It would be rude to dispose of you before telling you my name," she stated cruelly as she glared at Clemont. "You may call me Sird. I am one of the Three Beasts of Team Rocket. A group of the strongest trainers within the entire organization."

"I should have known Team Rocket was up to no good!" Clemont called out as he stood in front of Bonnie. Clenching his fists, Clemont calmed himself so that he could think clearly. "What exactly have Jessie, James and Meowth told you to do!"

"Please," Sird responded alongside a laugh at the mention of those three names. "Those three are nothing more than imbeciles. I don't know what Giovanni sees in them, but even they don't know what's really going on back in Kanto."

"W-What do you mean by that? What's going on?" He asked while now feeling his body shaking. Clemont didn't understand why, but something about this lady was unsettling. "Tell me what you know!"

Sird merely pointed a finger forward as two shapes jumped from the smoke cloud behind her. Before Clemont could react, a Persian and a Banette attacked both Chespin and Bunnelby as both Pokémon were knocked backwards before standing back up and getting back by their trainer's side.

"If you land a hit on me, then I'll let you in on a secret," the commander stated with a grin. She already had no doubt in her mind that there was no way the boy standing in front of her could land a blow.

Clemont adjusted his glasses as he put on the bravest face he could muster at the moment. "Fine by me! Bunnelby, use Mud-Shot! Chespin, you use Vine Whip!"

The two attacks soared across the open forest as neither one of Sird's Pokémon looked worried. In fact, they appeared to be bored with the entire situation just as their trainer appeared to be bored as well. Taking the attacks head on, both Pokémon dodged at the last second as they managed to showcase their extreme speed.

"Shadow Ball!" The command came off like it was forced. It appeared to Clemont that his opponent had no interest of being here and it only further proved it when he saw her start muttering something into an ear piece.

"I've ran into a little problem. Nothing I can't handle, but don't let Articuno get away," she muttered into the device, just soft enough that Clemont couldn't hear at all.

The Ghost-Type move was then charged up in between Banette's hands before being thrown right at Chespin. The Grass-Type tried to block the attack with his vines, but it proved to be no match for the attack as he was blasted backwards once more.

"Chespin!" Clemont called out as he looked over at the defeated Pokémon. Reaching for his Poké Ball, Clemont quickly recalled the Grass-Type.

"Alright, Bunnelby, use Wild Charge! And Electrike, you use Thunderbolt! Aim for Persian," Clemont quickly issued as both Pokémon were covered in electrical currents. Releasing his electricity, Electrike quickly launched the attack at Persian and watched as the Normal-Type dodged it by leaping into the air.

"Bunnel!" The Digging Pokémon cried out as his body was consumed in electricity before jumping into the air. It looked like they were about to land a direct hit on Persian as it had no way to escape this attack.

"Double Team," Sird called out, crushing both Clemont's and his Pokémon's spirits. Flashing white for a split second, Bunnelby crashed through a copy of Persian before tunneling underneath the ground.

"Clemont, there's so many of them," Bonnie cried out as she grabbed ahold of her brother's arm. It didn't look good for them at the moment due to situation, but Clemont knew he couldn't stop.

"Alright, Electrike, use Discharge!" Clemont commanded as electricity flew all over Electrike. As long as they could battle, there was no way they would give up at all. They had to protect Bonnie at whatever cost it took.

"Elek! Electrike, trike!" The Lightning Pokémon growled out as the electricity from his body flowed all over the area. Striking all of the copies, Electrike managed to find the real Persian while at the same time nearly striking Banette.

"Hehehe," Clemont laughed excitedly as he fixed his glasses. He had finally found his opening he needed. "Now, Bunnelby!" The inventor cried out as the ground shook. Rising out of the ground covered in an electrical current, Bunnelby flew upwards and right at Persian.

"Bunnel!" The Normal-Type cried with all his might as he crashed hard into the Classy Cat Pokémon. The attack had caught everyone off guard, allowing Electrike to take advantage of it and land a Bite attack on Banette.

"Enough!" Sird called out angrily. She was annoyed to have been fooled into that last attack and was furious now. "Persian, Hyper Beam!"

Opening its mouth, Persian launched off the black and purple colored beam of energy as it was launched right at Bunnelby. With no way to react due to the recoil damage, Bunnelby took the blast head on and was thrown into the ground. Being blasted into the ground, Bunnelby created a crater upon impact and was defeated.

"Bun..." he muttered while laying in the crater. Clemont quickly recalled his defeated Pokémon before focusing on Electrike. The Electric-Type was hanging on with every ounce of strength he had. There was no way he was going down.

Watching, Clemont managed to notice that Persian was right above Electrike and figured this could be a good chance to take. "Alright, Electrike! Use a Discharge at full power!"

"What!?" Sird called out shocked by the command. Looking around, the commander noticed her Persian falling after its last Hyper Beam attack. Being unable to do anything, Sird just watched as the surge in electricity flew through Banette's body before aiming upwards and striking Persian as well.

Both Pokémon collapsed onto the ground while Electrike jumped backwards. He wasn't going to let these people get away with attacking Articuno as long as he could stand. Watching with a careful eye, both Clemont and Electrike were shocked when Starmie landed next to her trainer.

"It appears my work is no longer needed here if Starmie has returned," Sird mused as she recalled her Pokémon to their Poké Balls with the exception of Starmie. Eyeing Clemont, the commander got onto the back of her Starmie.

"You were lucky I didn't go all out," she explained before pausing for a moment. Sighing, Sird appeared to be wondering about something. "A deal is a deal. You landed a hit on my Pokémon and so I'll let you in on a secret. Team Rocket is planning something big. Something so terrifying that the world will forever change from it. Only those with special clearance even know about it at the moment. But, whatever those buffoons over here say, it isn't what Giovanni has planned."

Clemont was about to call out for more information, but the woman shot off into the sky and disappeared from his view. She had left, leaving more questions than answers for Clemont. What did she mean by something terrifying? What exactly did they have planned and how large was Team Rocket? For the longest time Clemont had believed it to be just the three who followed them around everywhere.

"Clemont, what did she mean by all of that?" Bonnie asked as she ran over to Electrike and petted it for all of his hard work. She didn't want to look it, but Clemont could tell that she was frightened by the entire encounter.

"I'm not entirely sure, Bonnie," Clemont responded as he looked over at Electrike. "Thank you, Electrike. You did a great job as did everyone else, but you kept Bonnie safe."

Electrike wasn't listening. Instead, he was too busy growling at the direction Articuno had flown off in earlier. He still didn't like what he was sensing. Although it was an Electric-Type, Electrike could still sense that Articuno was in trouble and something was telling him to go and help.

"Elec! Electrike!" The Lightning Pokémon cried out before sprinting off in Articuno's direction. Seeing his Pokémon run off, Clemont was quick to follow it as the best pace he could as Bonnie followed behind.

* * *

"Very well. We'll see you back in Kanto," Carl stated over the radio as the helicopter gained a view of Articuno. Just minutes ago they had sent Starmie back to its trainer, its service was no longer required to keep pace with Articuno now that a helicopter was here.

Flying through the mountain range, Carl and Sham watched from the cockpit window as Articuno tried to knock Team Rocket off of its trail but was proving to be unable to. Then, without any warning, an electric charge was shot up in their direction and force them to lose Articuno, but not before placing a strange device on the Legendary Pokémon.

"What was that?" Sham asked as she peered out a side window. Without warning, another bolt of electricity flew all over the area as the helicopter was forced to land to avoid the attack. For something that was aimed terribly, it looked to be harmful to the helicopter.

"Is this your doing?" She quickly asked as she walked over to Cilan and Serena. Eyeing them both suspiciously, she noticed that neither of them looked worried. "Open the hatch."

Moving quickly, Carl opened the cargo door to the helicopter and both Admins looked outside. To their shock, it was none other than Ash who attacked them. Yet, he was aided by a Pichu? They could have sworn that all the reports stated he had a Pikachu.

"It's Ash!" Serena cried out happily as she noticed the Pallet Town native down on the grassy field with her Pichu. "But, what's Pichu doing down there?"

"She had escaped earlier before we took off," Cilan explained as he smirked at the two Admins. "These two sour heads over here allowed me the perfect opportunity to create a recipe for a distraction and allow Pichu to escape when she did."

"So, you both played a role in it after all?" Sham asked as she dragged Cilan over to the edge of the helicopter while Carl did the same with Serena.

"Hello, Mr. Ketchum! I'd advise you and your little Pichu pal there to stop your attacks. Otherwise your friends here might be in danger."

Ash grit his teeth as the sight of Serena and Cilan being held over the edge of the parked Helicopter was fresh in his mind. They were right though; he couldn't do anything without putting them in harm's way.

"Pichu! Pi, chu chu Pichu!" The Electric-Type cried out, tears in her eyes from seeing her mommy in danger. She didn't care how it was done, Pichu just wanted to help her.

"I know, Pichu, but there's nothing we can do right now. I was lucky enough to have found you when I did," Ash said as he kept a straight face throughout the entire situation. It was making him grow upset at the fact they'd use his friends as shields, at the moment he couldn't do anything about it.

Ash hadn't been joking either when he had said he ran into Pichu by luck. The duo had both seen a large Thunderbolt, or maybe it was a Discharge? Ash wasn't entirely sure as it hadn't been important to him at the time being. But, along their separate journeys to the attack, the duo had run into each other. Pichu had quickly the explained the situation to the best of her ability and so the duo had a new plan; to rescue the others.

"Now, you're going to allow us to continue our mission in peace and then once we capture Articuno, you're going to come with us quietly," Carl demanded as he pushed Serena closer to the edge. Ash wanted to issue a command, but there was nothing he could do. They had him beat at this point in time and it killed him to see his friends in danger.

Signaling that he would play along for the time being, Ash lowered his hands down to his sides and let out a sigh. Seeing his defeated, expression, both Admins signaled for the helicopter to take to the air again.

"Don't worry, we'll be back for you in just a few moments. But first we'll have to go catch Articuno!"

But their joy was to be short lived. Moving quickly, Cilan was to make sure they weren't getting anywhere close to Articuno. "I don't think so!" He called out as a Poké Ball was enlarged in his tied up hands. "This entire time I had a surprise hiding up my sleeve! Stunfisk, use Thundershock!"

Upon the command, the Electric and Ground-Type emerged from its Poké Ball already glowing orange from its electrical build up. Releasing the current throughout the entire helicopter, causing its systems to shut down.

"Why you!" Sham began to yell as the helicopter began its current descent. The entire aircraft was unstable due to the loss in altitude, causing both Admins to fall over.

"Never leave a great detective with a delicious escape," Cilan taunted as Stunfisk finished frying the entire airship. The Connoisseur couldn't help but smirk as he looked over at the Admins. Both of them appeared furious at the fact their entire helicopter was ruined.

"We've got a problem," the pilot could be heard calling out as the Helicopter quickly lost altitude. "That last attack destroyed all our systems! There's no way to control this thing, we're going to crash!"

"Activate the emergency backup system," Sham calmly commanded as she ran upfront and began to punch away at a few buttons. Within a few seconds, the helicopter had straightened itself out and no one would have been able to guess it had been damaged at all.

"Well. It appears you just caused your own demise," Carl muttered as he lifted Cilan up off of the ground. The Admin grasped Cilan in one hand while holding onto a beam with his other. "It looks like a long way down. Try to figure a way out!"

And with one quick toss, Cilan had been thrown from the helicopter. Watching his descent, the two Admins smirked as it appeared that the Connoisseur was done for. But, once again they had been tricked by the Unova Gym Leader.

"Now, Stunfisk! Let's show them some of our dazzling recipe for success!" Cilan called out as he fell towards the ground. Leaping from the helicopter, Stunfisk was soon sailing right for its trainer. Without even breaking a sweat, the Ground and Electric-Type had caught up to its trainer and was now underneath him.

"Stun. Stunfisk, fisk," the Trap Pokémon cried out as Cilan landed with a soft thud on its body. Then, to the shock of everyone but Ash, Stunfisk quickly flapped its fins and appeared to be flying. Slowly lowering itself down, Stunfisk and Cilan were on the ground safe from any harm before the two Admins could even try to attack.

It was now Cilan's turn to smirk as he looked right up at his two previous captors "You see, Stunfisk is quite the delectable Pokémon thanks to its crafted ability to emulate flying. When Stunfisk flaps its fins hard enough, it manages to create a zesty surprise attack!"

"Well, you still didn't think everything through," Carl replied as he pushed Serena forward. Ash watched with his fists balled as the two Team Rocket members treated Serena the way they did. If he could do something without putting her in harm's way, he would have done it by now.

"And because of your crazy little attempt it appears this cutie here is going to pay," he continued on as he ran a hand through Serena's hair, causing the Performer to shudder.

Ash watched as the two continued to make Serena appear uncomfortable and something inside of him finally snapped. Seeing her in this condition made his blood start to boil as no one should be making his friend feel like this. Clenching his hands even harder, Ash felt the tips of his fingernails actually puncture his skin. But none of it mattered at this point to him, he just had to help Serena out.

"Don't you dare touch her!" He shouted out without realizing it. The sudden declaration had caught everyone, even Ash himself, by surprise. "Lay another finger on her and you'll pay!"

"My, have we hit a nerve here?" Sham asked joyfully as she pushed Serena from behind. The Performer was now standing too close to the hatch of the helicopter for her liking, but there was nothing she could do about it. "Let's see how you react to this." And with one swift push, Sham had shoved the honey-blonde Performer out of the helicopter.

"Serena!" Ash and Cilan both called out as they watched their friend fall through the sky and straight for the ground below them. Ash watched on, his entire heart pounding, as he tried to figure something out. He didn't have either Talonflame or Noivern to catch her and the fall would be too high for him to try to catch her at the end without any injuries coming to her.

"Pichu! Pi, pi, Chu!" Pichu cried out as she watched her mommy fall through the sky. There was nothing she could do either and it just killed her that she couldn't protect Serena. Crying, Pichu thought all hope was lost, but quickly snapped out of it thanks to Ash's voice.

"Cilan!" The raven-haired trainer called out as he looked to his male companion. He had come up with a last ditch effort, but it was their only hope of saving Serena. "Can Stunfisk launch me up into the sky?"

"Well, I don't see why not," Cilan quickly responded as he placed his hand under his chin. This was quite the bold and tangy move, but for Ash it was something he would do. Looking over at Stunfisk, Cilan couldn't help but smirk at the Trap Pokémon.

"Think you can give Ash a good enough toss? We're all counting on you!"

"Stunfisk, fisk!" It replied affirmatively while Ash stood on its body. Bracing himself for the launch, Ash had no time to prepare for anything as he felt his entire body be shot off of Stunfisk's body. Feeling the wind pass by his entire body, Ash continued to look forward as he spotted Serena.

The Performer had closed her eyes once the descent started. She didn't want to see how far she was falling or when it was all over. Right now she was thinking about everything she didn't get to accomplish. She would never be able to finish her quest for Kalos Queen, she'd never finish helping Pichu like she promised and worst of all she'd never have the chance to tell Ash all about her feelings. The last thought was the one that stung the worst, but as she braced for the hard ground she instead felt something different.

A warm sensation filled her body as Serena felt herself pressed up against something warm, sturdy and radiating a safe sensation. Immediately opening her eyes to see what had happened, Serena was surprised to see herself in Ash's arms as the boy she loved held her close to his body. Flying across the sky, the duo came to a stop as Ash landed on the hard ground with a thud before rolling, all while making sure she was alright.

Once safe, Serena finally had a chance to see just what position she had been caught in. Seeing that it was none other than a bridal carry, the Performer couldn't help but blush at how close she was to Ash and the fact that it was in the form of a bridal carry didn't help matters either.

"Serena, are you alright?" Ash asked kindly as he gently placed her down. Making sure she was alright, Ash couldn't understand what had come over him in that moment. One second he saw Serena falling and in the next he had acted on impulse to save her.

"J-Just fine!" She managed to squeak out while controlling her blush. If only it hadn't been such a stressful moment, Serena would have been able to enjoy it just a little bit more. "Thank... Thank you for saving me…"

"No problem," Ash replied while rubbing underneath his nose. He knew he would have helped any of his friends in that situation, but something deep inside of him had made him rush during the situation. "I know you'd have done the same for me. But for now, let's handle these two!"

"My, Mr. Ketchum, I see you've forgotten one major aspect," Carl shouted down from the helicopter. Moving his arm to the side, Ash got a clear view of not only his frozen Pokémon but also of Braixen, Sylveon, Pansage and Crustle all locked away in their Poké Balls. "We have all of your Pokémon held captive."

"Well, we'll just have to do something about that!" Ash uncharacteristically taunted the Admin as he pointed up towards the helicopter. "Pikachu! I know you can do it, use Thunderbolt! And Noivern, launch your strongest Boomburst! Talonflame, you join in with a Flame Charge, melt all the ice surrounding you guys!"

"Please, don't be ridiculous..." Sham began to say as she watched the ice. There was no way anyone was breaking out of that storage, it was unbreakable. However, much to her shock, Sham soon noticed a few cracks spread throughout the entire icy prison as Ash's Pokémon responded to his cries.

"Impossible!" Carl shouted as the ice completely shattered. "No one should be able to escape my Mamoswine's Blizzard attack..."

"Well, we're not just anybody! We won the Kalos League together!" Ash cried out as he kept the same facial expression from his previous statement. "Greninja, grab those Poké Balls! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Everyone else, get off that Helicopter!"

Moving quickly, Greninja managed to swipe the four Poké Balls with ease before leaping from the Helicopter and onto Talonflame's back. Flying away, Ash's Pokémon watched on as Pikachu shocked the entire helicopter and destroyed the backup system. Leaping out of the helicopter, the Electric-Type was caught by Noivern as the five Pokémon landed in front of Ash.

"Things aren't looking good," Carl muttered as he grabbed ahold of a support bar. The helicopter was now spinning out of control, heading straight for the mountains. "Perhaps we should abandon the mission."

Sham merely nodded in agreement as she grabbed a backpack and placed it around her shoulders. "We've placed a control collar on Articuno before it escaped. Right now it's under our control. We should at least try to grab it."

"Forget about Articuno right now!" Carl yelled as he grabbed his own backpack. Things were not in their favor due to them being outnumbered by quite a lot. "We can always return for the bird. But right now we have to leave while we still can!"

"Alright, but the boss won't be pleased by all of this," Sham replied as the duo jumped from the helicopter moments before it crashed into the mountains. Pressing a button that was on their straps, the two Rocket members flew off to parts unknown.

"They just ran off," Cilan muttered as they watched the retreating figures. It was odd for them to just run off despite such a rare Pokémon still in the area. "I wonder how Articuno is doing?"

As if to answer his question, an explosion was soon heard off in the distance. Turning around, the group noticed what appeared to be some sort of electrical attack colliding with an Ice Beam. It was no doubt Articuno's attack and so something was going down.

* * *

"Electrike, where are you!?" Bonnie called out as herself and Clemont made their way through the brush. Pushing past a bush, the duo were soon in a wide open field and caught sight of the rambunctious Pokémon.

"Electrike, why'd you run off?" Clemont started to ask only for the Electric-Type to growl. Not knowing the full extent, Clemont went to move towards the Lightning Pokémon only to be kept at a distance by a Thunderbolt attack.

"Hey! There's no reason to attack me!" Clemont responded to the attack with anger in his voice. Yes, Electrike had previously been stubborn while in the wild, but since joining Clemont on his journey the two had gotten along just fine.

"We're a team, Electrike! We work together and so there's no reason to run off alone," he continued on while inching closer to Electrike. The Electric-Type wasn't having any of it though and lunged right at Clemont. With a hard push from Electrike, Clemont found himself falling on the ground with a loud thud.

"Clemont are you alright?" Bonnie asked as she ran over to help her brother up off of the ground. The two siblings however just watched Electrike as he appeared fixated on the sky. The Electric-Type was constantly changing his view, as if he was watching for something.

"I'm just fine, Bonnie, thank you," the inventor said quickly as he brushed himself off. The fall hadn't hurt at all, but his feelings had been hurt by Electrike. Clemont viewed them as a team, but it appeared Electrike still wanted to fight by himself.

"Elec!" The Electric-Type suddenly cried out as he launched a Thunderbolt into the sky, much to Clemont's confusion. Then, he saw exactly what Electrike had aimed for as an Ice Beam soon crashed into the ground. Leaping backwards, the entire group watched as Articuno landed in front of them.

"Elec! Trike, trike, Electrike!" Electrike continued on as he appeared to be egging Articuno on. Something just didn't seem right to the Electric-Type and so he was going to fix the entire problem himself and keep his trainer safe from the situation. Launching a Thunderbolt off, Electrike watched as Articuno took the attack head on and just brushed it off.

"Electrike, don't anger it anymore!" Bonnie cried out as she watched the two Pokémon prepare for battle. Despite how tough Electrike was, it still was no match for a Legendary Pokémon. "You can't take it on by yourself!"

Electrike didn't listen, but instead launched a Discharge attack at Articuno this time. The attack landed once more, but this time it appeared the Legendary Pokémon was upset. Flying right at Electrike, Articuno slammed its wings hard into it before circling back around for another hit.

"That was a powerful Steel Wing attack!" Clemont cried out in concern as Electrike was struck a second time. Only this time he had been thrown backwards and into a tree. "Electrike, look out!"

And without thinking, Clemont jumped in front of Electrike and blocked the Lightning Pokémon from receiving the brute force of the third Steel Wing. Clemont winced at the pain, but there was no way he was letting Electrike get hurt any longer.

"Listen, I understand you don't want help, but we're partners. I'll always be here to help you, Electrike and so you don't have to run off into battle all alone. We'll give each other strength and together we'll overcome obstacles."

"E-Electrike..." The Electric-Type muttered out as he listened to Clemont's words. He had been so stuck on helping Articuno while also protecting Clemont that he had forgotten about working alongside Clemont now. But, he was right, together they would win this!

It was not to be that easy however. Hearing a shriek, Clemont and Electrike both turned towards Bonnie and saw the young girl pointing right in their direction. "Look out, Articuno's coming back for you!" And she wasn't wrong. Before either of them could react, Articuno had grabbed a hold of Clemont and was flying away with the young inventor.

"Clemont!"

"Elec!" Electrike cried out while shooting a bolt of electricity off into the distance. Articuno was too far away however and the bolt fizzled out before it could properly reach its target.

"Cunoooo!" The Legendary Bird Pokémon cried out as if it was gloating. Perching itself atop one of the mountains, Articuno sat there proudly as it held tight to its prize. Clemont however was less than pleased by the entire situation and was hoping to get out of it as soon as possible. Trying to stay calm, Clemont kept as still as possible in hopes of keeping Articuno calm as well. This was when he noticed something familiar wrapped around its leg.

"What's this," Clemont muttered softly while inspecting the device. It looked to be one of the cubes that Team Rocket had used earlier in Kalos on Professor Sycamore's Garchomp. This one however wasn't around Articuno's neck. "It appears to be some sort of control collar. Similar in design to the ones Jessie, James and Meowth used. How could this get on Articuno?"

His chance at thinking was short lived however as he quickly felt his entire body rise up into the air again. Looking down, he watched as Articuno launched an Ice Beam attack straight for Bonnie, only for Electrike to take the blast head on.

"Electrike!" Clemont called out in concern as he watched the Electric-Type shake off the coldness from the previous attack. Smirking up at Articuno, it appeared as though Electrike was asking if that was the best it could muster up.

"Cunoooo!" The Ice and Flying-Type cried out in anger before launching another Ice Beam attack right at Electrike. This one however was met head on by a Thunderbolt from the pesky Electric-Type.

"Electrike!" He cried out once more as he put everything he had into the Thunderbolt attack. He just had to save Clemont and Articuno. Electrike just couldn't stop the attack as he watched it start to get overpowered by the Ice Beam attack until finally the beam crashed right into him.

Standing back up, Electrike thought about the time he had met Clemont and how the young inventor had helped him out despite not even knowing him. Now it was his turn to return the favor. Letting out a powerful howl, Electrike felt empowered as his entire body glowed blue.

"Electrike..." Clemont muttered as he watched the shape of his Electric-Type change until standing on the ground before him was a newly evolved Manectric. "You evolved."

"Manectric!" The newly evolved Discharge Pokémon cried out triumphantly as his entire body glowed with electricity. Shooting it upwards, this attack moved fast than the previous ones and managed to strike Articuno. Not only that, but the power behind it managed to cause Articuno to flinch in slight pain.

"Alright, Manectric!" Clemont called out happily as he looked over to the device strapped around Articuno. It was now flashing after that last attack. Perhaps it was now short-circuiting from the electricity? "Manectric, I need your strongest Thunderbolt attack and I need you to aim it at me!"

"Mane?" The Electric-Type asked in confusion. Why would Clemont want to be attacked on purpose. Deciding to not question the decision, Manectric charged up another Thunderbolt, but this time when it was launched it appeared differently. Instead of a streak of electricity, the attack was just one large bolt; Thunder!

The blast soared through the sky until striking Clemont perfectly. Now with the electricity flowing through his body, Clemont could try out his plan. "Clemontic Gear on!" He cried out before his Aipom Arm extended outwards and latched onto the small box.

The flow of electricity left his body and soon jumped into the small box. Clemont then watched on with hope that his hypothesis would be correct. And it was. Just as Clemont thought, the box exploded from the amount of electricity entering it.

"Arti?" Articuno asked as it looked around. It didn't remember much of the day except for being chased by a group of people. Looking down towards its talons, Articuno soon spotted Clemont and realized it had made a mistake. Flying towards the ground, the Legendary Bird placed Clemont softly on the ground before taking its leave.

"Thank you, Manectric," Clemont managed to mutter before collapsing from exhaustion. Now leaning against his newly evolved Pokémon for support, the young inventor only had one thought running through his mind.

" _What is Team Rocket really planning?"_

* * *

"Lysandre, sir, you can't be serious about not caring for world domination!?" Xerosic cried out as he tinkered with the machine Team Rocket had left him in charge of. "Did you forget about our dreams for this planet?"

Sighing, Lysandre leaned up against a wall as he looked over at his close ally. "I haven't forgotten about it. And one day I truly wish to help create a better world for people and Pokémon. But for now, I'm not entirely sure who I am anymore."

"In prison, I had a lot of time to think things over. How did our plans change so much? We started out as a group of people who were hopeful enough to help change the world. How did our goals change so drastically?"

"But remember all of the evil in this world?" Xerosic asked as he typed in a few codes. "Those news articles we read about Hoenn having a weather crisis and then Sinnoh with that strange distortion. Both of those events had been caused by evil men. This planet has become too corrupted."

"But where does that leave us, Xerosic?" Lysandre asked as he stood up straight and crossed his arms. "What better did our goals make us if we only followed the others to achieve them? Destroying this world to create a better one was never out ambition. We got lost in the power of Zygarde. And somewhere along the way we lost ourselves."

"Now, we're forced into working for these criminals just to keep from going back to jail. It isn't fair and if I could go back and change it all I would. I would prevent myself from ever becoming a power hungry monster. I would remind myself to stay on the correct path to a better world. One where everyone had a chance for a better tomorrow instead of trying to start fresh."

Xerosic appeared to be lost in his own world however. Typing away as Lysandre talked, the head scientist stopped his constant typing once he found something interesting amongst the files. "Lysandre, check this out!"

"It appears someone has been using the plans to our ultimate weapon," he continued on as he looked at the last time they were opened. It had been just a few days ago to be exact. "And whoever looked over these plans did so from Kanto."

"So, it appears the three of them are not really in charge after all," Lysandre muttered as he looked over the plans. Someone had definitely used them based on the notes found in the files. "And whoever is, is playing with something they have no clue how to control."

* * *

 **So, hopefully you liked it. Now, why did the whole Articuno vs Manectric get brushed to the side once the machine got destroyed? Well, it was similar to the other two birds. They had been disturbed but once it was fine they left. Same case with Articuno. But, that ending. So it turns out Giovanni has his own real plans that he doesn't trust the majority of TR with. How will this play into everything?**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	34. Mega Evolution Disaster!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Team Rocket attacked Ash and the group, catching them off guard by the sudden attack. While Ash, Serena and Cilan were busy with the two Admins, Clemont ran into Sird who had some words for the inventor. After, he unluckily ran into Articuno and with some help from his newly evolved Manectric, the duo saved the Legendary Bird from the evil organization.**

 **Just want to put this out there; I start school up on September 6** **th** **and so updates might be slower than before. I'll do my best to get 1-2 chapters up each week. Thanks.**

 **Ch 34: Mega Evolution Disaster!**

* * *

"Wow, I can't believe Manectric evolved just to save you from Articuno," Serena said in amazement as she gave the Electric-Type a fresh baked Poképuffs. The group was now resting at a Pokémon Center located off on the path to Coumarine City following their encounter with Team Rocket.

"I couldn't believe it either," Clemont began as he fixed his glasses. The young inventor couldn't help but smile at the newly evolved Pokémon. Despite the short amount of time they had known each other, Manectric had done everything it could to rescue him. "But you should have seen his Thunder attack! I swear, I've never seen such a powerful move from an Electric-Type Pokémon!"

"No offense, Pikachu," he quickly added in at the end once he realized what had been mentioned. Looking sheepishly at the Electric-Type, Clemont rubbed the back of his head due to his embarrassment.

"Pika, pika pi," Pikachu replied happily. He didn't mind Clemont's comment at all since he understood exactly what had happened. Ash probably would have said the same thing for Pikachu had the roles been switched.

"You know, in times like these, I think it's a good idea for an evaluation time!" Cilan quickly joined in as he snapped his fingers and pulled on his bow tie.

Everyone looked on with a mix of confusion and angst on their faces. Well, except Ash who still didn't see what the big fuss about it was. The three Kalos natives didn't know how to stop it, so Bonnie decided to end the whole thing before it could begin.

"No, not this again!" She cried out before Cilan could even utter his first phrase. "We've had enough of your crazy phrase time."

"But, it's my job as a Pokémon Connoisseur to judge the bonds between trainer and Pokémon. It's only fitting to show how close the two of them truly are."

"Yeah, well I still remember when you evaluated Serena's Pokémon. One time is enough for me," Bonnie playfully teased as she wrapped her arms around Manectric's neck. "Besides, this cutie doesn't need to be told how alike he is to Clemont. Other than being courageous, they're both stubborn as can be!"

"Bonnie that isn't true at all!" Clemont cried out as he blushed a little from his sister's words of encouragement. "I'm not stubborn!"

"Manec," the Discharge Pokémon muttered in agreement as he blushed in embarrassment. He wasn't stubborn, just that he had to do things his own way.

"Really? Then why won't you let me find you a keeper?" Bonnie asked playfully as she eyed her brother. "If you weren't stubborn you'd let me ask someone."

"That's different, Bonnie!" Clemont continued on in embarrassment. She knew just how much he hated whenever she asked someone that question, yet it always continued on. "When I'm ready I'll find someone myself. Until then please stop!"

Bonnie just crossed her arms and pouted at her brother's response. Didn't he realize that without her, he'd never find someone. Giving up for the moment, Bonnie faced the second half of her stubborn duo with a smirk as Manectric backed away.

"And you're just as bad, trying to fight everyone on your own," she said before wrapping herself around Manectric once more. "On the outside you act all tough but deep down you're just a big softy."

"You know, Clemont," Ash started to say as he fixed his hat. "After hearing about Manectric, I'd really like to have a battle with it. You know, to see how powerful it is personally."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Ash," Clemont answered as he looked over towards his newly evolved Pokémon with a smile. "How does a battle sound, Manectric?"

"Manec!" The Discharge Pokémon cried out excitedly. He was always ready for a battle to prove his might. And after how everything with Articuno ended, the Electric-Type was ready to go at it again.

Clemont nodded in agreement at Manectric's response. This was going to be their first real battle together since they never had a chance when he was still an Electrike. "Alright, Ash, we're ready to battle. Just let us know when."

Smirking, Ash could barely hold his excitement in. He needed a good battle to stay on his game and he felt like Clemont could be the one to give it to him. Especially now that he had Manectric. But, Ash also had another idea in his head and so he had already made plans for this battle earlier in the day.

"We're all set now!" He replied back as the duo made their way over to their respective sides. "How does a one-on-one sound, Clemont?"

"That's a perfect idea, Ash. Alright, Manectric, you're up!" The inventor proudly stated as his Electric-Type ran onto the field. Manectric was really filled with energy and perhaps Clemont could use it to his advantage against whoever Ash decided to go with.

"You know, this would be the perfect time to test something out for my next Elite Four match," Ash started to say as he reached for a Poké Ball. Looking at it, Ash couldn't help but smile at the capture device as the sun shined off of it. Finally looking up, Ash's expression changed to one of determination and Clemont couldn't help but have the same expression on his face.

"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash called out to the shock of everyone. Despite the fact he had chosen his Charizard, no one had even known he had recalled the Fire and Flying-Type to his team. "You see, I promised Charizard that I'd use him in battle once I found a Keystone. Well, I haven't had the chance to, but now's as good a time as ever."

"Rawwrrr!" Charizard agreed as he let a Flamethrower flow out across the sky. He had been extremely excited when Ash had called Professor Oak's lab with the news of finding a Keystone. The duo had both been waiting for this moment and so they were going to treasure it.

"Hmm, even if you're using Charizard, Manectric and I won't go down without a fight," Clemont boldly stated as Manectric lowered itself into an attacking positon. The two were both ready to begin, wanting to prove themselves as able to handle a Pokémon of Charizard's caliber.

"And for this zesty battle, I'll be the referee," Cilan offered as he made his way over. Raising both of his arms, Cilan looked at both trainers before beginning. "Now, this match will be a one-on-one between Charizard and Manectric. The winner will be decided once one side is unable to battle. Now, begin!"

"Charizard, let's start off with your Flamethrower!" Ash proclaimed while throwing an open palm forward. He was curious to see just how stronger the Flame Pokémon had gotten while staying at the lab.

"Rawwwrrrr," Charizard roared out in agreement as fiery flames soared from his mouth. The blast traveled across the field and right for Manectric. Charizard appeared confident in his ability to win, but Manectric didn't seem worried at all.

"Dodge it with Double Team!" Clemont quickly countered as Manectric flashed white as copies of the Electric-Type covered the entire field. Charizard's Flamethrower attack smashed right into one of the copies and destroyed it upon impact, making both Ash and the Flame Pokémon look around at the remaining copies.

"Alright, Discharge let's go!"

"Mane!" Manectric shouted as the copies made the same cry. Together, the Electric-Type and his copies all charged up electricity before firing it off. Watching, both Ash and Charizard starred on as a wave of electricity flowed forward.

"Up into the sky, quick!" Ash yelled out while waving his left arm across his body. Taking off into the air, Charizard dodged the Discharge attack and looked downwards at his opponent. "Okay! Now, show them your Air Cutter!"

"Rawr," he muttered in response before flapping his wings. The wind appeared to pick up as Charizard flapped harder and harder until finally, blue streaks of energy appeared to fly off of his wings.

"Counter with Thunder!" Clemont yelled while throwing his own hand forward. The wind created just from Charizard flapping his wings alone was making it hard for the inventor to keep his footing. They had to prevent the attack from landing.

Manectric charged up all of his electricity before launching it into one single bolt. Being joined by the power from the copies, the Thunder attack managed to gain strength which was on par with that of the Air Cutter. Blasting into the oncoming attack, the Thunder and Air Cutter exploded on contact and sent both Pokémon flying backwards along with destroying all of the copies as a smoke cloud covered the field.

"Now, get in close and hit him with Steel Wing!" Ash's voice could be heard as Clemont tried to look through the smoke. It was no good however as the cloud was too thick to see anything.

But, within a few moments the young inventor saw what appeared to be a streak of silver cutting right through the smoke cloud. Before he could react, Charizard appeared in front of both himself and Manectric. Flying right for Manectric, Charizard slammed his wings into the Discharge Pokémon hard as the wind appeared to be knocked out of him.

"Don't give up yet, Manectric! Hold onto that wing and release a Discharge attack!"

Both Ash and Charizard were surprised by the command, they hadn't expected Manectric to have enough strength to hang onto Charizard but the Electric-Type did just that. Releasing all of his stored up electricity, Manectric sent a jolt of energy right through Charizard's body and caused the Fire and Flying-Type to crash into the ground.

"Charizard, are you alright?" Ash asked in concern as the Flame Pokémon stood back up easily. They both knew he had a lot more left in him, but the last attack had them by surprise. "Great, how about we take this battle to the next level?" He asked happily.

Charizard smirked in response to the question. This had been something they both had waited for and he was growing anxious now. Seeing Charizard's smirk, Ash couldn't help it as one crossed his own face.

"Alright then! Charizard, Mega Evolve!" Ash cried out as he touched the Keystone on his wrist. Light flowed from both his wrist where the Keystone was and from the Mega Stone located on Charizard's arm. The two lights continued to expand until connecting midway upon which Charizard started to change shape.

"It's happening! It's finally happening!" Bonnie cried out happily as everyone watched on in amazement. They all had been awaiting this moment from the second Ash revealed the Mega Stone. It wasn't something they could witness at any time they wanted.

"This battle is about to heat up for sure," Cilan agreed as he watched on. He had known Charizard for a short time while traveling with Ash, but he had never seen the Fire and Flying-Type in a real battle. The closest had been that little skirmish with Iris' Dragonite, but even that had been called off mid-battle. "I can already smell the delectable aromas of Ash and Charizard's bond combining together into the miraculous sensation of Mega Evolution!"

Serena however stayed silent. She was too fascinated by the entire process to manage any words. Charizard continued his transformation as his body became slender and small wings formed on his arms. The two horns on his head formed into three as his snout shortened in length and his neck was now shorter. Finishing the transformation, Charizard's wings were now larger than before as small ridges lined them now.

Letting out a mighty roar, Charizard showed that the process was completed and everyone looked on in shock. Standing there before them was a Mega Charizard, or as Meyer had told Ash, a Mega Charizard Y.

"It worked!" Ash cried out happily as he looked over the now Mega Evolved starter. Everyone was too fascinated by the entire process to notice the slight changes in Charizard. "You ready to try this out?"

Charizard didn't respond at all to Ash. Instead he appeared to be rather bored with the entire situation. Scratching his stomach with his claws, Charizard let out a yawn before plopping down onto the ground.

"Charizard, what are you doing?" Ash asked as he watched the Fire and Flying-Type lay down on the ground and start to sleep. "We're in the middle of a battle!"

Ash didn't know what was happening. Charizard had never acted like this since way back in the Orange Islands. It was almost as if he was acting like his old self again.

"Rarr," he muttered while sending off a puff of fire. Charizard had no intention of battling at this moment. There were no opponents that could match him in strength. However, he noticed that Ash was bothering his sleep and immediately faced his trainer with anger in his eyes.

Ash however didn't notice the change in Charizard's eyes and continued to approach the Flame Pokémon. "Charizard, the whole process of Mega Evolution may have taken its toll on you. But are you ready to battle now?" Ash asked as he noticed Charizard growling at him now. "Charizard?"

Ash had no time to utter another word as flames shot out of his Fire and Flying-Type's mouth. Scorched in the fire, Ash fell to the ground completely surprised by the little outburst from Charizard. The moment didn't end there however, Charizard instead continued on his little rampage as he fired off one Flamethrower after another as the others ducked for shelter.

"What's happening to Charizard?" Serena asked in concern as she watched him fly up into the sky before continuing his barrage of Flamethrowers, one of which just missed her and Bonnie.

"Charizard appears to be unable to control all of his new strength," Cilan mentioned as he dodged a Flamethrower attack. "I've seen some Pokémon become disobedient but this is something completely different."

"It's acting similar to Korrina's Lucario," Clemont mentioned as he dove away from a Flamethrower. Things were starting to get too out of hand now as the entire field was becoming scorched. "Remember when he first Mega Evolved? Lucario lost all control and attacked wildly."

Manectric listened to the entire conversation as he watched Charizard attacking like wild. If he was in trouble, Manectric would do whatever it took to help the Fire and Flying-Type out while also protecting the others.

"Manec," The Electric-Type muttered before his body started to glow from an electrical charge. While standing right underneath the rambunctious Pokémon, Manectric let his Thunder attack go as the giant bolt struck Charizard by surprise.

Being hit by the blast, Charizard crashed hard into the ground and reverted back from his Mega Evolution form due to his exhaustion. Seeing his Pokémon down, Ash made his way over to check up on Charizard. The Fire and Flying-Type appeared just fine, but Ash decided it would be best to allow him some rest following the entire situation.

"I wonder what happened to Charizard," Ash muttered as he recalled the defeated Flame Pokémon. "He hasn't acted that way in a long time. Not sense I thawed him out in the Orange Islands."

"It's due to his pride," a familiar voice stated as everyone turned around to see who it belonged to.

* * *

"We can't stop looking, Charizard," Alain muttered as he rubbed his eyes to try and get rid of the tired feeling that was slowly taking over his body. "Not until we find him and make sure he pays."

Following Lysandre's escape, Alain had been searching all over Kalos nonstop for the former leader of Team Flare. Unsure of what he had planned, Alain had made it his personal mission to stop Lysandre before he could do any more harm to the region.

"Rawrrr," Charizard muttered as his flying started to slow down. They had been going at it for two days straight now without any breaks and had covered most of Kalos. Yet, there was no sign of Lysandre at all.

"I know, we're both tired," Alain responded as he pat Charizard's back. He was thankful for everything Charizard had done so far and without the Flame Pokémon, Alain knew he wouldn't be getting anywhere in his current mission. "How about we continue on until we find a Pokémon Center. How does that sound?"

"Rawwrr," Charizard responded, this time with a little more energy. Perhaps they would have the chance to rest for a little while this time. The last real break they had was when they dropped Mairin off at Professor Sycamore's Lab. Thinking about how they left her made him said however. "Rawwww..."

"Yes, I know," Alain responded as he looked around the forest with a long face. "I miss her as well." Alain couldn't help but smile at that thought. When he first met the girl he had tried to get rid of her immediately but now. Well, now he enjoyed her presence and it felt empty without her nearby. She had made these past few months much more enjoyable for him and Charizard.

Just as Alain had started to think back on the past few months, he was jolted back to reality as Charizard made a quick maneuver to dodge something coming right at them. Looking closely, Alain could make it out to be a Flamethrower attack. And a strong one at that. But where was it coming from?

"I think we need to be careful right now," Alain muttered as Charizard flew closer to the ground. As the due moved through the forest, only one thought came to Alain. "Lysandre, what are doing?"

There was no way this couldn't be Lysandre. After so long, the man had finally slipped up and now Alain could catch him and bring him to justice. However, the thought of Lysandre disappeared as he walked through the last few bushes and saw what was really happening.

"Ash?" Alain muttered as he waited off to the side. It appeared as though a Mega Charizard Y was battling a Manectric, but Charizard wasn't listening. Instead, he was going on a sort of rampage against everyone.

Before he was able to try and stop Charizard, the Manectric was already on the move. Launching a powerful Thunder attack, one of such magnitude Alain had never witnessed from a non-Mega Evolved Pokémon, the Discharge Pokémon managed to knock Charizard out for the time being.

Hearing Ash wonder why Charizard was acting that way, Alain decided to walk forward and help. It wouldn't hurt anyone if he stopped for a little to assist Ash, the guy did save all of Kalos after all. It would be the least Alain could do to help repay Ash.

"It's due to his pride," Alain stated as he walked out onto the field with Charizard right behind him. His entire body was exhausted, but at the moment sleep meant nothing to him.

"Alain!" Everyone cried out happily, with the exception of Cilan, as they saw the trainer make his way over. It had been a long time since they last saw him and it was quite the surprise to run into him now.

"Hello, everybody," he politely replied before facing Ash again. Looking at him with a serious expression, Ash could tell that whatever Alain was about to say was serious. "Ash, the reason Charizard reacted that way is because of how the species is as a whole. Charizard are prideful Pokémon who take a great sense of accomplishment in their strength."

"Of course," Cilan muttered while snapping his fingers. "Ash, didn't you once say that Charizard stopped listening to you once he evolved from a Charmander? Perhaps the same thing is happening now. Maybe when Charizard Mega Evolves, he feels like he's so powerful he doesn't need a trainer."

Alain nodded in agreement as that was exactly what he was getting at. "Charizard has never felt this type of power before and it can be intimidating for the first time. Plus, some members of the species believe that others will only hold them back whenever they acquire a new realm of strength. Perhaps you should ease him into it until you both feel ready. I'll be more than willing to help you out for a while."

"You need to remind Charizard of all your past adventures. Get through to him and rekindle the bond that is between the two of you. Without it, you'll never master Mega Evolution."

"Alain, do you think we could have a battle once Charizard gets healed up?" Ash asked as he stared down at the Fire and Flying-Type's Poké Ball. Ash was more determined than ever to work on this problem, they just had to overcome it. "If there's anyone who could help us, it would be you."

"Yes, I'd be more than willing to help," the elder trainer replied as the group of six made their way into the Pokémon Center. "But first you should make sure he's alright."

"Right," Ash responded as he walked right into the Pokémon Center. Heading straight for Nurse Joy, Ash handed the Poké Ball over before joining the others at a nearby table. They had already started up a conversation by the time Ash had arrived.

Time passed by slowly for Ash as casual conversation with Alain only went so far. However, the Pallet Town native was more concerned about Charizard and how they were going to master Mega Evolution. Before he could go deep into his thoughts, he was snapped back into the conversation as he heard the next sentence.

"So, Alain," Serena started to say as everyone sat around waiting for Charizard to be healed up. "I've been meaning to ask, but where is Mairin? I thought you two were going to be traveling together."

Alain frowned at the comment. How he had enjoyed those days of traveling without any worries, but now he couldn't. "We've decided to stop traveling together for the time being. It's safer this way."

"Alain, she's stronger than you give her credit for," Ash said, but his words only caused Alain to sulk even more.

"You don't get it, we both agreed that it would be safer," Alain muttered as he clenched the sides of his coat. He wouldn't risk putting her in harm's way. "Lysandre... Lysandre escaped from prison a while ago..."

The words just left his mouth. He didn't remember saying them, but Alain knew he had based on the reactions of everyone in the room. Knowing that he couldn't keep it a secret anymore, Alain explained everything.

"A while back, Lysandre escaped from his prison in Lumiose City. In doing so, Mairin, Professor Sycamore and myself all agreed that it would be safer for Mairin to stay at his lab for the time being. He also wanted me to stay, but I couldn't. I vowed to find him and bring him back to jail. Since then, it's been days, or weeks. Maybe even close to a month, I've lost track of time since first starting my search. Not stopping for rest except for when it was necessary, Charizard and I have scoured the entire Kalos region with no luck in finding him at all."

"And, Ash, before you tell me that I don't need to do this on my own, I already know that. I decided to do it on my own. I need to find closure with Lysandre. After everything he did, all the lies he told, the people he hurt. I just need to bring him to justice."

"Alain..." Ash muttered as he stared at the older trainer. Ash honestly didn't know what to say. Alain just looked broken in the moment as he grasped at his coat once more. However, Ash heard the familiar sound of Nurse Joy having finished her treatments and knew Charizard was all healed.

"How does a battle sound? To get your mind off of everything?" Ash asked as he stood up. He may not have known the right words to say, but he always knew that you could understand someone through a Pokémon battle. "Besides, Charizard and I want to try Mega Evolution again."

"Sure, we'd love to have a real battle again," Alain agreed as he stood up and faced Ash. The last real battle he had was against Ash back in the Kalos League and so this would be a good time to get another battle in while he could. "It'll be just our Charizard. And I'll try to help you out with controlling yours throughout the match."

"Sounds good to me," Ash responded as the duo made their way out towards the field. This was going to be one battle to remember and Ash only hoped Charizard would listen once they Mega Evolved.

"Ash, I want you to start off by Mega Evolving Charizard," Alain called out from his side of the field. The elder trainer already had a Poké Ball in his hand and Ash knew that it was Charizard's. "I know I told you to start off slow with Charizard, but I want to see how he reacts while battling another of his species."

"Right," Ash responded as he gripped Charizard's Poké Ball. Throwing it forward, Ash prepared himself for anything that could go wrong. "Charizard, I choose you!"

With a loud thud, the Fire and Flying-Type landed on the dirt field as dust was kicked up. Despite what had just recently happened, Charizard didn't appear to have remembered any of it at all. Looking around, Charizard was confused as to why the others appeared to be frightened by him.

Ash however wasn't going to let anything hold him back. Together with Charizard they were going to overcome this problem even if it took them forever. "Charizard, you ready to give Mega Evolution another go?"

"Rawrr," he responded happily before shooting a Flamethrower up into the sky. Ash could tell that Charizard had no memories of their previous attempts, or the Fire and Flying-Type was doing a good job at hiding any worry.

"Alright, Charizard, let's go!" Alain called out as his own Charizard appeared on the field with a thud. The two Flame Pokémon immediately stared each other down. Neither had forgotten how their last battle ended.

"Now, Ash, we'll start out right from the start," he continued on as he touched his Keystone. "Keystone, respond to my heart! Charizard, evolve beyond evolution, Mega Evolve!"

Light shined off of Charizard and Alain as the duo began the process of Mega Evolution. Ash watched on in awe as the light started to fade away and reveal the now transformed Mega Charizard X.

"You ready, Charizard?" Ash asked as his Fire and Flying-Type responded with a thumbs up. They were going to do this together and no matter what happened they would get the process down. "Alright! Mega Evolve!"

Touching his own Keystone, Ash watched as the same process that had just occurred for Alain and his Charizard happened for himself. As the light started to die down, Ash saw Charizard fully transformed and ready to battle.

"Alright, so far so good," Alain muttered as he noticed Charizard appeared to be in control of himself for the time being. "We'll take the first move! Charizard, Flamethrower!"

Alain's Charizard roared in approval before the blue streak of flames escaped from his mouth. Soaring across the field, the Flamethrower attack appeared powered up by the now intense heat.

"Alright, Charizard, dodge and then use your Flamethrower!" Ash called out to no avail. His Charizard didn't appear to be interested in listening at the moment as instead of doing as Ash said, he merely countered with his own Flamethrower.

The two attacks appeared evenly matched as they met in the middle of the field. Neither side was backing down and to everyone watching, it seemed as though their strength had increased. Finally, an explosion occurred as dust limited everyone's visibility.

"Ash, just a friendly tip," Alain could be heard through the cloud of dust. "Mega Charizard Y's ability is Drought. That means all Fire-Type moves are going to be stronger than before."

"But, now's not the time for that. Now, Charizard, Flamethrower once more!" Launching the blue flames for a second time, both Alain and Charizard knew they had the advantage. At the moment, Ash's Charizard didn't appear to want help at all and so he would be at a disadvantage until changing his ways.

"Charizard, trust me on this one, fly straight up and dodge the attack," Ash pleaded to no avail once more. Charizard was firm in his belief that he wouldn't need any help at all. Staying pat, Charizard felt the Flamethrower attack blast into him before he knew it.

Skidding backwards, Charizard slammed his feet into the ground before he managed to stop. Looking frustrated, the Fire and Flying-Type launched off a powerful Air Cutter that broke through the smoke and hit Alain's Charizard. Although, the attack appeared to not do much damage. Not stopping, Charizard flew forward as his wings glowed white and stiffened.

"Now, use Thunder Punch!" Alain cried out as he slowly closed his right hand and formed a fist after throwing it forward. His Charizard then flew forward as his electrically charged fist made contact with the Steel Wing attack.

"Charizard, you have to attack a different way!" Ash called out as he noticed the stalemate. However, to Ash it wasn't a stalemate at all since Alain's Charizard still had his second claw free. "Fly up and plan a different attack!"

"Not this time, Ash!" Alain cried out happily as he punched forward with his other hand. "Dragon Claw, let's go!"

"Rawr," Alain's Charizard muttered as his left claw glowed green and grew in size. Slashing upwards, Charizard launched his opponent high into the sky before giving chase. Seeing that Ash's Charizard was still recovering, he decided to attack again and slammed his Thunder Punch into his opponent's back.

"Charizard!" Ash screamed as he watched his Pokémon come crashing down towards the ground. He appeared to be out of it at the moment and no talking would get through to him. Doing the only thing he could think of, Ash sprinted out onto the field and braced himself for what was to come.

Before he realized it, Ash felt the entirety of Charizard slam hard into him and press him against the ground. Grunting slightly, Ash positioned himself so that he could see Charizard.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked lightly as he winced in pain a bit. It really did hurt from taking the fall for Charizard, but if there was any way to get through to him, it was to show him his unselfishness.

"Rawr?" Charizard muttered in confusion. This boy had just risked everything to soften the blow of impact. Why would he do that for him? As if waiting for that question, Charizard's mind replayed their previous moments together for him. The first thought that played in his mind had been the night Ash spent thawing him out. How he had ever forgotten that one was beyond him.

Next came flashes of their most important battles. First it was against Gary, then Harrison and finally Articuno. In all three matches he knew he could rely on Ash, but why was it different here? What was making it so hard to trust him?

"Charizard," Ash muttered as he got up from underneath the Flame Pokémon. "Everything will be fine. We're a team and been through a lot worse than this. We'll fight until every ounce of strength has left us!"

"Rawrrr!" He cried out in agreement. More of his memories with Ash flooded back to him and he immediately remembered all the times they had been through. The good ones stuck out the most to him however and so he decided to focus on them otherwise he knew he would lose focus.

"Great, so let's start off with a Flamethrower attack!"

The speed of the attack caught both Alain and his Charizard by surprise, leaving them no time to react as the blast slammed hard into them. Staying on the assault, Ash's Charizard flew up after his opponent.

"Great job, Charizard! Now, use Steel Wing!" Ash commanded as a smile crossed his face. If they could continue to battle like this, there was no way they would lose.

Slicing through the air, Charizard slammed his wings hard into his opponent as he then took him for a ride. Flying across the field, Charizard made sure that his opposition didn't fall off before they were finished.

Ash smirked as he already knew where Charizard was going with this. Throwing a fist up towards the sky, Ash issued the next command. "Alright, Seismic Toss, let's go!"

"Rawwwrrrrr!" Charizard cried out victoriously as he spun around countless times in the air. Once satisfied, he started his descent back down towards the field before launching his fellow Charizard hard into the ground as a crater formed. There was no way he would survive this, however, a thought was in the back of his head saying that Ash was holding him back. How he would have won by now without Ash.

"Charizard, are you alright?" Alain asked as his Fire and Dragon-Type stood back up with only a few scratches. They were going to have to do better than that to win. "Great, Flamethrower, now!"

"Rawrrr!" He cried out triumphantly before the flames flew right into Ash's Charizard. He hadn't been expecting another attack and so he was caught by surprise. Flying backwards, Charizard stopped himself by flying up into the air.

"Okay, it's time for our counter attack!" Ash called out as he pumped his fists into the air. They were going all in for this attack. "Flamethrower at your full strength!"

"You counter with your Flamethrower as well!" Alain commanded as both Pokémon fired off their attacks. Colliding once more, the two attacks appeared equal in power. But, slowly but surely, Alain's Charizard showed itself to be the stronger as he overpowered his opponent and smashed his Flamethrower into him.

Falling downwards, Ash's Charizard could hear the same thoughts in his head again. That Ash was holding him back, that he was only losing because of Ash. As he smashed hard into the ground, Charizard finally gave into those thoughts as he decided to win all on his own.

Not waiting for a command, Charizard flew up above the field once more to get a better view of his opponent. Seeing that he had nowhere to run to, Charizard launched a Flamethrower attack and managed to strike his opponent, only helping to prove the voice correct.

"Charizard, we need to work together!" Ash tried to remind him but to no luck. Charizard instead ignored him as he flew right at Alain's Charizard and landed a Steel Wing attack that launched him backwards.

"Ash, try to reach out to him, try to remind him of all the times you've been through!" Alain reminded his fellow trainer as his own Charizard got back up before flying at his fellow Charizard with a Thunder Punch attack.

"Charizard, please remember! Please remember everything we've been through!" Ash called out as Charizard ducked underneath a Thunder Punch and then blasted his opponent with a Flamethrower. "Please, remember back to Johto. Back to the Silver Conference when we fought side by side. Think about the Battle Frontier…"

Charizard surprisingly appeared to have been reached by Ash's pleading. Pausing for a moment, Charizard thought back to all those events and subconsciously had a smile form across his face. Those had been some of the best battles he had been in. However, the thoughts were short lived as he was soon met with a Thunder Punch to the face.

Smashing hard into the ground, Ash's Charizard jumped up with anger in his eyes. Looking pissed off beyond comparison, the Flame Pokémon fired off one Flamethrower after another up into the sky in anger. It appeared that he had lost control once more.

"Charizard, we need to calm him down," Alain said as his partner nodded in agreement. They couldn't let him get too out of hand. "We'll finish it in one blow! Blast Burn!"

"Rawrrrrrrr!" Alain's Charizard screamed out before slamming his hand into the ground. A trail of rocks shot up around the field as the fire continued its voyage underground. Arriving at Charizard before he knew it, the Fire and Flying-Type was met with a blast right to the face.

Feeling exhausted from the attack, Ash's Charizard reverted back to normal, much to the surprise of everyone watching. "Charizard!" Ash called out as he ran over to the defeated Pokémon. "Hey, no need to get down on yourself. You battled great out there!"

"Rawrr," he muttered in response. They were close, but then he left the voices in his mind control him and send him on the rampage. Otherwise they would have won. Sighing, Charizard appeared ashamed of himself and only wanted to get back to training.

"You were close, Ash," Alain mentioned as both he and his Charizard made their way over towards the Pallet Town native. "Up until Charizard had been hit, I felt there were chances to overcome the first time usage of Mega Evolution."

"However, I can't stay any longer. I have to continue my search for Lysandre, Ash," Alain explained as he recalled Charizard into its Poké Ball. "I need to find him as soon as I can and now I'll be leaving."

"Alain!" Ash called out as he caused the elder trainer to stop in his tracks. "What should Charizard and I do to overcome this?"

"Fight powerful opponents," Alain responded as he walked away. "The more you prove yourself to Charizard, the more he'll start to listen. They only truly listen to those they see as powerful," he finished off before his voice was too far away.

"Ash, are you alright?" Serena asked as she ran over to Ash and Charizard, Pikachu held firmly in her arms. "I thought you were going to pull it off for a moment."

"We almost did," Ash replied with a chuckle. He wasn't going to let a little failure stop him, especially after what happened with Greninja. "But, we just lost focus at the very end."

"Rawrr," Charizard muttered in disappointment. That had been his fault and instead of winning he had almost gone on a rampage.

"He, there's no reason to be upset," Ash told Charizard as the Flame Pokémon looked surprised. "Mega Evolution works with a bond between the trainer and Pokémon so that means I'm also at fault. Together we'll master this transformation and when we do we'll be unstoppable!"

"Rawrrrr!" Charizard roared out in agreement. They had faced worse problems before so this should be easy. Besides, all they had to do was face strong opponents. Looking Ash right in the eyes, the duo both raised their fists before tapping them against each other's.

* * *

"And why exactly are you proposing a tournament now of all times, Lance?" Diantha asked as she spoke over the communication line. All five Champions had gathered for their usual meetings, but this time Lance had called for one sooner than usual with the intent of setting up a tournament.

"I'll cut to the point," Lance responded as the other Champions listened with intent. A tournament was an enticing idea, especially with the 50th anniversary of the first Pokémon League being held coming up later this year.

"As you all know, my work goes beyond being the Champion of both the Kanto and Johto Elite Four. Along with those duties, I am an active member of the Pokémon G-Men," he continued as his fellow Champions nodded in agreement. They were all familiar with the others' duties outside of being their region's Champion. "And recently we've heard rumblings about Team Rocket setting up a Kalos Branch."

This caught everyone's attention except for Alder. They all had some run-ins with Team Rocket, but with the exception of Cynthia it had only been Jessie James and Meowth. Listening on to see where Lance was going with it, Steven motioned for him to continue on.

"And so, I sent in two of my best men. They've recently infiltrated the base and gained the trust of their leaders. While in there, they discovered that Team Rocket is planning something big. They're building a weapon of sorts, but for what we don't know yet. I'm hoping they'll figure it out soon enough."

"Is there any way to stop it now?" Diantha asked with concern. They were still recovering from the previous attack by Team Flare. "Lumiose City is still being rebuilt from the last attack we suffered and that was almost a year ago."

"There isn't any way for us to stop it since it would be no good," Lance explained over the connection. Crossing his arms over his chest, Lance appeared to be deep in thought before he continued his explanation. "Our goal is to capture none other than their leader, Giovanni. Attacking the Kalos Branch now wouldn't give us the opportunity. But, if we waited until the weapon was completed,"

"Giovanni would most likely head out there to attempt to use it," Cynthia stated as she finished Lance's thoughts. "It would be like when he flew out to Unova to try and use Meloetta to conquer the region by controlling the Kami Trio."

"When did this all happen?" Alder asked as he sat up. If anyone should have heard about an attack on his region, it should have been him.

"Roughly two years ago," she responded quickly before turning her attention to the others. "Myself and a small group of trainers fought off the Kami Trio and Team Rocket, managing to ruin their plans. Giovanni and the agents all escaped however."

"Now that you mention it, I had heard rumors of a Team Rocket base being built in Hoenn shortly after Teams Magma and Aqua were defeated. Thanks again for the help, Lance, I was away when that whole thing occurred," Steven said as he flashed a news article onto their communications channel.

"Yes, myself and a small group of trainers fought the two sides while trying to calm the two beasts down," Lance said as he read over the paper. His thoughts were being proven correct, Team Rocket had used the demise of the other regions' villainous teams to move in undetected.

"Lance," Diantha stated as she cleared her throat. They were starting to get off topic at the moment and someone had to reel them all back in. "How exactly will this tournament work out?"

"Have you ever heard of the Pokémon World Tournament?" He asked with a smirk. The name rang a bell for the others, but it was something they had never heard of in a long time. "It was a tournament held exactly fifty years ago to commemorate the first official Pokémon League in Kanto. Since then, the League committee has decided against using it unless for a special occasion due to its sacredness."

"Now, if we were to hold the tournament in a few months, the same amount of time that the weapon would be completed, we would have some of the world's strongest trainers all gathered in one central place to help fight."

"And how about Alola? Have you gotten them to agree as well?" Alder asked as he leaned against his hand. To the others, it appeared as if he was going to fall asleep at any moment.

Lance shook his head in disapproval. "I wasn't able to get through to them. The people of Alola are different in their ways and since their current Island Challenge is about to get under way, they'd wish to stay neutral in all of this."

"But, Diantha, I would like to ask if we could use Kalos as the site. Lumiose City to be exact. I understand the concerns after the Team Flare attack, but rest assured that this is for a good cause. Besides, hopefully the boy who helped out then will reappear."

Diantha could only give half of a smile. She knew Lance was going to ask something like this since it would make the most sense to have the tournament held in Kalos. Kalos was the last region to official join the League Committee and so it would only be right to host it.

"Yes, I would assume Ash would take part in the tournament as well. Knowing him, he'll see it as a chance to train for his current Elite Four challenge. Lance, I'm perfectly fine with the tournament being hosted here if it means a safer world for everyone."

"Thank you, and believe me, if Ash is there he'll be a great help. That boy helped me stop Teams Aqua and Magma back in Hoenn plus we've tussled with Team Rocket in Johto as well."

"Plus he helped me in Unova against Team Rocket," Cynthia added in as she noticed each of the Champions seemed to know Ash due to one meeting or another. "The boy is something else."

"I didn't think he was too special," Alder muttered as he switched his resting position. "Just a run of the mill trainer to me."

Diantha frowned as the comment as she listened to Alder. "Ash Ketchum almost defeated me in battle with his Greninja. He is no run of the mill trainer, Alder," she stated as the others all nodded in agreement. Alder may not have seen it, but Ash had always pulled through when it was needed.

"Now, how exactly will this tournament happen?"

"In exactly a few months, the weapon will be completed and so Giovanni will most likely fly out to Kalos. While this happens, the tournament will be going on at the same time. To make sure that the best trainers in each region are there, we as Champions will personally invite trainers while also telling the entire world of open registration."

"As the tournament advances, we'll be left with only the best of the best and then when Giovanni strikes we'll be ready."

"But, isn't it wrong to be using these trainers to further our agenda?" Steven asked with concern. How would they all feel if they had been tricked into helping someone else?

"I believe the entice of a tournament will be more than enough to make them forget about it," Lance explained as the others agreed. It may not be the best, but right now it was the only plan they had.

"Thank you, I'll be contacting each of you in the coming weeks," Lance said before closing off the connection.

Sighing, Lance looked at the blank screen before him. Everything was going well enough so far. All he had to do was spread the news of the tournament and hope Giovanni hears about it as well. Standing up, Lance turned towards the exit and made his way out of the room, ready to get to work.

* * *

 **So, not the Mega Evolution debut you were all expecting? Well, where's the fun when everything goes according to plan? This way, Ash and Charizard will have to work for their Mega Evolution. And to make it clear, Charizard's disobedience is due to what happened when he evolved into Charmeleon and then Charizard. He believed himself to be too strong for Ash to be a worthy trainer and did everything on his own. So, why wouldn't it be the same for Mega Evolution?**

 **And, what's this tournament that Lance is starting up? Well, that'll be touched on soon enough but I won't say anything else about it for now.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	35. Ash Becomes Serena?

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash had finally tried out Mega Evolution, only for Charizard to go berserk. Now, with the help of Alain, the duo plan on mastering the transformation together as they continue on their journey. Also, Lance gathered the champions to discuss a tournament in hopes of luring Team Rocket out of the shadows…**

 **Ch 35: Ash becomes Serena!?**

* * *

"Look, I can see the harbor from here!" Bonnie cried out as she jumped up and down due to her excitement. Just as she said, the harbor for Coumarine City was visible off into the distance for the traveling group and its sight meant one thing. "We're finally here! We finally reached Coumarine City!"

"Yeah!" Ash replied with excitement in his voice. There may not have been an Elite Four member here, but there was Serena's next Showcase. And he couldn't wait to see her win it again, especially how her last time in Coumarine City went.

"So, Serena, are you all excited for the Showcase? You probably have all kinds of different performance ideas just waiting to be used!"

Serena however was caught in her own thoughts. The idea of how her very first Showcase went was still fresh in her mind. "Huh? Uh, yeah, I can't wait to show everyone just how great we are as a team," Serena replied as she shook off the negative reminders of her failure. "We'll do our best out there and win that key!"

"That's the spirit, Serena," Clemont joined in as they all entered the city, pausing only to catch the smell of the sea breeze blow in from the harbor. "We're all sure you can win. As long as you all give it your best effort, then no one will beat you."

"I concur," Cilan chimed in as he placed an open palm across his chest. "The spectacular bonds you share with your Pokémon manages to shine brightly on the stage. Together, you'll win just as a good dish requires only best quality ingredients."

"Please, as if she would win!" A shrill voice interrupted and caused everyone to turn away from the harbor. Standing behind them was a girl who seemed familiar, but no one could put their finger on why. She was dressed in a purple sundress and a large purple sunhat along with purple dress shoes. Her black haired flowed down her back as she stood there with a glare.

"If anyone is winning, it'll be me!" She continued on as Serena realized the glare was directed to just her.

"D-Do... Do I know you?" Serena asked kindly as she felt a little intimidated by the upset girl. Why did it seem as though she had something to pick with her?

"You should. Do you even know what you did to me?" The girl asked angrily as her stare only deepened. Serena felt as if this girl would have made a hole through her with her glare alone. Seeing Serena still look confused, the girl sighed in anger

"Of course. I'll just tell you then. Because of you, I couldn't compete in the Master Class and Palermo declined to teach me!"

That was it! Serena realized immediately why the girl looked so familiar. She was that Amelia girl, the one who Serena managed to beat despite the crowd being biased for Amelia.

"Serena didn't do anything wrong at all!" Ash suddenly shot out. He wasn't enjoying the way this girl was treating his friend at the moment and decided to say something. "She won that Showcase because the crowd loved her!"

"Oh, but tell me, will the crowd still support her even after realizing she's a one trick Ponyta?" Amelia asked with a sudden smirk.

"I watched her Master Class performance and her recent ones as well. They're all the same, nothing changes throughout them. How's she ever going to perform on the same level as Aria if her performances are the same uninspiring bland routines?"

"There's a reason she made it to the finals," Ash replied as Serena stepped forward. Seeing that she had moved in front of him, Ash stopped talking and watched instead.

"Amelia, I'm sorry that you believe I cheated you out of an opportunity," Serena began to say as she kept eye contact. "But, if you're unable to move on and better yourself, then how can you even think you'll be on the same level as Aria?"

"I used to just perform for the fun of it. I still do in a sense, but I've learned that there's more to being Kalos Queen than just a good Performer. You've got to help others, bring them joy and happiness. And until you can admit that, then there's no way you'll ever beat Aria even if you beat me."

Amelia just turned away from the honey-blonde Performer and let out a low growl. "Well, we'll see about that when tomorrow comes around. And after I win, I don't want to hear you whining." Walking away, Amelia smirked as she made her way from the group. Now that Serena was rattled a little, it was going to make her downfall that much better.

"She's wrong, Serena," Bonnie told her friend while grabbing at her hand. "Your performances are amazing! They're so sparkly the way the fire is sprinkled all around."

"Thanks, Bonnie," Serena said as she smiled down at the little girl. But, despite feeling confident on the outside, Serena couldn't help but worry.

" _Am I so repetitive?"_ Serena asked herself as the group started moving again. Thinking back, Serena realized that she did constantly rely on the same idea. Would people really get bored after a while? Whatever it was, this wasn't what Serena needed especially being in Coumarine City.

Seeing Serena appear somewhat worried, Ash couldn't help but want to help her. Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, the Pallet Town native smiled at Serena before talking.

"Don't let her get to you, Serena. We've watched you perform countless times and every time you've been getting better and better. I just know you'll win tomorrow."

"Ash..." Serena muttered as she felt her cheeks heat up a little. He may have been just saying it to be nice, but it meant a lot to her anyway. "You're right, we won't let her get to us! Together with my Pokémon we're going to show her that we're not going anywhere!"

"Now, why don't we get going. I don't want to miss registration!" She cried out happily before breaking into a light sprint, the others following behind her. But still, she couldn't shake Amelia's words.

Walking across the city, Serena thought back to all of her performances. In every single one, one aspect stood out to her; her constant use of fire. It was her main feature. The way it could intertwine with the other aspects of her performances was what made it such an attractive option for her, yet she had never noticed how much she actually relied on it though.

Continuing the walk along the city, Serena hadn't even noticed that they were now outside of the Pokémon Center until the others pointed it out to her. Letting out a silent sigh, she told the others that she would be just a minute as she entered to register.

"Hello, welcome to this Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy stated in a welcoming tone. She hadn't had many trainers coming in today, but felt like it was going to get busy due to registration for the showcase. "How could I help you today?"

"Hi, Nurse Joy," Serena responded while handing over

"You're all set for tomorrow's Showcase, Serena," Nurse Joy stated while handing over Serena's Pokédex back to its owner. "Now remember, the Showcase is beginning at an earlier time tomorrow due to a special event happening the following day."

"Thank you, I'll make sure to be there on time," Serena responded as she grabbed a hold of her Pokédex. Still, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Walking out of the Center, Serena was met by her friends who had all been waiting patiently for the Performer.

"Are you all registered, Serena?" Ash asked as his voice held more excitement than he intended it to have. For some reason he was getting impatient for tomorrow, he just wanted to see Serena prove that girl wrong.

With a simple nod of her head, Serena answered the question as Bonnie took a hold of her hand. "Well, if you're all set, let's go see the city! There's bound to be something really fun to do!"

Serena smiled in response before wrestling her hand free. Looking down at the younger girl she had grown to see as a sister, Serena shook her head. "Bonnie, I actually think some last minute practicing would be better for me. I do need to stay sharp for tomorrow. You guys go ahead and have fun. I'll meet up with you later at the Pokémon Center."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked out of concern. It felt odd that Serena was running off to practice at a time like this. Usually he was the one running off to train.

"Don't worry, it's just for a little," Serena reassured them all before walking down the city street. _"I just need to find a new routine to try out…"_ Serena thought while passing by some houses.

Normally she would have been all for going to see the city, but right now she was really stuck on Amelia's words. Even if she could help others, if her performances were lacking would they vote for her? Did she really have to change her style though? It had worked for her up to now, why was she questioning herself over one little comment. Sighing, Serena reached for her four Poké Balls. Perhaps, her Pokémon would help calm her down.

With four quick flashes of white light, Serena watched as her four Pokémon appeared in front of her. Seeming surprised by the suddenness of being called out, the group looked at Serena with concern.

"Braixen, brai," Braixen muttered as she looked over at Serena. To her, Serena seemed a little down about something.

"Nothing's wrong, Braixen," she quickly replied while smiling at her first ever Pokémon. "I just figured we could get some last minute practice in. We do have a Showcase to win tomorrow!"

But, despite the best act Serena could pull off, her Pokémon knew something was up. To them, Serena seemed nervous about something and didn't drop their concern.

Seeing this, Serena sighed. There was no way she could hide anything from her Pokémon. "Alright, you see... Do you think we're repetitive? Like, are people going to enjoy us if we're constantly doing the same performance? Are we ever going to become good enough to pass Aria?"

Serena's Pokémon just stood there with concerned faces. For Sylveon and Pichu, this was the first time they had ever seen Serena like this, but for Braixen and Pancham, they had seen something like this the last time they were in Coumarine City. Reaching forward, her first two Pokémon grabbed a hold of her hands to comfort.

Joining in, Sylveon wrapped one of her feelers around Serena's left arm as well. They were all going to prove that they were good enough to be the next Kalos Queen. Pichu, however being the youngest, didn't really know what was happening at all. But she did know that Serena seemed sad over something and Pichu wanted to help. So, she did the only thing she could think of and jumped up onto Serena's shoulder and nuzzled her head against the Performer's face.

Watching her Pokémon, Serena knew that they were going to do this together. Letting out a light chuckle, she smiled. "Thank you, all of you. Now, let's go practice for tomorrow."

Walking down the street once more, Serena and her Pokémon made their way into an open grassy field to perform for the time being.

* * *

"Clemont, have you seen Serena at all?" Ash asked as he entered the Pokémon Center following a small training session. He had been trying to Mega Evolve Charizard, but just like the previous time, the Flame Pokémon had lost control. Deciding that they needed to stop him, Pikachu and Greninja took care of him in a short time.

"No, Ash," Clemont responded while looking up from his current invention. "She hasn't returned yet from her practice. I wonder what she's doing?"

"It's getting late out," Ash muttered while looking out the window. It wasn't like Serena to stay out this late, especially when she knew tomorrow was the Showcase. "Maybe I'll go look for her."

"Perhaps that's a good idea," Cilan responded while looking at the clock. It had been a few hours since they all had returned to the Pokémon Center and the sun had set a while ago. "All the practice in the world is nothing if the other ingredients, such as rest, needed to create a spectacular display are neglected."

Ash nodded in agreement as Pikachu and himself went off to search for her. Just like Cilan had said in his own way, if Serena didn't get any rest tonight then all of this training would be useless. Even if she created the perfect Performance, it would mean nothing if she was too tired to get up.

Running through the city, Ash made his way past the many different buildings that lined the streets as both Pikachu and himself kept their eyes and ears looking for the Performer. After searching for what felt for forever, the duo managed to pick up on a familiar sound.

"Now, Sylveon, use Double Team and follow it up with Swift!" Ash could hear Serena's voice as the duo passed by the last few houses. Making their way into the grassy field, Ash and Pikachu laid their eyes onto something they had never seen from Serena before.

Right in front of them was a large star, no doubt from the combined Swift attack from Sylveon. Glistening all around the star appeared to be a combination of Flamethrower and Dark Pulse as the two attacks combined together to create a picture of a sunset transitioning to dusk and thanks to the star in the middle, the entire performance stuck out better.

Even Pichu was getting into it as the Electric-Type was launching a Thundershock off in multiple directions as everyone stood underneath the entire display.

It was wonderful. Ash had been fascinated by just how much work she had put into this one performance, yet, there was something else. Watching Serena, something about the way she stood in the moonlight made her stand out more. The bright light shimmered against her body as her hair bounced around. He was mesmerized by it all; her smile, the way she was dancing with her Pokémon, she even looked beautiful out there.

And that was when he caught himself. Since when did he use a word like that? Yes, he had complimented Serena multiple times on her outfits, but he never used such a strong word as beautiful. Completely confused by his actions, Ash didn't notice that Serena was walking right towards them.

"Ash?" Serena asked once she noticed the young trainer standing at the edge of the field. "What are you doing here?"

Shocked by Serena's sudden emergence, Ash was at a loss for words. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he let out a nervous chuckle. "We were looking for you. It was getting late and you still hadn't returned."

"Well, we were doing so well and then I came up with a new idea. We just had to practice it," Serena answered truthfully as she moved closer to Ash so that she was side by side. "But, now we're finished for the night," she explained while letting out a light yawn.

Yawning himself, Ash decided that it would be best for them to head back to the Pokémon Center now. Serena would be able to show them all her full performance tomorrow at the Showcase. Walking in silence, the two trainers made their way back to the Pokémon Center and went off to bed. The others having already sleeping by the time they got back.

* * *

"Serena!" Ash called out the next morning as he banged on his friend's door. Everyone else had already been awake for a while now, yet Serena still hadn't got up. "Serena, you have to get up! Your Showcase starts in just over an hour!"

"I wonder if she's alright, Pikachu. It isn't like her to be late to a Showcase."

"Pipika, pika pi," Pikachu muttered in agreement. Even their calls for her didn't seem to be working as she had yet to open the door.

"Maybe Nurse Joy has a spare key," Ash muttered to Pikachu before turning around towards the main lobby.

"Ash?" Serena's voice could be heard, causing him to stop in his tracks. Turning around, Ash watched as the door creaked open to reveal Serena. "Is that you?" She asked while walking forward.

She didn't look to be that well based on how bad her hair was a mess. She also appeared to be flush in the face as well and was having a hard time walking.

Tripping over her two feet, Serena fell forward only to fall into Ash's chest. Catching Serena by surprise, Ash was taken aback as he the heat coming off of her, she was burning up.

"Pikachu, go and get the others," Ash asked of his best friend while he repositioned Serena in his arms so that she was more comfortable. Carrying her back into her room, Ash watched as Serena appeared to be much better while in his arms. Placing her back into her bed, Ash heard the others enter right away.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Clemont asked with concern as everyone looked at the now sleeping Serena.

"Is she going to be alright?" Bonnie asked as she moved closer to her friend. Serena appeared to be doing just fine, but her breathing was a little heavier than normal.

"I'm not sure," he replied while watching Serena sleep. "I came to get Serena up, and then this happened."

Placing his hand on Serena's forehead, Clemont immediately pulled it back. "She's got a nasty fever. Whatever's wrong, she's going to have to miss today's Showcase."

"No..." Serena muttered weakly as her eyes drifted open. She had heard someone mention the Showcase and despite how weak she felt, she had to see what was happening.

"I... I need to compete. We've worked... We've worked too hard to just quit," she managed to say as she forced herself up. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Serena tried to stand up only to be stopped by Bonnie.

"You're not going anywhere! You need to rest," the youngest member of their group said as she forced Serena to lay back down. "there'll be plenty of more Showcases coming up."

"But, Bonnie…" Serena croaked out only to see the little girl not budging. Sighing, Serena gave in as she placed her head against the pillow and quickly felt herself drift back to sleep.

"So, Clemont, what seems to be wrong?" Cilan asked as he dug through his bag for medical supplies. There had to be something that could help.

"I think she just over did it last night," the inventor replied while sending Bonnie to get a facecloth. "After some rest she should be alright. But we need to make sure she gets it."

Ash however wasn't listening. He was instead staring at the sleeping girl, who appeared both peaceful yet restless at the same time. Ash knew how important today was supposed to be and couldn't help but feel disappointed for her. There just had to be something he could do to help her.

Looking around the room, Ash's eyes came upon the sight of Serena's performance outfit along with her normal clothes and Poké Balls sitting on a dresser. Fixing his hat, Ash made his way over to them without attracting anyone's attention and placed them in his backpack.

"Well, I guess we're staying here then," Ash said as he went towards the door. "Cilan, do you think you can help me with a little training?"

"Uh. I guess if Clemont doesn't need any help here," Cilan responded as the inventor shook his head.

"I'll be just fine. Besides, Bonnie will want to help," he replied while rubbing the back of his head. "It might be better that we're not all in here at once though."

"Alright, but I'll come and switch with you. You shouldn't have to do it all by yourself," the Pokémon Connoisseur stated as he closed the door behind him. Walking down the hall alongside Ash, Cilan was surprised when he was pulled into another room.

"Ash, I thought you needed help training? We should be heading down to the practice field."

Ash rubbed the back of his head as he felt a few drops of sweat. What he was about to ask was something he would only ask Cilan since they had both done it before.

"Okay, so I don't really plan on training," he began while pulling Serena's clothes out of his backpack. "I really need your help to make me look like Serena."

"Ash, are you sure about this?" Cilan asked as he thought back to that time in Unova where they had to be disguised as girls.

Ash sighed as he placed his hands behind his back. "I don't really want to do it, but you didn't see all the hard work she did yesterday. It's killing her that she can't compete, but I want to do this to make her happy about missing out on the Showcase. Serena might not be performing, but 'Serena' is."

"Alright, but give me some time to work," Cilan muttered as he shook his head.

Xxxccccccc

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Cilan asked as the duo made it to the Performance Hall. He had done the best job he could, but there was no way to make Ash's face look any different. They would just have to hope for the best.

"Well, I do feel silly wearing this, but if it makes Serena feel better it'll be worth it," Ash explained as he tried to make his voice sound more like Serena's. He had already explained everything to her Pokémon and after the skepticism they were all on board with the plan.

"And, you did a great job of making me look just like her," he continued on as he felt how lifelike the wig was. Everything was looking to work out just fine.

"Alright, just relax and you'll do fine," Cilan replied as a sweat drop formed on his face. Even with all of his crazy habits, this seemed strange even for him. "I'm going to head back to the Pokémon Center so that no one gets suspicious of us being gone."

"Alright," Ash said as Cilan turned around and walked down the street. "Thanks for the help!"

"Okay, time to do this…" Ash muttered before gulping. How hard could it be? He battled in front of people all the time.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked as he walked alongside Ash. They had both agreed that he shouldn't ride on his shoulder otherwise risk blowing their plan.

"I'll be alright, Pikachu," Ash replied as they entered the building. "I never realized just how stressful performing could be," he answered as they made their way down towards the waiting room.

Pushing open the duel doors, Ash was met with shock at just what actually happened backstage. Sitting at different tables were Performers alongside their Pokémon as they placed the finishing touches on their outfits. Ash just stared in shock as he tried to take it all in, he never realized just how much work it actually took to be a Performer. His state of shock was cut short however when a familiar voice could be heard.

"So you decided to still enter?" Amelia asked as she walked in behind Ash. Not even looking at the other Performer, Amelia paused for a moment as she prepared to speak. "I'm surprised you would want to televise your worst defeat. Especially with it happening in Coumarine City, the location of your first loss."

"I'm going to beat you! Just you watch!" Ash practically shouted as he struggled to keep his Serena imitation voice intact. This girl was just upsetting him over how she talked about Serena.

"Please, just try to keep up," Amelia finished with a wave of her hand before walking off to a table to finish getting ready. As Ash watched her retreating figure, he could only ball his hands into fists and growl at the rude girl.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked as he noticed just how angry Ash was getting. The Electric-Type had seen him upset before, but this time he appeared much worse than before.

Seeing the concerned look on his best friend's face, Ash loosened his fists and gave a small smile to the Electric-Type. "I'm alright, I just don't appreciate the way that girl talks about Serena. She works too hard to have someone like her try and tell her otherwise."

"Pikapi! Pikachu!" The Mouse Pokémon agreed as his cheeks sparked with electricity due to his excitement. Although he had thought this plan was crazy, Pikachu was going along with it just for Serena.

"You've got that right, Pikachu!" Ash cried out as the duo raised their fists up into the air. "We're going to win this Princess Key for Serena and then she'll be one step closer to winning the Master Class."

"Bonjour all you Pokémon lovers of ze Kalos region," Monsieur Pierre's voice echoed off of the TV. Turning, Ash watched the TV in both anxiety and anticipation as he hoped his disguise was good enough. "Today marks the Coumarine City Showcase where one lucky mademoiselle will win zis!"

Raising his hand into the air like a signal, Pierre waited upon his trusty partner Klefki to make his way over to the staff. As Klefki floated across the stage, the Princess Key which it held shimmered on its ring.

"Ah, the Coumarine Showcase Princess Key," Pierre continued on once the Steel and Fairy-Type landed on his staff. "As always, all Performers who wish to compete in ze Master Class must win three Keys. Now, I will be your humble guide through today's competition. So, without further ado, allow the Performance battles to begin!"

"First up are Performers Amelia and Elma!" Ash watched through the TV as the two Performers appeared on screen and wondered just what they had planned for this and if he could even compare to them.

* * *

"I wish I could be down there right now..." Serena muttered as she watched the Showcase on the TV that was put in their room by Nurse Joy. If only she had listened to the others and didn't push herself so far, then maybe she would be down there right now.

"We all do, but right now you need rest," Bonnie stated in a demanding tone. She then forced Serena to sit back down as she then placed a cold wash cloth on Serena's forehead. "If you don't get better, then you'll never be able to compete in another Showcase again. You don't want that, do you?"

"No Bonnie," Serena replied as she slowly shook her head back and forth. "I just wanted to show that Amelia that I could beat her..." Serena then said softly so that the others couldn't hear her. Turning her attention back towards the Showcase on TV, Serena watched the rest of Amelia's battle. It really was a magnificent idea used by her to have Espeon use Attract on their opponents.

The rest of her performance had been just as well done if not better. The use of Dragonair's Dragon Dance and Ice Beam created a spectacular sight as the remnants of Attract filled the hall to create a dazzling display for everyone. Just from that alone Serena knew that Elma stood no chance. Her Pokémon were both unresponsive and the timer had just gone off.

"I think it might be best if you get some rest now, Serena," Clemont stated as he fixed his glasses. He too was tired from taking care of her and needed a break himself, so he figured that if Serena slept he would be able to go and stock up on some more cold water for her wash cloth before sitting down himself.

"We'll turn the Showcase back on later when you wake up," he promised before turning the TV off. Sighing, the young Performer readjusted her pillow before quickly trailing off into a deep sleep.

"Alright, Bonnie, we have to be very quiet so we don't disturb Serena."

"Ok," the young girl responded before a thought came into her mind. "But, what about Ash? He can't be outside training still, it's too quiet out there for his kind of training."

"Maybe he went somewhere else so that he wouldn't disturb Serena," Clemont thought as the duo left the room for a few minutes to collect their needed supplies.

* * *

" _What did I get myself into..."_ Ash thought to himself as he looked to his left and right. Standing on both sides of him were Pancham and Braixen, both of whom offered to help Ash out with this portion due to never participating in something quite like this before. _"But, it doesn't matter. I have to do this for Serena!"_

Looking once more to his sides, it appeared as if Serena's two Pokémon had heard his thoughts as they both wore series expressions that rivaled even Ash's from the Kalos League. Smiling a bit from their determination, Ash let out a light chuckle as the platform started to lift them towards the stage. "Let's go out there and have fun, but also win this for Serena!"

"Pan, pancham cham!"

"Brai, brai!"

The two Pokémon nodded in agreement as the bright lights of the hall flashed before their eyes. Looking out at the crowd, Ash was surprised to see so many people crammed into the hall and wondered once more if he had made the correct choice. Felling a tight sensation in his hands, Ash noticed that both Braixen and Pancham were holding his hands for comfort and knew he had to perform with a calm mind just as Serena always did.

"How hard could this be?" Ash asked as he heard Monsieur Pierre's voice declare that it was to begin. Gulping, Ash looked over at the other Performer. She looked familiar from the other Showcases Serena had performed in and Ash knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"Braixen, start off with a Flamethrower all around us," Ash said while trying to hide his voice as best he could. He figured it would be best to try and imitate Serena.

"Braixen!" The Fire-Type cried out as she fired off the Flamethrower attack. The columns of flames shot up all around them in perfect synchronization to make seven columns.

"Now use Hidden Power into the columns and while she does that, Pancham use Dark Pulse on the other Performer."

"Pancham, cham," the fighting type responded as he cupped his hands together and launched a powerful Dark Pulse attack right at the two Meowstic. They were caught off guard by the sudden attack and had no time to react.

Braixen however was already busy at work with her own part of the performance as the columns of fire turned into a bright silver shade as the Hidden Power collided with them.

"Great, now use scratch on all of them!" Ash continued on. He was really getting into all of it now and understood why Serena enjoyed it so much.

"Meowstic, use Energy Ball and disrupt them!" Ash heard come from his opponent. Looking to his left, he watched as the female Meowstic charged up a sphere of energy and aimed it at Braixen.

"Quick, counter with Stone Edge!" Ash called out, letting his inner battler come out for an instance. Slamming his paws into the ground, Pancham summoned forth the pillars of rock and managed to block the incoming attack.

"Great! Now hit those stones back into them with Arm Thrust. Braixen, you use Fire Blast!"

Braixen twirled her branch around as fire started to form on one end while the silver sparkles rained down around her. Launching the attack forward, the Fire Blast appeared in front of everyone as silver sparkles rained down around it.

Pancham meanwhile was busy chipping away at his Stone Edge attack, slamming his paws hard into them as chunks of rock flew right at the two Meowstic and slammed into them hard.

"Meowstic!" Blanche cried out as she noticed both of her Pokémon fainted on the ground.

"Fini! Performer Blanche's Pokémon have been knocked out," Pierre declared as Ash realized he may have gone a little overboard with Pancham. Looking over at the clock, he realized there was still almost a minute remaining.

"And moving onto the theme round is mademoiselle Serena!"

Ash wiped his hand against his forehead, brushing away the sweat he felt had formed during the performance. He knew they were hard, but he never expected it to be like this.

Sighing as he felt his platform lower beneath the stage, Ash looked over at Serena's two Pokémon and smiled. "Thanks you two. I never realized how hard this was. But now we'll have a little time to rest."

Getting off of the platform, Ash, Braixen and Pancham made their way back down the hallway and towards the waiting room. Along the way, Ash wondered just what the theme would be. If it was something like Poké Puff baking, then he was done for. Entering into the waiting room, Ash was met by a familiar person once again.

"Ok, who are you really?" Amelia asked while looking over Ash. Something was up since every Showcase she had seen Serena in never once did the Performer do that well in the performance battle.

"I-I'm Serena," Ash replied nervously as he could feel sweat run down his neck. He had to keep the charade up until after the Showcase. "Who else would I be?"

"Well, I may not know who you really are but I can tell you're not Serena," Amelia continued on as she didn't break her stare. "She's never done that well in a performance battle so I know you're not her. So, it doesn't matter if I beat you or not since you'll ruin her name for me."

Ash gulped at these words as Amelia walked away. He never thought about how he could possibly ruin Serena's reputation by pulling a stunt like this. If he messed up horribly, then everyone would think that it's Serena who messed up. Shaking off his new nerves, Ash knew he had to try even harder for Serena now.

Making his way back over to Pikachu, Ash sat himself down on one of the couches as Serena's Pokémon gathered around him. They all realized just how worried Ash was now for the theme round. If it was something he couldn't do, then he would only be hurting Serena.

"Pichu, pi?" The Electric-Type asked as she climbed onto Ash's shoulder. She didn't know what was really going on, but hopefully she could make it better.

"It isn't you, Pichu," Ash responded while rubbing behind her ear. The baby Pokémon enjoyed the affection and cried out happily to it. "We're just going to have to work harder than before."

"Brai!"

"Pancham!"

"Syl!"

"Pika!"

"Pichu!"

The Pokémon all cried out in agreement. Despite how silly Ash felt right now, he couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up. Not until the entire Showcase had ended would he even think of quitting right now.

Luckily for him, the theme round had been Pokémon Quiz, something not too difficult for him to accomplish. Together with Pancham, the duo managed to get off to an overwhelming start and jumped out to a two-point lead. However, it was fortunate they started out well since the next three trips all ended in misfortune. On the third relay, Pancham had won and it appeared to be a clean sweep for the duo, only for Ash to incorrectlyguess the current seasonal form that Deerling and Sawsbuck would be right now.

The second and third relays weren't much better either. The second relay ended with Pancham tripping over his own two feet and dropping the ball he had found. And, the third relay had just ended, Pancham losing a narrow foot race with another Performer's Mankey. It was all down to this however, as Ash was tied with one of the Performers with two points each while the third Performer had only one.

Watching as Pancham raced across the stage floor against Mankey, Ash watched on in anxiety as the two Fighting-Types were neck and neck with each other. It looked as if it was going to be a tie when Pancham dove across the finish and won the relay.

"And Pancham has crossed ze finish line first!" Monsieur Pierre cried out as the lights shined on Ash. "That means Performer Serena has a shot at being the final Performer to advance onto the Freestyle Performance round. All she has to do is answer this question; which berry is perfect for healing a poisoned Pokémon? A Pecha Berry, an Oran Berry or a Cheri Berry?"

Ash thought over the question while trying to remember which berry did what. Thinking back on his adventures, Ash knew an Oran Berry was used to help restore a Pokémon's health so it couldn't be that.

" _It's either a Pecha Berry or a Cheri Berry. Think Ash, what would Brock tell you!?"_ He asked himself as a past memory played in his head. He remembered one time he was on a boat with Brock and Dawn when they had to search for an item to heal some poisoned Pokémon. And, the first thing that Brock went looking for were Pecha Berries.

"The answer is Pecha Berry," he finally answered as a ding went off in the background.

"Correct!" Pierre cried out as the scoreboard showed Ash with three correct answers. "Congratulations, Performer Serena! Zis lucky mademoiselle has advanced onto the Freestyle Performance!"

Sighing, Ash waited as the stage changed once more and the three Performers were lowered beneath the stage. He had made it through two rounds and only needed one more to be finished with his time as "Serena". Walking down the hallway, he passed by Amelia once more as she made her way to get ready.

"I hope you're ready for a real Performer to give a breath taking performance," she taunted while passing by. "Oh, and hopefully you don't mess up too badly."

"You'll be the one watching in awe," Ash replied as his voice temporarily broke out of his Serena imitation. "We're going to win!"

"Whatever you say, "Serena". Just keep the act up until you leave the hall," Amelia taunted while getting onto the platform.

"That was close," Ash muttered while walking with Pancham. The duo had just reached the waiting room when they noticed the concerned looks on the other Pokémon. "What's wrong?"

"Pikapi! Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out frantically as they all dragged Ash over towards the TV. On the screen was none other than Pierre, which wasn't surprising to Ash at all.

"Pardon moi?" Pierre asked as he placed a hand against his ear. "No, you did not mishear, in today's Freestyle we're holding a twist! Performers will not be able to use any Pokémon previously used unless they have no others available!"

"What!" Ash cried out as he heard what was happening. Looking over at the Pokémon, he realized just how this would affect him. "I... I can only use Pichu and Sylveon!?" He was definitely not excited since he had been hoping that Braixen and Pancham would help guide him. But without them, he would really have to work harder.

"Pika!" Pikachu then cried out while raising his paw. He would help out as well. There was nothing saying Ash couldn't use him at all. They could just say Serena "borrowed" him for today.

"You want to perform, Pikachu?" Ash asked as the Electric-Type nodded in agreement. Well it would make things a little easier, hopefully. Looking up at the TV screen, Ash watched as Amelia was already starting her own performance with her Dragonair and Espeon. "Those must be her only Pokémon," Ash muttered while watching something that seemed vaguely familiar to him.

"It really is," he muttered again as he watched Dragonair be lifted into the air by Espeon's Psychic attack all while using Dragon Dance. "She calls Serena out on doing the same thing and then she goes and does it as well," he finished off as the two Pokémon jumped into the air and used Attract.

"She has no room to comment on what Serena does when she uses the same exact performance as last time," he continued on as he clenched his fists. It was one thing to verbally attack Serena, but then to be a hypocrite about it was another. There was no way he was going to lose now!

"Serena?" A voice asked as Ash looked around. Poking her head into the waiting room was one of the attendants, waving Ash over to get ready. "You'll be going out shortly, so please come along with me."

"Sure," he replied while stealing one last glance at the TV and Amelia's performance. Once again, she did the exact same moves as the last time and it only proved how much she was a hypocrite.

Making his way down the hall, Ash waited patiently as he watched the platform lower off into the distance. Getting off of it was none other than Amelia, and not wanting to start something, Ash kept to himself for the time being as Sylveon, Pichu and Pikachu walked alongside him.

"Ready?" Ash asked as they all got up onto the platform. Not even acknowledging Amelia, the three Pokémon nodded in agreement as they felt the area they were standing on rise up. "Here goes nothing..."

Watching the platform rise up towards the stage, Ash wondered if they would be able to do it after all. Pikachu had never performed before and Pichu was still just a baby. Hearing the roaring crowd, Ash knew he had to push all these thoughts out of his head and just act instead of think.

"And now, Performer Serena!" Ash heard Monsieur Pierre's voice echo throughout the hall as the crowd clapped for "Serena".

"Sylveon, start off with Double Team," Ash started off with as copies of Sylveon surrounded Ash and the two Electric-Types. "Perfect, now use Fairy Wind! And Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Pichu add in a Thundershock!"

The three Pokémon launched off their respective attacks as a pink wind flowed through the hall and lifted Pikachu and Pichu up into the air. Soaring through the cyclone, the two Electric-Types launched off their respective moves and created a lightning effect inside of the cyclone as the attacks cancelled each other out and created a sparkling effect.

"Okay, Sylveon, now use Swift and Pikachu you use Iron Tail while falling to destroy them!" Ash continued on as he didn't have much of a clue as to what he was doing. To him, he was performing, but it was more of just calling out random attacks while standing in one spot.

"Sylveon!" The Fairy-Type cried out as a swarm of stars shot upwards at Pikachu. The Electric-Type was already on the move as his stiffened tail sliced through the stars as sparkles continued to rain down upon the four of them while Pikachu landed on the floor first.

"Now, Pikachu, catch Pichu and then you both launch off your strongest electric attacks while Sylveon ends it with Fairy Wind!" Ash called out happily, unaware that his entire performance didn't seem to flow at all.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out happily as he caught the baby Pokémon in his arms, unaware of the blush forming on her face. Together, the duo launched their combined electrical attack straight into the air while it was surrounded by a powerful Fairy Wind until both attacks cancelled each other out.

"And finished!" Ash called out as the three Pokémon all appeared next to him. The young trainer felt pleased with the outcome while being unaware of the fact the crowd didn't enjoy it too much.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen," Monsieur Pierre started to say as he lifted a glowcaster into the air. "If you may all select the color of ze Performer who you all believe deserves zis Princess Key it would be gladly appreciated."

Ash stood on the stage nervously as he looked at the other Performers. Besides Amelia, he didn't think the others did too well. They were all basic performances in his mind, well, any performance would be basic after seeing Serena perform. But, some of them had made rookie mistakes such as tripping over themselves while getting involved. Ash however decided to not judge them and instead watched as the lights all soared out across the hall and towards the five Performers. Ash waited as the pink lights came his way, only to begin slowing down much to his surprise.

"And ze votes are in!" Pierre cried out as he looked at the five tallies. Ash was shocked by how his appeared to have ended sooner than he had expected it to, but decided to not do anything for the time being. In fact, there was nothing he could do at that time. "And the Coumarine City Rookie Class Showcase winner is... Amelia!"

The lights all flashed onto Amelia as the girl proudly accepted her key. Watching, Ash couldn't help but feel guilty that he let Serena down. He had promised himself to win for her and yet after looking at the scores, he had noticed he finished tied for third. Not what he was expecting at all. Deciding to not wait around for any celebrations, Ash headed back to the waiting room and met up with the other Pokémon immediately.

Apologizing to them for his slip up, Ash was surprised by how they appeared to understand that it wasn't his fault. He was a trainer after all, they hadn't expected him to get everything perfect on his first and hopefully last try. Sighing as he returned them all to their Poké Balls, Ash made the trip back to the Pokémon Center in silence as he contemplated over everything that had happened today. Never before had he gone to such lengths to help a friend out and for a split second he wondered what exactly was happening with him. Just a few months ago he had been scared that Serena would leave him and now he was dressing up as her. How he wished someone could just explain everything for him.

Before he knew it, Ash was upon the Pokémon Center and decided to sneak in the back way to avoid being caught by either Bonnie or Clemont. Making his way up to his room, Ash made sure to stay extra quiet and made it without anyone seeing him. Getting dressed, he knew he had to bring Serena's stuff back to her and figured now would be the best time while she was potentially sleeping.

" _We lost..."_ Ash thought as he entered Serena's room with her clothes and other belongings. Looking over at the sleeping Performer, Ash couldn't help but see a smile across her face. She looked a lot better than before, but still was flush in the face. She must have been exhausted all day and Ash felt like he had failed at his personal quest at making her happy today.

Then, to his surprise, he could hear her muttering something. "Need... To thank... Thank Ash for today," she managed to say before catching her breath. "Saw on... Saw on TV... Performing for me... Thank you, Ash." She had no idea that the boy was standing right next to her bed.

And with it, Ash knew what he had done was worth it. He had made Serena happy despite having wanted the entire situation to not be known. However, the smile upon her face brought one to his and without realizing what he was doing, leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead.

"You're welcome, Serena," he muttered softly while closing the door. He may not know what was going on with him, but a part of himself was telling him he enjoyed it.

* * *

 **Well, a different type of Showcase chapter hope you enjoyed. Point was to more or less show how Ash is changing since would he ever dress up as a previous friend and compete for them if they were sick? Probably not. Anyway, Ash did pretty good for his first Showcase perhaps we'll see him compete again? Nope, just a one-time thing. And, that ending... Let's say he's starting to crack. Not much longer until that entire shell is gone. But that's for a different point.**

 **So, we passed 210 favorites and 265 reviews and so I would just like to thank everyone again and in return I'll leave a few future chapter titles to help you all speculate if you so choose to:**

 **Ch 36: Seeing Beyond the Beast**

 **Ch 37: Bonds Beyond Time! Mega Success**

 **Ch 38: An Electrifying Battle!**

 **Ch 39: Lumiose Showcase Spectacular!**

 **Ch 40: A Tournament Surprise**

 **Ch 41: The Ultimate Lifeform**

 **Also, due to school starting up, I'll be taking a short break to try and get a few chapters finished. The next chapter will be uploaded on the 18** **th** **, two weeks from today. Thanks for understanding!**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	36. Seeing Beyond the Beast!

**Welcome back everyone! Last time we left off, Ash entered a Showcase for the sick Serena to try and help her out. Unfortunately, he wasn't that good. However, along the way his density began to crack. Now, onto the chapter.**

 **Ch 36: Seeing Beyond the Beast!**

* * *

"Alright, Charizard, finish this off with Flamethrower!" Ash called out as he threw a fist forward. The duo were currently facing off against an Electivire and its trainer in the back of the Coumarine City Pokémon Center. They had followed Alain's advice and had been challenging trainers all day to battles, hoping to finally overcome their issues.

"Rawwwrrrrr!" Charizard cried out as the flames emerged in his mouth. Shooting outwards, the Fire-Type attack crashed hard into Electivire as the Electric-Type was thrown backwards across the field.

"Elec..." Electivire muttered out as he collapsed from the pain. That Flamethrower was a lot more powerful than he had been expecting.

"Electivire is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner!" Clemont immediately declared while Charizard celebrated his victory by launching a Flamethrower up into the sky.

Sighing, the defeated trainer quickly recalled his Electivire before walking over to see Ash. "Your Charizard is something else. I mean it, he's really powerful, I've never seen Electivire go down that easily."

Ash smiled at the compliment as he watched Charizard make his way over to them. Landing next to Ash with a thud, the duo exchanged a quick knuckle tap while letting out a light chuckle. "Thanks, we've been through a lot together. But, you and Electivire were just as strong."

"No, we still have a long way to go to be on your level," the boy responded while shaking his head in disappointment. "But, good luck on the rest of your journey, Ash. I'll be rooting for you against the other Elite Four members!" He said while waving goodbye to Ash before making his way back into the Pokémon Center to heal up Electivire.

"That was amazing, Ash!" Bonnie cried out as she ran onto the field. Joining her were the rest of the group as they gathered around him. It was quite obvious that the two were tired following their constant battling, but from the looks of it they weren't ready to stop just yet.

"You two are so cool! That makes ten straight wins, right?" She asked while staring at Charizard in admiration. The Flame Pokémon appeared to enjoy the attention as he flexed his muscles a little for the little girl.

"Yeah," Ash answered as both Charizard and himself appeared to be proud over their current progress. They both felt good about their chances of finally mastering Mega Evolution and getting past their problems with it.

"We've won ten straight battles now. I think we might be ready to try Mega Evolution once more," he said seriously, shocking his friends just a little. Was he really comfortable enough to try it so soon? What if it backfired on them?

"Ash, are you sure about that?" Serena asked as she clutched at her blue ribbon. She had a concerned look on her face as the Performer still remembered quite vividly how the previous attempts had ended for them. She just didn't want to see either of them hurt or disappointed after everything they accomplished today. "Maybe you should wait just a little longer. There's no reason to rush into it."

"She's right, Ash," Cilan added in as he crossed his arms. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of Charizard's Flamethrower, especially after he Mega Evolved. It appeared as if the others were in agreement with him as well.

"Both of your battling spirits are nearly finished roasting thanks to your training, but it might be better for you two to let it simmer for just a while longer. You don't want to serve a dish before it's fully cooked to perfection."

"We're ready for this, right, Charizard?" Ash asked as he pumped his fists up into the air, Charizard copying his pose. It didn't matter what the others thought, all that mattered was the fact that they felt ready. "We're going to go for it! We'll never accomplish it if we don't try!"

"Rawr," Charizard muttered in agreement as he prepared himself. Personally, there was a bit of worry inside of the Flame Pokémon. But, he had to do it, he couldn't let Ash down again. He just had to get stronger for the next time he was needed in a battle.

Moving towards the center of the field, Ash and Charizard faced each other in anticipation. Moving slowly, the Pallet Town native raised his Mega Ring up in front of his body until pressing his fingers against the Keystone held inside of it.

"Charizard, Mega Evolve!" He cried out with excitement as the light shined off of his Keystone. A similar light was flowing off of the Mega Stone as well and made it nearly impossible to see anything. Not wanting to look away, Ash continued to face forward as he tried to look past the light and see Charizard transform only for it to be useless. Finally, the light died down as a Mega Charizard Y stood where Charizard had been moments ago.

"Rawwrrrr!" Charizard roared out proudly while shooting a Flamethrower up into the sky while spreading his wings. In one swift movement, Charizard flew up above everyone and searched around the area as he got used to his new, sleeker body. He was excited, they had finally gotten it all under control. There would be no more issues with using Mega Evolution. But, immediately after that, Charizard started to feel guilty for not being stronger on his own. He just had to be stronger for Ash, he couldn't let him down again! If he had been stronger like Alain said about the duo, then these problems never would have happened in the first place.

Slowing his pace, Charizard continued to dwell on his current problems as he grew more and more anxious. What if he still wasn't strong enough? What if he disappointed Ash? Then, it happened before he even knew it. He lost control of his evolution as the new power managed to rush to his head and cloud his judgement as it fed off of his worries. The sudden rush of power was too great for Charizard as it mixed with his worries and fears and caused Charizard to forget about his times with Ash. Instead, all he cared about was himself and being the strongest.

"Charizard!" Ash then called out as he waved to the Fire and Flying-Type. "It seems to have worked! How are you feeling?"

Charizard just snorted flames in response which made Ash a little confused. He didn't need any help from a trainer like him, he would only hold him back in this case. Instead of responding, Charizard saw Pikachu and a memory of how strong the Electric-Type was entered his mind. It was time to test this new strength out. Throwing his head backwards, Charizard then whipped it forward as a stream of flames were aimed right at Pikachu.

Seeing the incoming attack, both Ash and Pikachu leapt to the side as they barely dodged it. Not entire sure of the situation, Ash looked up at Charizard with a mix of concern, worry and agitation. "Charizard! What were you thinking!? Your Flamethrower is much stronger while Mega Evolved, you can't just shoot it off like that," he said, unaware of what was about to happen.

Growing annoyed, Charizard began to flap his wings as a breeze soon formed from it. Then, without warning, blue streaks of energy rode the newly created breeze as they collided with Ash. Being thrown back by the blast, Ash looked up to see Charizard readying a Flamethrower attack right at himself and Pikachu.

"Charizard..." Ash muttered as he braced himself for the incoming attack. How could this happen to them? He thought they had a special bond, one that they had worked hard to forge. One that Ash believed would never be broken. But, now he was questioning just if Mega Evolution was worth the strain on his and Charizard's relationship. Waiting for the attack to come, Ash looked up to see Charizard tied up by vines, much to his surprise.

"Howdy," Ramos stated calmly as Ash turned to see the Coumarine City Gym Leader and his Gogoat off to the side of the field. "I was taking a short walk when I noticed this little tussle going on. I figured you might need some help and decided to lend a helping hand."

Nodding to Gogoat, Ramos decided they should calm the entire situation down before Charizard could break free. "Alright, Gogoat, you know what needs to be done."

"Go!" The Grass-Type cried out as he whipped his vines downward with a thrust. Following the momentum, Charizard was thrown from the air and smashed into the ground without any warning. The fall had been stronger than the actual attack, and due to it he was reverted back to his base form.

"Charizard!" Ash cried out as he ran over to the Flame Pokémon with concern. Lifting his head carefully off of the ground, Ash and Charizard looked at each other before the Fire and Flying-Type couldn't bring himself to continue looking at his friend who he nearly roasted. "Are you alright?"

"Rawr," he muttered in response. He clearly seemed fine on the outside, but on the inside he was disappointed in himself. Not only had he lost control, but he also attacked Ash and Pikachu.

"Ash!" Serena called out as he noticed everyone else running over to him. "Are you alright? We were so worried when Charizard was about to attack."

"Yeah," he answered without any sound of emotion in his voice. He too was disappointed as he tried to just force his way through his issues. He should have known better by now, he had already gone through a similar situation like this and yet he still didn't learn from it! "I'm more worried about Charizard though."

"It was a good thing Ramos showed up when he did though," Clemont then joined in as he thanked the elder man. "Who knows what might have occurred if he didn't stop Charizard."

"And this was why we told you not to rush into it," Cilan reprimanded Ash. He didn't want to, but he also didn't want to see Ash put himself in danger if he didn't have to. "You shouldn't just rush into this entire Mega Evolution situation, you need to prepare and ready yourself like gathering the ingredients needed to develop an excellent stew."

"Yeah, I know," Ash responded again without any enthusiasm. He had gotten his hopes up thanks to Alain's advice on training. He just knew they were close though.

Ramos however stared at the young boy with a hint of sadness in his eyes. To Ramos, Ash was a strapping young lad. One who had proven himself time and time again while in Kalos and seeing him like this wasn't something he was used to seeing from the boy. Deciding to help him out, Ramos offered his hand to Ash as Charizard stood up on his own.

"Why, I have an idea," the elder Gym Leader spoke as Ash took his hand. With a light pull, Ash was back on his feet and staring at Ramos with confusion in his eyes. "I have an old acquaintance coming over to visit me today at the Gym. Why don't you visit with us, I'm sure they could help with your issues."

"That sounds like a recipe for success," Cilan chimed in as the others all agreed. Perhaps Ash needed a new way of training. Alain's worked so well because that was how Alain was; always wanting to be stronger. But Ash, he was different. It wasn't so much about the end results as it was about the journey that it took to reach them.

"Alright, but does this person think they could help me out?" He asked, a little bit more emotion in his voice than just recently. Perhaps if they could figure this all out then it would be better for them.

"Oh, I'm certain about it," Ramos replied cheekily as he got onto Gogoat. "Follow me, they should be here shortly." And with that, Ash, the others, Pikachu and Charizard followed behind the elderly and wise man as they made their way towards his Gym.

* * *

"So, Ash," Ramos began as they reached the outside of his Gym. "I've heard you've defeated two of the Elite Four already. That sounds like quite the accomplishment for a lad your age."

"It wasn't easy at all, but together with my Pokémon we managed to work our way through them," he replied while thinking back to Sceptile and Hawlucha taking down Mega-Blastoise and Mega-Scizor respectively. They had all come such a long way from when they first started out. "And I'm certain we'll beat the remaining two!"

"Quite the confident one as always," Ramos replied with a chuckle. It was always good to stay confident during difficult times, made it easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel. "But, I wouldn't be too over confident, Ash. The two remaining Elite Four members are something else. One of whom was the previous Champion of Kalos before Diantha beat her."

"You're kidding, right?" Bonnie asked in amazement as they all entered the Gym. "Then, whoever it is must be such a strong trainer."

"Oh, believe me, it was a battle for the ages when Diantha managed to defeat her," Ramos continued on as he thought back to that battle. It really had been something else. "Despite being at a disadvantage the entire battle, she pushed Diantha to her limits and nearly won. If not for a last second strategy by Diantha, then she may not have won."

"Still talking about that battle, Ramos?" An unfamiliar voice for everyone but the elder asked. Looking over to the side, everyone saw an older woman who was dressed in a reddish-brown top and a red and brown bottoms that went down to her ankles. Added to her were accessories that appeared to be based off of Dragon-Type Pokémon.

"Drasna, it's a pleasure to see you again," Ramos began to say as he took his hat off and introduced the others. "I'm glad you could make it today. Allow me to introduce you to my friends. These are Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and Cilan. And for you, this is Drasna, a member of the Elite Four and the previous Champion before Diantha."

Ash was taken back by that statement. A member of the Elite Four was the previous Champion? He didn't know how to feel. Part of him was excited while another was shocked. Could he actually battle on par with a Champion when the time came for it?

"Ah, yes, I've heard quite a bit about you children," Drasna answered with a warm smile. Right away she felt welcoming to the group, almost like how a grandmother would feel when you went to visit them. "Siebold and Wikstrom told me all about their battles with you, Ash, and I must say I am quite intrigued to have my own match with you."

Ash nodded in agreement as the elder lady's words touched him. An Elite Four member and former Champion wanted to face him! How many people could say that about themselves? Then, an idea came to him as he looked over at Charizard. "Why don't we have the battle right here and now! If it's alright with Ramos to use his Gym of course."

"Ash, don't just rush into this, you don't even have any idea which Pokémon you should use," Serena reminded him as she grasped for her ribbon. It was like him to rush into things, but a battle right now? Especially after what happened to Charizard not too long ago?

"Now isn't the time, child," Drasna replied before taking a sip of her tea that Ramos had just poured for her. She wanted to battle him, but also sensed something was bothering him and clouding his judgements. Almost like he wasn't battling for his usual reason, whatever they may be. "I haven't got the correct Pokémon with me today."

"Please! I'm begging you!" Ash cried out while placing his hands together. He was practically pleading with her to have a battle right now and everyone was shocked by his desire to face her now. But, little did they know that he wanted to face her to continue as Alain told him; to battle powerful trainers with Charizard. And who was more powerful than an Elite Four member?

Placing her cup of tea down, Drasna smiled at the young boy. "Child, I can tell your fire for battling is burning bright and hot but I mustn't accept your request. It wouldn't be fair to face you without my entire team. But," she began to say as a smirk crossed her face. "How does an exhibition match sound. One where the outcome has no effect on your Champion's League challenge?"

"That's perfect!" Ash cried out in joy as he had a smile cross his face. If they could win, then maybe Charizard would control his Mega Evolution.

"Ramos, do you mind at all?" Drasna asked kindly while smiling at the older man. She felt obligated to help the boy with whatever problem he was going through right now. "It'll be just a quick battle."

"No complaints here, you two enjoy yourselves," he replied with a light chuckle as everyone made their way over to the Gym section of the building. "Just do try to keep it from getting out of hand, I just tidied up around here."

"Ash, why are you doing this?" Clemont asked his friend as they trailed behind the two elderly people. It wasn't good to try and battle when he wasn't prepared. "You should use this time to find any weaknesses Drasna has and then use them to your advantage in the official battle."

"Because I have to," Ash responded as he appeared serious. "Alain told me to battle powerful trainers with Charizard and if that means an Elite Four member then so be it. I just know we can get it right in this battle! Charizard doesn't deserve to go through all of this trouble."

"You know, there's always more than one way to cook a dish. That also applies to Pokémon," Cilan stated while raising his index finger. "Perhaps what Alain told you doesn't work with your style of raising Pokémon."

Ash shook his head while continuing to follow behind Drasna. That wasn't it at all and after this battle they would have it all figured out.

Walking down the pathway, the group finally stumbled upon the battlefield. Making their way to their respective sides, Ash and Drasna were both ready to begin. Striding over to the referee box was Clemont, who immediately raised his hand.

"The exhibition match between Ash and Drasna will now begin! Both sides are allowed the usage of three Pokémon and substations are permitted," he explained while dropping his hand downwards. "Begin!"

"Alright, Charizard, I choose you!" Ash yelled out while tossing the Poké Ball forward. Opening up, the Fire and Flying-Type landed on the field with a mighty roar.

"Hmm, quite the interesting choice to begin with," Drasna replied as she pulled a Poké Ball out of her clothes. "Altaria, dear, it's time for a battle."

Tossing the Poké Ball onto the field lightly, the Dragon and Flying-Type emerged from the device and flew into the air. Floating in front of its trainer, Altaria awaited a command.

"It's been a while since we've had a good battle hasn't it, Altaria?" Drasna asked while a warm smile crossed over her face. To everyone watching, her and Ash appeared to be complete opposites. She was calm and relaxed while Ash looked to be itching to get started.

"Charizard, let's show them your Flamethrower!" Ash confidently called out while throwing his left fist forward. They were going to control this battle right from the beginning.

"Counter with Dragon Pulse please," Drasna responded with as they watched the Flamethrower emerge from Charizard's mouth. Opening her own mouth, Altaria launched off a purple beam in the shape of a dragon.

Colliding, the two attacks managed to cancel each other out as neither could overpower the other. The ensuing explosion managed to create a large gust of wind which both Pokémon used to avoid any remnants of the attacks.

"That Flamethrower was quite the attack, child," Drasna replied as she smiled at Ash. It seemed odd, why was she acting so easy going for this match? It didn't make any sense to Ash, even if it was an exhibition she should be going all out.

"That isn't all we have! Charizard, use the gust to pick up speed and then use Steel Wing!" Ash yelled up to the Flame Pokémon as Charizard nodded in response.

"Raww," he grunted while riding the last bit of the gust. Now flying right for Altaria, Charizard's wings glowed a shade of silver as they stiffened up.

"Counter with Sky Attack," Drasna called out at the last second. Flying straight up, the Dragon and Flying-Type dodged Charizard's incoming attack and started to glow a shade of yellow-orange. Performing an aerial backflip, Altaria came soaring right at a shocked Charizard. Unable to do anything in time, Charizard felt the full force of the attack as he was smashed into the ground.

"My, it seems like you're impatient today. Perhaps if you cleared your mind of all worries you'd focus better," Drasna offered advice as Altaria floated upwards following the attack.

Ash smirked at the response as he fixed his hat. "Thanks, but we'll be alright. Charizard and I am just getting started!" Ash explained while pumping his fists upwards. "Now, Charizard fly back up into the air and get behind Altaria!"

Charizard roared in approval as he brushed off the last attack and spread his wings before taking off in a flash. Despite the powerful hit, Charizard wasn't going to be kept down. Flying across the field, Charizard managed to come up behind Altaria and readied for an attack.

"Great, now use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded as the Fire-Type move was being prepared in Charizard's mouth.

"Dodge with Double Team!" Drasna called out as Altaria flashed white for a split second before copies of the Dragon and Flying-Type emerged all around Charizard. The Flamethrower then collided with one of the Altaria before it disappeared, revealing itself to be a copy.

Confused, Charizard continued the attack as it managed to destroy another copy of Altaria. Then, before they even realized it, Altaria and her copies managed to get behind Charizard who was now wide open for a counter attack.

"Altaria, show them your Dragon Pulse!" Drasna yelled out while throwing her open palm outwards. If this was the best this boy could do, then Drasna was surprised he had beaten two Elite Four members already.

"Not this time!" Ash called out, happily surprising Drasna who wondered just what the young boy might have up his sleeve. Pumping his arms by his sides, Ash smirked as he yelled out. "Charizard, close your wings now and freefall towards the ground!"

"Rar," Charizard muttered in agreement as the Flame Pokémon folded his wings inward and began to descend immediately. Altaria continued to get her attack ready, but was just as surprised as her trainer. Not waiting for a command, Altaria and her copies launched off the Dragon Pulse as the large beam chased after Charizard.

"Just a little further..." Ash muttered as he watched Charizard approach the floor. Just as he reached the ground they both looked up and noticed the Dragon Pulse coming right at them. "Just like I wanted! Now, Charizard, push off the ground with all your strength! Fly right at Altaria!"

Without another word, Charizard rocketed straight upwards, flying right past the Dragon Pulse as the attack crashed into the battlefield and kicked up dirt while also creating a powerful gust. That appeared to have been Ash's entire hope since once the gust had kicked up, Charizard appeared to be moving at an even faster speed than before.

"Now use Steel Wing!" Flying faster now thanks to the gust of wind, Charizard was already in front of Altaria as his wings glowed a shade of silver. Smashing hard into the Dragon and Flying-Type, Charizard slashed his wings against Altaria before flying right past her.

"That was quite the idea to use the wind created by an explosion to power up your attack," Drasna applauded as Charizard turned around to face Altaria once more. "But you'll have to do better than that to beat us. Altaria, use your Dragon Pulse!"

"We'll just match you blow for blow! Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash called out as the two attacks collided in midair once again. This time, Charizard appeared to be overpowering Altaria as his Flamethrower managed to push the Dragon Pulse backwards and forced the two attacks to crash into Altaria. A cloud of smoke covered the Humming Pokémon.

"My, you two seem to be quite in sync," Drasna praised them while Altaria appeared to be only slightly scrapped up from all the attacks. Smiling up at her Pokémon, Drasna decided it was time to end this. "But, how can you handle something like this?"

Touching a bead on her necklace, Drasna appeared to be covered in a bright light. "Altaria, allow us to battle together, Mega Evolve!" She cried out as Altaria's puffy, white feathers parted slightly to show a Mega Stone strapped to her chest. Changing shape, everyone noticed that Altaria's feathers moved from her front to backside as her entire chest was now seeable and her tail grew in length as well.

* * *

"Altaria can Mega Evolve!" Serena cried out in shock. None of them had even imagined the possibility of Drasna having a Mega Evolution, but given the fact that both Siebold and Wikstrom had them, it only made sense she did as well.

"It appears so," Cilan responded as he placed his hand underneath his chin, How Ash would respond to this was beyond his imagination, but the one idea he did have didn't sit too well with him. "But, hopefully Ash doesn't try anything too reckless against Altaria. Who knows what it could be hiding."

"It's so cute!" Bonnie cried out as her eyes sparked with excitement. She hadn't been listening to what the others said, instead focusing on the now Mega Evolved Pokémon. It looked like the softest thing she had ever seen before. "I just want to go down and hug it!"

"Still, looks can be deceiving, Bonnie," Cilan said as he tried to teach her, but the young girl was too preoccupied with Altaria to listen. "Just because it looks soft and cuddly, Altaria is still very powerful."

"You could say something like that," Ramos added in as he stroked his white beard. He had seen countless times just how strong Altaria could be. "Altaria is her strongest Pokémon, so Ash shouldn't take it lightly."

"Alright, Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash's voice could be heard down on the field as both Pokémon were on the move again. Opening his mouth, Charizard launched off the Fire-Type attack only to be surprised when Altaria didn't make any effort to move. Taking the blast full on, the Dragon and Fairy-Type didn't appear to be harmed at all.

"W-What!?" Ash muttered out when he noticed the Humming Pokémon to be alright. He hadn't been expecting something like that to happen. "Well, we won't stop there! Now, Steel Wing!"

"Counter with Sky Attack," Drasna calmly replied as she narrowed her eyes. Something was different, almost as if Ash was thinking of using something. It was as if his mind wasn't fully on the battle at all.

The two Pokémon both cried out in agreement before charging at their opponent. Clashing in midair, the two of them exchanged blows back and forth before Mega-Altaria finally gained the upper hand. Breaking free for a split second, Mega-Altaria managed to get behind Charizard and slammed hard into his back.

"Rawrrrrrr," he cried out in pain as Mega-Altaria slammed him hard into the ground as a crater formed from the crash. Getting out of the hole, Charizard appeared to be quite beaten up from the last attack. But, that wasn't what worried Ash. Instead, Mega-Altaria appeared to be charging up a Dragon Pulse from point blank range.

"Charizard, you have to move!" Ash called out in concern as he watched the blast be launched right at the Flame Pokémon. There wasn't any time to counter and so they could only dodge. However, when Charizard went to fly, a surge of pain flew through his body making him unable to fly. It appeared as though when he crashed into the ground he had damaged himself.

"Rarrrr," Charizard could only grunt as he felt the full force of the attack blast into him. Being launched backwards, Charizard landed in front of Ash with a loud thud as he just laid there. It looked like Charizard was done.

"You two tried hard, but I don't recommend continuing," Drasna replied, dropping her kind outer appearance. Her voice sounded sterner than anyone imagined it could have been. She wasn't recommending it, but actually telling them to stop, almost as if she knew they couldn't compete against Altaria. "You'll only get yourself hurt."

"Rawwrrr!" Charizard then yelled out as he stood back up shakily. He wasn't one to quit. He would keep going until his body gave out on him, granted it might not be much longer until it happened, but he wasn't going to stop.

"I'm sorry, but as long as Charizard will fight, then so will I," Ash responded as he raised his wrist in front of his face. Seeing it for the first time, Drasna noticed the Keystone embedded in the bracelet on his wrist. "Charizard, we'll show them! Mega Evolve!" He cried out and waited for the transformation to begin.

But, nothing happened. No light, no transformation for Charizard. Nothing. Ash looked on shocked as he pressed the Keystone again only for the same results. Charizard was just as shocked by the outcome as he looked back at Ash. What was happening? Why wasn't it working?

"Mega Evolve!" Ash cried out once more as he grew frustrated. This always worked in the past, but why when they needed it most would it stop working? Finally frustrated by the fact it wouldn't work, Ash stopped with it. "You know, we don't need Mega Evolution to win, we're strong enough on our own!"

"Are you?" Drasna asked curiously. To her, they could barely keep up with Altaria in her base form and now that she had Mega Evolved, they weren't keeping up at all. "Do you honestly believe that you'll be able to win? Charizard is immobile because of his hurt wing and none of your attacks have done anything to harm us."

"That doesn't matter!" Ash called out as he raised a fist in front of his body. "We've been through too much to quit now! This may be just an exhibition match, but what would it show Charizard if I were to just quit on him while he won't quit? I have to continue pushing myself to be a better trainer for him!"

Drasna frowned as she heard his words. Could he not see what was really happening? There was a reason that Charizard didn't Mega Evolve despite having all the necessary pieces. Their bond wasn't as strong as before, there was something that neither of them could see. Sighing, she raised a hand and pointed it outwards. "Very well, Altaria, use Dragon Pulse!"

Once more, the Dragon-Type attack came roaring at them from up above. And just like the last time, Charizard couldn't move at all. Raising his arms upwards to cover his body, Charizard felt the full force of the blast as he skidded backwards. However, he never fell over, instead managing to stay on his feet the entirety of the blast.

"Now! Flamethrower, full power!" Ash commanded as they were practically left with just one attack. Being unable to fly, Charizard couldn't use Steel Wing or Seismic Toss effectively at all. And with his wings hurting, he also couldn't use Air Cutter. Instead, they were going to have to rely on Flamethrower.

"This again," Drasna muttered as she looked at the flame. It was smaller than the other ones he had launched. Something was different and she then looked over at the flame on his tail. It was growing smaller as the battle progressed onwards. Charizard was literally risking his own life to win this match. "Dodge with Double Team and then use Dragon Pulse to end this!"

"Tarriaaa!" The Humming Pokémon sang out as she flashed white as the Flamethrower crashed through one of her new copies. They then all started to charge up the familiar move once more as they all launched the attack at the same time.

"Charizard!" Ash yelled out in concern as the Flame Pokémon took the entire blast head on once more. Smoke covered the entire area as no one could see Ash or Charizard due to the thickness of the blast.

"This match is over," Drasna muttered while recalling Altaria to her Poké Ball. From what she witnessed today, there was no reason to continue and there was no way Ash could win with this thought process.

The smoke then cleared to show Charizard still standing to the surprise of everyone watching. How in the world was he able to still battle after that? That was when Drasna noticed he was actually knocked out, but his will to continue on was forcing him to stand. His tail was practically out by this point and his body was beaten and broken but his will kept him standing.

"Charizard, can keep battling, so this isn't over yet," Ash said, unaware of what had happened. He had to push through it, just like Alain told him to. If Charizard saw how he never quit, then maybe he would listen when Mega Evolved. Then, to his shock, Charizard collapsed on the ground defeated. "Charizard are you alright!?"

No response. Charizard just laid there motionless as his tail flame grew weaker. Noticing this for the first time all battle, Ash quickly recalled his fainted Pokémon into his Poké Ball. He just had to get Charizard to a Pokémon Center before it was too late. Not waiting for his friends, Ash sprinted out of the Gym and back down the street.

* * *

"Nurse Joy, how's my Charizard going to be?" Ash asked as the Nurse Joy of this Center walked out of the ER with Wigglytuff behind her. It didn't look good as Ash looked through the window to see Charizard stretched out across a bed with all sorts of machines strapped to his body. "Will he be alright?"

"Charizard will be just fine," Nurse Joy responded as Ash immediately looked back towards the window. "All of his vitals are showing he'll make a fast recovery, but he suffered a lot of injuries from that last battle. What exactly happened if I may ask?"

"He was being reckless," Drasna's voice interrupted as she walked down the hall followed by everyone else. She didn't appear to be smiling at all, but instead frowning at the young boy. "Despite seeing he had no chance he continued to battle while Charizard took hit after hit. There was no reason to continue on once I Mega Evolved Altaria."

"And what, forfeit?" Ash asked back with a slight tone of annoyance. He wasn't upset at Drasna, more so at himself for allowing this to happen. Charizard appeared fine throughout the entire battle but now... Well, now he was in the ER. "We never give up and always battle our best!"

"Ash, calm down," Serena tried to tell him as she walked in between the two trainers. They didn't need anything to happen here at the Center. Drasna was only trying to help him. "Just relax, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Stop protecting him," Drasna shot out to the surprise of everyone except Ramos. Not many had seen this side of Drasna, this was her strict side. Like a mother she could be kind, but then there were times that she knew tough love was required. "He nearly had his Charizard killed just to continue battling. Throughout that entire battle his tail flame was growing weaker and yet you allowed him to continue on!"

"It doesn't matter how strong you believe yourselves to be, you always put the health of your Pokémon before the importance of an exhibition match. Someone trying to be a Champion would know when to give up and grow stronger instead of pushing through insurmountable odds." Drasna was upset with him, Ash had been reckless the entire battle and because of it Charizard was here.

"I didn't mean to do it!" He shot back, slightly taken aback by her words. He hadn't even noticed his flame weakening during the battle at all.

"I understand that," she replied more calmly. "But you need to be more responsible for your actions. What would have happened if his flame went out?" She asked, but instead of waiting for an answer she continued to speak. "Charizard would have died if his flame went out. Now tell me, is that worth a battle?"

"No, not at all," Ash muttered in response as he first looked over at Charizard from behind the glass and then to the Keystone on his wrist. "We're just frustrated since we can't get this Mega Evolution to work. We've tried everything!"

Drasna smiled down at the boy in front of him, she knew deep down he was good but just confused due to some overwhelming emotions. Some of them she could tell were with Charizard but there were others as well. "Ash, what advice were you told exactly?"

"Charizard and I were told to challenge powerful trainers. You see, whenever Charizard Mega Evolves, we lose control of the evolution and he stops listening to me. We just don't understand why it happens," he responded while continuing to look at the Keystone. "And then today, we couldn't even Mega Evolve."

"That's because you're looking at it in the wrong sense," Drasna explained to the young trainer. She could tell that by using someone else's way it had placed a strain on his relationship with Charizard. "You two are so focused on getting the process right, that you're missing the little things that are right in front of you."

Those words sounded familiar to Ash, they were almost the words of advice Ramos had given him prior to their Gym Match. Not waiting for a reply, Drasna then continued on with her answer. "You two have become so scared of failure, you've lost the one thing that made your bond; trust. Now, it's nothing but a shell of itself. You both have a deep friendship, but just from our battle I can see cracks in the foundation of it. Don't let something special be ruined over this."

"But, how do we work this out?" Ash asked as he practically pleaded with the Elite Four member. "What can we do to figure out a way to overcome this problem?"

"That's for you to figure out. But for right now, you two trying to just push through has only made things worse. I can sense that Charizard was nervous yet you still tried to Mega Evolve. To fully master Mega Evolution, you have to have a true bond with your Pokémon. You have to understand exactly how their feeling. How they react to a certain situation. You two have to be practically one."

Ash let Drasna's words seep into his mind. The entire time he thought Charizard had been fine with trying to force the Mega Evolution and just fight their way through their issues. Could this have actually hindered them? And, what was Charizard so nervous about, it wasn't about Mega Evolving, was it? Whatever the issues were, the two of them were going to figure them out together.

"You're right," he finally managed to say while lowering his head. He was disappointed in himself since not only was this the second time something similar had happened, but both times he had been too enticed by the thought of power. "I was too caught up in trying to fix this problem that I only made it worse and now Charizard is hurt when he never should have been. But, the next time we face off, it'll be different."

"I hope so, child," Drasna responded while giving him a warm and motherly smile. She was hoping for a real battle from him, one that would give her a thrill just as her match with Diantha had given her one all those years ago. "And I'll be waiting for your challenge. But for now, I have to leave." And with that, Drasna turned around and left the Center. Ramos quickly excused himself by saying his goodbyes while also wishing both Ash and Serena good luck on the rest of their journeys.

Once gone, it was back to being the five of them as Ash just stood there looking at the glass. He didn't move a single muscle as he was too fixated on watching Charizard. _"I'm so sorry, Charizard. I never meant for it to come to this. If I knew you were scared of losing control, then I never would have pushed us as far as I did. I'm sorry..."_ he thought to himself as he clenched his fists and lowered his head in frustration before looking back through the glass window.

* * *

"The tournament should be announced shortly," Lance said as he spoke over the safe connection. He had finally gotten the last bits of approval from the League Committee and so it was a go. They would use the tournament as a trap to lure Team Rocket. "Trainers will be receiving their invitations shortly and those who haven't been invited will hear about open registration over a news broadcast. And hopefully so will Giovanni."

"And so you want us to enter as well," Michael asked as a grin plastered his face. It had been a long time since he had entered a real battle and so the thought excited him.

"No," Lance's responded quickly as Michael's smile faded away. He had a good reason behind it as well. "Michael you will not be entering since we'll need someone on the inside when everything happens. However, Silver, you'll enter and compete. So that way you'll be there when it happens as well."

"Why me?" Silver asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Personally, he didn't mind battling but at the moment he only had one thought on his mind: to find Giovanni and capture him. "Why not switch me and Michael's roles?"

Lance shook his head as a smile crossed over his face. "I don't think so. You see, Michael is too recognizable. Unlike you, we can't change his hair style and make him look different if even just slightly. However, there is one more thing before I get going. We're sending you a little help."

"Help?" The duo asked, both equally confused and curious. Before when they asked if any help was coming they had been told no, but why the sudden the change in plan?

"Who exactly is coming?" Silver asked, getting right to the bottom of things. Once they could figure it out, then they could start planning on how to capture Giovanni and end this entire threat.

"I'm not sure," Lance explained as a file of information appeared over the connection. It appeared to be a file on some agent of sorts, but neither Silver or Michael had seen a profile like this. "He isn't one of us," Lance added in as he noticed their expressions.

"The League Committee only agreed to this entire plan under one condition: that we allow the International Police to be involved as well. And so, they're sending a few men out to meet with you. They should be there within the next few days to plan something," Lance finished up as he heard someone knocking on his door. "I have to go now, if anything comes up, please contact me immediately." And without another word, the call had ended.

"So, we actually get some help," Michael said with a smile as he threw his arms behind his head. "I wonder who it'll be. Maybe a cute girl," he muttered before feeling a whack over the back of his head.

"You know, for someone who is a top agent you think way too much about girls," Silver answered as he prepared himself to strike again. Sometimes he wondered just how he even got involved with the G-Men with an attitude like this.

"When you've been through some of the things I have, you need to stay loose and keep your mind off of the hard times," Michael answered as he swung an arm over Silver. "I'll have to tell you some of my stories later on."

* * *

 **And well, that's the end of the chapter. Man, why do I always have my favorite Pokémon get beaten so badly? Honestly, I don't know why I wanted to but it was an idea that came to me to have Charizard always be beaten when I made the outline for this story. Hopefully when he gets his moment it makes up for everything. And yes, Alain's advice hurt Ash instead of helping him. That's what happens when someone tells you to "fight strong people all the time". Like, how would battling in Charizard's base help when it's in his Mega Evolution that he doesn't listen? That's for a different chapter though. Oh and one final thought before I let you go, it's a head canon of mine that Drasna was the previous Champion prior to Diantha and became an Elite Four member following the retirement of a previous one.**

 **Now, about how updates will work from here on out. For the time being, it'll be one update a week with a possible second one depending on how many chapters I have finished and what school looks like for me.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	37. Bonds Beyond Time: Mega Success!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash had tried once more to Mega Evolve Charizard only for it to fail once again. Following a chance meeting by Ramos, the Gym Leader invited the group to meet a friend of his which turned out to be Drasna. Wishing to battle, Ash got beaten badly.**

 **Ch 37: Bonds Beyond Time: Mega Success**

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" A rough voice spoke over the line. The man had just been contacted by an acquaintance about a favor they needed done. "He'll be passing by the Lumiose Badlands as well?"

"Yes," the second person answered as he thought it over for a moment. "They were in Coumarine City the last time I saw them. By now, they should be passing by."

"And why should I help him, Alain?" the older man asked as his voice was filled with intrigue. He had come to know Alain through the boy's travels yet he never seen him the boy take an interest in any one before.

"This boy, he is having trouble mastering Mega Evolution," Alain explained as he appeared deep in thought. "I told him to constantly challenge strong trainers, but, I think you might be able to help him more."

Sighing, the man appeared to be in thought. It did get boring out here and perhaps the boy would make it interesting. "Alright, I'll keep an eye out for him."

"Thank you. He's got a red hat and a blue jacket," Alain described while a smirk crossed his face. "Believe me, you'll enjoy your time with him."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ash?" Clemont asked as the group of five reached a fork in the road. One path led to a fast route to Lumiose City while the other would take you through the Lumiose Badlands before bringing you to the city.

"Of course I am, I think doing this will be the best way for Charizard and I to overcome our recent problems!" Ash explained as he looked at his friends with a genuine smile. "We're going the long way, just Charizard and I." Ash then extended his fist out towards Charizard.

"Rawr," the Fire and Flying-Type roared in agreement as he met Ash's fist with his own. Tapping it lightly, it was a sign they would overcome this entire problem together. It was time to put everything else behind them and to get past this problem.

"We could come along with you," Cilan offered as he looked at the second path. He had never visited the Badlands, but from what he read, they could be pretty vicious out there. Could Ash really handle it all by himself?

Ash shook his head back and forth with a smile on his face. "No, this is something only Charizard and I can do. Plus, I don't want Serena to miss her next Showcase in Lumiose City," he explained before unclipping the four Poké Balls on his belt. "Plus, I'm not even bringing my other Pokémon along," he explained while handing them over to Clemont to take care of them.

"Sorry, but that means you too, Pikachu," Ash explained as the Electric-Type hopped down off of his shoulder. Scurrying across the ground, Pikachu made his way over to Serena and hopped up onto her shoulder. "This is really meant to be for just myself and Charizard."

"Well, when you put it like that, there really isn't anything we can say to convince you otherwise," Clemont said as he placed Ash's Poké Balls into his backpack. He also knew that once Ash had made up his mind, it was hard to get him to change it. "We'll meet back up at Prism Tower then."

"Sounds like a plan," Ash replied while smiling. He was both excited and anxious about this small journey. Ash was excited for the prospect of finally climbing this hurdle, but he was anxious due to the thought of Charizard going berserk once more. Looking at his friends, Ash noticed that Serena still had a nervous expression on her face much to his disappointment. "Serena," he said softly as the young Performer looked at him.

"Yeah, Ash?" She replied, unsure of what he was about to ask. She was already planning on taking excellent care of Pikachu and she had a feeling that Pichu would have fun with him being around. Then, to her surprise, she watched as he removed his hat and placed it in her hands.

"You mind holding onto this for me?" He asked while nervously scratching his cheek. He wanted to make sure she wasn't nervous about him being in the Badlands by himself. "I heard that it can get pretty windy out there. I wouldn't want to lose my hat; so could you hold onto it until I meet up with you guys again?"

"Y-Yeah," she managed to squeak out as she was caught by surprise. It didn't seem like much, but the fact she was being trusted with something like Ash's hat was a big deal. She only ever saw him remove it for a meal or when he was sleeping, it was practically a part of him. "I'll make sure nothing happens to it at all."

"Thanks," Ash replied while nodding in agreement. He then turned to look at the path as both himself and Charizard began their path. "We'll meet up again in a few days. It won't be that long!" He yelled out while waving goodbye until he couldn't see his friends any longer.

Looking over at Charizard, Ash smiled up at the Flame Pokémon as he too smiled in response. It was just the two of them, something that had never occurred before. The closest would have to be the night Ash stayed awake while warming Charizard up, but even then the others were nearby sleeping. This was going to be different.

"Just you and me, Charizard," Ash replied as he pumped his fists into the air from excitement. "Together, we're going to finally master this Mega Evolution once and for all." The two then continued on in excitement as they wondered just what was waiting for them. Still, Ash couldn't help but remember Drasna's words from a few days ago.

" _But for right now, you two trying to just push through has only made things worse. I can sense that Charizard was nervous yet you still tried to Mega Evolve. To fully master Mega Evolution, you have to have a true bond with your Pokémon. You have to understand exactly how their feeling. How they react to a certain situation. You two have to be practically one."_

Her words couldn't have been closer to the truth, but Ash hadn't wanted to admit it at the time. Throughout their struggles, he had been nervous while Mega Evolving Charizard. What if he stayed this way after reverting? Then what would Ash do, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something had happened to Charizard because of his foolish actions. And because of that, Ash was determined to make it up.

"Rawr?" The Flame Pokémon asked with a puzzled look. Just what was Ash thinking about as they walked through the desert? Charizard wasn't sure, but whatever it was, Ash was deep in thought.

"Huh?" He asked once he noticed Charizard's worried look. Shaking his head, Ash put a smile on his face to try and make Charizard more relaxed. "It's nothing, I was just thinking back to something someone told me before. Now, why don't we get going, we'll never reach Lumiose City at this rate. And if we don't get there soon, Serena and the others will be worried."

"Rawwrrr!" Charizard replied in agreement as the duo continued walking, unaware of what was about to happen. Up on a nearby cliff, a rather masculine man who was dressed in long, loose fitting pants and had his shirt tied around his head like a hat. Next to him, was a Tyranitar as they both looked on in amusement.

"So, those must be the two Alain was talking about," the man muttered as he turned to Tyranitar. It might be interesting after all, but he had to tell Alain he was off on his description. There was no hat on this kid. "You ready?"

"Tyran!" The Rock and Dark-Type cried out as he kicked up a large sandstorm throughout the desert. Soon, the entire area couldn't be seen as the storm grew stronger and stronger.

"C-Charizard! Can you see anything?" Ash asked as he choked on the sand. The sandstorm had just randomly appeared, as if by chance and the duo were caught right in the middle of it. Doing their best to fight through it, but they were having quite a difficult time.

"Rawrrr," Charizard muttered back as the storm forced him to land on the ground. It was currently too hard to try and fly as the wind made it impossible for Charizard to steady himself.

Ash thought about how they could stop this storm, but nothing came to mind. Then, a thought did come to him as he remembered Charizard's ability when Mega Evolved. _"If we use Mega Evolution, then Charizard's ability will end this storm... No! I can't force that on him. He doesn't need more stress."_ Ash thought to himself as he braced against the storm. Looking over at Charizard, it appeared like the Fire and Flying-Type was having a more difficult time. Sand appeared to batter his entire body as it made Charizard wince in pain, seeing this, Ash raised Charizard's Poké Ball and was ready to recall him into it.

"Charizard, go into your Poké Ball, you'll be safer in there!" Ash called out over the howling winds. He could barely see Charizard now as the storm managed to pick up strength again. "At least this way you'll be out of the storm."

Charizard however had different ideas. He noticed just how bad this storm was for Ash and wouldn't abandon him now. Making his way over to his trainer, Charizard began flapping his wings as he created a large gust of wind. The gust was managing to overpower the sandstorm. With one last mighty roar, Charizard pushed as hard as he could and created a mini tornado from his wings. Doing so managed to cancel out the storm and give them a moment to rest.

"That was great, Charizard!" Ash praised his Pokémon as the duo sat down on the ground. Both of them were exhausted from their short interaction with the storm and so they decided to rest up. "You managed to blow the storm away with just your wings!"

"Raw," the Flame Pokémon replied back sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. It wasn't anything too special, he just wanted to protect Ash. He had seen Ash in trouble and so he reacted to it.

The duo however didn't have much time to rest, if any at all, as another storm soon came raging through. It appeared to be twice as strong as the last one since neither Ash or Charizard could see anything as they were battered around.

"Charizard! Where are you!?" Ash called out as the duo were lifted up off of the ground and thrown around the sand twister. Opening his eyes, Ash looked on as Charizard was being continuously battered by the strong wind and sand. In fact, the Flame Pokémon looked to be unable to move at all.

"I'm coming Charizard!" Ash continued to cry out as he made his way through the storm. To his surprise, he managed to position himself in a way that the storm would bring him closer to Charizard. Reaching out to him, Ash grabbed a hold of the Fire and Flying-Type as the duo were tossed high up into the sky before both blacked out from the constant battering brought on by the storm.

* * *

"My, it looks like they're finally waking up, Tyranitar," a masculine voice muttered as Ash started to flicker his eyes open. To his surprise, he was in a cave with a man he had never seen before and a Tyranitar.

"Where's Charizard!" Were the first words to leave Ash's mouth as he looked around frantically. He didn't remember much from before, but he did know that they were together when they both blacked out.

"Relax, he's on the other side of the cave," the man mentioned as he handed Ash a drink of water. "You shouldn't be moving around so much, especially after me finding you in the Badlands. That had me wondering, why were you two out there at this time?"

"Well, you see," Ash started to say as he then took a sip of water. "We're training to try and master Mega Evolution, but then this freak storm appeared and we got sucked into it. Last thing I remember was trying to get to Charizard. But, why is it so surprising to find us now?"

"Well, right now the Badlands have terrible sandstorms," the man lied as he extended a hand and helped Ash onto his two feet. "Normally travelers know to stay away from here at this time. But, I guess you're different."

"Yeah, I never know that," Ash answered sheepishly while he rubbed the back of his head. "By the way, my name's Ash. Thanks for saving me," he started to say, only to realize he didn't know the man's name.

"The name's Stone," the man now known as Stone stated with a warm smile. "Now, let's go check up on Charizard. Tyranitar, you come along as well."

Turning around, the three of them ventured further into the cave. Making their way towards the back of the cave, Ash noticed that the sides of the cave were lined with personal items along with food supplies. Curious, he just had to ask what was on his mind. "Do you live here?"

"Yep! Tyranitar and I have been living here for almost fifteen years now. One day, we were out exploring the Badlands when we got lost and caught in a storm like the one you did. The storm appears constant, with it dying down for a short amount of time each day," he explained while patting the wall of the cave. "The storm doesn't die down long enough to leave this place however. We've been stuck here since that day."

"What!?" Ash cried out in concern. There had to be a way out, he had to get back to Pikachu, Serena and the others. "You can't be serious! There just has to be a way out!"

"Afraid so, wished I was wrong," Stone muttered while finally making it to Charizard. To his surprise, the Flame Pokémon was already up and moving. "My, you recovered quickly."

"Charizard, you're alright!" Ash cried out before racing over to him. The Fire and Flying-Type appeared just fine despite what they went through.

"Rawrr!" He replied affirmatively while showing he was perfectly fine. Storming to the front of the cave, Charizard was shocked to see nothing but a raging sandstorm. He had been shocked to wake up in a cave, but had thought Ash had found it. But to see the other guy and the sandstorm, the Flame Pokémon realized they had gotten saved.

"Just like I was saying, that storm is dangerous," Stone muttered as everyone caught up to Charizard. "You guys better get comfy living here. You enjoy roots? Tonight's meal is fresh roots."

Charizard however wasn't in the mood for any of this. Spreading his wings wide open, the Fire and Flying-Type let out a ground shaking roar as it was obvious what he was about to do. He was going to try and fly through the storm.

"You're right, Charizard! We have to at least try," Ash agreed while climbing up onto Charizard's back. They had done much more dangerous tasks than flying through a storm, how hard could it be? "We've been through worse, but we'll never give up!"

And with that, the duo took flight, there would be no stopping them today. They had taken on Legendaries together, in fact, they had gone straight into a fight between Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno! No way would a storm keep them trapped here!

"Those two are way too reckless, aren't they, Tyranitar?" Stone asked as the duo watched Ash and Charizard fly off. "They seem to trust each other, but something's missing..."

"Ran?" Tyranitar asked as they watched on.

Everything started out just fine as they left the cave and were soon approaching the storm. Along the way, they could feel the wind pick up and the sand all around them had started to batter them. Reaching the outer wall of the storm, Charizard pushed through with all his might as they crashed through it and into the storm.

Upon entrance, the duo continued on with their hopes of breaking through but were unsuccessful as the strength of the storm increased as they tried to get further. The sand that had been a nuisance now left them hurting as it pelted against their bodies and the wind was making Charizard lose his balance while flying. Then, despite his best effort to remain in control, Charizard was blown backwards and caught up in the storm's powerful winds.

The duo tossed and turned as Charizard tried to straighten himself out, only to be pulled along by the storm. Then, to their surprise, Charizard had the chance to flip right-side up and become properly positioned to fly again. Using all of his strength, Charizard pushed through the storm until they were back at the entrance of the cave.

"So, how'd it go?" Stone asked playfully as the duo laid on the ground exhausted. They had just been beaten by a storm! For people who went up against Legendary Pokémon, this was annoying. "By your expressions, I don't think you got the expected outcome."

"That storm is stronger than we thought," Ash muttered as he sat up alongside Charizard. "We were just tossed around out there. There was nothing we could do to break through."

"I warned you," Stone reprimanded them before handing them both something to drink. "I've tried countless times, but each time I've failed. I've just decided to make the best of the situation. I mean, Tyranitar and I have this nice cave and we don't have to worry about anything."

"Why don't you two spend the night. It is getting late," Stone mentioned as they noticed just how dark out it was getting. "You can tell me all about yourselves. Besides, I'll have dinner ready."

* * *

"Here, just like I said, roots for dinner. Hopefully you like them," Stone said as the four of them sat on the ground. Ash and Charizard both looked at the food placed in front of them with curiosity since they were used to real food. Stone meanwhile was eating away at his root like it was a delicacy.

"So, why don't you tell me about yourselves?"

"Alright," Ash replied as he pushed the root off to the side. He was hungry, but right now the plant wasn't interesting him. "You see; I've been on a journey to become a Pokémon Master. Along the way, I've caught many different Pokémon. All of which I know I can rely on, but there's a few that I know I can rely on for my most important battles. Charizard here is one of them and is one of my strongest Pokémon. Despite a few bumps in the road, where we were at odds, we managed to overcome anything."

"Whenever I got myself into a tight situation, Charizard was always there to get me out of them. Greenfield, the Silver Conference, Battle Frontier. You name it, Charizard was always there for me and still is," Ash explained before smiling up towards the Fire and Flying-Type as they exchanged a smile. "And even now we're still growing. Just recently, we got a Mega Stone and Keystone but no matter how much we try, we just can't get it to work. Charizard always seems to lose control of his new power. I don't know if it's because of me though..."

Ash stayed silent for a moment as he stared at the fire in front of them. The flames bounced around as the light from the fire lit up the surrounding area. "You see, I became so obsessed with Mega Evolution, that I didn't even think to see if Charizard was ready. I constantly forced him to Mega Evolve despite his hesitance and so I feel responsible. If I had taken my time, then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Well, sounds like you two have some sort of trust issue," Stone mentioned as he looked over the duo. Ash and Charizard were both confused by the statement and they could only sit there with shocked expressions. "Think about it, from what I've heard, you two trust each other deeply, but then there's something else. Almost as if he has a fear of losing control. Like he had this problem before with power."

"Rawr!" Charizard cried out in anger while shaking his head. He wasn't giving up, not after everything they had been through together. This strange man may be contempt to live in this cave, but Charizard wasn't and he knew Ash wasn't as well. Besides, who was he to say he couldn't handle this power. Pointing to his arm, Charizard was hinting at Mega Evolution.

"You want to give it a try?" Ash asked as he jumped off of the ground before he raised his arm. Seeing Charizard's response, Ash placed his finger onto the Keystone. "Alright! Charizard, Mega Evolve!"

And unlike last time, light shined off of both stones as the cave was flooded with light. Ash, Stone and Tyranitar were forced to cover their eyes as Charizard began the transformation that came with Mega Evolving. Soon, the light died down as in Charizard's place stood Mega-Charizard Y.

"It worked," Ash muttered as he looked at Charizard. The last time, it hadn't worked, but Ash could tell that Charizard felt himself ready to do it this time. He wanted to get free of this cave, he wanted to help Ash get out of here. Looking outside, it was apparent that the storm was weakening thanks to his ability and so this would be their best chance to leave.

"Come on, Charizard," Ash said as he motioned for the Fire and Flying-Type to come with him. Charizard however had a different idea as he shot a Flamethrower in Ash's direction. _"So we're still having trouble..."_ Ash thought to himself as he ducked under the Flamethrower. Deciding it would be best to get him to chase him, Ash tossed a rock at Charizard and watched his reaction. "Come on, you can't even hit a broad side of a barn with that aim!"

"Rawrrr!" Mega-Charizard roared out in anger. He wasn't going to sit back and put up with this. Opening his wings, he flew straight at Ash, who had already began running. Following behind him were Stone and Tyranitar, wondering if everything was alright.

"So, Alain wasn't joking when he said they were having trouble," Stone muttered as he watched them running across the desert land. "I think I have an idea on how to help them out though."

"Tyran?" Tyranitar asked in confusion. Just what could Stone have working up in his mind right now? Whatever it was, hopefully it would help these two out. Looking back over at them, Tyranitar watched as Ash quickly recalled Charizard back into his Poké Ball before wiping his brow.

"That actually worked," Ash muttered as he realized they had made it past the storm which had already began forming again. Looking up at the sky, Ash realized that it was now getting late and decided to search for an area to spend the night. "We're free from that storm..."

Looking around, Ash realized that he had also lost sight of Stone. During the confusion he must have gotten too far ahead of the older man. "Hmm, hopefully he made it out of there as well." Looking at the Poké Ball in his hand, Ash pressed the button in the center of it, letting Charizard back out of it.

"Rawrrr," The still Mega-Evolved Pokémon cried out as he fired off a Flamethrower into the sky. Looking around, he soon saw Ash and was surprised to see the boy so calm around him.

"Charizard, I know we've been having a hard time with this and I'm sorry," Ash began to say to the Flame Pokémon. Maybe Stone was right, maybe he should have realized that something like this would happen based on past experiences. But he was going to make it right. "I never should have pushed you into Mega Evolving right away. That was my mistake."

Mega-Charizard just looked confused. Something was strange about the boy in front of him, it was like he knew him from somewhere but Charizard couldn't remember from where. Staring hard at the boy, he could make out a similar image, a memory more so, of them... working together? Yeah, it was definitely them but they were facing off against a... a Blastoise, that was it. It was clear now, the duo were working together in unison. But, why was there something telling him that this boy was holding him back. Charizard was frustrated at his own confusion and just launched off a Flamethrower up into the sky.

"I'm hoping we can work through this, Charizard," Ash continued on as he looked up at the sky. "We've been through so much together and I just know you remember. Our battles with Gary and Harrison at the Silver Conference. Facing off against Noland at the Battle Frontier and just recently facing Trevor and Alain at the Kalos League." Ash noticed that his words were breaking through based on the expression on Charizard's face. He had to keep pushing the issue, bring up past memories.

"You know, the sky reminds me a lot of the night I stayed up throughout to warm you back up to a healthy temperature," Ash explained while looking at the stars. That was a night he would never forget as the very next morning, Ash had gained Charizard's trust. "You wouldn't believe how many fires I had to build and how long I rubbed you warm. My hands were raw by the next morning. But I wouldn't change a thing. Because of that day, you and I made our first steps towards a stronger relationship. Something I hope we can do now with Mega Evolution."

"Rawrr," Charizard muttered as he eyed the stars. Something about them triggered a memory that was dormant inside of him ever since he had Mega Evolved. They were on a cliff of sorts overlooking the ocean, just him and this boy but he was sleeping. He remembered waking up to the boy furiously trying to rub some warmth into him. But that was it. The rest was a blur.

Ash smiled as he saw the look on Charizard's face, bringing up their old memories was working. Hopefully soon he would be able to get through to him completely. Ash was about to say something else when he felt the ground around them shaking. Falling onto his behind, the young trainer looked around to see the entire area shaking.

"W-What's happening?" Ash asked as he watched Charizard fly into the air to avoid the quakes. To Ash, he could tell this wasn't just an ordinary random quake, but someone had to have planned it. Looking up at Charizard, Ash could tell that he sensed something.

"Whoever's out there, you can come out!" Ash called out as he forced himself to stand up. Dusting off his pants, Ash stared in the direction Charizard was facing to try and notice anything different. "If you don't, Charizard will launch a Flamethrower!"

As if on command, the Fire and Flying-Type launched off the attack as a Dark Pulse matched it in strength as the two attacks exploded. The wind from the explosion kicked up the sand around them and made it nearly impossible to see anything. Letting out a loud roar, Charizard began to blow away the cloud of dust only for an Ice Beam attack to come right at him.

Flying to his left, Charizard avoided the attack as the dust finally settled and revealed what appeared to be a Tyranitar on the ground. Only, this one looked different as its armor appeared to be larger and three spikes formed on both sides of its body. Also, the usual spikes on its head were different as one large one sat on the top of Tyranitar's neck and two more at its brow level.

"My, you're quite the observant one," a man muttered as he walked from behind the Tyranitar like Pokémon. "Mega-Tyranitar and I thought we could attack while your guard was down."

"We weren't fooled that easily," Ash responded as Charizard flew back onto the ground, his eyes never leaving his new opponent. "Besides, why would a random earthquake happen here?"

"You know, I give you credit," the man said as the moonlight cast down onto him, revealing himself as none other than Stone. Ash was surprised that the man who had helped them was now attacking them. "Tell me, did you honestly believe that a sandstorm could just form at that strength?" He asked while eyeing Ash with a smirk.

"If you did, you're quite the gullible one to believe that. You see, Tyranitar and I find unsuspecting fools and trap them in our Sandstorms thanks to his ability," Stone explained as Ash finally understood why a Sandstorm had randomly formed earlier in the day. "You see, we don't live in that cave because we were forced to but because we look for travelers who we can steal from. And you're the perfect one. Now, Stone Edge, go!"

"Charizard, dodge and then use Steel Wing!" Ash countered as he hoped Charizard would listen to him this time. However, the Fire and Flying-Type did dodge as he asked but instead of going in with a Steel Wing he instead attacked with Flamethrower.

"Rawwrrrr!" He cried out angrily while launching off the Fire-Type attack. The stream of flames soared across the land until they smashed right into Mega-Tyranitar. The attack didn't appear to bother him however as it just sprayed off into multiple directions following the initial impact.

"So, I see you two are still having issues while Mega Evolved," Stone pointed out as a sick smirk crossed his face. He would just have to do something for them about it then. "Now, use Stone Edge again!"

"Tyran!" The Armor Pokémon cried out in agreement before slamming his fist into the ground. Large blue stones erupted out of the ground before heading right for Charizard. Unlike before, the Flame Pokémon had no time to react as the rocks erupted from the ground and smashed right into his body.

Being sent up into the sky, Charizard straightened his body around before readying another Flamethrower attack. Launching it off, the attack had the same limited effect as the previous did much to Charizard's annoyance.

"Charizard, you have to try a different attack!" Ash yelled from the ground. He saw how the Fire and Flying-Type was too stubborn to see that his attack wasn't working and so Ash hoped that Charizard would listen to him.

Instead, Charizard fired off another Flamethrower attack as it was met in power by a Dark Pulse. The two attacks collided as the ensuing explosion knocked Charizard around in the air as he had trouble straightening himself out.

"Now, why don't you just hand over your Keystone and Mega Stone?" Stone asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Then you and your Pokémon can leave. I'm not heartless, just looking out for myself. These stones are worth quite a bit around Kalos."

"Never!" Ash yelled back as he raised a fist up in front of his body. "We've never given up against people like you and we won't start now! Charizard, you need to use a different move! Try a Steel Wing attack!"

Once more, Charizard ignored the command but every time he did so, his old memories appeared to emerge. He could remember battling alongside Ash, but right now that didn't matter. Right now he was strong enough to win on his own. Flying towards Tyranitar, Charizard readied another Flamethrower as he felt the flames form on the inside of his mouth. Getting in real close, Charizard launched off the Flamethrower from point blank range.

Tyranitar then felt the entirety of the blast smash into his chest, but the Rock and Dark-Type held his ground and managed to take the attack directly before grabbing ahold of Charizard's tail. Swinging the Mega Evolved Pokémon around, Tyranitar then let Charizard go for a spin as the Flame Pokémon spun through the sky.

"Now, use Stone Edge!" Stone called out as Tyranitar nodded in agreement. With a mighty roar, followed by a slamming of his fist into the ground, Tyranitar launched a group of blue stones up after Charizard.

The Fire and Flying-Type had no way to dodge as his momentum continued to pull him upwards. Looking back down, he managed to notice a horde of stones flying right for him and could do nothing but watch as they smashed hard into his body. Taking the full force of the attack, Charizard used it to switch his momentum and then flew back down towards the ground before landing with a soft thud.

Looking at his fellow Mega Evolved Pokémon, Charizard had a slight annoyance in his eyes. Almost as if Tyranitar and his trainer had ruined something for the Flame Pokémon. Roaring out loudly, Charizard flew forward as his wings glowed silver. Slashing them against Tyranitar, Charizard quickly spun upwards into the air before turning and getting prepared for his next strike.

"Now, Tyranitar, before he lands the attack, Stone Edge once more," Stone called out as once again Tyranitar created a horde of rocks. Launching them all up at the approaching Charizard, the duo seemed to be in a good position.

"Rawrrrr!" Charizard cried out in annoyance. Swatting away the incoming stones, the Fire and Flying-Type was growing frustrated and annoyed at his opponent's attempts to stop him. They didn't realize that he wouldn't be beaten that easily. Using his Steel Wing to deflect the attacks, Charizard had left himself wide open for a surprise attack.

Tyranitar noticed it as well, for as soon as Charizard appeared to be getting ready for another Steel Wing attack, the Rock and Dark-Type surprised everyone in the area with an Ice Beam. Striking the Flame Pokémon with ease, Tyranitar smirked as Charizard's wings began to freeze.

Unable to stay in the air now, Charizard began a freefall descent towards the ground. Expecting a hard smash, the Fire and Flying-Type braced himself for the impact. To his surprise however, the landing was a little softer than he had expected. In fact, there was more noise to it than he thought there should be. Looking down, to his surprise, he saw that Ash was underneath him. He had broken Charizard's fall despite how he had been acting.

"Are... Are you alright, Charizard?" Ash asked before letting out a light chuckle. He had seen Charizard begin to fall and just acted on instincts alone. Diving to break the Fire and Flying-Type's fall, Ash had used his entire body to cushion the impact for Charizard. "I couldn't have you get hurt. You're one of my closest friends. I had to help you out even if you didn't want it."

"Raww," Charizard muttered as the duo stood back up. He was moved that despite the fact he treated Ash horribly, the trainer was willing to risk his own safety for his wellbeing. Was this the same Ash from his memories that they battled together? Or was this a different one? They did look very similar, but still...

"How touching, it looks like you're both idiots," Stone mentioned as he waved his hand in a mocking fashion. He was surprised Ash had reacted in that manner, but hopefully it worked to get through to Charizard. "Now you both can both be finished together! Stone Edge, let's go!"

"Ranitar!" Tyranitar screeched out before slamming his fist into the ground. Large blue pillars of stone soon emerged out of the earth and were heading right for Ash and Charizard.

Spreading his wings, Charizard found himself unable to fly. To his surprise, the ice was limiting his movements so badly that he couldn't fly at all. Looking back at the stones, the Fire and Flying-type had a hint of worry in his eyes as they approached rather quickly.

"I won't let you hurt Charizard!" Ash called out as he stood in front of his Pokémon. Spreading his arms wide on both sides of his body, it appeared as though the boy was creating a shield of sorts. "We might have our differences while he's Mega Evolved, but the Charizard I know is in there! And I won't abandon him no matter what!"

And just like that, the last stone erupted out of the ground as Ash yelled out his final words. Smashing into the Pallet Town native, Ash felt himself soar high into the air as the attack knocked all the wind out of him. Dazed and confused, he had no clue what to expect now, but watching Charizard interested him.

The Fire and Flying-Type appeared to be having an inner battle over something and it appeared to be for Ash. Spreading his wings outwards again, the Flame Pokémon forced himself off of the ground as the ice shattered from his wings. Rocketing upwards to Ash, Charizard managed to catch the boy on his back much to his gratitude.

"Charizard? Is that you?" Ash muttered weakly as he sat back up. He didn't know if this was the Charizard he knew, or the Charizard that showed up whenever they tried out Mega Evolution.

"Rawrr," the Fire and Flying-Type muttered softly. He was back. Seeing Ash but himself in harm's way for him had been the last thing needed to get the old Charizard back. Now, he was ready to try out Mega Evolution to its fullest potential.

"Great, now use Flamethrower!"

"Tyranitar, counter with Dark Pulse!" Stone responded with as the two attacks clashed in the sky over the badlands. An explosion soon occurred as smoke covered the area and made it impossible to see anything at all.

"Steel Wing, let's go!" Ash's voice could be heard from within the smoke cloud. Then, to Stone's surprise, Charizard emerged from the smoke with his wings glowing silver. Slashing hard against Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon was brought down to one knee from the powerful attack and was now panting heavily.

"Tyranitar, we need to end this! Stone Edge, full power!" Stone cried out as this time, Tyranitar summoned a horde of smaller stones that surrounded his body. Launching them all up at Charizard, the Flame Pokémon was taken aback by the sheer amount of them.

"Don't worry about it Charizard, just listen to my voice," Ash said, helping to calm down the anxious Pokémon. Giving out verbal cues, Ash would instruct Charizard on whether he should go left, right, up or down to dodge the nearest stones. And it appeared to work as the duo navigated their way through the barrage unscratched.

Now, making their way towards Tyranitar, Ash leapt from Charizard's back and landed safely on the desert floor before pointing forward. "Let's finish this, Charizard! Seismic Toss!"

"Rawrr!" Charizard cried out happily. Reaching Tyranitar before the Rock and Dark-Type could react, Charizard grabbed ahold of him and lifted the Armor Pokémon high above the ground.

"Tyranitar!" Stone yelled out in concern as he watched Charizard fly around in a circle to confuse his opponent. Continuing the flight pattern until Tyranitar seemed confused, Charizard then made a straight path for the ground before throwing Tyranitar right into it.

With a heave, Charizard then watched as Tyranitar's heavy body picked up momentum until finally crashing into the soft ground. Despite the softness of the sand, Ash still felt the area shake from the impact and watched as a large crater formed on the ground from the impact.

"Rawrrr!" Charizard cried out from the sky as he launched a Flamethrower off before landing next to Ash. He already knew the match was over and without them knowing how, he reverted back to normal.

"T-Tyranitar!" Stone called out in concern as he jumped down to check on his Pokémon. Once he saw that the Armor Pokémon would be just fine, he did something that Ash and Charizard would never have expected. He clapped for them.

"I'm glad that you two are finally working together now when using Mega Evolution," he stated to their shock. Getting out of the crater with Tyranitar, Stone noticed their expressions and laughed. "Oh, right! I should explain everything!"

"So you see, a friend of mine, Alain, he said he knows you but that isn't important," Stone began before realizing he was drifting away from the real topic. "Well, the other day he called me and said there was this trainer with a Charizard who was having a difficult time with Mega Evolution. He asked me to help them out anyway that I could."

"And to do that, I created that fake Sandstorm using Tyranitar's ability to make it seem like I found you randomly. Then, after seeing how you two worked together and how close you were I was surprised to see it disappear once you Mega Evolved back at the cave," he continued to explain his entire plan to the duo as they still locked confused. "But, despite it looking like we got separated, I was always behind you guys. And when I noticed Ash was getting through to you, Charizard, I figured that if I attacked you guys it might work faster."

"And well, the rest is history," Stone said as he chuckled a little. It had been a crazy day for them all. Especially considering how he attacked the duo and wasn't expecting Ash to jump in like that. "But, what were you thinking, Ash? Jumping in front of an attack like that?"

Ash chuckled a little before rubbing underneath his nose. He never was someone to think about his actions. "Well, I wasn't thinking. I knew Charizard was in danger and so I wasn't moving. I was going to stay by Charizard's side throughout this battle."

"Hahahahaha! Now that's what I like to hear, boy," Stone stated happily before slapping Ash's back. If the world had more people like him, it would be much better off than it was now. "But, one of these days it'll get you killed. But for now, let's head back to my cabin. It isn't too far from here and in the morning you can continue your journey. Lumiose City is only a few days from here."

"Really!?" Ash shot out as the group began their walk. He could have sworn they were further away than that. At least a week he thought it would take him.

"Yep, this area is directly in the middle of the Badlands. It took Tyranitar and myself some time to drag you two out here," Stone answered before letting out a laugh. "I guess I helped you out in more than one way."

* * *

"They're late," Silver grumbled as he drank his coffee. He was told that the International Police were going to meet them for seven in the morning. It was now pushing eight and both himself and Michael were going to have to head back soon. "They're not going to show up. Let's get going."

"Now hold on, let me take in some of Lumiose City's sights," Michael joked as he looked around at all the girls walking around. Being in a cramped base all day, he couldn't see all the lovely ladies of Kalos.

"You know, I'm not even going to hit you this time..." Silver muttered as he finished his drink. "At this point, I know you're not taking this mission seriously."

Michael frowned as he heard that. Little did this boy know how much he gave up for this life he lived now. "You probably don't know anything about sacrifice do you? Let's just say that everything you see from me is a lie. A second life more so. That this 'Michael' you see before you isn't the real one."

Silver raised an eyebrow as he stared at him in confusion. Michael had mentioned something about telling him how he got like this, but now of all places? "And what do you mean by 'this isn't the real Michael', who's the real Michael?"

"Well you see, that's a long story," he replied before throwing an arm around Silver. "It all started roughly thirteen or fourteen years ago. You see, I had been a young up and coming G-Man agent and then the best day of my life happened. I had a son."

"Oh you should have seen how excited I was, I wanted to spend every moment I could with him. But, duty called and so I was constantly gone," Michael explained as he looked down at his coffee. "Then, one day my wife got ill. We didn't know how or what she had. But she passed shortly after. My mother than looked after my son before she too passed away. By that point, I had been more actively involved in the G-Men and Lance warned me that any previous connections could give anyone an edge over me."

"So, I did the only thing I thought was good for him. I left him at a friend of mine's home. Raised him and let me tell you this he's a pretty good trainer. Granted, he is forgetful but hear me out, he made the Top 8 for the last Kalos League. Pretty good right?" Michael asked with a smirk on his face while elbowing Silver. "And so, to make sure no one realizes I'm his father I've been living a life with a completely different personality than what I did for my entire life. A serious but fun loving husband turned into this goofball agent."

"You didn't have to cut off all ties to your son," Silver replied as he looked down at the ground. They had different reasons. Michael wanted to protect his son and Silver wanted to bring his father to justice. "You could have just quit the G-Men."

"Heh, a friend told me the same thing," Michael said as he leaned back in his seat. "But, I've always lived by the thought that if I can help create a better place for the future generations then it'll work out for the best. You know what I mean? Like, you kids are the next generation. If I can help you all out the best I can, then I did something right for once." Standing up, Michael tossed his coffee cup into the trash before looking back at the boy sitting down. "We should probably head back before they grow suspicious. Come on."

However, to their surprise, there appeared to be a man in a brown trench coat standing before them. "Michael and Silver?" The man asked before receiving a head nod of agreement from the two. "I've been sent by the International Police to help. My partner is on his way from Unova right now. But, for the time being you can call me Looker."

* * *

 **And the Charizard arc is finished. Hopefully it isn't that bad, but I won't lie, it gave me the hardest time to try and write. And so I went with the time old "bonds formed over time breaks the conflict" cliché. Anyway, Looker is on the scene now and who's his partner?**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	38. An Electrifying Battle!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, we came to a conclusion for the Charizard mini-arc which culminated in Ash being able to finally have Charizard see him as his equal while Mega Evolved. Elsewhere, Looker showed up and things seem to be getting interesting.**

 **Ch 38: An Electrifying Battle**

* * *

"You didn't have to cut off all ties to your son," Silver replied as he looked down at the ground. They had different reasons. Michael wanted to protect his son and Silver wanted to bring his father to justice. "You could have just quit the G-Men."

"Heh, a friend told me the same thing," Michael said as he leaned back in his seat. "But, I've always lived by the thought that if I can help create a better place for the future generations then it'll work out for the best. You know what I mean? Like, you kids are the next generation. If I can help you all out the best I can, then I did something right for once." Standing up, Michael tossed his coffee cup into the trash before looking back at the boy sitting down. "We should probably head back before they grow suspicious. Come on."

However, to their surprise, there appeared to be a man in a brown trench coat standing before them. "Michael and Silver?" The man asked before receiving a head nod of agreement from the two. "I've been sent by the International Police to help. My partner is on his way from Unova right now. But, for the time being you can call me Looker."

"And I thought Silver was a strange name," Michael muttered as he looked at the man before them. He definitely looked like a guy who would be a detective of sorts.

"I heard that!" Silver yelled at his partner in rage. Just when he thought they were getting to know each other better.

Looker laughed at the situation before himself before growing more serious. "You see; Looker is but merely a code name for myself. My true identity shall remain hidden for security purposes and to protect my family and friends."

"You should have done something like that," Silver muttered as he looked up at Michael. To think, this guy was actually a father. That fact alone shocked Silver more than it should have.

"Now's not the time," Michael muttered back as he tried to think of his own jab to throw Silver's way. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't able to.

"From my intel, I've learned that you two have been working undercover within the Kalos branch of Team Rocket," Looker stated as he looked back and forth between both of them. "Could either of you explain what's been happening since your arrival?"

Silver and Michael exchanged glances before the former sighed. "We don't know much about anything here. Their leaders are very secretive but what we do know is that they're building some sort of weapon."

"A weapon," Looker muttered as he rubbed his chin. It was a good thing that he had been sent out here after all. Especially if there was a weapon of sorts being built. "Could you tell me anything else? Like a reason or who's in charge? Even the slightest details might be important here."

"Reasons, don't really know of any," Michael responded with a shrug. They really hadn't been told much. It was more of them being told where to go and not so much of why. "But, a while back they wanted to study psychic waves and how some Pokémon can use them to control others."

"Sounds vaguely similar to a plot of theirs that I heard happened years ago," Looker responded as he wrote the information down on a notebook. "Now, any names. Those could be the most important when it comes to any unknown details. Any previous history could help me uncover more clues."

"There's a girl. She has this reddish hair that swirls around. Her name was Jessie," Michael started off with as he used his hands to describe Jessie's hair. "And then this guy, he has blueish hair and finally a talking Meowth."

"A talking Meowth!?" Looker cried out in confusion. They couldn't be who he thought they were, could they? There was only one talking Meowth he knew of and his two friends had helped him in the past. In his previous encounters with them they had been anything but evil. "Are you sure about that? I know three people like that and they're anything but evil. More like, bumbling idiots who mean well."

"Oh they're idiots for sure," Silver responded as he handed a picture of them to Looker. "How they were handed Admin positions is beyond my thought process. These three are in charge of this entire branch and yet all I ever hear from them is something about Showcases. And then they vanish for weeks with no word for why."

Looker stares at the picture hard and long. These were the three from Sinnoh and Unova yet here they were. "This has to be a mistake, there's no way these three could lead Team Rocket. Perhaps they are nothing more than a hoax. A way for Giovanni to work from the shadows and if things go wrong, the perfect scapegoats."

"Try again," Silver muttered as he took the picture back. Was it that hard to just admit these guys were evil? "There has been no communication with any outside branches. Everything has been done on their own accord."

"Very well, you two keep up the good work," Looker mentioned to them before turning away from them, his trench coat blowing in the wind. "I'll leave you for now. Explore the city, gather clues, anything that could possibly unravel this case. Good day to you." With that, Looker walked away from the two G-Men who just stood there confused.

* * *

"It's great to be back in Lumiose City! I wonder if daddy's home?" Bonnie asked as she skipped down the sidewalk. Clemont and Cilan were behind her as Clemont tried to make sure she didn't run into anyone and Serena lagged behind them.

"Bonnie, you need to be more careful!" Clemont cried out as he used his Aipom Arm to grab ahold of her and keep her from running into a person. "You can't just run off like this. You need to watch out for others."

"Clemont, can't you be a little easier on her?" Serena asked as she brought up the rear. Clutching Ash's hat, she wondered if he had made it here yet. "Bonnie's just excited to be home. Plus, maybe Ash has already made it here and he's waiting at your house."

"I know, but I can't help it," Clemont sighed as he released his sister from his invention's clutches. "But, maybe you're right. Ash could already be here. We should get going."

"It's quite amusing," Cilan stated while letting out a chuckle. "Your sibling relationship reminds me of my own. You see, as siblings, our bonds with our brothers and sisters is like that of a lemonade. Too much sweetness and it is bitter but not enough and it'll turn sour. But, when one uses the correct amount, it turns into a drink of perfection."

"Sure, whatever you say, Cilan," Bonnie muttered as everyone looked on confused at the Pokémon Connoisseur. Sometimes his little outbursts were strange.

"How you two remind me of the times my brothers and I would argue before coming together in our times of need," Cilan continued on as the others walked on ahead without him.

"I really hope Ash is here," Serena stated to the group as she held onto his hat. "It's been almost a week since he left."

"Yeah, you must really miss him, Bonnie teased as Serena turned a light shade of pink. "You haven't let that hat out of your hands except for when you sleep. It's as if you're worried for him more than us."

"D-Don't be silly, Bonnie," Serena began to say as she felt her face heating up. This girl was going to be the end of her one day if she continued to mess with her. "It's... It's just that... That he's in the Badlands by himself. And well, when Charizard Mega Evolves he kind of loses control." It wasn't a lie, but Serena did leave out how she was missing him. Charizard could always lose control again and with no one with Ash, who knows what would happen.

"Uh huh," Bonnie replied as she stared at Serena with a grin. Her story obviously didn't fool Bonnie at all. "Well, perhaps you'll be able to check up on him if he's at home."

"Speaking about Ash, I wonder if they've finally figured out a way to Mega Evolve properly," Clemont muttered as they turned down a street. It had been over a week since they had last seen Ash at all and the others were wondering if he had mastered it yet

"I hope, tomorrow's my next Showcase and I hope he'll be there for it," Serena muttered before Pikachu rubbed his head against her cheek.

"Pikaaa," he cried out while trying to cheer her up. He missed Ash just as much as everyone else if not more than everyone.

"You must really miss him, don't you Pikachu?" Serena asked before scratching behind his ear. She had never seen the duo separated before and so this was strange for her. "I'm sure he'll be here."

Walking around the corner once more, the group came to a stop as they noticed Meyer talking to someone. "Huh, who's dad talking to?" Clemont asked as they could make out his father, Clembot and a third boy who was too far away to distinguish.

"Whoever it is, things appear to be heating up just like a Tamato Berry," Cilan explained as they noticed the boy throw his hands up in frustration. They could now make out his features a little better and noticed he was roughly Ash's height with dark blue hair that branched off in all directions. He was dressed in a white and red jacket and had blue pants on to go along with red sneakers.

As they walked closer, the group could start to make out the ongoing conversation that was occurring. "I'm sorry, but this is the current Gym Leader," Meyer could be heard saying as he pointed to Clembot.

"If you want a battle you'll have to accept that Clembot will be your opponent. Clemont isn't around right now since he's away. And the fill in is Clembot."

"I'm not interested in battling a robot," the boy stated with a sound of frustration in his voice. "I traveled all the way from Unova to compete at the Kalos League and I have no intention of earning my eighth Gym Badge from a machine!"

"What kind of Gym Leader leaves his Gym to travel? I had heard stories about the Lumiose Gym Leader helping to protect the city during an attack. Yet when I come to challenge him he's nowhere to be seen. I'm disappointed in the fact he's too weak to fight his own battles and instead has a tin-can take his place."

"I don't appreciate the way you're talking about my friend like that," Clemont stated as he and the others walked up behind the boy. "I'm flattered that you traveled all the way here to face me personally, but Clembot is more than a robot, he's family to me and you can't just say that about him."

"So, you're the electric whiz kid, Clemont," the boy stated as he placed his two hands in his pockets. "The name's Hugh. I've traveled all the way from Unova and I want a Gym Battle. If you're not scared of course."

Clemont looked on with determination in his face. He may not know who this Hugh was or why he came to the Lumiose Gym for his final Gym Badge, but he couldn't just insult Clembot or even himself for that matter. "I'll gladly accept your request. If you could follow me to the Gym please," he stated before passing by Hugh, an air of confidence only seen during his Gym Battle with Ash and when Team Flare attacked his city.

"Now, we're talking," Hugh muttered while smirking. Moving forward with an equal amount of confidence in his own step, Hugh seemed ready for this match. He had been looking forward to this.

"I've never seen Clemont like this," Serena muttered to Bonnie as they all followed behind the two trainers. He seemed like a completely different person right now.

"Well, his pride as a Gym Leader is on the line," Cilan joined in while he pointed upwards with one finger and waved it back and forth. "He's not battling just any trainer, this guy specifically searched for Clemont's Gym like a chef searches for only the freshest ingredients. Imagine if someone called Ash out, he would be ready to prove them wrong as well."

"There isn't any need to worry though," Bonnie said as she smiled widely. "Clemont has this one easily. He's much stronger than when he battled Ash and look at how close that was."

"I wouldn't be too confident about that Bonnie," Meyer stated while ruffling the hair on his daughter's head. "Even Clemont knows that his challengers would most likely counter his Electric-Types with Ground-Type Pokémon. He knows that he'll need to work hard for this battle as not only to give the challenger a great battle but for his pride as both a Gym Leader and an Electric-Type specialist."

* * *

"I will be today's referee for the match," Clembot spoke as he pointed towards himself with his metallic hands. "The match is between the Gym Leader Clemont and the challenger, Hugh of Aspertia City. The match will be a three-on-three with the winner being decided upon when one side loses all three of their Pokémon. Finally, the challenger will be allowed to switch out freely. Now, begin!" He cried out while dropping his arm towards the ground.

"I expect you to give it your all," Clemont stated to Hugh as he raised a Poké Ball up near his chest. Tossing it forward, he cried out. "Come on out, Luxray!"

With a light thud, the Electric-Type landed on the ground as he got down low, ready to pounce at whoever his opponent may be. "Lux," he muttered in anticipation. Battling with Clembot was one thing, but alongside Clemont was something completely different.

"An Electric-Type, just as I thought," Hugh muttered as he reached into the pouch that was strapped to his waist. Pulling out his own Poké Ball, the Unova native tossed it forward. "Flygon, you're us first!" As the device opened up, the Dragon and Ground-Type emerged in the air as he flew above the field waiting for the first command.

"You're not the first Electric-Type Gym I've faced and this time I'm completely prepared for it," Hugh remarked as he smirked at the blond Gym Leader across from him. "Since Ground-Types are immune to Electric-Types I'll be able to see just what you're really made of."

Clemont just smirked back as the two appeared to be in a stare down as neither broke their stare. "Perhaps if you challenged me before my travels you might have me there but a friend of mine has taught me there's more to a battle than just type matchups. Luxray, use Electric Terrain!"

"Luxray!" The Gleam Eyes Pokémon cried out happily as electricity surged from his body and covered the entire Gym floor. The field was now covered in a yellow tint as electricity surged off of the ground.

"Hmm, obviously a plan to set up for later on," Hugh muttered as he watched the now changed field with interest. Perhaps it would come into play later on, but for now he had to focus on the match in front of him.

"Alright, Flygon start off with a Flamethrower attack!" Flygon nodded in agreement before flying forward towards Luxray. Once within range, the Mystic Pokémon opened his mouth as flames began to form. Launching the Fire-Type move, Flygon appeared to have landed a direct hit.

Clemont watched on as the Flamethrower approached his Pokémon and looked at the situation with a clear mind. One thought was running through his head on how to avoid this attack: be like Ash. Nodding to himself, Clemont threw his left hand forward. "Luxray, use your hind legs as a spring! Avoid the attack and then counter with Swift!"

Doing just as he was asked, Luxray readied his hind legs as he waited for the perfect opportunity to dodge. Waiting until the stream of flames were about to crash onto him, Luxray jumped upwards, shocking Hugh with his incredible leaping abilities before swinging his tail forward. A stream of stars soon formed from the backend of his tail as all of them crashed into Flygon.

"If you want this badge, you'll have to do better than this," Clemont told his opponent only to be shocked to see Flygon fully recovered already.

"Don't worry, I plan on it," Hugh replied as he threw his right fist forward. "Dragon Rush! Now that Luxray has no way to dodge he's open for an attack!" Flying forward, Flygon was soon enveloped in blue energy that took on the shape of a Dragon and was now heading right for a falling Luxray.

"Alright, this might only work once but we'll have to try! Luxray, use Wild Charge!" Clemont cried out as the Electric-Type looked to be running on air as his entire body was covered in an electrical current. If they couldn't dodge, then they could at least fight back!

The two Pokémon crashed hard into each other as an explosion soon followed as the two showed off their strength. Both Pokémon began their descent as Luxray fell faster and harder than Flygon, who managed to float thanks to his wings.

Landing on the ground with a loud thud, Luxray appeared to be shaken up a little but for the current situation he was perfectly fine. Nodding back at Clemont, the duo were ready to continue on with their battle and would win it no matter what.

"Okay, Luxray, now use Swift!" Jumping upwards, Luxray swung his tail forward once more as a dozen stars formed. Flinging them forward, they shot towards Flygon with amazing speed and precision.

"Block them with your Dragon Tail attack, Flygon!" Hugh called out as he swept his arm across his entire body.

Flipping forward in the air, Flygon twisted his tail forward as it was quickly covered in green scales. "Fly!" The Mystic Pokémon constantly cried out as he smashed through each of the stars with ease. Then, once a path was clear, he charged forward. Swinging his tail down towards Luxray, both Pokémon were prepared for anything.

"Now, use Thunder Fang! Grab ahold of Flygon's tail and don't let go!" Clemont called out, shocking everyone as Luxray opened his mouth. Electricity soon flowed from his open mouth as the aura from it formed fangs.

"Luxray, lux!" He cried out energetically as he clamped his mouth down around the scaly tail of his opponent. Neither Pokémon managed to land their attacks due to the stalemate and so it looked like nothing would come from this attack.

"Not bad, I see exactly what you're doing," Hugh praised as he waved his hand back and forth. "However, you'll have to actually hurt us to beat us. Now, Flygon, throw that annoying Pokémon into the sky!"

"Flygon," the Mystic Pokémon muttered as he swung his tail around with all his might. However, Luxray wouldn't let go and instead sunk his fangs in deeper to make sure he wouldn't lose his grip.

* * *

"What is Clemont doing out there?" Bonnie asked as everyone watched Luxray hang onto Flygon's tail with everything he had. To them, it seemed like Clemont was playing defensively the entire battle. "He's got to do something otherwise Luxray won't hold on much longer."

"He's actually doing an excellent job, Bonnie," Meyer answered as he smirked at the scene before them. Meyer could tell that Clemont had a plan set up from the moment Flygon appeared on the field. "Despite Electric-Type moves being ineffective, Clemont is actually managing to keep the pace of the battle to his liking."

"Yes, Wild Charge and Thunder Fang didn't inflict any damage to Flygon but it still is tiring him out. Look right now, all the effort and energy being used by Flygon is tiring him out. By this point, Clemont is hoping that Luxray can hold longer than Flygon."

"It makes sense," Cilan muttered as everyone watched as Luxray was thrown upwards towards the sky. "Clemont knows none of his attacks can inflict any damage to Flygon so he used Electric Terrain to power up his moves. Then the ensuing explosions like from when Wild Charge and Dragon Rush collided will be larger and the aftereffect will hurt Flygon."

"He's really grown in this past year, more so than even he imagined," Meyer responded as they all looked at Clemont. He appeared to be calm even in this situation, something that everyone know wouldn't have been the case when they first met him.

"Now, Luxray, use Wild Charge!" Clemont could be heard crying out as Luxray fell through the sky. Electricity surged off of his body as the move was powered up thanks to the effect of the Electric Terrain. To everyone watching, Luxray looked like a bolt of lightning from a storm more so than himself.

"Please, don't think we'll just sit back and let you do this," Hugh stated confidently as he placed a hand on his hip. He knew what Clemont had planned and he wasn't going to fall for it. "Flygon, dodge it and fly upwards!"

"Flyyyy!" The Ground and Dragon-Type cried out before a burst of speed lifted him off of the ground. Flying right past the surging Luxray, Flygon watched as the Electric-Type crashed into the ground and formed a crater from the impact.

"I know just what your strategy is now. You're hoping to tire us out to the point we can't fight back," Hugh told the young Inventor, much to Clemont's surprise. It wasn't too hard to realize though. He had commanded Luxray to use three Electric-Type moves and Swift. What else could he have done?

"It became obvious the moment you used Thunder Fang to grip onto Flygon's tail. But, this match is over! Flygon, use Dragon Rush!"

"Gon, flygon!" The Mystic Pokémon cried out happily before nosediving right for Luxray. Flygon was quickly covered in the same blue aura from before and was on a direct collision with the Gleam Eyes Pokémon.

" _Think, Clemont, there has to be something you can do,"_ he thought to himself as Flygon drew closer. They couldn't keep going on the defensive but they also had no way to go on the offensive. There had to be something though! Looking around, the young inventor soon noticed something interesting. The portion of the field wrecked from Luxray's collision had kicked up some chunks which were still flowing with Electricity.

"Perhaps I can use that..." Clemont muttered to himself before deciding to go for it. "Alright, Luxray, Wild Charge once more!"

"Lux!" The Electric-Type cried out before his entire body was covered in electricity. This time however, the flow not only remained on him but it also was attracted to the chunks of rock scattered around the field. Soon, the bits and pieces were all attracted to Luxray as they appeared to form a shield of sorts for the Electric-Type.

Surprised by the sudden command, both Flygon and Hugh had no way to counter it and so, the Ground and Dragon-Type crashed hard into the rock shield as an explosion occurred. The rocks were shattered into hundreds of pieces as the explosion kicked them all over the field and dust clouded out their view of the two Pokémon.

Waiting for the dust to finally settle, everyone was surprised to see both Pokémon completely unconscious from the previous attacks. Nodding, Clembot raised both of his mechanical arms upwards. "Both Luxray and Flygon are unable to battle. Both sides are now down to two Pokémon each!"

"Thank you, Luxray, you battled valiantly," Clemont said to the defeated Pokémon into his Poké Ball. Then, he reached for a second Poké Ball but before tossing it he looked over at Hugh who has thanking his Flygon.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me how you saw through my plan," he asked as Hugh had his second Poké Ball in his hand already.

"The way you played defensively the entire battle gave it away," Hugh responded with a smirk. "It worked out real well however. That last move caught me by surprise. However, I would recommend teaching Luxray a move to cover his weakness to Ground-Types."

"As a Gym Leader, I thank you for the advice, but, this battle isn't over yet! There's still a lot left in this match if you want the Voltage Badge! Now, you're up, Helioisk!" Clemont cried out as the Generator Pokémon emerged from the Poké Ball before dancing happily.

"Another Electric-Type," Hugh muttered as he looked at the Poké Ball in his hand. He had wanted to give his latest capture a chance but decided against it after how Clemont surprised him last time. Placing it back in his bag, Hugh picked a different Pokémon. "Play time's over! Liepard, go!"

The Dark-Type landed on the field gracefully as it looked at its opponent with interest. To Liepard's surprise, Helioisk was dancing happily while waiting for a command. Getting ready to attack, Liepard awaited Hugh's command.

"Liepard start off with Dark Pulse!" Hugh called out as the Cruel Pokémon opened its mouth. Charging up the black and purple beam of energy before firing it off.

"Quick, Helioisk, counter with Thunder Wave!" Clemont called out while fixing his glasses. The Electric and Normal-Type opened his frills before pointing his tail forward. Rings of electricity soon shot out of it as it collided with the incoming Dark Pulse before the two attacks exploded.

"Now, use Parabolic Charge!"

"Helio!" The Generator Pokémon cried out before opening his frills. Then, before anyone could even say anything, a large ball of electricity shot straight up into the sky before breaking off into multiple streaks of lightning.

"Dodge it!" Hugh called out as Liepard jumped to avoid one of the blasts of electricity. The Dark-Type then managed to maneuver its way around each blast through the use of perfectly timed movements to get through the attack unharmed. "And now use Night Slash!"

"Liepard!" The Cruel Pokémon cried out as it appeared to push across the field. Moving stealthily, the Dark-Type appeared out of nowhere to slash its now glowing purple claws against Helioisk's stomach.

The Electric and Normal-Type skidded across the field before coming to a stop in front of Clemont. He was obviously shaken up by that last attack, some scratch marks across his chest and arms. They would have to change things up if they wanted to win.

"Helioisk, are you alright?" Clemont asked as the Generator Pokémon happily nodded before preparing to launch a counterattack. Raising his arms up into the air, Helioisk was ready to attack or defend based on whatever happened next. "Alright, then get in close and use your Dragon Tail attack!"

"Helio!" Helioisk cried out in joy before sprinting across the field and towards Liepard. The Electric and Normal-Type was practically slithering across the Gym floor as he stayed low to the ground while running. Moving so swiftly, Helioisk was now hard to keep track of and was also making Hugh go on the defensive.

"He's fast..." Hugh muttered while a smirk formed on his face from trying to watch Helioisk as he ran around freely. _"Clemont's trained his Pokémon well. Just as I had wanted for my final Gym Battle, but I will win!"_ Hugh thought to himself before punching up into the air. "Liepard, Double Team now!"

"Lie!" Liepard cried out before flashing white. Within seconds, dozens of copies formed as Helioisk sliced through one of them with his tail. Clemont bit his lip as he looked at the situation, they were so close to landing a hit too.

"Helioisk?" The Generator Pokémon asked as he looked around in confusion. One Liepard had turned into over a dozen and they were all looking at him with a devious grin that left him feeling unsettled.

"This is over now, Clemont! Dark Pulse, let's go!" Hugh yelled out as he threw his right fist forward. It had been an interesting battle up to this point, but Hugh had to end this now. Clemont still had one more Pokémon left and if he had already used the Luxray that he saw on TV, then whatever was left must be pretty strong. He was going to need everything he had to beat him. Opening their mouths, Liepard and its copies were not preparing to strike.

"Not so fast," Clemont responded back as he swept his left arm across his body. He still had one more thing to try out. "We still have one trick up our sleeves! Helioisk, dodge with Flash!"

Opening his frills, Helioisk got low to the ground as a white flash of light filled the room. Everyone were blinded from the light and were unable to see Helioisk dodge the attack, but could hear the explosion and vanishing Double Team copies which signaled at the very least Helioisk avoided some of the attack.

"Now! Get in there with Dragon Tail!" Clemont's voice could be heard from the bright light. Before the light died down, everyone listened on as they all could make out the sound of Helioisk running across the field followed by the sound of a swift movement. No doubt it was him swinging his tail down onto Liepard. This was soon followed by a loud smashing sound and so everyone assumed he had landed the attack easily.

However, to Clemont's surprise, Helioisk didn't land the attack but instead was locked in a stalemate with Liepard. Helioisk's Dragon Tail was clashing with Liepard's Night Slash and neither Pokémon appeared ready to back down just yet. But, Liepard had the ground to push off of and managed to overpower Helioisk to the point of sending him flying back onto the Gym floor.

"That was a close call," Hugh smirked while placing his hands into his pockets. Who knows what could have happened if that last move landed? "It Liepard hadn't heard his footsteps, Helioisk might have landed that attack after all."

"But now!" Hugh started to yell out as he removed his hands from his pockets. Throwing his opened left hand forward, he quickly formed a fist with it and pulled it back, close to his chest. "Now, it's time to really end this! Hyper Beam, Liepard!"

"Liepard!" The Cruel Pokémon cried out as it jumped into the air. Raising its head and pointing it towards the ceiling, a large purple and black beam formed in its mouth. It was definitely different than a Dark Pulse as it appeared to be much more powerful just based on its size alone.

"Liepard then whipped its head forward as the beam was fired off. Crashing hard into the Gym's floor, the Hyper Beam attack flew across the ground as it teared up bits of the Gym. Then, with Helioisk just getting up from the last attack, the powerful blast slammed hard into the Electric and Normal-Type as he was shot backwards from the ensuing explosion.

"Helioisk!?" Clemont called out in concern as he watched the Electric and Normal-Type get back up only to collapse from his fatigue. "Helioisk, are you alright?"

"Heli," the Generator Pokémon muttered as he laid on the floor defeated. He had tried giving his all, but it wasn't enough to win today.

"Helioisk is unable to battle! The winner is Liepard," Clembot announced as he pointed in the direction of Hugh and Liepard.

Clemont nodded in agreement as he raised Helioisk's Poké Ball. "Thank you, Helioisk," he said while recalling the defeated Pokémon into his device. "You battled great out there. Now just leave the rest to Manectric."

"That was a good battle," Hugh called out as he waited for Clemont to make his third choice. "I was expecting a challenge like this and you haven't disappointed me yet."

"Well, it isn't over just yet," Clemont called out as he pointed his third and final Poké Ball out towards Hugh. "Time for Pokémon number three! Manectric, go!"

* * *

"Ohh, Clemont has a Manectric now," Meyer stated with interest as he folded his arms over his chest. "I didn't know he caught another Electric-Type Pokémon. This should be interesting to see how they battle together."

"Yeah, daddy, Clemont caught him not too long ago," Bonnie said as they watched on in anticipation for the first moves. "They're kind of similar though."

"How so?" Meyer asked with interest. For a Pokémon Clemont just recently caught to already be close to him would be something else.

"Well, it's hard to explain but, they're both always so serious. They can never relax and have fun," Bonnie began explaining as Meyer noted the similar stare from his son and his Pokémon. "Also, their stubborn. Like, Clemont won't let me find him a keeper, but even Manectric won't let me brush his fur."

"My, sounds like they are very similar," Meyer laughed as he looked at his daughter's annoyed expression. If they had grown this close in a short amount of time, imagine if they were training during that time.

"Alright, Manectric, start off with a Thunder Wave attack!" Clemont called out as the Discharge Pokémon lowered his front legs before a wave of electricity surged from his body. Flying out across the field, the status move crashed into Liepard as electricity could be seen flowing all over its body.

"And now, get in close and use Bite!"

"Liepard, counter with your Night Slash attack," Hugh called out, but it was for no good. As soon as Liepard tried to raise its claw, electricity flowed through the Dark-Type's body and made it unable to move. Then, before either of them knew it, Manectric was already biting down onto Liepard.

"Yes! Keep it up Manectric, give it everything you have!" Clemont pleaded with the Electric-Type as Liepard tried to shake him off to no avail. No matter how hard Liepard shook, Manectric just clung on harder.

"Well then, we'll have to do it the hard way," Hugh muttered as he threw a fist forward. He was going to pull off a trick he saw on old Sinnoh League reruns they showed on TV. "Liepard, drop to the ground and spin! Then use Dark Pulse."

"Lie," the Dark-Type cried out in agreement before falling onto its back. Manectric was caught by surprise from this and instinctively let go. However, he was still too close to Liepard as the Cruel Pokémon began spinning while launching off a Dark Pulse. Manectric was caught in the attack as the purple and black beam was shot off in all directions.

"Manec!" The Electric-Type cried out as he was flung backwards. Getting back up, Manectric knew it would take more than just that to beat him. He was not going down after just one attack.

"That's counter shield," Clemont muttered as he looked on in awe. He had no idea that other trainers knew of Ash's technique despite how often they aired reruns of previous Leagues.

"You like it?" Hugh asked with a smirk. He had just recently learnt about this little technique and thought it was great. It allowed him to attack and defend at the same exact time and he was hoping to slightly tweak it to match his battling style. "I saw some trainer by the name of Paul use it in the Sinnoh League, he's really something else to create such an idea like this. But, by your reaction I can tell you've seen it before."

"A close friend of mine, Ash, taught me it as well. But, you've got your facts mixed up, whoever this Paul is didn't create the technique," Clemont responded as he watched as Liepard stopped spinning and jumped onto its four feet before getting ready to pounce again.

"Please, then why didn't Ash use it in his Quarter-Final match against Paul?" Hugh asked as he raised one eyebrow curiously. He didn't care who created the move, just that he wanted to ask them how they created something so great. "But, now isn't the time! Liepard, Double Team and Then Hyper Beam!"

"We're not allowing that!" Clemont called out while pointing forward with his index finger. Quickly swiping to his right with the same hand, he issued the next command. "Manectric, you use your Double Team and then use Thunder!"

"Manectric!" Manectric cried out as both Pokémon flashed white at the same exact moment. Then, there were dozens of Manectric and Liepard on the field that it was hard to see where one group of copies ended and the other began. Both of these trainers were getting into it now.

Electricity soon flowed all over Manectric's body as the electricity from the Electric Terrain soon flowed out of the ground and joined with the Manectric. Liepard, likewise was charging up its attack as the familiar black and purple beam was forming in its mouth. Then, at the same exact moment, the two attacks were launched off as a huge explosion occurred from the blast.

A gust of wind was created as dirt and rocks were thrown all around the field. The wind got so powerful that Clemont had to firmly plant his feet onto the ground as he felt himself being pushed backwards. Looking over at Hugh, Clemont couldn't help but smirk as he noticed the determined expression on the challenger's face. This was the joy of being a Gym Leader, pushing your challengers to their limits and watching them grow in battle.

"Manectric, are you good to continue?" Clemont asked as the Discharge Pokémon had a few bruises from the explosion. Shaking off any pain, Manectric signaled that he was perfectly fine to continue on in this battle. He couldn't give up, he had to win this.

"Alright, then get in close with Bite!"

"Liepard?" Hugh asked with concern as he saw the electricity flowing through the Cruel Pokémon's body once more. Giving a glance that told Hugh it was fine, the trainer issued the next command. "Alright, use Night Slash to block that attack!"

The two Pokémon raced out across the field, avoiding the missing portions of it and then lunged forward as Manectric sunk his teeth into Liepard's glowing claw. Sparks soon formed as an explosion followed the confrontation, forcing both Pokémon to jump backwards and call off their current assault.

" _He's good. Everything I've thrown at him, he's managed to counter,"_ Clemont thought to himself as he watched Liepard disappear for a split second. This thing was getting to be a nuisance for him and so they needed to get rid of it now!

"Okay, Manectric, let's put our training to good use," Clemont said while adjusting his glasses by pushing up on them. "Use Thunder, but just like we practiced!"

"Manec!" The Electric-Type cried out happily as he fired off a large Thunder attack. Only this time, instead of one large bolt, the attack appeared to split off into multiple bursts that covered the entire field. Not only that, but thanks to Electric Terrain, the power of the blast was increased and sent a jolt of electricity throughout the entire field.

"Liepard!" The Dark-Type cried out in pain as it fell to the ground following the attack. Just as Clemont had thought, it was trying to constantly move and stay out of sight. But, thanks to his attack it had felt the effects of the Thunder attack. Yet despite all of the damage it had taken, Liepard stood back up, shocking Clemont.

"You looked surprised," Hugh stated as he placed one hand on his hip while having the other one out in front of him, palm facing the ceiling. "You see, Liepard here was my first Pokémon, a gift from my grandfather before my tenth birthday. Together, we dream of becoming strong enough to protect my family. Years ago, a group of thieves who called themselves Team Plasma, kidnapped my sisters Purrloin. We weren't able to stop them and since then we've trained hard to make sure something like that would never happen again!"

"Now," Hugh started to say as he formed a fist with his open palm ad shook it at Clemont. "Liepard, Hyper Beam!"

"Not yet, Manectric, use Thunder!"

The two Pokémon charged up their most powerful attacks as they put everything they had into this. There was no going back from here, whatever happened after this would decide the battle between these two.

"Now!" They both yelled out as their Pokémon fired off their respective attacks. Once more, an explosion occurred as Thunder met Hyper Beam and unlike before, both trainers were thrown from their feet and landed on the ground due to the blast.

Standing back up, they both quickly looked to the field to see the current situation of the battle and what they saw surprised them greatly. Laying on the ground defeated were both Manectric and Liepard. It had turned into a double knockout for the second time today.

"Both Manectric and Liepard are unable to battle. This means that Hugh is the winner due to the fact he has one remaining Pokémon," Clembot declared as both trainers praised their Pokémon before recalling them.

"Not bad, just like I was hoping for," Hugh muttered as he approached Clemont and Clembot. "I'm much happier about facing you instead of the robot."

"The robot has a name," Clemont mentioned as he took the Voltage Badge out of the case Clembot carried over to him. "But, as a sign of beating the Lumiose Gym, here is the Voltage Badge. You really are quite powerful, Hugh, some of those strategies were excellent."

"Thanks," the blue-haired boy replied as he took the badge and placed it inside of his case. He could now compete at the Kalos League and to add to it, the League had moved its Conference to Lumiose now so he didn't need to worry about traveling. "You were pretty good yourself. Hopefully I'll see you around sometime. Perhaps at the tournament that's coming up," he mentioned before leaving the Gym.

"A tournament?" Clemont muttered as he looked at Clembot in confusion. He hadn't heard of anything like a tournament at all. "What could he be talking about?"

"I'm not so sure myself," Clembot responded as he looked at Clemont in confusion.

* * *

"Clemont lost..." Bonnie muttered as they all watched Hugh leave the Gym. She had thought for sure he was going to win, but that Hugh had gotten the better of him.

"I wouldn't be disappointed at all, Bonnie," Meyer stated proudly as he smiled down at Clemont. "Your brother is turning into quite the fine young Gym Leader. His growth over the past year is so noticeable, that sometimes I even question if he's the same Clemont. Just look at how he got into that battle and how despite Luxray only having Swift as a move to damage Flygon, he created a double knockout."

"I guess you're right, daddy," Bonnie muttered as Clemont and Clembot appeared to be talking about something now. "But that doesn't mean I can't be sad that he lost."

"No, but the least we can do is congratulate him on a hard fought match. He's making quite the name for himself now," Meyer stated boldly as they watched Clemont turn towards them with a somewhat sober look in his eyes. "Hey, son, that was quite the match you had out there!"

"Yeah, but I thought I had him for a moment," Clemont responded as a small smile formed on his face. He never expected that Liepard of his to be that powerful to match blows with Manectric. Especially with Electric Terrain active during the battle. "That Hugh is one good trainer."

"It isn't anything that a little training won't help. Besides, you were at a disadvantage due to his Flygon," Meyer continued to tell his son before Clemont seemed to be lost in thought. "But, why don't we go and get something to eat now? I heard of this nice new restaurant that's open now. Sells the best pastries."

"That sounds like a good idea," Serena responded as herself, Cilan and Bonnie thought about the treats that were sold there.

"What a perfect way to compliment such a spicy and savory battle. The sweetness of the pastries and the delicacy from the meal will help us to calm down after such an invigorating match," Cilan agreed as everyone heard a phone ringing.

"Allow me," Clembot spoke as he caused a huge monitor to appear over the field. Answering the call, everyone had a good surprise as Ash was on the other line.

"Ash!" They all called out happily as the trainer laughed at their response. He wondered how they would react to his current situation. His clothes were a little torn and he was covered in sand and dirt from his time in the desert.

"Hey, it's been a while," he joked as Charizard roared in agreement from the background. He looked to be ready to pass out by now, but he wanted to make this call. "So, Charizard and I just reached a town that's on the outskirts of Lumiose City. We should be there for the Showcase tomorrow," he explained before yawning. It had been a long day of traveling and he was exhausted.

"That's good to hear," Serena replied as she unknowingly clutched onto Ash's hat at the sight of him. She was able to relax now that she knew he would be alright and make it in time for her Showcase. "How was your training?"

"Yes, please tell us how your training went, Ash," Cilan joined in as he too wondered just what happened and if they mastered Mega Evolution yet.

Yawning, Ash rubbed his eyes as he tried to focus on the conversation but it wasn't helping. The more he fought, the more tired he felt. "Well, we ran into this nice guy who helped us..." he started to say before he felt his eyes growing heavy. "And, he helped us... helped us to see... see that, see that we just needed to remember the past," he managed to get out with a yawn thrown in.

"Seems like you've had quite the busy time out there, Ash," Meyer joked before flashing a large grin at the young boy. "Perhaps you should just tell us all about it tomorrow after the Showcase."

"That sounds good," Ash muttered as he felt his eyes drooping again. "I'll see all of you tomorrow then," he finished before shutting off the connection.

* * *

 **So, another Clemont chapter. Hugh is here as well. I haven't played B2W2 but I enjoy him from the B2W2 chapter of the manga so I decided to include him as a pseudo-rival for Clemont. Someone who can push him so to speak. Also, it was different having no Ash for an entire chapter wasn't it? Just wanted to give the others (mainly Clemont) a chance to do something since I'm usually just casting him to the side.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	39. Lumiose Showcase Spectacular

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Clemont was challenged to a Gym Battle by a guy from Unova known as Hugh. Despite giving it his best effort, Clemont couldn't win the match and thus Hugh was the victor.**

 **Ch 39: Lumiose Showcase Spectacular**

* * *

"Ughh, what time is it," Ash muttered as he rolled across the bed. He didn't remember much from yesterday, just that he had gotten into the Pokémon Center late at night. He had called everyone in Lumiose and then went right for bed. Looking at the clock, Ash jumped out of bed in shock.

"We're late!" He screamed while accidently waking Charizard up. The Fire and Flying-Type rolled out of his bed and looked over at his trainer who was changing hectically. "We're going to be late Charizard! We overslept!"

"Rawrr!?" Charizard cried out in shock as he looked at the clock. He could have sworn Ash set the alarm for this morning. They were going to have to rush now to make it in time.

"And now we might miss Serena's Showcase! We have to hurry!"

"Rawrr!?" He cried out, even more shocked. He had picked up on the fact Ash was treating Serena differently but the fact that he had constantly talked about Serena's Showcase while they had made their way through the Badlands had spelled it out to Charizard. Moving quickly, the duo packed their belongings up before checking out of the Center.

"Okay, if we leave now, we should be able to make it in time for the Theme round," Ash stated as he threw his backpack over his shoulder. They were really going to have to move it if they would make it in time. "No time to waste, Charizard. Let's get going."

"Rawr," the Flame Pokémon muttered as he signaled for Ash to get on his back. They would be able to get to Lumiose City faster on his back and hopefully they wouldn't be late this way. Jumping onto the Fire and Flying-Type's back before Charizard flew off for Lumiose City.

* * *

"Where is he?" Serena asked as everyone gathered outside of the Showcase hall. They had all been looking for Ash since he said he would meet up with them there, yet there was no sign of the young trainer. "He said he would be here."

"Knowing Ash, he's probably on his way right now," Clemont said as he tried to lighten the mood. Everyone had been hoping to see him after separating from him almost a week ago. "Why don't you start getting ready, you don't want to be unprepared for the Showcase. I'm sure he'll show up before it starts."

"Pikaaa," Pikachu muttered in a disappointed tone as he looked around for Ash. This had been the longest either of them had been separated and Pikachu was missing his trainer. "Pikapi..."

"It's alright, Pikachu," Serena said to the Electric-Type with a smile. Everyone missed Ash, but his best friend was obviously having the hardest time and so Serena felt she should try to cheer him up a little. "Ash will be here soon. Knowing him, he probably got lost. You know how he is with directions."

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out much happier now. That was definitely the problem, Ash was always getting lost and if it weren't for Serena then he probably would have gotten lost quite a bit more. Happier, Pikachu leapt up onto Serena's shoulder in the same style that he would for Ash and made himself comfortable.

Serena smiled down at the now happier Electric-Type as he smiled back in response. It made her feel good to be able to help Pikachu out right now, but she had to go get ready. She didn't want to make Pikachu get up and so an idea came to her. "Pikachu, how would you like to Perform with us today? It could be a nice surprise for Ash when he gets here."

"Pipika, pikachu!" The Electric-Type said in agreement before nuzzling his face against Serena's cheek. The Performer tried to hold back a laugh, but Pikachu's playful mood was too much and soon she found herself laughing in a playful manner. The duo then made their way into the Showcase hall to go and get ready, leaving the others outside for the time being.

"My, it seems like Pikachu has taken quite the liking to Serena," Cilan pointed out as he looked at Bonnie and Clemont. All three of them had been surprised once Pikachu had agreed to perform with Serena. Despite how friendly he was, no one had expected him to ever want to perform. "Just like a relationship is created between ingredients as they're used for a dish, so is a relationship between people and Pokémon. The finer parts complimenting each other to the point of perfection. Yet, I've never seen Pikachu this affectionate before, it is quite a surprise."

"Well, like Clemont told me before, Pokémon are said to pick up on the feelings of their trainers and express them themselves," Bonnie replied with a grin on her face. Of course, there were instances where this wasn't true but it seemed rather obvious to her.

"But, Bonnie, I don't see how that little tidbit would be useful right now. Pikachu is obviously excited over the fact he'll perform with Serena," Clemont answered as he was confused by Bonnie's statement. How would Pikachu being excited have anything to do with Ash? "I think you're just seeing things that aren't there, Bonnie."

Sighing, both Bonnie and Cilan shook their heads out of their shock. How dense could Clemont be to not see something going on right before his eyes for their entire journey? "Clemont, you're hopeless. And this is why I need to find you a keeper. And there's a lot of candidates here," Bonnie replied as she smirked at her older brother before walking into the Showcase hall.

"Bonnie, I've told you a million times to stop doing this!" Clemont cried out as he rushed to follow her. How many times did he have to stop her from asking every girl they met! "Please don't! Were actually at somewhere people would know me!"

"Those two have a vibrant relationship as well," Cilan laughed before putting his hands behind his back and followed after them. His time in Kalos would surely be an unforgettable experience. "But, you know what they say. The more you fight with someone, it just shows how much you care."

* * *

"Okay, we're all set," Serena mentioned to her partners, all of whom were waiting around for the start of the Lumiose City Showcase. "Now, Pikachu and Sylveon will be going out there for the Performance Battle and then we'll decide on who goes next depending on what the Theme round is. But, I want you three to keep a close eye on Pikachu. Watch how he attacks and defends since this is our weakest point and we're going to need a lot of practice for this."

The group of Pokémon all cried out in agreement as they were ready to go perform with Serena this time. Coumarine had been alright, but if they had learnt anything from it, it was the fact that Ash wasn't the best Performer out there. This time however, they had their sights set on winning that Princess Key and getting on step closer to the Master Class.

"Serena, it really is you!" A familiar voice cried out as Serena turned around to see Nini approaching them with her Smoochum. "I hadn't seen you at any of the Showcases yet and was wondering where you were at. But now that we've met up again, I know this one is going to be a competitive Showcase."

"Yeah, it'll be fun to compete against you, Nini. But, don't expect us to be going easy. We're determined to win our second Princess Key," Serena stated as she looked at Nini with determination in her eyes. She had to win this, she couldn't let her rivals pass her.

"As if either of you have what it takes to defeat me and my beautiful looks," a voice that belonged to only one person stated as Serena sighed once she saw Jessilee walking through the doors and into the waiting room. She had been happy that she hadn't seen Jessilee on TV at the Coumarine Showcase, but of course she just had to be here. "A queen is a person of beauty and last I checked, my beauty is rivaled by none. They might as well just hand me the Princess Key."

"I wouldn't be getting your hopes up just yet, Jessilee," Nini stated as she looked at her fellow Performer. They still had something to settle after Jessilee eliminated Nini from the last Master Class Showcase. Today was as good of a day as ever to get it. "You'll have to beat me if you want that Key."

Jessie eyed the girl in front of her, obviously not remembering who Nini was at all. Finally, it hit her. "I don't think you have any room to speak dearie. Last I checked, you lost in the first round of the Master Class to moi," she said before a smirk crossed over her face. "Oh, and this time, when you lose please have a better control over the water works. I don't need the stage to be covered in your tears when I'm being handed my Key." And with that, Jessilee walked away from the duo while smirking. She had done what she wanted, shaken up the competition and now the path to victory was a little easier.

"Who does she think she is!" Nini was practically yelling by now. Smoochum tried her best to calm down her trainer, but Nini was upset with Jessilee and nothing was working. "With that attitude, she doesn't deserve to be Kalos Queen. It's all about her and no one else, the complete opposite of what a Kalos Queen should be."

"Don't let her get to you," Serena said as she tried to help calm down her friend. She knew how Jessilee acted to try and get any advantage she could in the Showcase. "It's best to ignore her and just beat her out on the stage."

"You're right," Nini responded as she looked on with determination. She was going to win no matter what and show Jessilee just what she was made of. "Smoochum and I are going to win this entire Showcase and earn our first Key!"

Serena was about to respond to her friend, when they all heard the unmistakable voice of Monsieur Pierre. Looking at the screen, the two girls saw the host standing on the stage with his trusty partner Klefki floating around him with this Showcase's Princess Key. "Bonjour! Welcome all you Kalos region lovers of Pokémon! Today, we have many qualified mademoiselles fighting it out for zis!" Pierre cried out as Klefki and the Princess key appeared on the screens all around the stage. "Ze Lumiose Showcase Princess Key is up for grabs one of our lovely mademoiselles will walk away with it!"

Serene continued to watch on in interest as she heard the crowd cheering on in excitement. The stage was set up as sort of an homage to Lumiose City as in the center was a replica Prism Tower and the stage floor had an image of the city map. The Key itself played off of Clemont's Gym as two lightning bolts were placed on either side of the Key which glistened under the spotlight.

Serena could have watched the opening at every Showcase she participated in and never get bored of it, that was just how much she enjoyed it. Paying attention to the duo on the stage, she was quickly shocked out of her interest as heard one of the assistants calling for her.

"Serena!" The assistant cried once more after she turned to face the lady. "You're up first, dear. You need to get going," she mentioned as Serena headed straight for the door, Pikachu and Sylveon following right behind her. Making their way down the hall, Serena and the two Pokémon walked onto the platform as they immediately felt themselves rise up off of the ground.

Covering her eyes with her hand, Serena tried to squint as the light blinded her view. Finally up on the stage, the young Performer heard the thunderous applause from the crowd and couldn't help but smile. She had been disappointed in missing the Coumarine Showcase and it felt nice to be back on the stage. Turning her head to her right, Serena noticed that her opponent had a Leafeon and Glaceon. She could have sworn she had seen her at other Showcases, but the name wasn't coming to her right now. Not that it mattered at all, all Serena needed to worry about was doing well enough to advance.

"One of zese two lovely ladies will be advancing onto ze Theme round! But before zat decision is made, allow them to grace us with zeir opening Performances!" Pierre told the crowd as they applauded for the two ladies. With a swift downward movement of his hand, Pierre signaled for the clock to begin as Serena prepared herself for the beginning.

"Alright, Sylveon, start off with Double Team!" Serena called out as the Fairy-Type flashed white before a dozen or so copies of Sylveon covered the stage as they stood there patiently. "Okay, you know what to do, Sylveon. Dance to your heart's content!"

"Syl!" Sylveon cried out happily as herself and her copies began to dance all over the stage. To the crowd, it appeared to take on the image of a synchronized dance squad thanks to all the different movements Sylveon managed to do. Flips, twirls, spins, you name it, Sylveon was making it look easy while also captivating.

"We won't let them get ahead of us," the other Performer called out. Serena then remembered her name was Sara Lee, but it wasn't important right then. Looking at her, Serena noticed how Glaceon had created what appeared to be a frozen wonderland with a combination of Icy Wind and Ice Beam, freezing the wind particles in the air and with help from the light, creating a sparkling display. "Leafeon, use Razor Leaf on those three!"

"Leaf!" The Grass-Type cried out before over a dozen of razor sharp leaves emerged from her body. Shooting across the stage, the attack was heading right for Serena and her two Pokémon with amazing speed and accuracy.

"Pikachu, stop them with your Thunderbolt!" Serena pleaded as she thought of what Ash would do in this situation. Jumping into the air, Pikachu began to charge up electricity as his entire body surged with energy.

"Pika… Chuuuuu!" The Electric Mouse Pokémon cried out as a bolt of lightning left his body and sprayed all over the stage. Appearing to take on the appearance of an electric whip, Pikachu's Thunderbolt darted all across the stage as it zapped each and every Razor Leaf attack until they were all finished. Landing back on the ground, Pikachu smiled triumphantly as he waited for the next command.

"Okay, Pikachu, use Quick Attack! Sylveon, use a combination of your Swift and Fairy Wind attacks!" Serena called out as she danced alongside the Sylveon copies. Pikachu nodded in agreement before shooting of like a rocket. Sylveon likewise agreed as her and her copies whipped their feelers outwards as a group of golden stars swarmed the stage followed by a sudden gust of pink wind.

"Sylveon!" The Fairy-Type cried out happily as the stars and her copies disintegrated from the gust created by her Fairy Wind attack and formed a sparkling display that was caught in the wind as Serena and Sylveon danced from within much to the crowd's pleasure.

Pikachu meanwhile was still rushing at Leafeon with the intent of landing an attack and helping Serena win this Performance battle. However, that was exactly what Sara Lee had wanted. Smirking, she threw a hand forward and twirled a little.

"Both of you, use Attract! But, Glaceon, freeze yours with Ice Beam!" She called out much to the surprise of Serena and Pikachu. The Electric-Type tried to stop in his tracks once he saw the hearts emerge from Leafeon's eyes but it was too late. Slamming hard into them, Pikachu felt all his sense leave him as he skidded to a stop on the floor.

"Pika..." Pikachu muttered as he spun around, hearts in his eyes from the last command. He was completely infatuated with Leafeon and Serena couldn't do anything about it. "Pi, pika, pika," he continued to say as he just laid there completely under the effects of Attract.

"Glaceon!" The Ice-Type cried out, snapping Serena from her shock as she witnessed the remaining Attract be frozen to create icy hearts filling the gap in the winter wonderland scene. It looked great and Serena had to do something about it.

"Sylveon, time for our finisher," Serena started to say as she looked at the clock. They had roughly thirty seconds remaining and so it was time to end it. But, when she looked down at Sylveon, she was surprised to see the Fairy-Type staring at Pikachu and Leafeon. _"Is she... Glaring at Leafeon? But why?"_ Serena thought as she looked back and forth between her Pokémon and Leafeon. _"She couldn't be... Could she?"_ She thought to herself before shaking the thought out of her head, it could wait for now.

"Sylveon, ready?" Serena called again, this time with the Fairy-Type responding. Starting to dance together, the duo appeared to be capturing the crowd's attention once more as Sylveon and Serena performed a combination of difficult dance moves up until Sylveon leapt from Serena's shoulders and into the air. "Now, Swift!"

"Sylveon!" She cried out with a mix of happiness and... Anger? In her voice as one giant golden star was formed above the duo as they both heard the clock ringing for them to stop. Looking around, they noticed that the crowd appeared to be split over who did better and it would all come down to the judges.

"Merci, mademoiselles for such a captivating performance," Monsieur Pierre cried out as he applauded the duo happily before walking out into the center of the stage. "Now, we wait for ze judges to make their decision to see who shall advance onto the next round!"

Serena and her opponent both waited on in anticipation, but the fact that Sylveon was still glaring in the direction of Leafeon was distracting. Even with Pikachu back to normal, Sylveon still seemed upset, almost like she was jealous that Leafeon had gotten Pikachu's attention. But if that had been the case, why? It wasn't like the duo spent a lot of time together. But, Sylveon did seem to be pretty comfortable around both Pikachu and Bunnelby.

Serena then heard a noise as she was snatched from her thoughts. She would just have to worry about Sylveon after the announcement. Watching the three screens light up, the first showed Serena's image but the second showed Sara Lee. Then, the third screen lit up to reveal Serena and she could breathe again.

"And Performer Serena advances onto the Theme round!" Pierre cried out as the spotlight landed on top of her. "Congratulations Mademoiselle!"

Serena smiled a little a waved to the crowd as she celebrated her victory with Pikachu and Sylveon. As she watched the crowd, she caught sight of her friends cheering yet there was an empty seat there. Ash still hadn't arrived. Seeing this, Serena felt a little saddened yet she kept a smile on her face until her platform was brought down below the stage. Once on her way back to the waiting room, she let out a sigh as a frown formed on her face.

"Syl?" Sylveon asked as she wrapped her feelers around Serena's arm and nuzzled her face against her arm as well. Seeing this, Serena looked down at the Fairy-Type and gave a responsive smile. She didn't need her Pokémon worrying for her.

"I'm alright, Sylveon, really I am," Serena responded as it seemed to make Sylveon a little better as she allowed them all to keep walking again. Making their way into the waiting room, they noticed that everyone was watching the TV with interest and so she made her way over to it. And of course, it was none other than Jessilee on the screen.

"Gourgeist, dear, Seed Bomb and Shadow Ball, keep them coming because I'm on a roll!" Jessie could be heard through the TV. Watching, Serena was surprised to see Jessilee using her Wobbuffet as her defending Pokémon since she had so many others to choose from.

"Gour!" The Grass and Ghost-Type cried out happily before firing off a barrage of seeds into the air. The small Grass-Type move didn't explode as the seeds appeared to be waiting for something instead as they slowly began their descent. Then, Gourgeist fired off the Shadow Ball attack as miniature versions of it collided into each of the seeds and caused an explosion of colors to fill the hall.

Everyone watched on in amazement as Jessilee had just created a fireworks show with just two attacks. Posing for the crowd, Jessilee ate up all the applause as Gourgeist started to mimic her every move.

"That Jessilee really is great at performing," Serena heard one of the other Performers mention as she continued to watch. "The way she uses attacks in such a different manner makes for captivating performances. Plus, by using Wobbuffet she's pretty much made it that her opponent can't attack her."

"I know," another Performer could be heard saying. "The way she combined Leech Seed and Seed Bomb earlier was spectacular as the two attacks created a giant stem that exploded from the inside to create such a beautiful display."

Serena started to drown the two Performers out as she studied Jessilee, unaware that her other Pokémon had approached her. Seeing what the older Performer did, Serena was amazed at how complicated she made simple commands look. She was especially impressed by how Gourgeist was able to launch a Dark Pulse, but have the two strands separated to create to different stands only to have them be fired off at a Seed Bomb.

"Brai?" Braixen asked as she tugged on Serena's vest. They had been waiting for Serena to notice them, yet she appeared too focused on the other Performers right now. Seeing Wobbuffet bounce an attack right back at the other Performer, Serena turned to see her Pokémon waiting for her.

"I'm so sorry, everyone," she said once she realized that she had gotten too interested in Jessilee's performance. She could hear Monsieur Pierre declaring her the winner by knockout, but Serena didn't care right now. "But, Sylveon and Pikachu did a great job today, now it's up to the rest of us to give it our all. Ok?" Serena asked happily as the others nodded in agreement.

"Pika! Pikachu, pi," Pikachu praised Sylveon for her great job out there, especially how she had to carry the entire load of the round once he had been struck by that Attract. He was pretty upset with himself for falling into a trap like that.

"Syl!" Sylveon blurted out as she felt a little blush forming on her face. She thought no one noticed it, but Serena managed to catch it out of the corner of her eye and smiled at it. She felt happy for Sylveon but also that her suspicions were correct.

"Now, we need to prepare for whatever the Theme round is. If it's Poképuffs, then Braixen will go out with me. Otherwise we'll decide on it when it's announced," Serena stated as she smiled at the group of five before her. She was glad they were all working together and even if Pikachu wasn't really hers, it was nice to see him helping out.

"Plan all you want, but like I said before, neither you or your friend are winning today so you might as well forfeit," Jessilee stated boldly as she walked by, bumping Serena as she did so. Serena fell forward a little but was caught by her Pokémon before falling on the ground. "My bad, next time don't get in my way." Jessilee then laughed as she walked by and met the rest of her Pokémon who were waiting for her.

"Thanks everyone," Serena said as she got back onto her feet. That had been uncalled for, but Serena didn't want to start anything. She then noticed her Pokémon were all glaring at Jessilee and her own Pokémon who were returning the glare. "Stop it, please! We'll show them with our Performance. No need to stoop to her level," she told them all before finally getting them to turn away from the other Performer.

"Come on, let's go watch Nini perform, I just heard Monsieur Pierre call her name. Let's go cheer her on." The group then made their way over to the TV and watched as the performance was just starting, with Nini using her Smoochum and Farfetch'd for the round.

"Smoochum dear, use Heart Stamp!" Nini could be heard over the TV as Serena watched her toss the Ice and Psychic-Type up into the air. As she did so, Smoochum spun around as she blew hearts out to the entire crowd.

"Smoochum!" She cried out happily once the entire hall had been filled with hearts. Performing a front flip while in the air, Smoochum landed gracefully on the ground before beginning to dance with her trainer. The duo were in complete synchronization with each other as they looked great out there.

"Now, use Powder Snow!" Twirling around, Smoochum summoned up a large gust of icy wind as a snowy substance filled the hall. In doing so, the hearts were frozen in place and allowed them to use them later on. But that was when Serena noticed something going wrong.

"Farfetch'd!" The Normal and Flying-Type cried out as he was struck by a powerful Rock Slide attack. The force of the attack sent him right into Nini who managed to catch him in time. But, it disrupted her rhythm and because of it, she missed catching Smoochum as she fell back to the ground after their last toss.

The timer appeared to be ticking down rather quickly, but what really worried Serena was the fact Nini's Pokémon weren't going to be able to hang on long enough.

"She isn't paying attention to her opponent," Serena stated nervously as she watched the Solrock launch off another Rock Slide attack which made it hard for the three of them to move now. The attack continued on until both Farfetch'd and Smoochum were knocked out, causing the Performance battle was over. "If she had Farfetch'd ready to attack instead of focusing on only Smoochum, then she would have won."

Serena then realized that this had been almost exactly what had happened to her at her first Showcase since the beginning of the new round. She had been so occupied by it, that she hadn't really focused much on her own performance. Nini on the other hand didn't pay any attention to it and that's what caused her to lose.

Standing there patiently, Serena didn't know what to expect. She knew that Nini could get emotional when it came to Showcases, but the only time she had gotten really upset was back at the Master Class so she prepared herself for the worst case scenario.

As if on cue, Nini entered into the waiting room. She wasn't crying, and there were no signs of prior crying. Instead, it appeared as though she was fine. Serena couldn't tell if she was hiding her emotions or if she was truly fine with all of this. That was when she started to speak. "How does everyone else do so well with this! Every single Showcase I haven't made it past this first round," Nini stated, sounding more frustrated at herself than anything else.

Serena didn't know what to say. On one hand, she knew exactly what was wrong, but on the other she didn't want to make Nini upset. After staring at her friend and rival for a few seconds, Serena sighed as it caught Nini's attention. Knowing that there was no going back now, Serena began to explain what was wrong. "Nini, the problem is that you're too focused on one aspect. You see, I was the same way during my first Showcase since this new round was added, to a degree. You need to be able to switch between performing with one Pokémon and then using the other one to attack. You focused all of your attention into just performing with Smoochum, not even issuing one command to Farfetch'd."

Nini just sat there and took in Serena's words. Thinking back on it, it did make sense to actually have Farfetch'd try and protect them or even attack the other Performers. Heck, they were all doing it themselves. She had just never thought about doing it for herself and instead focused on just the performing aspect of the round. "You're right, Serena," Nini responded as she lowered her head. "I was so focused on one aspect that I was failing in another. And if I don't do something about it soon, then I won't be able to qualify for the Master Class. I'm going to have to start training extra hard for this!"

"Now, go out there and win this Showcase for the both of us," Nini said as she brought her head back up with a smile in Serena's direction. "We can't have Jessilee winning this. I did say she wasn't winning and I plan to stick to that even if it isn't me."

"You know I'll give it everything I've got," Serena responded with an affirmative head nod. "We'll make sure Jessilee doesn't win this Showcase by showing the crowd just what we're made of."

The two girls then stood in silence as neither of them were quite sure on what to say. It was starting to get a little awkward and so Nini decided to go and start training more, much to Smoochum's disappointment. The Psychic and Ice-Type was trying to kiss Pancham when she felt her trainer pick her up. Walking out of the hall, Nini waved goodbye to Serena before she was completely out of sight.

Now by herself, Serena, her Pokémon and Pikachu waited anxiously for the Theme round to begin, but first they had to wait for the rest of the Performance battles to end. One by one, the remaining Performers took their turns until finally she heard Monsieur Pierre's voice appear on the screen before her.

"Ah ha! Today's theme is Poképuff baking! Each Performer will be allowed ze use of exactly one Pokémon as zey create their specialty treat for our judges today!" Pierre explained to the response of thunderous applauses. The crowd was getting fired up and so the host didn't want to make them wait. With a snap of his fingers, the three baking stands rose up out of the ground as the stage was now set for the Theme round to begin. "In just a mere few minutes, we shall be under way! Until zen, please wait in anticipation for what is to be before you!"

"Poképuff baking..." Serena muttered as she looked over at Braixen. It was obvious that the Fire-Type would be the best bet for this, especially after all the practice she had from helping make them way back when they first started on their journey. "I'll go with Braixen on this and then that leaves Pancham and Pichu for the final Performance."

The group gathered before her all cried out in agreement. It seemed that this would be their best chance at winning the entire Showcase with this plan. Waiting in anticipation, the small group watched as groups of Performers came and went to go take part in the Theme round.

To no one's surprise, Jessilee had advanced once again. Having used her Meowth, the duo managed to create another horrible looking dessert but it tasted beyond amazing based on the fact that the three judges' Pokémon devoured them up. Serena still wondered how exactly someone like Jessilee could create a Poképuff that tasted so great but looked horrible on the outside. But, whatever it was, Serena had to give it to her. She was a good Performer even if she rubbed people the wrong way at times.

Finally, it was Serena's turn to head out and so both she and Braixen made their way out to the stage platform as it brought them up to the center stand. Looking at all the ingredients around her, Serena felt good about her chances. Especially if she used the same recipe she always did, it seemed like all the group's Pokémon loved them. All they had to do now was relax and take their time.

"And we have finally reached ze last group of Performers!" Pierre cried out to the crowd as they applauded the three new girls who were up on the stage. "Zey will have exactly thirty minutes to bake an original recipe Poképuff which shall be sampled by ze judges' Pokémon.

Sitting at the judge's section were two people Serena had never seen before and then Nurse Joy and her Wigglytuff. The other two was a man who looked like he should have been at Pokéstar Studios in Unova based on his appearance. He had neatly trimmed blond hair, a black suit coat with matching pants and for some reason he was wearing sunglasses inside the hall and had an Eevee. The other judge, appeared to be the opposite. She was dressed in a simple dress and had black hair that ran down her back and she had a Bidoof. Serena couldn't help but note how different the two judges had dressed up.

With the sound of the buzzer, Serena knew that the clock had started. Getting her supplies together, she made sure to have the correct berries for her base and frosting. "Okay, first we have to make the base," Serena told Braixen as she started to create the mix for the base.

Stirring the mixture in her bowl, Serena quickly added the other ingredients to it before pouring it into the trays. "Okay, Braixen, time to get the oven going. Then, we can start working on the frosting."

"Braixen!" The Fire-Type cried out happily as she lit the oven with a small Flamethrower from her mouth. With the oven at the correct temperature, the duo placed their base into it and set the timer to ten minutes for it to cook to perfection.

"Okay, now it's time for the frosting. First, we'll slice some Oran Berries up real small and mix them into my own secret recipe for an added taste. Braixen, do you mind doing the honors?" Serena asked as she placed the berries on the table before beginning to whip up her frosting.

"Brai," Braixen replied before her claws glowed white. Cutting through the berries, Braixen made sure to dice them small enough so that Serena could then just crush them into the frosting. Moving swiftly, the duo made sure that the entirety of the frosting and flavoring was ready for when the base was finished.

"Those look great, Braixen," Serena praised her partner as they crushed some of the diced berries while leaving a few for a topping. "These are going to go great with the rest of the Poképuff." Stealing a quick glance over at the timer, Serena noticed the base had less than two minutes remaining and that the timer for the competition was down to five minutes. It was going to be close, but now that they had everything finished it would be a swift ending for them.

Gathering all of their finished goods, Serena lined them up in the order of their coating so that she could just go down the line and add each item. Hearing the timer signaling that her base was complete, Serena pulled the tray from the oven to have the smell of fresh Poképuff base fill her and Braixen's nostrils.

"They smell delicious, Braixen," she mentioned as she then placed them down onto the table. "Now all that's left is to put the frosting and topping on and then we should be good," Serena finished saying as she first brushed some frosting on top of the base and then put some more on top of that, only to then finish with a chopped Oran Berry for the decoration. "There! All finished!"

And for Serena, it wasn't a minute too soon as the clock in the background then rang off as she placed the three treats onto their separate dishes. Looking over at Braixen, she noticed the Fire-Type eyeing them with interest, obviously enticed by the smell from them. Serena made a note to herself that she would have to make a fresh batch later tonight for everyone, they had been doing an excellent job ever since they first started on this dream of theirs.

Watching the three judges with anxiety, Serena couldn't help but notice the three Pokémon devouring each of the three Performers' Poképuffs before the judges went into their own thoughts to decide on who should be the one to advance. After a few minutes of deliberating, the judges had finally agreed on who had the best Poképuff. Nodding towards Nurse Joy, the other two judges agreed that she should be the one to announce the winner.

"After thoughtful deliberation, we've decided upon the best Poképuff belonging to Serena," Nurse Joy explained as the stage lights shined on the Performer. Serena was excited, she had advanced onto the next round and now her second Princess Key was only a mere performance away.

Being lifted down off the stage, Serena soon found herself down below the stage once more as both herself and Braixen celebrated their advancement. "Now all we have to do is impress everyone with our performance. I just know Pichu and Pancham can do it. We'll show everyone an unbelievable performance."

"Braixen, brai!" The Fox Pokémon cried out happily before they continued walking down the hall back towards the waiting room. Once back inside, the others soon gathered around them and congratulated the duo on an excellent job.

Looking around now, Serena noticed that some of the Performers who had been eliminated already had left and so the room was rather empty with only a handful of them remaining at this point. Among them was Jessilee who was getting ready to go and perform next with her Seviper and Yanmega.

"Miss Jessilee, you're up next. Please head to the platform to get ready," an attendant said as she stuck her head through the doors. As if on clockwork, Jessilee and her two Pokémon left the room and made their way down the hall. Watching them leave, Serena turned to then stare at Pancham and Pichu.

"Jessilee is going to be our biggest competition left so we're going to have to give it our all," Serena began to say as she could hear the crowd begin to cheer. It had to be for Jessilee. "But, I know we'll win the crowd over with our combinations. Right Pancham and Pichu?"

"Pancham, cham!"

"Chu!"

Smiling at the duo in front of her, Serena and the others soon transitioned their eyes onto the television screen to watch Jessilee perform. The Performer had just made her way onto the stage as she flaunted and posed for the crowd. Serena could only sigh at the way Jessilee acted for the crowd's attention.

"I'm going to dedicate this entire performance for all my adoring fans! And I just know they can't wait to celebrate with moi!" Serena could hear Jessilee state boldly as she only shook her head at the declaration. It was then that Serena noticed Jessilee start her performance.

"Alright, Seviper, let's start our victory parade with a shade of Haze!" She called out as she posed for the entire crowd. Serena had to admit, despite the lack of movement in all of her performances, Jessilee knew what the crowd wanted.

"Seviper!" The Poison-Type cried out as it sprayed out a thick black cloud which caused everyone in the hall to be unable to see anything. The darkness was allowing a creeping feeling to fall over the crowd as they waited in anticipation.

"Now, follow it up with Sonic Boom! We're bringing the doom and gloom to our competition!" She then followed up with as Yanmega flapped her wings and created a white wave that split right through the thick cloud. However, the way that the Sonic Boom sliced through the Haze created spiraling streaks of white and black waves. The sight then dissipated as the Sonic Boom exploded and created a raining effect of shimmering sparkles.

Doing a quick back flip, Jessie was now standing on top of her Seviper's tail as she waved to the crowd. "Okay, Seviper, be a dear, and send me there!" She cried out while pointing to the ceiling. "No need to worry or fear!"

With a swift motion, Seviper had launched Jessie high up into the air. Twirling and performing different motions as she did so, Jessie captivated the crowd with something none of them were expecting; Yanmega to catch her while using her ability. At the right moment, Yanmega's Speed Boost had activated, covering the Bug and Flying-Type in a green glow. As she flew across the stage with her trainer in her appendixes waving to the crowd, a green trail followed behind them as it fit in perfectly with the remaining sparkles from their previous combination.

"We're all set to roll, so give it a go!" She then yelled out as Seviper jumped up into the air. At the same moment, Yanmega released Jessie from her clutches and allowed the Performer to fall towards the ground. During both of their journeys, Jessie and Seviper passed each other and the duo embraced each other much to the crowd's excitement before Jessie finished the decent with a perfect double back flip to land straight up on the stage. Meanwhile, Yanmega had caught Seviper. "And now for the grand finale! Poison Tail and Silver Wind!"

The two Pokémon nodded in agreement as they launched their respective attacks. With the added strength from the Silver Wind, Seviper's Poison Tail managed to be used in a new way, or at least for those seeing it for the first time in Kalos. She had used this combo to a degree during his days as a Coordinator over in the Sinnoh region and knew that it would win it for her this time. The Poison Tail was quickly blown away by the Silver Wind, but by doing so the poison had actually merged with the gusts of wind.

Blowing through the hall, the poison filled Silver Wind had taken on an arrow-shaped design as they flew throughout the remaining sparkles and green light from earlier. Slicing through everything, the purple of the Silver Wind matched perfectly with the green and white from before as the display captivated everyone. And to end it, the different parts of Silver Wind collided with each other, exploding upon contact to create what felt to be a fireworks display.

"Finished!" Jessie cried out over the thunderous applause. She had already been lost in all the attention and hardly noticed as the platform she was on began to descend. "I just love all my adoring fans!" She managed to shout out before her face had vanished.

"She only gets better every time," Serena muttered as Monsieur Pierre then reappeared on the screen. She wasn't paying as much attention now as a girl with her Litleo were now performing. Instead, she was paying more attention to Pichu and Pancham as they had to get ready. "But, we'll shock everyone with how amazing our performance is! If we do it just like we practiced, then we can't lose!"

* * *

"And now, please give a warm welcome to Performer Serena!" Pierre's voice boomed as Serena heard from under the stage. Hearing the applause that rivaled even Jessilee's, Serena felt good about her chances and looked down at Pichu and Pancham. The Fighting-Type appeared fine but Pichu on the other hand looked nervous.

"It'll be alright, Pichu," Serena reassured the Electric-Type before picking her up in her arms. Sometimes she forgot Pichu was still a baby at times due to how well she could do in their practices. But Serena knew the difference between performing in front of people and just practicing. Sure, Pichu did well the other times she performed, but those had been more of a group performance instead of just two meaning that the spotlight would be on her more. "We'll do this together and win the entire Showcase. I know you'll be just fine," she managed to say before the platform began to rise up towards the stage.

"Pichu, chu pi," Pichu responded with as she leapt out of Serena's arms and down onto the platform. She had prepared to give it everything she had and then some. Covering her eyes due to the bright lights coming from the stage, Pichu soon found herself looking out at all the people.

"Ready?" Serena asked happily with a smile to try and keep Pichu calm. Looking up at Serena, Pichu smiled happily as she prepared for the performance. Serena then looked around the hall and once again noticed the empty seat where Ash should have been sitting. Sighing, Serena realized he must have been running late and there was no need to get down about it. She had to stay focused on the performance.

Waiting for the lights to die down a little, Serena then issued her first commands. "Okay, Pancham, Pichu, start off with a Dark Pulse and Thundershock combo!" She said while doing a little twirl. Likewise, Pichu and Pancham had been doing a similar dance before they both did a front flip to prepare themselves.

"Pancham!" The Fighting-Type cried out as he cupped his hands together as the black and purple energy formed within them. Then, launching the attack upwards, Pancham watched as the blast reached the apex of its climb and waited for Pichu.

"Chuuuuuu!" Pichu cried out as she tried to focus on her electrical attack. Managing to focus long enough to build up the electricity, Pichu launched the attack and used all of her might to aim it in the right direction. Instead, the blast split off into multiple directions that surrounded the three of them in what looked to be an electrical shower.

" _Quick, I have to think of something to fix this!"_ Serena thought to herself as she watched the scene. Right now, it looked like Pichu had created a flowing electrical shower around them as Pancham launched a Dark Pulse into the center of it all. "This might work... Pancham!" Serena called out as she caught his attention. "Use Stone Edge to lift the three of us off of the ground, quick! And Pichu, that's good for now!"

"Pan!" The Playful Pokémon cried out before slamming his hands into the ground. At the same time, Pichu stopped her little electrical output and instead waited as stones soon lifted the three of them off of the ground. Surrounding the three of them were a circle of stones that were in the same spots as where Pichu's Thundershock had landed.

"Okay, now this time I want you two to spin on your backs while launching the same attacks!" Serena called out as the two Pokémon did as they were asked. Dropping onto their backs and launching their attacks, the duo managed to create a similar effect to what Pichu had made last time. Only this one had a mixture of Dark Pulse added into it to create a better coloring effect.

"Now, we need to increase the strength of it!" Serena called out as she danced on her center stone. Crying out in agreement, the two performing Pokémon put everything they had into their attacks increased the power to the point that the stones shattered and created a sparkling effect. Seeing this, they were all quick to react as both Pichu and Pancham stopped their attacks.

All three of them then jumped from the remaining Stone Edge stones together as they landed on the ground all at the same time. Looking up at the crowd to see their reactions to the performance so far, one was sticking out to her the most. Standing up in the back, covered from head to toe in dirt and soot was none other than Ash and Charizard, the both of whom appeared to be half-dead from a lack of sleep. But needlessly, they were both cheering on with everything they had in them.

"Okay, ready for our big finisher?" Serena asked her partners as the duo nodded back affirmatively. It was going to be difficult but if it worked, then it would be great! "Okay, Pancham use Arm Thrust on the stone. Pichu, you use Double Slap!"

"Pichu!" The baby Pokémon cried out happily as she ran over to the stone she had been standing on. Pancham likewise had his arm glowing white as well, destroying his rock at the same time.

"Now, let's do this!" Serena called out as she decided to make good use of the remaining stone. Running right at her, Pichu and Pancham came from either side of her before jumping up onto her shoulders. Moving quickly, she then tossed the duo up into the air where they performed a front flip.

"Now! Dark Pulse and Thundershock! Combine them together!" Serena called out as she made her way over to the last stone. She was hoping the others would make the connection to land on the stone considering she had launched them in that direction. Moving quickly, she jumped onto the stone and stood in place as she watched her partners.

Pancham and Pichu then launched their attacks simultaneously as the duo continued to flip in midair. Firing off the attacks, they managed to combine their attacks as an explosion of colors and light exploded over the rock. The duo then began their downward descent as they noticed they would be landing on the rock. Spinning quickly so that they would land on their feet, the duo were surprised to be landing on top of Serena's shoulders instead, landing softly onto them as the three of them signaled to be finished.

Panting heavily, the three continued to watch on with determination and large smiles as they waved to the massive crowd. Based on the sound of the applause and the crowd calling out to her, it seemed like she had a good chance of beating Jessilee.

* * *

"Alors!" Monsieur Pierre cried out to the entire crowd. On stage with him were the five Performers who fought their way to this point and after a hard day's amount of work it all came down to this very moment; the crowd's vote. Standing there alongside her Pokémon, Serena tensed up a little as she waited for the host to begin talking again. "As most of you already know, you all shall be ze deciding factor to name ze winner of today's Showcase. Select ze color of ze Performer who you believe most deserves zis Princess Key by picking it on your Glow Caster s'il-vous-plait!"

With that, the entire crowd picked up their respective Glow Casters and picked their colors. Serena watched as different shades of green, blue and yellow flew by yet there wasn't any pink yet. Worrying about her chances as she watched Jessilee's bar rise quickly, Serena was then overwhelmed by the amount of pink lights she saw coming her way. Before she knew it, the majority of the votes were for her and then she had actually passed Jessilee! It wasn't over yet, however, she had to continue to hope that Jessilee didn't pass her by the end. Watching, Serena noticed that her lead continued to grow until finally, the votes had finished. Looking at the score, Serena realized she had a good twenty-five or so vote lead by the time it had finished and was relieved. The Showcases were a lot closer this time around.

Sighing a breath of relief, Serena and her Pokémon celebrated their victory as the other Performers made their way off of the stage. It had been hard and long, but they were now one step closer to the Master Class. Looking up, they noticed that it was now time to collect their Key and so they made their way over to Monsieur Pierre.

"Congratulations, mademoiselle!" Pierre continued on once Serena was standing in front of him. "Congratulations on winning today's Showcase and on obtaining your second Princess Key of the season. I'm hoping to see much greater things out of you, Performer Serena."

Nodding in agreement, Serena couldn't find the right words to say. Instead, Serena could only watch on in joy as Klefki popped out of his spot on Pierre's staff. Klefki then floated over to the girl as it disconnected the key from its set. "Thank you so much! This is unbelievable!" She finally was able to say once she felt the metallic Key in her hands.

Grasping the key in her own hands now, Serena couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the outcome as she celebrated with her Pokemon. "Ta da! We got the Princess Key!" She shouted out as her Pokemon all cried in agreement while the crowd applauded them on a job well done.

* * *

"I'm sorry for being so late, Serena," Ash said as he sat down for dinner with the others. He had arrived right near the end of her performance, although he didn't know she saw him he had planned on cheering like crazy for her to make up for his lateness. "Our alarm didn't go off and so we actually overslept. But from what I saw, you looked great out there!"

"Thank you, Ash," Serena replied as she started to get some spaghetti onto her fork. She had been disappointed in not seeing Ash for most of the Showcase, but at the time she couldn't have dwelled on it at all. Instead, she just focused on winning the entire thing. That was when she remembered something. "That's right! I still have your hat!"

Moving quickly, Serena left the table and went up to Bonnie's room since that was where she was sleeping in for the time being. Looking through her belongings, she finally found the hat sitting on top of her backpack. Smiling, she picked up the hat and made her way back to the table.

"Here you are, all nice and clean unlike the rest of you," she playfully teased before placing the hat onto his soot filled head. "Just what were you guys doing out there to get this messy?"

"Well, it was very windy riding on Charizard and all the dirt from the Badlands kind of stuck to us and then Charizard used his Flamethrower at one point. It was a hectic day," Ash answered to the best of his ability. Heck, he didn't even fully remember how he got covered in soot. "It's hard to remember since the only thing I was thinking about was seeing you perform today. I didn't want to miss it since I really enjoy watching you perform."

"That means a lot, Ash," Serena replied as she gripped the blue ribbon he had given her so long ago. He may not realize what he had said, but to Serena it meant quite a bit. Watching the entire conversation, Cilan and Bonnie couldn't help but smirk at the scene before them. It was so obvious yet Ash was too dense to understand both his and Serena's feelings.

"But, now you'll be able to see the next Showcase out in Snowbelle City. And from there we can head down to Kiloude City so you can properly challenge Drasna," she explained as Ash pumped his fist into the air.

"Sounds like a plan! And this time, we'll win! Right, Pikachu," Ash asked as his best friend climbed up onto his shoulder and copied his actions.

"Pi pikachu!" The Electric-Type cried out affirmatively before everyone went back to eating their dinner.

The rest of the night was spent with the group catching up on the events that happened since they split up. Ash had gone first, explaining about his events in the Badlands with Charizard and of how he met a Mega Evolution Master named Stone. And that Stone had helped them finally master Mega Evolution through his own ways. Clemont was really the only other one to go since Ash had seen the ending of Serena's Showcase but upon mention of a tournament, Clemont had Ash's full attention.

"Yeah, he had said something along the lines of a tournament happening but I haven't heard about anything yet," Clemont explained as the group sat down in his living room. "You'd think they would advertise it if it was coming up soon."

"Well, this tournament might be the perfect training for me and my Pokémon! We can use it to be in top condition for when we challenge the next two Elite Four members!" Ash cried out happily as he once again punched upwards into the air from excitement. Clemont and the others only laughed at Ash's excitement before turning the TV on to see a special news announcement playing.

"And we bring you live to a special announcement from the Champions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos!" The anchorman on the TV stated as what appeared to be a news conference happening right now. The group all watched in shock over what could be happening at this very moment.

* * *

 **And we come to another close to a Showcase. This one actually turned out longer than I expected but oh well. Anyway, quick thing about Nini leaving, she had done the same thing in Anistar after losing in the Theme round and well, if she stuck around she would have vanished into the background. So better to have her leave then forgotten. One more thing, people might question about Sylveon's crush on Pikachu and how it was implied Pichu liked him. The relationship between Pikachu and Pichu is more of a brother and sister kind. Originally, Pichu had a slight crush, but over time (which happened in a few "filler" chapters I had cut, she saw him as more of a big brother. Hope that clears everything up.**

 **And yes, there's a big announcement and I hope you all realize what it is since I didn't make it subtle at all.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	40. A Tournament Surprise

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Serena managed to win her second Princess Key by defeating "Jessilee" in the freestyle round. Then, later that night a news report had come on the news.**

 **Ch 40: A Tournament Surprise**

* * *

The rest of the night was spent with the group catching up on the events that happened since they split up. Ash had gone first, explaining about his events in the Badlands with Charizard and of how he met a Mega Evolution Master named Stone. And that Stone had helped them finally master Mega Evolution through his own ways. Clemont was really the only other one to go since Ash had seen the ending of Serena's Showcase but upon mention of a tournament, Clemont had Ash's full attention.

"Yeah, he had said something along the lines of a tournament happening but I haven't heard about anything yet," Clemont explained as the group sat down in his living room. "You'd think they would advertise it if it was coming up soon."

"Well, this tournament might be the perfect training for me and my Pokémon! We can use it to be in top condition for when we challenge the next two Elite Four members!" Ash cried out happily as he once again punched upwards into the air from excitement. Clemont and the others only laughed at Ash's excitement before turning the TV on to see a special news announcement playing.

"And we bring you live to a special announcement from the Champions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos!" The anchorman on the TV stated as what appeared to be a news conference happening right now. The group all watched in shock over what could be happening at this very moment.

"I wonder what they could have to say?" Cilan asked as everyone appeared to circle around the television. An announcement this late at night had to be pretty important. "I wonder if it has to do with that tournament Hugh mentioned to you, Clemont."

"Perhaps, but why would they be holding a tournament now of all times? The Kalos League is only a few months away and this would feel out of place," Clemont mentioned as he thought the dates over. The League would be starting in roughly two months, give or take a week. And considering how long it could take to travel to Vanquier Town, it would severely limit the amount of contestants. "The number of participants will be severely limited and if it's in Kalos, why are all the Champions going to announce it."

"Quit asking so many questions, Clemont, it's starting," Bonnie told her older brother before turning the volume up. The Champions had just walked out in front of the large podium and were joined by Mr. Goodshow as they sat down in front of all the reporters while Mr. Goodshow went up to the podium first.

"First off, I would just like to thank the Lumiose Press and Kalos news for covering today's or well, tonight's news depending on where you live," he started off with a short laughter before facing the cameras. "Now, all of you sitting there at home must be curious as to why we've gathered in Kalos of all regions to address this wonderful news. But, before we get to that aspect for tonight, I welcome the current Kalos Champion Diantha to the podium for some news on this year's upcoming Kalos League."

The crowd of journalists began clapping as the elderly man went to take his seat and was replaced at the podium by Diantha herself. The Kalos Champion carried herself with an air of poise as she finally came to a rest at the wooden podium.

"Welcome. I would first like to thank Mr. Goodshow for helping set this entire press conference up in such a short amount of time. It was truly no small task to gather everyone needed for tonight's big news," she began as cameras flashed in the background and reporters tried to get notes taken down. "Now, some of you may have heard but this year's Kalos League location has been moved. In the past, the League Conference has been held in Vanquier Town since that was the sight of the first ever League battle in Kalos. However, among thoughtful discussion, it has come to mine and the League Committee's attention that moving the League to a newer more central location would do wonders for the region of Kalos."

"With that news, we have already begun building a brand new stadium. One which is equipped with state of the art battling fields first used during last year's Kalos League finals," she explained as an image of a hexagonal stadium with large hotels behind it flashed onto the large screen behind her. "This is the new stadium used for the Kalos League starting this year. The location is actually just a few miles north of the city and is easily accessible."

"Now, you might be wondering why we're moving the entire League Conference from such a historic place and it's to signal in a new era for the region of Kalos. One that will live on after we were saved from Team Flare's attack on us. Now, if there are any questions you may have, I will be more than happy to answer them following the remainder of the conference," Diantha finished up as there were hushed mumbles through the crowd and the sounds of cameras flashing all around. Turning to face her manager, Diantha said a few quick words before sitting back down at her spot at the table. Within moments, the podium was removed and microphones were placed in front of each person at the table.

"Now that that is done with, we can get onto the big news," Mr. Goodshow said happily as he leaned forward, palms resting on the table as his eyes looked huge and were filled with excitement. Noticing his look, the reporters moved in closer as they tried to hear his words. "Right now, we're about to drop on you the biggest news to have ever happened in the past fifty years."

Now this had the entire press wondering what was going on. From their seats around the television, Ash and the others were all in amazement at what the news could be. Though by now, Cilan appeared to have pieced everything together based on the information Clemont told them and now this new stadium. It just had to be a tournament! But instead of getting everyone's hopes up, the Unova native decided to stay quiet until further info was revealed.

"Now, like I said this is big!" Mr. Goodshow continued on as he appeared to be stalling. Looking over at Lance, the elderly man noticed that he had nodded to get on to the next part. Clearing his throat, Mr. Goodshow positioned himself to be fully comfortable in his chair. "The news I'm about to tell you all is something that most of you have never heard about. Fifty years ago, the Pokémon League Committee held a tournament for the one-year anniversary of the first League ever held in Kanto."

"Back then, we called it the Pokémon World Tournament due to the sheer amount of entrants. However, after that one event where the world's strongest trainers competed, we agreed to never hold one again unless for a special occasion to keep the historical relevancy of it," the elderly man explained as he motioned for Lance to take over. Mr. Goodshow's health had been on the decline for years, but after the previous Kalos League it had started getting worse and he was thinking it was almost time to step down from his position. Coughing, Mr. Goodshow was obviously unable to continue talking at that moment in time.

"If I may, Mr. Goodshow," Lance asked as he bowed politely to the elder man. This had been part of their plan to introduce the entire concept without it seeming to be out of the blue. Mr. Goodshow nodded in agreement as Lance cleared his throat. "Yes. As Mr. Goodshow was explaining, fifty years ago a tournament was held to commemorate the first Pokémon League Conference. And, in honor of its fiftieth anniversary, we have decided to bring it back for one more time."

The crowd of reporters erupted with questions as soon as Lance finished his sentence and Ash could have sworn he saw Alexa trying to get upfront and separate from the swarm caused by her peers. Not having the time to answer the questions immediately, Lance raised his hand up as if to signal that now wasn't the proper time.

"All questions will be answered by a League spokesman following the press conference," he explained with a smile. "But, I'll explain what I can right now. The tournament will take place in exactly two weeks. The site is none other than the new Kalos League stadium in recognition of Kanto being the first region to join the League Committee and Kalos being the latest as of now. All are welcome to come and compete. And may I say this: bring your best because those of you who wish to win are going to need it. I'll now hand it over to Steven who can explain in more depth."

Sitting down into his seat, Lance turned to Steven who in response stood up from his seat. "Thank you, Lance," he began with before fixing his tie. "As Lance explained, in exactly two weeks at the sight of the very next Kalos League, registration will begin for the event and all are welcome to compete. Other trainers however, have already received invitations from us asking them to come and compete to give us a good show." The audience then picked up on his word choice. Steven had used 'us' instead of 'you' when it came to spectators.

Smiling as he noticed the reaction, Steven continued on with his explanation. "You did not hear me wrong. Us Champions will not be competing. As much as we would all love to, we agreed to stay out of the competition in order to allow others a chance to win. Preliminaries will be held on the opening day of the event and only after a grueling day's worth of hard work and determination will the lucky 18 trainers who advanced be announced."

"In accordance with the League Committee's approval, all League challenges have also been suspended until the conclusion of this tournament so that all may come in participate. That also will include Contests, Showcases, Musicals, and any other competition based goal. Now, this only applies to the Conference and its likewise counterparts and so, you will still be able collect Badges, Ribbons, Keys and any other similar object. I'll now leave you all for the night," Steven said as he placed a hand over his chest and bowed to the crowd of reporters. Getting up along with the other Champions and Mr. Goodshow, the group of six walked off of the stage and made their way out of the room and down the hall.

"And that brings an end to tonight's big news!" The anchorman stated as the coverage was brought back to the station. "We'll bring more news on the tournament once our field reporters find out any more information. But for now, we return you to your regularly scheduled program." With that, the sight of the anchorman left the screen and was replaced by what appeared to be a Contest from a faraway region. The group wasn't paying much attention to it however as a girl with blue hair and a Piplup managed to outlast her opponent and win the Ribbon.

"I can't believe that a tournament is happening now of all times," Ash muttered in excitement as both Pikachu and himself were practically shaking from the thought of all the trainers. "We haven't been in one in a long time. The Junior Cup to be exact, right buddy?" Ash asked as he counted on his fingers all of the non-Conference tournaments he had competed in."

"Are they that different from a normal League match?" Serena asked as she looked out the window to gaze at the stars for a moment. "Could they really be that much different?"

"They're not too different but it's the thrill of it and how different tournaments have different set ups," Ash explained as Pikachu leapt into his lap and the duo exchanged a smile. "Like, some have a tag-team set up and others are single one-on-one battles. But the best part is you never know what Pokémon you'll battle or who you'll meet. I've met some interesting people from entering in some."

"Are all tournaments battle oriented as well then?" Bonnie asked as she laid across her family's couch as the others were now standing.

"Well, I guess you could consider something like the PokéRinger a tournament," Ash mumbled to himself as he nodded in agreement with his thoughts. "Yeah, for sure there are. And I've competed in a few of them. Some are more like competitions than tournaments but they're still just as much fun."

"I wish I could compete in them," Bonnie replied with enthusiasm in her voice. From the way Ash described them made it sound exciting.

"They're quite the extraordinary experience. So many ingredients are placed into a mixing pot of pure competition to create a delicate blend of excitement, thrill and just an overall good time."

"You've competed as well?" Bonnie asked Cilan as she eyed him. She didn't believe that someone like him actually competed in a tournament.

Cilan just shook his finger back and forth as he laughed at the girl's question. "Why of course I've competed in them. A tournament is the perfect location for a Connoisseur such as myself to meet as many people and Pokémon and evaluate their bonds."

"Did you make it far? There had to be plenty of strong trainers competing in them. It must have been quite the excellent learning experience," Clemont joined in as he fixed his glasses. Perhaps it could give him some valuable experience as well.

"Well, you're looking at a two-time quarter-finalist along with a semi-finals position as well," Cilan explained, making sure to leave out the fact that there were only sixteen trainers who competed in these tournaments.

Just at that moment, Meyer appeared within the doorframe holding a few envelopes. "I guess these make sense then," he said as he placed the white envelopes down on the coffee table. Spreading across the wooden piece of furniture, the envelopes appeared marked with Ash, Clemont and Serena's names on them. "Serena, your mother sent yours here since she figured you'd be passing by. Same thing with yours Ash. I had no clue what they could be for, but I have a pretty good thought now." After that, Meyer left the room as quietly as he had first entered it.

Opening their envelopes up, the three trainers were surprised to find personal invitations to the tournament since they didn't really expect to have gotten them. Reading them over, they realized that duo to their actions during the crisis that struck Kalos not too long ago, along with Ash's Conference win that they were all seen as strong enough trainers to warrant the invitation.

"I wonder what the other ones are for though," Ash muttered out loud before he opened them all and read them. Sifting through them, he noticed that he had received letters from every Champion he had met, except Alder for some reason, to come and compete. "I never thought that I would be getting invited by all these people."

"It makes sense that you would," Serena told him while smiling. He was probably the best trainer she had seen that wasn't a Champion and so it was a no brainer they would all invite him. Plus, he saved the entire world from Team Flare. "And it makes sense for Clemont as well since he's a Gym Leader but I don't understand why Diantha would invite me. I'm just a Performer."

"Serena, you fought just as hard as the rest of us against Team Flare. There should be no doubt in your mind that you should be invited," Ash explained as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're a better battler than you give yourself credit for. It's just the fact you don't battle often that you don't realize it."

"Getting kind of close there, aren't you Ash?" Bonnie asked with a wide smirk as she noticed how close Ash was to Serena. As he had been talking to her, the young trainer had placed his other hand on her shoulder and he was now right in front of her. In fact, if he moved a few inches closer, their bodies would be touching.

"Huh? What are you talking about Bonnie?" Ash asked as he turned to face her. In doing so, he removed his hands from Serena's shoulders and turned his body towards Bonnie. "I was just telling her the truth."

"Whatever you say, Ash," Bonnie continued on with a smirk as she watched Ash's confused expression and Serena's now red face. She couldn't believe how neither of them realized how close they had been at that point. Deciding to change the subject since Ash wasn't getting it at all, she spoke again. "So are you going to respond then?"

"Well, I'd rather sign up at the tournament," Ash responded as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm honored that they invited me to compete but I don't want to be treated any differently than other trainers. I want the same treatment as them."

"Well, what about you two?" Bonnie asked as she changed her focus over towards Clemont and Serena. Clemont had seemed rather focused on the invitation while Serena was trying to get herself composed again. "Are you going to compete?"

"I-I'm not sure about it yet," Serena answered as she looked back down at the invitation. It sounded like a fun time but was she out of her league competing? "It would be an interesting experience but I think I would be just a little outmatched."

"You shouldn't let that hold you back," Ash replied as he looked at his invitations again. He knew there would be so many people entering that it would be a good chance that Serena could be matched up with someone of her own skill. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You shouldn't miss out on something just because you're afraid. Besides, I'm not entering for the thought of winning but for just a fun time battling other trainers. It isn't about winning or losing, but rather how you battle. As long as you go out there and give it your all, well then it doesn't matter how you do. Just that you know you gave it your all."

"He's right," Cilan agreed as he nodded his head. "The true joy of a tournament isn't about coming in first but rather the experiences you have and the memories you make while competing there."

"And, Clemont, how about you? You're competing right?" Ash asked as his question caused the inventor to look up from his invitation for a few seconds He had the thought of entering on his mind, but if he was to do something like this, then he wanted to be prepared for it.

Looking confused for a few seconds, Clemont quickly shook off any of his present confusion and looked over at Ash. "Well, I've been thinking about entering the tournament as the perfect way to test myself. I want to see just how far I've really grown and to see just what path I have to take to reach my dreams."

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Ash stated happily as he threw his arm around the inventor's shoulders. Smiling from ear to ear, Ash couldn't help but laugh from his excitement. "Clemont knows it isn't about winning but the journey. Serena, you should really give it a try. It might be able to help you out with your Showcases."

Serena sighed as she looked over at the almost pleading look Ash was giving her. She had to admit, he looked pretty funny as he was practically begging her to come and compete as well. Sighing to herself, Serena finally relented and gave in. "I guess I could give it a try. Like you said, maybe I'll see something for my Showcases there."

"Now you're talking!" Ash cried out happily as he then looked over at Cilan, wondering if it was going to be three for three with his friends participating.

Seeing Ash's glance, Cilan chuckled nervously before shaking his head back and forth. He wanted to compete, but other arrangements were taking precedence over this tournament. "I wish I could, but I have to leave for Unova in a few days. I want to check in with my brothers and see how the Gym is before going to officially get recognized as an S-Class Pokémon Connoisseur. And so it leaves a sour taste of regret in my mouth."

"That's too bad then," Clemont joined in as he finally broke free from Ash's death grip as he came to think of it at times. He knew Ash was just being friendly, but sometimes it was just too strong for his liking. "I would have enjoyed seeing someone such as yourself compete."

"I would have wanted to as well, but sometimes there are those little bits of life that keep you from doing something. Like when an ingredient you have goes bad before you can cook with it, it feels like a missed opportunity. But sometimes it turns into a blessing since then you might get an idea for a new recipe while out shopping," he explained before a yawn escaped from his mouth. He was now growing tired after the day's long events and it appeared so was everyone else as they copied his action. "Why don't we head off to bed. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day for all of us."

* * *

"What do you mean the boss is calling!?" Jessie practically shouted as Meowth told both her and James the news. Both of them had been sleeping when the Normal-Type woke them up with an urgent report saying Giovanni was making a call to check up on them and that he had interesting news for them. "Doesn't he understand my beauty needs exactly nine perfect hours of sleep to maintain its youthful and extravagant look."

"It must be a rather peculiar proposition to be commandeering a call at this late of night," James replied as he rubbed his eyes of any drowsiness. He too had been shocked by the sudden revelation of Giovanni calling.

"Just stop yapping and answer the call!" Meowth cried out to his two partners as they seemed to be holding off on answering the call. "You know how he gets when he waits. He'll be even angrier than me when I get wet!"

"Meowth's right," Jessie muttered as she looked at the flashing phone. Perhaps it was for something good instead of him being upset in their constant setbacks. "Like, maybe he's offering us a promotion."

"Yeah, and what for?" James grumbled as he let a yawn out from his mouth. He would rather be in bed right now instead of being about to talk to Giovanni in nothing but his pajamas. "We've done nothing but been constantly crushed in our everyday efforts to conquer Kalos. And besides, most of our time and money has gone into Jessie's Kalos Queen quest."

"And he would be proud to hear that a member of Team Rocket is going to be the next Kalos Queen," Jessie replied as she finally hit the button and accepted the call. The three of them then waited in a combination of anticipation and fear of what their boss could possibly have to say. The last time they had encountered him, it had been when the base was finally finished and the machine had been in its early operations.

"Report," Giovanni's voice stated as his image appeared up on the screen. From the looks of it, it was actually daytime over in Kanto as sunlight was breaking through the shades in his office. The three agents put on fake smiles to try and appease him, but Giovanni didn't appear to be in a very friendly mood. Then again, he never did but it didn't stop the three of them from trying to put him in a good mood. "It's been a while since I last talked to you three. How has everything come along?"

"Everything is going A-Ok. The entire Kalos branch is at the tippity-top of their game," Meowth began to say as he flashed a thumbs up with one of his paws. "And may I say that it is quite the perfect present to see your shimmering, shining smile, sir," he said, trying to butter up Giovanni.

It didn't work however as he glared at the three agents, making them jump back in fear from the powerful man. "I didn't call to hear you three telling me strange and idiotic compliments. I have important news for the entire operation," he stated while some files appeared on the screen next to him. Looking at them, they appeared to be news articles about an upcoming tournament being held in Kalos.

"Just a few hours ago, the entire League Committee announced this huge tournament in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the first ever Pokémon League Conference. But, it is peculiar that the event just so happens to fall around the time our plan is to go into action," Giovanni pointed out as he brought up the date. Roughly two weeks, just like the scheduled time for their invasion of Kalos and then the rest of the world. It was almost as if it was planned. "And so, I need you three to be extra careful. We need everything to be ready. However, I want you three to also be at this tournament as all of this is happening so that you can keep an eye out for any possible moles in the Kalos branch."

"Please, as if someone could be stealthy enough to get away from our glancing gazes that patrol these halls every waking moment," Meowth stated as he tapped his chest proudly. "If anything strange happened here, our super security cameras would have caught them red handed."

"Then how do you explain the same date happening as the invasion," Giovanni asked once more as he received silence from the three of them. They truly had no idea how a coincidence like this could have happened to them, they had been extra careful out here. "Now, to get in here undetected, I'll be personally heading out to the base in a few days. Make sure everything is ready to strike," he explained as a smirk crossed over his face. Everything was going to plan, those three honestly believed that what they had been working on was the real plan. "I expect a grand welcome and perhaps a test of your machine. Oh and keep up the good work, Kalos branch, Admins," he said while ending the transmission. He could have sworn he heard those three celebrating like crazy once he called them Admins. Scoffing at that thought, Giovanni laughed since there was no reason to be excited about that, especially after his plan came to fruition.

"Sir, did you really just appoint those three buffoons as Admins?" His secretary asked in a confused expression as the lights in his office turned back on. Carrying a stack of papers, she placed them gently onto the desk before stepping backwards. "There's no way they're of the caliber to be Admins."

Giovanni merely waved his hand back and forth as he let a laugh escape his mouth. "Admins, don't make me laugh. You see, to keep those below you motivated, you tell them what they want to hear. Those three have wanted a promotion for years and the moment I sent them to Unova with a special project they became without a doubt three of my greatest agents. They managed to destroy not only Team Plasma, but also then go and infiltrate the Kalos region undetected. While there, they caused the disbandment of Team Flare and gave me this," he stated as he raised a flash drive. Plugging it into his computer, hundreds of files appeared on his screen which were immediately projected onto the wall. "This Giant Rock, a fixture of Team Flare's final plans for world domination. I didn't know of it until just recently when I was searching through these files. It is nothing more than pure raw energy and could become the most valuable substance in our plan."

"And this plan, what exactly is it? If I may ask," his assistant continued on as she looked at the image of the Giant Rock floating in a stasis tube. "I mean; the fact you've admitted that the entire project those three are working on is nothing more than a way to throw off the authorities."

"Hmph," Giovanni replied as he placed his hands together and put them in front of his chest. "You see, the true plan is to hold Kalos and by extension the entire world at our command. You see, not only did I stumble upon information on that Rock, but also on this weapon." He then pulled up an image of what appeared to be a rather large looking weapon shaped to look like a flower. "The Ultimate Weapon, as their notes called it. A weapon so truly destructive that it brought an end to the war in Kalos over 3000 years ago. And now, our top Team Rocket scientists are busy building an exact replica. One that will have the destructive property to bring fear onto anyone who dares to oppose me."

"Sir, I'm sorry but I'm lost by all of this. How exactly does a plan shift from using mind control on Pokémon to the complete and utter annihilation of everyone?"

"Simple, my original plan had been a rather simple one in hindsight. Control all the Pokémon in the world and then no one can stop you," Giovanni explained as a glare crossed his face. "But, there are always the few who get in the way. And upon studying this information, I stumbled upon this weapon. Which, when powered to its maximum potential will make my plans unstoppable."

"But, how does the Giant Rock come into play?" The assistant asked as she tried to piece everything together. If the machine was more than powerful enough, then why did they need the other parts?

Giovanni sighed once more as he decided to explain. There were only a few people within Team Rocket he actually trusted with this information. "The Giant Rock is pure raw energy. The same energy found within Mega Evolution which would power the weapon. However, the Giant Rock has been shown to search out for more energy and absorb it. So, we would use it to our advantage thanks to a phenomenon brought to my attention. That however, is for my knowledge only."

"Understood sir, but is there anything else required for your departure to Kalos?"

"As I told you earlier, the rank of Admin means nothing to me since in the new Team Rocket led world, unless you have the rank of Elite, then you mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. And so, the Team Rocket Elite have already been assembled and I need you to have the Three Beasts and the Executives to be ready to head out," he explained while smirking.

"As in the Four Executives who have been running the Kanto and Johto branches since the failed takeover of Unova!?" She asked in shock. Those four were feared throughout Team Rocket due to their harsh natures.

"Yes, ever since I made my attack public knowledge to the Champion of Sinnoh, I've had to stay in the shadows and allow the others to become the unofficial leaders. Puppets is a more correct term if I may. As they lead I'm pulling all the strings from behind the curtain," he explained to his assistant while tapping on his desk. He hated having to hide away in the shadows, but as long as his plan worked then he would be fine with all of it.

"I'll make sure they're all aware of the plan. They'll be on the next Team Rocket plane to Kalos," she said before exiting the room. She still wasn't quite sure about all of this, but hopefully it would be all okay.

"Yes, everything is going so smoothly," Giovanni muttered to himself as he strummed his fingers against his desk. If he acquired this Giant Rock for himself, the possibilities would be endless. Of course, it would be nothing without the second object. "Soon, the world as they all know it will no longer exist. They will cower from the might of Team Rocket."

* * *

"Can you believe that the boss called us Admins!?" Jessie cried out with joy shortly after Giovanni had hung up their call. The three newly appointed Admins didn't hear the rest of his explanation since it had happened after the call, but they were beyond ecstatic. All their hard work was finally paying off for them.

"That was the positively perfect proclamation from the boss himself!" James joined in as they were both practically crying tears of joy. "All those strenuous years of dedication have finally succeeded successfully a pompous promotion!"

"We can't squander this situation, we've got to prove the boss was right with this! We've got to capture that Pikachu as a welcoming gift to Kalos!" Meowth cried out as the other two nodded in agreement as they thought up the best place and time to steal the Electric-Type from the twerp.

The three agents spent the entire night thinking up a plan to use to rob Pikachu from his trainer and by the time they had finished, the sun had started to rise.

"This just has to be our greatest plan yet," Meowth muttered as a yawn escaped his mouth. Looking at their plans, there was no way they would lose this time. It was looking to be a good day for Team Rocket.

"I agree, Meowth! And if I had any money, I'd place a bet!" James agreed as he had already finished building the contraption. It was truly a work of art in his eyes.

"Instead of that, why don't we go and get," Jessie finished off as the three of them all cried in agreement before getting into the machine. It was going to be a quick steal this time and with great results.

Making their way out of the base, Team Rocket soon appeared high above the Lumiose sky as their latest and greatest invention was going to do wonders for them in their pursuit for Pikachu. Making their way through the air, the three finally found the twerps outside of a Pokémon Center, Pikachu was in their grasps.

"Operation Pikachu is ours at last is a go!" Jessie cried out as their machine began their descent down towards the ground. They then all laughed out happily as a buzzing sound filled the area thanks to their machine.

"Alright, Pikachu, how about we get some training in before leaving for our next Elite Four member," Ash could be heard saying down below. He then reached for his five other Poké Balls as Jessie, James and Meowth laughed out happily.

"That's a great idea, Ash. Perhaps I should get some training in for my next Showcase as well," Serena stated before reaching for her four Poké Balls Likewise, Clemont and Cilan decided it would be a good idea to let their Pokémon out for some fun as well and grabbed a hold of their current Poké Balls as well.

"Can you believe out luck, those troublesome twerps are making our mission so much easier than poaching possibly should be," James stated as he pushed a button on their control panel. The machine's buzzing then grew louder as they felt a pulling force from the machine itself.

"All systems are a go! We're going to get Pikachu, failing's a no!" Meowth cried out as he flipped a switch and the machine lowered even more as the buzzing seemed to increase to the point that even the twerps below could hear it.

"What's that buzzing noise, it's hurting my ears," Bonnie muttered as she covered her ears, Dedenne replicating the action as well. Then, the Electric and Fairy-Type could feel his entire body lifting out of Bonnie's bag before he flew up into the air. "Dedenne, get back here!"

"Pika!" Pikachu then cried out as he too felt himself being pulled upwards into the sky. Everyone was confused as soon all their Poké Balls ripped from their hands as they followed the two Electric-Types up into the sky. What in the world was happening?

"What's going on out here!?" Ash demanded to know as he yelled up towards the direction all of their Pokémon had just been taken towards. Whoever thought this was funny was soon to be mistaken. "Give me back Pikachu and the others!"

"Prepare for trouble, we've had a blast," Jessie's voice could be heard saying as the three Rocket agents floated down in their Meowth balloon.

"And make it double, Pikachu's ours at last," James joined in as the duo soon began posing for their traditional motto. Ash and the others could only sigh, it had been peaceful the past few weeks without these guys chasing them.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket has finally won this clash!"

"Surrender now or prepare to crash!"

"Meowth! This plans bold and brash!"

"Wobbu!"

The four then stood up in their balloon, smug looks on their faces as they felt they had finally won and without any remaining Pokémon to interfere with their plans, there was good reason to celebrate.

"Team Rocket! I should have known someone like you were behind this!" Ash yelled out as he clenched his fists together. They really knew how to show up at the worst times. "Give me Pikachu back now!"

"As if," Jessie shot back while sticking her tongue out at the group of twerps. "We've won fair and square with our greatest invention yet! This plan was foolproof!"

"But is it us proof? I never thought to look into that," James muttered before he felt two slaps to the back of his head; one from Jessie and the other from Meowth.

"There's no need to doubt it!" Meowth told him angrily as he pushed a button and the latest contraption appeared underneath their basket with all the Pokémon attached to it. "This little baby is going to make it impossible to be stopped.

"That's your 'greatest invention'?" Bonnie asked sarcastically as she tried to stifle a laugh. Yeah, they had all of their Pokémon, but when their greatest invention looked like that! "It's just a giant magnet! How was that hard to make!?"

"I'll have you know that this 'magnet' is powerful enough to capture every Electric-Type or metallic object within the next five city blocks if we so chose to do so," James yelled back as he felt offended by the critique. He spent a long time building this magnet.

"You know, even I was expecting something better," Ash admitted sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "You've used a magnet now three or four times?" He was upset that they ruined his training again but right now he couldn't believe that they went with the magnet again.

"No! We've only used them twice! And both times they failed because of outside forces!" Meowth explained while extending his claws and waving them at Ash. "But this time there's nothing you or any of your twerpish friends can do to stop us! Team Rocket has just bagged and tagged all your pathetic twerpy Pokémon."

"So, toodles," the three cried out while laughing happily. Giovanni was going to love their present now. All these Pokémon were too good to pass up on. Starting to fly away, they then were shocked to hear someone else cry out.

"Dewott, use Razor Shell!" The new voice demanded as the Water-Type appeared from a rooftop to slice the top of the balloon open. Now with the gash, air started to flow out of the balloon it crashed onto the ground. Luckily, the magnet was still working and so the twerp's Pokémon were still confined.

"A new twerp is here!? Ughhhh! Just when you think nothing could go wrong this thing shows up! What even is that, James?" Jessie asked as she raised a Poké Ball and tossed it forward, revealing Yanmega.

"That's a Dewott, but their native to Unova I don't know what one would be doing here," James explained as he grabbed one of his own Poké Balls and tossed it forward. "But, we won't let it stop us! Inkay, enter the fray!" The Psychic and Dark-Type then emerged from its Poké Ball and hovered in place next to its trainer.

"And I'll give him a taste of my new and improved Fury Swipes," Meowth joined in as his claws shimmered in the sun. They were too close to have some random Pokémon stop them now. "Let's get him!"

"Yanmega, use Sonic Boom, make him feel doom," Jessie commanded as Yanmega flapped her wings and created a sound wave that traveled across the field.

"You too Inkay! Psybeam away!" James then yelled out as Inkay turned upside down and shot of the colorful blast right towards the Dewott.

"Dodge to your left and then drop to your back," the voice from before stated as a boy with messy brown hair stepped forward. He had on a red visor and a blue jacket along with gray shorts. Underneath that, appeared to be some sort of skintight rubber outfit as parts of it could be seen emerging past his shorts. He looked to be roughly Ash's height as well.

"Dewott!" The Water-Type nodded as he rolled to his left and dodged the incoming Sonic Boom only to then be right in the path of the Psybeam. Doing as his trainer commanded, Dewott dropped onto his back as the colorful blast fly right over him. But, to their surprise, Meowth was now jumping on top of the Discipline Pokémon and raised his claws as he was about to swipe away.

"Eat this!" Meowth yelled out angrily before slicing downward with his claws.

"Quick, Ice Beam at a 32-degree angle," the boy cried out as Dewott moved his head to avoid the first few swipes from the talking Meowth. Opening his mouth, the Water-Type fired off the icy attack and struck Meowth right in the chest. The Normal-Type was then launched backwards as he landed on top of his teammates.

"Tell us, why do you think you have to butt in with others' business," Jessie asked as she appeared to be visibly upset. Just who was this guy who was outthinking them too easily. "Go back to wherever you came from! Yanmega use Ancient Power!"

"Yan!" Yanmega cried out as a sphere of energy formed within her appendixes. Firing it off quickly, it appeared as though Team Rocket was at the advantage.

"Yes! Haven't you ever heard to mind one's business! It's rude to interrupt a deal in the making! Now, Inkay, enter the fray and use Foul Play!" James agreed as Inkay then shot off like a rocket and right for Dewott.

The boy just smirked happily as Dewott jumped backwards and avoided the incoming Ancient Power. However, Inkay managed to wrap his tentacles around Dewott and was about to toss him into the ground. "How about we give this situation a little cool down, Aqua Jet!"

"Wott!" Dewott cried out with a smirk as the Water-Type's body was soon covered in water. Inkay then lost his superior grip and was instead the one being carried around. Flying across the area, Dewott turned right towards the three agents before stopping his trajectory and just throwing Inkay at them.

"You asked why I'm here?" the boy asked while pointing a thumb at his face while smiling. "Well, I'm on vacation from Unova right now and heard Kalos had some pretty ladies. And were they correct," he said while winking at Serena. "But, someone interrupted my 'nature watch' in the park when I heard a commotion. So, I jumped in and stopped you three! Now, Dewott use Razor Shell!"

"Dewott, wott!" The Discipline Pokémon cried out as he grabbed a hold of the two scallops on his sides. Shining blue, a blade appeared to form out of water as the Water-Type clashed right through the magnet and destroyed it easily.

"Ahhhhh!" The group of three cried out angrily as the Poké Balls rolled away from the magnet and right in front of the boy's feet. Pikachu and Dedenne then ran over to their respective trainers before getting into their respective spots.

"Thanks for the help," Ash said as he walked right next to the boy. Fixing his hat, Ash then smirked as Pikachu leapt from his shoulder. "But we'll take it from here! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pika... Chuuuuuuu!" The Electric-Type cried out as the electricity flowed through his entire body before erupting from him within an instant. The bolt traveled across the area before quickly approaching the three Team Rocket agents.

"No way, I say! Wobbuffet do what you do!" Jessie cried out as Wobbuffet jumped in front of them all while shinning a multitude of colors. The Thunderbolt crashed into his body before bouncing off harmlessly and right back at Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out in worry as it appeared that the attack was going to hit him.

"Dewott, move!" The boy merely commanded and his Water-Type was already at Pikachu's position. Grabbing the Electric-Type, Dewott then managed to dodge the incoming Thunderbolt by shooting off an Ice Beam that sent him back onto the ground. "Great timing, now, let's stop them!"

"Thanks, your Dewott is fast," Ash muttered as he was caught by surprise from the lightning fast reflexes of the Water-Type Pokémon.

"Thanks, Dewott and I have trained vigorously, but for now, let me finish these three off! Dewott get in close and then use Razor Shell!"

"As if we'd let you get close enough! Yanmega, Steel Wing!"

"Yes, what Jess said! Inkay, Tackle attack!"

The two Team Rocket Pokémon then rushed towards the incoming Water-Type who had his shells raised and ready to strike. Jumping over the incoming Inkay, Dewott then spun in midair as he avoided the Steel Wing from Yanmega. Turning behind himself, Dewott then slashed the duo before kicking them on top of their trainers with ease.

"Dewott!" The Discipline Pokémon then cried out angrily as he slashed across the entire group of Team Rocket agents and Pokémon. The strength of the attack was more than enough to send the group flying off to who knows where.

"This isn't fair! That goody-two shoes interfered!" Jessie cried out as she threw a fit while in midair. "We should be having a Pikachu with us!

"But instead, we're back at square one. But think on the bright side, we're Admins now!" James remembered as he caressed his tired Inkay. "Things are on the up and up!"

"Yep! And next we'll launch the weapon and then Pikachu will be ours no matter what!" Meowth cried out as everyone's spirits were raised.

"But for today, we're blasting off again!" They all cried out before vanishing from sight. Ash just sighed, unable to hear what they were saying but just happy they were gone.

"That was a close one, you should really be more careful," the boy said as he grabbed a hold of all the loose Poké Balls. "You never know who might be trying to steal these."

"Yeah, we know," Ash stated as he took his Poké Balls back. He didn't want to, but something about this guy, Ash just didn't like about. It all started back when he had winked at Serena after saying that Kalos girls were beautiful. But why would Ash be upset about that? A lot of people liked Serena and it made sense, she was pretty cute.

"Thanks for the help, they caught us by surprise and before we knew it, they had all out Pokémon," Clemont said as he grabbed his Poké Balls.

"Yes, the way you battled with Dewott, I could read that you two went through years of bonding. You two are the description of a perfect duo," Cilan stated as he too grabbed ahold of his Poké Balls.

"Ah, geez, you guys are too much," the boy said while rubbing the back of his head. "But, I never had a chance to introduce myself. My name's Nate and I'm from Aspertia City in Unova! I've come out here to compete in the tournament that's being hosted by the entire Pokémon League Committee and I have plans on winning the entire thing!"

"Well, you're in for some bad news since I'll be winning!" Ash shot back happily, already forgetting about his anger towards the boy. "Pikachu and I are winning the entire tournament!"

"Well, it'll be quite the honor to face off against the latest Kalos League Conference winner. It'll be quite the challenge for Dewott and myself," he said while handing over Ash's Poké Balls.

"You know who I am?" Ash asked as he pointed at himself. He was shocked that someone who he'd never met before knew him. Then again, that boy Nick knew him so it wasn't as odd as he thought it would have been."

"I know all of you," Nate said happily as he pointed at each of them. "You're Cilan, one of the three Striaton City Gym Leaders! And you two are Lumiose Gym Leader Clemont and his sister Bonnie! And then you're Ash Ketchum, the last ever Vanquier Conference winner. And finally," he began to say as he grabbed ahold of Serena's hands while placing her Poké Balls. However, once she had her grip on them, he didn't let go. Ash noticed this and couldn't help but glare at him, with only Bonnie noticing.

"And you're, Serena, the beautiful Pokémon Performer who lost only to Aria the current Kalos Queen. I have to say, you're much more beautiful in person," he said while flirting with her. Serena however didn't appear fazed by all of it, it was Ash who appeared the most affected and he had no clue why! "I'll admit; I was a little star struck when I saw you standing there when I first came to stop those criminals. Here's a gift from me to you," he said before placing a quick peck on her cheek.

Ash's glare only increased in intensity as he watched the scene unfold before him. Who was this guy to invade Serena's personal space like this! He couldn't do this to any of his friends. The others failed to notice, yet Bonnie watched on with a smirk as Nate pulled away from Serena.

"And I'm sorry to just leave like this, but I have to go and see a friend of mine. I'm hoping to see the rest of you later on, perhaps at the tournament," Nate said before him and Dewott sprinted off to who knows where.

* * *

"So, we're leaving for Snowbelle City right after lunch, right, Ash?" Serena asked as she looked through her travel guide and opened the map section and began planning their destination.

"Yeah, once we're done here. It's off to Snowbelle City and your next Showcase," Ash said confidently while he did a miniature fist pump, making sure that the pasta on his fork didn't go flying while he did so.

"Well, if that's the case, I guess we split here," Cilan said while putting his glass of water down. "My flight to Unova leaves in a few days and I wanted to explore Lumiose City for a while before then."

"You're really heading back," Ash muttered before a smile crossed his face. He was going to miss having Cilan around but he knew that the Unova native had to get back home. "Well, I wish only the best for you, Cilan! Good luck in your Pokémon Connoisseur career."

"As do I. I'll be cheering for you in the tournament, Ash," he replied before smiling at the group. "I really would like to thank all of you. You've made my time in Kalos quite an enjoyable time. From seeing the wonders of Showcases, to Ash's Elite Four battles to Clemont's amazing inventions. This time here is something I'll cherish forever and the experience I've gained will help me on my journey."

"The pleasure is all ours, Cilan," Clemont said happily as he placed his glass of water down. "We've all enjoyed your time here and wish you only the best, right, Bonnie?" Clemont asked as he nudged his sister. He knew she was a little annoyed with Cilan at times, but right now she had to say something good.

"Ah, yeah, I'll miss you and your wonderful evaluations," Bonnie lied while putting on a fake smile for the Unova native.

"Well, how about I give one final one before you and the others have to leave?" Cilan asked with a smirk. Him and Bonnie had a special relationship as he would call it. She wasn't afraid to call him out on his eccentric behaviors and he enjoyed that.

"No! I mean, not right now, I'm good," Bonnie answered as everyone laughed at her reaction. Sighing, she just placed some pasta on her fork and put it in her mouth. The group continued eating lunch as they laughed and had fun times recalling their past adventures in Kalos together. Finally, the end of lunch came and it was time to part.

"I wish all of you only the best. Here's to hoping all of you advance in your dreams just as a chef advances through a set recipe to create a dish, you too will need to follow a recipe to success," he said with a smile before waving to the entire group. "I wish I could stay longer, but I don't have the time to travel all the way to Snowbelle. It would have been nice to see a different section of Kalos."

"Next time you come, we'll have to show you the other side of Kalos," Serena said as she smiled at the older boy. Cilan had seemed strange the first time they met him, but he had grown on all of them. He was like an eccentric cousin to all of them.

"And please, all of you, stay in touch. I'd love to hear about how your journeys end," Cilan said as he continued waving until he could no longer see the group.

"Bye Cilan!" They could all be heard yelling as the Unova native continued down his path. He had forgotten just how much fun traveling in a group was and he was going to miss it right away.

* * *

"Well, now let's head to Snowbelle City!" Ash cried out as he pointed towards the City they were heading towards.

The group then began to move forward as Bonnie run up to the front to be next to Ash. Pulling on his jacket to get his attention, the older boy lowered his head to hear what Bonnie had to say. "You don't like that Nate guy, do you?"

"W-What!? Why would you say something like that?" Ash asked, unaware that Bonnie had seen his reactions to everything Nate had done.

"You're jealous of him. It's obvious," she teased before skipping ahead. Ash just looked at the young girl in confusion before shrugging his shoulders.

Was he jealous? But of what? The boy appeared to be excited to meet him, but it was only when he had flirted with Serena did he get upset. But, that was silly, why would he be jealous of a guy talking to Serena. Then again, this hadn't been the first time it had happened and he just wished someone could tell him why he got like this! Looking back at the Performer, Ash smiled as he saw her standing in the sun, her hair blowing around in the wind. Maybe there was more to him than he understood. Maybe he was jealous. Jealous that he didn't understand his own feelings.

* * *

 **Well, another longer chapter. And, Team Rocket is on the move! Just what could Giovanni have planned now!? Anyway, Nate is on the scene and no, he doesn't really like Serena. That's a part of his character. For those who don't know, he's a major flirt in the manga and so I'm bringing that part of his character into the story. And, once again Ash gets upset. Well, wouldn't you get upset if some random guy just kisses the girl you like but don't understand that you like? Sorry for the rather long exposition chapter, but it was sort of expected with a press conference happening.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	41. The Ultimate Lifeform

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, the tournament was finally announced and along with it, Giovanni started to suspect someone within the organization was feeding info to the authorities. Deciding to strike, he told the TRio he was coming to Kalos in a short while and that they would attack during the tournament to catch them off guard.**

 **Just a quick little announcement before I begin the chapter. A lot of you have probably heard, but Epicocity, who has already written a ton of great Amourshipping stories (which if you haven't read yet, look them up. Just google Love in the Time of Teamwork and go to his profile page), is about to release his third installment into the series and you should all go and check it out on October 4** **th** **when he uploads the first chapter. Believe me, you will not be disappointed with his work. Thanks!**

 **Ch 41: The Ultimate Lifeform**

"Brrrr," Bonnie muttered as she shivered inside of hew winter coat. "It's cold around here. We must be getting close to Snowbelle City now."

"According to my travel guide, Snowbelle City should be just on the other side of those woods," Serena explained as she pointed to an opening in the trees. "If we continue at this pace, we'll make it to the city by nightfall." The group had now been traveling for almost three days since Cilan had stayed behind in Lumiose City and it would be nice to make it to another city again. Especially since it was cold around these parts.

"That's great!" Ash shouted as he pumped a fist into the air before continuing on. The sooner they got to Snowbelle, the more time Serena had a chance to prepare. "Isn't this Showcase different than the others?"

Nodding in agreement, Serena smiled at the question. "Yeah, this one there's a limit of only two Pokémon that can be used throughout the entire Showcase. It'll be a little bit more difficult, but I want to give it a try."

"That's the spirit. Trying new situations always yields new results. It's one of the greatest things you can do to try and improve in your skills," Clemont stated as he adjusted his glasses. "Have you decided on who you want to go with for this one?"

"I have a slight idea, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm thinking about going with Sylveon and Pichu for it since they have the least experience working together," Serena explained while holding up their Poké Balls. "This way, when the Master Class starts, we'll all be on the same page."

"Is that really a good idea though," Bonnie asked as they walked into the forest. She had her hands behind her head while walking forward. "Like, is Pichu ready to be without Braixen or Pancham?"

"I-I didn't think of it like that, Maybe I should go with someone else for now," Serena thought out loud as she appeared to be backtracking. "But, I already promised them that they would be used and I won't go back on my word. Besides, it'll be a learning experience for all of us."

"Why don't you rehearse for us to get some practice before the Showcase. We can stop for lunch once we reach the next clearing," Clemont offered as they trekked onwards through the snow covered ground. There had to be a spot up ahead where he could cook a nice and warm stew for everyone.

"Yeah, that's an excellent idea, Clemont," Ash said as he turned around and started walking backwards. "We can even have the others act as a crowd of sorts," he explained before turning around again. Facing forward, Ash continued forward until they were now surrounded by trees.

"Oh please, as if that little girl thinks she could be a better Kalos Queen then me!" Jessie cried out from their hiding spot. The three members of Team Rocket had decided to follow the twerps for the time being, hoping that by doing so they could snatch Pikachu. "We all know that the spotlight is all mine."

"Knock it off, Jess, something's happening over there!" Meowth stated as he covered her mouth with his paws. True to his words, there was something happening as bright glow soon covered the area that the twerps had been walking in and made it impossible for them to move.

"It appears to be some sort of Psychic based attack," James muttered as he looked at the ground as it glowed a bluish hue. "Perhaps those twerps are the ones to finally upset some wild Pokémon and not us. A joyous day indeed if that's the case."

"Quiet down you nimrod, they're saying something!" Meowth yelled as he knocked James over the back of the head, causing the male to shut up. "Now let me listen!"

"Geez, Meowth, we can barely hear anything over your screaming. Maybe you should be the one to shut your yapper," Jessie said truthfully as the Scratch Cat Pokémon sighed in defeat and just shut his mouth.

"W-What's happening!? I can't move my feet!" Ash could be heard yelling out as the three agents watched on in surprise. "It's like something is holding me down in this exact spot!"

"Leave now or else!" A deep voice stated. Looking around, the others didn't see anyone at all and yet the voice appeared to be nearby. "You have but one opportunity to leave no!" There it was again, the same voice and yet it seemed familiar in some sense.

"Pikachu, does... does that voice sound familiar to you?" Ash asked as he could have sworn that he heard the voice before, but from where? It was ringing in his head and he just couldn't put a face to the voice.

"Ash, do you really think you've met whoever this person is?" Serena asked as both herself and Clemont and Bonnie couldn't move either. It was as if their bodies were being confined to the spot they were on.

"Perhaps he encountered a Psychic-Type Pokémon that used a similar voice for telepathy and he's mistaking the voice from that," Clemont stated as he wanted to fix his glasses but couldn't due to the lack of motor skills. "Because, there is no way he would know someone just living in a random forest. What are the odds of that happening?"

"Ash?" The voice asked, almost in an interested voice. It seemed as though Ash's name had caught the voice's attention as he spoke in a softer tone. "The same Ash who fought against Team Rocket and their corrupt leader back in Johto?"

That was when Ash remembered why the voice sounded familiar. Something about it had been calling out to him since he first said something, but it had been so long he couldn't finalize who it was. "Mewtwo?" Ash asked, shocking his three friends with the fact that he knew the person. "Yeah, it's me, Ash."

The force that was keeping them unable to move suddenly vanished as the four friends were able to move again. Dropping to the ground for a split second, Ash looked up to see none other than the Psychic-Type. "It's been a while."

"Yeah. I haven't seen you since Johto," Ash said while rubbing the back of his head before standing back up. "Are the others all here?"

"Yes, we've finally found a home that allows us to live in peace. No longer do we need to hide. We have finally found a place where we no longer need to hide. We can live in plain sight and be safe," Mewtwo explained as the others watched on. They were surprised to see Ash being so friendly with this creature. They weren't even sure if it was a Pokémon.

Seeing his friends' reactions, Ash waved them over as to introduce them all. "Everyone, this is Mewtwo. A really powerful Pokémon who helped save Pikachu from Team Rocket. And Mewtwo, these are Serena, Bonnie and Clemont."

"Normally I am not so trustful of you humans," he began saying while eyeing each of them. Had this been years ago, he would not have thought twice of driving them away, but he had learned to trust in humans thanks to Ash. "But, a friend of Ash is a friend of mine. He helped open my eyes to the idea that not all humans are evil. And that people and Pokémon can live together."

"Ohhh! Mewtwo is just the cutest Pokémon I've ever seen!" Bonnie cried out as her eyes shined with excitement. Clemont merely sighed as he held her back from doing anything they would all regret.

Mewtwo just eyed her curiously. He had been called a lot of names, but cute was not one he had heard. "The small one, she is not afraid by me? Despite my appearance is she not alarmed?"

"Well you see, Bonnie has an overly large love of all Pokémon no matter what they look like. So, she doesn't see anything but another Pokémon whom she adores," Clemont explained while holding his sister back. She finally relented and gave up, allowing Clemont a chance to relax.

"There's no way anyone could be afraid of you, you're so cool looking," Bonnie said while continuing to eye him. He really was a one of a kind Pokémon for them.

"Hey, isn't that the clone thing?" Meowth asked as they all listened in on the twerps' conversation. "The one with the psychic powers."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Jessie told Meowth as she placed a finger on her chin. She was trying to remember but it had been so long."

"Nope. Me neither. This giant cat should be something I remember," James muttered as he pondered away. He had seen some crazy things but a giant purple cat would stick out.

"The one from Johto! With all the Pokémon hiding in that cave! He even gave a new balloon!" Meowth cried out, angry at his two teammates ineptitude.

"Oh that's right I remember!" Jessie stated while slamming her fist into her open palm. "That balloon was awful. Really cheap fabric."

"I agree, it popped within moments of us leaving," James said while rubbing his chin. "But, that guy was extremely powerful. Imagine if we had him on Team Rocket!"

"Maybe we should go and ask him to join. Perhaps he would be interested in becoming part of our Kalos Branch super elite," Jessie thought out loud as she too remembered Mewtwo's incredible prowess.

Meowth shook his head back and forth due to their stupidity. "Did you two forget how much he hates Team Rocket? He destroyed them for just showing up on his island. There's no way he'd come. Easily that it. Maybe we have to use force." Meowth then gazed over at Mewtwo, only to realize that he was gone along with the twerps. "Quick, we can't lose sight of him! Hurry!" The three of them then broke off into a dash as they followed after their target.

* * *

"Uh, Mewtwo, was it?" Serena began to say as she pulled out her basket of treats from her backpack. The group had stopped on their trek to have a little meal and while they were eating, Mewtwo had stayed to himself at the end of the table. "I was wondering if you would like a Poképuff? They're little sweets I bake for the Pokémon," she explained while opening her basket. Mewtwo eyed the pastries as he questioned their use. "They're just treats. Watch. Pikachu, Dedenne, would you like one?"

"Pika!"

"Dedenne!"

The two Electric-Types then cried out happily as the Performer handed them each one of her freshly baked treats and watched on as they ate away happily. Mewtwo watched as they devoured the frosted treats, smiles forming on their faces until they were finished.

"See, would you like one?" Serena asked as she placed the basket next to Mewtwo. Eyeing the treats, Mewtwo relented and he tried the treat. Using his psychic powers, Mewtwo had the Poképuff hover over to him until It graced the opening of his mouth.

Slowly eating the Poképuff, Mewtwo allowed a slight smile cross his lips before turning it back into a straight face. Finishing the meal, he bowed his head towards the Performer. "It was... Satisfactory," he answered to the best of his ability. He wasn't used to rewarding compliments to those he didn't know. "My family would really enjoy them."

"Then you can take the rest to them. I have plenty of them made. Take them." Serena then pulled out a spare basket and slid it down to Mewtwo. It was surprising enough that Mewtwo enjoyed them, so maybe the other clones would as well.

"I couldn't just take them from you," Mewtwo stated as he started to push them back towards Serena and the others. Clemont had to quickly grab Dedenne to keep him from trying to eat the basket filled with treats. "You made them for your friends."

"But you're our friend too," Bonnie answered as Serena nodded in agreement before sliding the basket back down the table. "So, you can take it as a gift for the others."

"Friends?" Mewtwo asked in confusion as he looked around the table at each of them. He had known Ash, but the others were all new to him and yet they treated him like family right away.

"Yeah, of course you're our friend," Ash responded as he went to reach for one of the Poképuffs, only for Serena to slap it away and give him a look that said 'not this batch'. Nodding, Ash pulled his hand back and looked at Mewtwo. "And friends help each other. But, what made you choose this area out of the entire world to settle down in?"

"If you follow me, I will show you. But, what I'm about to show must never be revealed or else you risk putting myself and the others all in terrible danger," Mewtwo told them all as he got up. Quickly putting their materials away, Ash and the others followed behind him. "I have chosen a place far away from civilization but also someplace where we can live in peace. The perfect location."

"We have no reason to tell anyone," Ash said as the group felt themselves float off of the ground as a blue hue covered their bodies. Soon, they were flying across the forest and the group could see Snowbelle off in the distance. "Besides, we wouldn't want anyone to ruin this on you."

"The whole place looks gorgeous. It would be a shame for someone to ruin this place," Serena said as they were brought to a clearing in the woods. There appeared to be an open field with flowers along with a river that flowed off of a waterfall. Not too far from there appeared to be a cave of sorts, that must have been where they all slept

"I have returned with some friends of mine," Mewtwo stated as the groups of clones appeared from the cave and various other locations in the field. Once they had all gathered, everyone was amazed by the sheer amount that were gathered.

"There's even more than the last time we saw each other," Ash said as he looked at the next generation of clones that had joined the first two generations. That was then Pikachu leapt from his shoulder and ran over to a familiar looking clone.

"Pika!" He cried out happily as he ran up to a Pikachu with two black ears. The two Electric-Types embraced each other by sparking their cheeks and sharing their electricity together. They appeared to be happy to see each other again, a stark contrast to their first meeting years ago. "Pika, pikachu chu."

"Pi, pika, Pikapi," the cloned Pikachu replied as they both ran off to the crowd of cloned Pokémon to go have some fun.

"Pikachu seems to be having fun," Bonnie stated as she looked at all the Pokémon in excitement. There were more than she had expected to be here and it just made her want to go and hug them all. "Maybe the others would want to play as well."

"That's a great idea, Bonnie. Mewtwo, is it alright if we let our Pokémon out?" Ash asked as he looked over at Mewtwo. The Psychic-Type appeared to be in heavy thought as he looked over in the distance. Something was calling for him and it had partially been a reason why he had chosen this spot; so that he could find it. "Mewtwo?"

"Do as you wish," he suddenly replied, shocking Ash with his harsh tone. Realizing what he had just done, Mewtwo sighed and shook his head. "I apologize for my harsh reaction. I've been overly stressed right now. But, I'm fine. Just... I'm just getting situated to my new surroundings and am still a little on edge of any humans finding us."

"Well, your secret is safe with us," Ash assured the Genetic Pokémon as he grabbed four Poké Balls from his belt and tossed them up into the sky. Four flashes of light soon appeared as his four Kalos Pokémon appeared and took in their surroundings. Clemont and Serena then copied his actions as they called on their Pokémon as well.

"Everyone, this is our friend Mewtwo and his family," Ash explained to the group as they looked at all of the clones. They were surprised to see so many Pokémon at first but were soon used to the sheer number of them. "We're going to be spending the day with them, so go have fun!"

"Your Pokémon, they do not treat the clones any differently than they would other Pokémon," Mewtwo noted as he watched them all immediately interact with his family. The group hadn't even hesitated for a second as everyone had split off into different groups. "Why is that? Most wild Pokémon are afraid at first, which is why only myself and the clones are in this area."

"Well, cloned or not, all of you are Pokémon in our eyes," Clemont explained as he watched Chespin trying to play with one of the younger clones of a Eevee, only to frighten it with his overly excitable personality. "And so do our Pokémon. We all share the same planet and we're all the same despite however we came into this world. So, they don't see them as clones at all."

"Thank you," Mewtwo muttered as another small smile crossed his face as he watched the clones interacting with Ash and his friends' Pokémon. Even Bonnie had gotten in on the fun, getting a group hug from some of them. "I've done my best keeping close watch over them, but even with my best work they feel like other Pokémon see them as monsters due to them being clones. And yet, you three and the little child treat them no differently than you would your own."

"Tell me though, what is that peculiar item sticking out of your Charizard," Mewtwo asked as he waved his hand in the direction of the Fire and Flying-Type who had immediately become good friends with Charizardtwo as Mewtwo had named it. "It appears similar to the stone on your wrist and it interests me."

"This?" Ash asked as he raised his Mega Bracelet up for Mewtwo to see. "Well, the one on my wrist is what's known as a Keystone. It's one of the two required items for Mega Evolution. The other, is over on Charizard. That's a Mega Stone."

Mewtwo watched on in confusion. Something about the Keystone felt similar about the item calling out to him. There was a similar display of energy radiating from it. "Mega Evolution? What is this new form of 'Evolution' do you speak of? In all my travels I have never once heard of this." It really was something new to Mewtwo and it both interested him and scared him.

"Mega Evolution is really quite the phenomenon," Clemont spoke up as he wiped his glasses clean of the now forming fog on them. "It shows that the bond between trainer and Pokémon are so strong that it enables a Pokémon to temporarily transform into a new form that increases its strength and speed along with other effects as well."

"A forced evolution?" Mewtwo asked with disgust. The thought of being forced into changing was absurd. Why would he ever allow a human to change his physical appearance or even command him in battle? "I'm sorry, but this Mega Evolution is an interesting topic but it doesn't interest me. The thought of a Pokémon being forced to change for their trainer is an odd concept."

"It is at first thought, but a lot of Pokémon are attracted to the essence of their specific Mega Stone," Clemont explained as he did his best to help Mewtwo understand. "Though, we have also discovered another type of transformation along the way as well. It's an extremely old technique known as the Bond Phenomenon. With it, some Pokémon are said to have a latent or sleeping potential that can only be awakened by a certain trainer who has the skill and bond with the Pokémon to bring it out."

"Repeat that again!" Mewtwo demanded as he pointed his left hand at the young inventor. "Your very first sentence. Repeat it please."

"Um, the part about Mega Stones and Pokémon?" He asked nervously as sweat formed on his forehead. Ash may have seemed pretty friendly with Mewtwo, but the Genetics Pokémon was still threatening with his size and power. Receiving a nod from Mewtwo, Clemont gulped as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Well, some Pokémon can be attracted by their specific Mega Stone."

"That must be it then," Mewtwo stated out loud as he began to pace back and forth, hands behind his back. There had been something calling him to this location all along, yet he had never been able to find it. "A non-important reason for my settling here was that something called me to this location. As if a part of me was already here."

"It has to be a Mega Stone!" Serena called out as she finished feeding some Poképuffs to the baby Pokémon. They had devoured them almost as quickly as Chespin could. "Remember with Korrina and Lucario? He was able to sense the location of his Mega Stone once he was near it. So, a Psychic-Type like Mewtwo would be able to sense it from further away."

"Then we must find it, and ensure that it is never used," Mewtwo explained as he turned towards the three trainers. "It isn't that I trust no humans, but rather I do not wish to be manipulated against my will once more. And if I can avert any potential cases, then the better."

"We'll help," Ash told him before fixing his cap. It would be fun to see what else was around the area. "Plus, this way you'll find it much faster," he explained, unaware of the fact that Team Rocket were listening from the nearby bushes.

"That profitable, powerful Pokémon might have one of those mighty, magnificent, Mega Stones. That only adds to the need to catch him!" Meowth practically shouted as he looked around at all the clones before spotting a familiar one. "Hey, there's the other me!"

"Who cares about a Meowth that can't talk or walk. We sometimes forget how special you are, so a normal Meowth will be forgotten for sure," Jessie answered as she looked through her binoculars. "But, look at all those strong Pokémon! Add those with Mewtwo and we're golden. James, how's the device coming along?"

"Operation bag and tag is almost finished," he explained while fiddling with one of the many cube devices they had on them. "Once I'm finished with this last minute fixes, nothing will be able to withstand this machine."

"Isn't that what you said about your giant magnet that failed?" Jessie asked with little interest. Right now, she was watching as Mewtwo and the twerps were getting ready to go searching. Although, the twerpettes appeared to be staying behind. "Hmm, perhaps we could also get a little leverage as well. Take a look"

"Huh? Why are the twerpettes and all of the twerps' Pokémon staying behind?" Meowth asked before they ducked back behind their bush. A thought then came to his mind. "Perhaps this could work in our advantage. Gather around," he said before pulling the others all into a huddle.

* * *

"So, Mewtwo, how long have you been in Kalos?" Ash asked as himself, Clemont and Mewtwo walked towards the cave where Mewtwo said he could feel something calling him towards that location.

"I do not remember. It has been a while though," he replied as he turned to see one of the clones running playfully through a meadow of flowers. "But, they all love it here. We have truly found a place where we can live in peace. And times are good."

The three of them continued on in silence as they soon approached the cave. It appeared that a few of the cloned Pokémon were still sitting around inside, but upon Mewtwo entering, they left. Now with the entirety of the cave for themselves, the group began to look around.

"Do you have any idea where it might be?" Ash asked as he climbed on top of a pile of rocks before looking along the cave's walls. It could have been anywhere, but the fact that Mewtwo had been drawn to the cave of all places spoke volumes.

"No, just that its presence is strongest in here," Mewtwo answered while shaking his head back and forth. They had to find this Mega Stone and keep it out of the wrong hands, or at least that was how Mewtwo felt about the situation.

Then, to their surprise, Ash's Keystone began glowing a bright white as a spot on the cave glowed the same exact color. Everyone was shocked from the sight and wondered just what was going on. Ash appeared to be the most shocked by all of this however. "Clemont, do you have any idea what might be happening?"

"Not in the slightest, but perhaps since a Keystone is required to activate Mega Evolution..." Clemont trailed off as he walked towards the lit up wall. Tapping on it a few times, he quickly covered his head as a few chunks of rock fell from the ceiling and the top of the wall. "Perhaps..."

"Perhaps what, human?" Mewtwo asked as he inspected the wall as well. There was definitely something here, Mewtwo could tell it.

"Perhaps the Mega Stone is somewhere behind this wall," he finished before reaching for a Poké Ball, only to remember all of his Pokémon were left back with Serena and Bonnie. "Ughh, if only I had Bunnelby with me. Then I could check to see if I was correct."

"Stand back," Mewtwo demanded. Clemont didn't want to be on his bad side and did as he was told. Standing behind the Psychic-Type, Clemont watched as he cupped his hands together and a black sphere with blue electrical sparks formed in his hands. Launching it forward, the blast crashed into the wall and blew a hole in it. "I've given you plenty of room to work with. See if your hypothesis is correct."

"R-Right, Ash, could you come here please," Clemont asked nervously as he could feel Mewtwo staring over his shoulder. The Pokémon was nice to them, yet Clemont still felt rather frightened by him, especially since he didn't have any of his own on him.

"Sure, but why?" Ash asked as he walked over to the inventor. As he did so, the light radiating from both his wrist and the wall increased in intensity, surprising both himself and Mewtwo. "Is this what you thought would happen?"

"Yes," Clemont replied as he placed a hand in front of his eyes to drown out the light. "You see, since a Mega Stone, and Mega Evolution by extension, can only be activated through a Keystone used by a trainer with a strong bond, I believed that perhaps the Keystone could help locate possible Mega Stones. So, when both the wall and your Mega Bracelet gave off the same light, I figured there could have been a Mega Stone behind here," he said while reaching into the hole created by Mewtwo. Digging around inside of the wall, Clemont managed to feel for two spherical objects and grabbed them.

"Ah ha! Just like I thought," Clemont told them as he pulled out two spheres that resembled the one on Ash's Charizard, but different in colors. "However, I wasn't expecting two Mega Stones to be in here."

"So these are the stones?" Mewtwo asked as Clemont handed them over to the Psychic-Type. He stared at them with interest and felt a strange feeling inside of him. There were for sure his, yet, he didn't seem overly excited about them. "They seem like a disappointment. All this work for two tiny spheres?"

"Those spheres are much more powerful than you think they are," Clemont informed him as he adjusted his glasses for what Mewtwo thought was the hundredth time. The Psychic-Type wondered why the boy needed to adjust them so much in the first place, but decided against asking. "In fact, you'd probably become much stronger than you are now."

"I do not need this artificial boost," Mewtwo stated as he held the two spheres in his hand. "I do not know much of this 'Mega Evolution', but I know one thing. Someone had planted these spheres here long ago. As, how does a man-made Pokémon have not only one, but two Mega Stones?"

"That's right!" Clemont stated as he looked at the two Mega Stones. How could Mewtwo even have a Mega Stone? He was created by humans in an attempt to clone Mew! "Someone must have created them in hopes of you finding them."

"That isn't possible," Mewtwo began to explain as an explosion soon interrupted his thought process. Looking out of the cave, Mewtwo noticed that smoke was coming from the field they had left everyone in earlier. "The others! I must return to them, make sure they are alright!"

"Go," Ash told Mewtwo as the Psychic-Type flew from the cave before Ash could finish his sentence. "W-We'll catch up," he decided to say anyways despite Mewtwo already being gone.

* * *

"W-What's happening?" Serena asked while choking on the smoke. She had been playing with some of the Pokémon along with Bonnie when all of a sudden smoke began to cover the entire field. "Who's out there!?"

"Prepare for trouble, copied or true!" Jessie's voice could be heard through the smoke before she jumped through it and appeared before the clones and Serena and Bonnie.

"And make it double, you'll be quite blue," James joined in as he too jumped from the smoke and posed right next to Jessie.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of hoax and fraud!"

"To extend our reach to regions abroad!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket striking out fakes all day and night!"

"Surrender now or receive a Copyright Strike!"

"Wobbu!"

"Mime mime!"

The group of four seemed different this time, but neither Serena or Bonnie could put their fingers on it at first. Then, Bonnie immediately figured it out once they were quieter than normal. "Hey! Where's Meowth!?"

"Oh, he's on vacation at a five-star resort," Jessie replied with a simple hand wave. "Something about on his last of nine lives. Or something else, we kind of didn't listen."

"But that's the least of your worries little twerpettes," James joined in as he pointed at the two of them. He then tossed a small cube out as a net emerged from the device and covered the horde of clones that were nearby. "You're outnumbered and outsmarted!"

"Your net missed us though," Serena told them as she pointed to the fact they were free and it was only the Pokémon who were covered.

"That's because we weren't aiming for you! Go!" Jessie shot back as she grabbed a Poké Ball and tossed it forward. Popping out of it was none other than Gourgeist who floated right next to her trainer. "We all know you're the weakest battler who even make us look pretty good."

"That's right, if we gave out thank you cards, we would have sent at least a dozen to you," James stated as he pulled out a Poké Ball himself. "Go, Carnivine! No! Not me get them!" Serena and Bonnie watched in utter shock as the Grass-Type was trying to eat James upon being called out. The duo thought it was a funny sight at first due to the fact Carnivine wasn't listening.

"Carnivine," the Grass-Type muttered as James tossed him off of his body and in front of the two girls.

"I'll show you a weak battler!" Serena called out as Braixen stood next to her. "Okay, use Flamethrower on them!"

"Hold that thought for just a second," James said as he snapped his fingers and pointed to Mime Jr. "Oh my little Mime Jr. please use a nice little Teeter Dance for our guests."

"Mime mime mime," the Mime Pokémon chanted as it swayed his arms back and forth as it did a little hula-style dance as the Psychic and Fairy-Type was quickly covered in a light purple light which radiated from its body. Soon, Serena, Bonnie and Braixen found themselves captivated by the dance and mimicked the entire sequence.

"W-W-What's happening!? I can't control my body," Serena said as she tried to stop performing the same dance as Mime Jr. only to be unable to keep herself from stopping. Her body just continued the same motion over and over again as she performed the hula-style dance. "Bonnie, can you move?"

"No, it's weird," she replied before a small smile crossed her face. "But if it wasn't for the situation we're in, it would be kind of fun," Bonnie cried out with a laugh. Serena then cast a glance around and noticed that the majority of the Pokémon were imitating the dance as well.

Then, she saw it, Pikachu, his clone and Pichu and Sylveon were unaffected due to being too far away from the source. Deciding to go for it, Serena called out for a command. "Sylveon, Pichu, I need you two to attack from over there!"

"Oh no you don't! Gourgeist, Shadow Ball!"

"Gour!" The Grass and Ghost-Type cried out as she formed a Shadow Ball within her hands before throwing it forward.

"Carnivine, let's show them we mean business! Bullet Seed!"

"Carni!" Carnivine yelled before opening its mouth. Firing off a bunch of seeds, the two attacks raced across the open field and right for the two performing Pokémon.

Sylveon and Pichu weren't expecting the attack to be that fast and neither had a chance to dodge or for Serena to even issue a command. Closing their eyes, the duo were expecting the attacks to crash into them but were surprised when they heard an explosion instead.

"Syl?" Sylveon asked as she opened her eyes. Much to her surprise, Pikachu had leapt into action and along with his clone had used a double Thunderbolt to cancel out the attack. "Sylveon, sly," she cried out thankfully as Pichu sat on her back.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied back while copying Ash's trademark fist pump. The Electric-Type then looked over at Team Rocket and charged up his electricity. With it surging through his body, Pikachu leapt high into the air as it started to spark off of him. "Pika... Chuuuuuu!" He yelled while the electricity soared from his body and right at Team Rocket.

"Don't worry or fear, Wobbuffet my dear," Jessie commanded as Wobbuffet jumped in front of them all and glowed a shade of different colors. The Thunderbolt then crashed into him real hard but he managed to keep his composure and launch the attack back at its sender with twice the power.

"Pika!?" Pikachu cried out as the blast was about to strike him, only to be rescued this time.

"Sylveon!" The Fairy-Type cried out as she whipped her feelers out and created a Fairy Wind attack with ease. The blast was launched upwards and collided with the returned Thunderbolt but that wasn't enough.

"Pichu, pi!" The Electric-Type then cried out as she focused as hard as she could to try and store up enough electricity. Finally, she felt the electricity surge through her cheeks and launched it forward. The attack then combined with the Fairy Wind to create an electrical cyclone of energy.

The two attacks managed to cancel out the returned Thunderbolt, but it was the look of the attack that had caught Serena's interest. The way the two attacks combined together managed to create a beautiful combination as the Thundershock climbed up the Fairy Wind and made it into a cyclone of pink and yellow.

Sylveon then launched her feelers high up into the air and caught the falling Pikachu with them before lowering him slowly onto the ground. Pikachu then turned around and faced Sylveon, a large smile on his face due to their quick thinking. "Pipika," Pikachu cried out happily as he waved to Sylveon for the help. The Fairy-Type cried out happily in response before they faced Team Rocket.

"Chu pika!" Pikachutwo cried out as his cheeks were filled with sparking electricity. He was upset at how these two had come here and attacked not only his family but his friends as well. Who did they think they were?"

"Jessie, that Pikachu with the different ears does not look happy in the least bit," James stated as he started to shake from worry.

"We're going to be just fine," she said with a wave of her hand before looking back over at the group. Pikachutwo was now joined by both Pikachu and Pichu plus Sylveon had her feelers up and ready to attack. "Ok, maybe just a little bit of worrying would be justified."

The four Pokémon then launched off their four combined attacks as the three electrical moves and the Fairy Wind combined together into one burst of pure energy that smashed right into Team Rocket and their Pokémon. The power from the attack was more than enough to launch the villains far off into the distance as Serena and Bonnie soon found themselves able to move their bodies again.

"What is happening here!?" Mewtwo's voice boomed as Serena and Bonnie turned around to see the Psychic-Type flying towards them with Ash and, to an extent, Clemont following behind him. "What was the mean of that explosion?"

"Well, you see," Serena started to say nervously as she was worried about how Mewtwo would react to the news that Jessie and James had found their area.

"Team Rocket attacked but Pikachu and his friend scared them off real well. I doubt you'd ever be seeing them again," Bonnie explained as the two Pikachu raced over to Mewtwo and explained everything to him perfectly.

"I see," Mewtwo replied as he closed his eyes. Looking over at Serena, he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you for trying to protect them. It means a lot to me."

"you would do the same for us. Like we said earlier, we're friends and friends have to look out for each other," Serena explained as Pichu climbed up onto her shoulder playfully. "And you," Serena said while looking at Pichu and Sylveon. "You two have given me the perfect idea for the Snowbelle City Showcase thanks to your attack."

"Speaking of your Showcase, we really should be going. You don't want to be late for registration!" Clemont practically shouted as he saw the sun starting to set. They were still a few hours away from Snowbelle City and they had to make it there by tonight.

"Take the path to your left," Mewtwo told them as he waved his hand and a clearing formed amongst the trees. "It'll be the quickest path to Snowbelle City. Consider it a gift... from a friend."

"Thank you, Mewtwo," Ash stated as everyone recalled their Pokémon into their Poké Balls and started to turn towards the newly created path. "But, wait, what are you going to do about those Mega Stones?"

"They shall remain forever in my possession. I will not allow the world to misuse my power once more," the Psychic-Type explained while the two Mega Stones floated next to him. Those two spheres would forever be with him no matter what. "Thank you, all of you and good luck on wherever your paths take you. May we hopefully meet again."

"Definitely," Ash called back as he waved back to Mewtwo. They would have to see each other again. And maybe this time it wouldn't take as long of a time to meet up. Soon, the four trainers were no longer visible to Mewtwo or the clones as they vanished into the path created by the Psychic-Type.

* * *

"Operation bagged and tagged is a go!" Meowth said into his communication piece. While Jessie and James had distracted everyone with their lackluster battle, Meowth had wandered off and hid in the crowd of cloned Pokémon. "I've got the device all ready and Mewtwo is in my sights."

"Perfect, now, Meowth, do not mess this up," Jessie said through their communication link. "We took the entire blast there even though Wobbuffet was ready to block it so you have to strap the collar onto Mewtwo when he's all by himself."

"Roger that," Meowth said as he looked around and watched as Mewtwo appeared to be retreating to a secluded area. "The bird has left the flock and I'm moving in." Meowth then made his way across the field, making sure to move only on all fours so to not give away his cover.

"You know, Meowth, talking like this doesn't make you an actual spy," James' voice rang through his ear as Meowth just ignored him. "Really, you're just talking kind of stupid if I may say so."

"This is coming from a guy who rhymes almost everything he says," Meowth muttered under his breath as he felt his poor front paws grow cold from the dusting of snow. He wasn't a normal Meowth, his front paws weren't designed or trained for this hard work. "I'm coming close to the target. Prepare yourselves with the capture unit and wait until I give the signal."

"Ten-four super spy," Meowth heard James' voice once more as he could have sworn he heard the duo both laughing over the link. Sighing, Meowth readied his nerves as he approached the target.

"Hello there young one," Mewtwo began once he saw Meowth walking towards him. The Psychic-Type appeared to be in deep thought and so it would be easier for Meowth to get closer. "Tell me, do you come here often to think as well?"

"Meowth?" Meowth said, trying his best to sound like his cloned counterpart. It seemed to work however since Mewtwo wasn't alarmed by it at all.

"I see, you do not truly understand what is bothering me and I am grateful for your worry. But do not worry, for everything will be alright," Mewtwo reassured Meowth as he stood up and had his back to the Scratch Cat Pokémon. "I just have some thoughts on my mind."

"Well you won't anymore!" Meowth yelled out as he jumped onto Mewtwo and clamped the device around his neck. "Now!" He screamed before Mewtwo threw him off. The Genetic Pokémon was now thrashing around as his eyes turned a shade of red as the mind control device managed to take him over. "Ha! That worked like a charm!" In the process, the two Mega Stones had been dropped by Mewtwo and scooped up by Meowth.

Just then, Jessie and James dropped down from their hiding spots in the trees and they both tossed out a small cube. The two devices opened up to form a large blue cage that trapped the Psychic-Type within as he tried to rip the collar off of his neck.

"No, no, no, do you know how much work went into that collar?" James asked in a mocking tone as he pulled out a remote and turned the intensity up, causing Mewtwo to cry out before giving up due to the command to stop. Slouching inside of his prison, Mewtwo could do nothing as he was slowly lifted up into a hot air balloon and carried away to parts unknown.

* * *

 **And Team Rocket strikes again. And now they have a very nice welcoming present for their boss. I wonder what they might do with Mewtwo? Anyway, Mewtwo is now brought into all of this and you'll all see where it's heading with him. Not much more to talk about except that we're reaching the point of the tournament. For a little idea of how far away, we've got roughly four chapters until it starts.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	42. Illusion Confusion

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, the group stumbled upon Mewtwo by accident who immediately recognized Ash from their previous encounter in Johto. Along the way, they discovered Mewtwo's two Mega Stones and the Psychic-Type decided that he would make sure they never fell into the wrong hands. However, once alone, he was captured in a surprise attack by Team Rocket.**

 **Ch 42: Illusion Confusion**

* * *

"Haha! Look, I can see Snowbelle City from here! Mewtwo was right in that it wouldn't take long to reach it," Serena said as they finally made their way out of the forest. The group had just split up from the Genetic Pokémon just hours ago and yet they were already in Snowbelle City. In the night time, the city looked beautiful with all the buildings lit up while snow covered their roofs. "I can already see myself winning my third Princess Key here." Serena and the others then began walking again as the two girls led the way.

"I wonder just how this Showcase will play out," Clemont muttered as he placed a hand on his chin and appeared in deep thought.

Ash noticed the inventor's look and wondered what exactly was he trying to get at. Waiting for a response, Ash realized that Clemont was in a too deep of thought to realize he had never finished his sentence and let out a sigh. "Clemont, what do you mean by that? We already know this Showcase is for two Pokémon only."

"No, I mean more along the lines of the rest of the competition," Clemont explained while looking forward. "For example, is the Theme round going to be a normal one like the others or is it going to bring in something related to only this surrounding area? Like, could it be related to the icy climate or even just the Snowbelle Gym? There's so many possibilities for Serena to consider."

"She'll be fine, Serena's strong like that," Ash answered confidently before his usual grin crossed his face. "Besides, she's going for her third and final Princess Key. You know she'll give it her best shot."

"That is true," Clemont replied with more confidence than before. He smiled while watching Ash continue walking ahead, he was always able to make any situation positive. Clemont wondered just how he stayed like this after everything he has gone through since his journey first began. Shrugging his shoulders, Clemont began walking again as he managed to catch up to the rest of the group at the entrance to the city.

"Clemont, you're too slow!" Bonnie chided him once his slow-paced body came into view with them. He wasn't heaving for oxygen this time, an effect from his constant traveling with Ash, but his pace was still the same as always. "No wonder I have to be the one to find you a keeper. If they saw how tired you got after walking a short distant, they would never agree to look after you do to all the work."

"Bonnie, can't you leave me alone for just one day," Clemont moaned as he leaned against a tree while the group waited. They had already been here for a while, but upon Clemont finally reaching them, they had decided to let the inventor rest for a while before continuing on.

"So, Serena," Bonnie said as she relented to her brother's wishes for the time being. "Have you finally figured out what you'll be doing for the Showcase?"

"Yeah, Pichu and Sylveon showed me something really nice that I want to work with them on before the Showcase. If we can get this down just right, there's no way we'll lose!" She cried out excitedly while doing a miniature fist pump with both her arms. "I just know this Showcase is going to be great since Shauna told me she was competing here as well."

"That's great! Nothing better than some friendly competition to get you all ready for the Master Class," Ash said happily before the group began moving again. They would have waited longer to move on, but the sun had already set and the closer they got to the City the colder it was getting. "It's been a while since we've seen her, Tierno and Trevor. I wonder how they're all doing?"

"Shauna mentioned something about heading to Lumiose City after the Showcase and that Tierno and Trevor were on their way already," Serena explained as she pulled the email up on her travel guide. It had been a few days old, but regardless it was still news to everyone else. "She said they were all going to participate in the tournament as well."

"This is great! I can't wait to battle either of them again! I can only imagine how much stronger they've gotten," Ash exclaimed happily as he grew even more excited for the tournament.

"You better you step up your game, Clemont," Bonnie muttered to her big brother while grinning. It was sometimes too easy to get him worried and so it made it too much fun to pass up on any opportunity. "You might have to face some pretty powerful trainers. Possibly Ash and who knows who else will compete."

"Please, Bonnie, I'm not worried about placement," Clemont answered as he managed to see through Bonnie this time. "It's more about how well I see my own progress than a meaningless title." He then looked up, only to realize that Bonnie and the others had left him during his response much to his confusion. "Guys!?"

* * *

"Serena!" Shauna's voice could be heard as the honey-blonde Performer walked through the Pokémon Center's front door. The Center was crowded with aspiring Performer's for the Showcase and so it was no surprise to see so many in the building. Shauna then made her way over to the entrance where Serena was now standing. "It's been a while. How have you been?"

"I'm doing great, already won two Princess Keys," Serena explained as she pulled out her two new Keys, clinking as they rattled around in her hands. "The second one was from the Lumiose Showcase held a few days ago."

"I heard about that one. I wanted to compete in it, but I was too far away to make it in time," Shauna explained as she pulled out her two keys. "I've won two myself. The Anistar City Showcase and the Dendemille City Showcase. I guess we've been winning them on the opposite sides of Kalos then."

"Yeah, but today we're going to beat you!" Serena said in a friendly tone before the two rivals stared each other down. They may be good friends, but they were still both going for the same dream; to become the next Kalos Queen. "Sylveon and Pichu have worked hard for this Showcase and there's no way we'll lose it."

"Oh," Shauna replied with a blank expression. She hadn't expected Serena to go with her two least experienced members for the Showcase, especially since they would be the only ones competing. Yes, Sylveon had experience but it wasn't to the same degree as Braixen or Pancham who were in their second full seasons each. "I was expecting you to use either Braixen or Pancham alongside one of Sylveon or Pichu."

"Well, I want to have Pichu and Sylveon work together since they've both been in the least amount of Showcases. This way, they'll learn to work together in the same sense of Braixen and Pancham do with each other," Serena explained before taking a glance at her pocket where the Poké Balls were located. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting situation.

"You're blocking the entrance," a voice familiar to the group said. Turning to look, the group noticed that it was none other than Amelia who was standing at the front door. "Other people would like to enter the Pokémon Center as well."

"S-Sorry," Serena replied quickly before scooting out of the way. "I didn't know anyone was behind me."

"And how would you? If you have your back turned you can't see behind you. I saw your performance in Lumiose," the Performer stated as a smirk crossed her face. "It was... Interesting to say the least. Your Pichu is a piece of work, can't even fire her Thundershock in a straight line. Mere luck and fan bias carried you to that win."

Serena just stared in disbelief at the girl. She was badmouthing her Pokémon without any reason to do so. "Pichu did an excellent job in Lumiose!" Serena told her as she felt herself growing upset at the girl in front of her. "For a young and inexperienced Pokémon, Pichu looked great."

"Yeah, for a second place performance," Amelia explained as she waved her hand in a demeaning way. She just didn't like the fact that Serena was growing so popular in the Showcase circuit and it was making her angry. "If you really practiced hard, then Pichu would have control over her electricity. Plus, your entire performance was the same again. Just replace your usual fire with electricity and that was your Lumiose Showcase performance"

"Well, I didn't see you using anything different during the Coumarine Showcase!" Ash shot out, surprising everyone in the area. He wasn't going to stay quiet and allow Amelia to badmouth Serena or her Pokémon. "You're always telling Serena she does the same exact thing, yet for your final performance, all you did was the same thing from last time!"

"There's a difference though," Amelia said as she waved a finger back and forth. "Unlike her, I have others saved for different uses. I just choose not to use them."

"That's a lie and you know it!" Bonnie cried out as she pointed at the older girl. "you don't have any other performances and so you're just saying this." Bonnie had a point, Amelia seemed like the kind of person to lie about something she didn't have.

"Listen here, you, I do have more and you'll be able to see them during the Showcase," she told Bonnie while putting her hands on her hips and glared in her direction. "Tomorrow, you'll all be seeing me win my third and final Princess Key. In fact, you'll probably all vote for me as well."

"As if," Ash replied with a glare on his face. He didn't like this girl attacking his friends like this. They did nothing to her. "Serena will be winning this Showcase and earn her third Princess Key."

Amelia but merely glanced in Ash's direction. Keeping her hands on her hips, Amelia sauntered over to the young trainer and stared at him with interest. She had to admit, he had some pretty good features. And he wasn't too badly built either.

Ash was confused by just what Amelia was doing at that moment in time. It appeared as though she was about to give him a peace of her mind, but instead she was just staring at him with a smirk, her eyes traveling up and down his body with interest. She then took a step closer to Ash and was practically on top of him now, causing him to take a step back uncomfortably. "Uhhh..." he responded, unsure of what was happening.

"You're kind of cute, you know that?" Amelia asked as her smirk grew into a flirtatious smile and crossed her face. She had an idea on how to rattle Serena up and give herself a fun time all at once. Leaning in closer to Ash, the Performer soon placed a long peck on his cheek before turning around. "I'll see you around," she replied in a flirtatious manner before walking away from Serena and the others. She could tell there was something going on between the two and doing this was her best bet to make sure Serena wasn't at her best for the Showcase.

"What was that all about?" Ash asked as he felt the spot Amelia just kissed. It felt warm, but Ash wasn't happy about it. He was embarrassed by the entire situation since he had no idea what had just happened, yet the others were all shocked. "Can someone explain?"

Serena on the other hand knew exactly what Amelia was doing, but based on Ash's reaction to being somewhat upset over the entire situation she knew it hadn't worked. "She was trying to rattle us all up for tomorrow," she explained with a normal tone in her voice, something the others were not expecting. "But, it didn't work at all. Thank you for trying to help, but you didn't have to get involved." Serena then smiled at Ash, the raven-haired trainer feeling a bit happier after and couldn't help but smile as well.

"I couldn't just let her insult you," he answered while scratching the side of his cheek. "She has no room to say that you're repetitive or that Pichu isn't trained well enough. We all know you've worked real hard with her on controlling her electricity. Besides, I would have defended any of you had anyone tried to attack you," he explained, looking at Serena first and then shifting his gaze over to Clemont and Bonnie.

"You know, how about we go get ready for bed," Clemont offered as he decided that the situation was now defused with Amelia gone. "We don't need another situation like the Anistar Showcase do we?"

"No, not at all," Shauna replied while laughing. That Showcase had been hectic for sure. From them all waking up late to Serena's Eevee being scared during the performances and running off to hide, they were running all over the place. "A good night's sleep is also the perfect way to get ready for tomorrow."

The group then decided to head off to bed, allowing themselves a good night's sleep following their little episode with Amelia. If Serena was going to win, she was going to have to be well rested. The entire night seemed to fly by as all the Performers were excited for the Showcase to begin. After what felt like only a few hours, the sun had started to shine through the curtains in the Center's bedroom causing everyone to awaken.

Getting out of their beds, Serena and Shauna were the first to get up and moving. Taking turns in the bathroom, the two girls showered and changed into their day clothes before deciding to wake the others up. Ash had a rather peculiar reaction as he fell out of his bed in what he assumed was another rushed morning. Once they were all ready, the group made their way down the snow covered streets of Snowbelle City and only stopped once the Showcase hall was in front of them.

"It looks like a giant Avalugg!" Bonnie cried out as they looked at the building. It wasn't a wrong statement in the least. It really was designed just like a Avalugg with the Ice-Type's four legs being turned into four pillars, one at each of the entrances along with the building being in the same shape as its back.

"Well, it would make sense, especially with how Wulfric uses one at his Gym," Clemont said as he too pictured a giant version of the Ice-Type standing before them. "Of course, there are still some differences from an actual Avalugg for it to be an exact copy."

"You really know how to kill the fun sometimes, Clemont," Bonnie replied with a pout on her face. Clemont just looked at her in a confused manner as both Serena and Shauna laughed at the young girl's statement.

Once the laughter had died down, the two Performers finally had a chance to take it all in. "It really is a different design compared to the other Showcase halls," Serena mentioned as they walked through the entrance. Pillars of ice lined the entrance as the group inspected them with surprise.

"Well, it'll make my win that much more memorable," Shauna taunted as the two girls said their goodbyes before making their way to the waiting room. Making their way down the hallway, the two girls passed by some of their fellow Performers and were finally at their designated location. Heading inside, the two soon set themselves up at one of the open locations and got ready.

"So, did you tell him yet?" Shauna asked innocently as they could hear Monsieur Pierre getting ready himself. "You know, about your feelings?"

Serena nearly dropped the Poké Balls containing Sylveon and Pichu due to the sudden question but was able to catch them in time. "I-I mean, I do tell him how he is a great trainer all the time and that I knew he would win the Kalos League, if that's what you mean." Serena could feel her face heating up and couldn't believe that Shauna was asking this right now of all places.

"No," Shauna said before moving closer as to not say it too loud. Cupping her hands, the Performer then started to speak. "I'm talking about your other feelings. You know, how you like him." Shauna then sat back and smiled at her friend, it was always an interesting time whenever someone brought up her feelings for Ash.

Serena was now as red as a Tamato Berry as she could feel the heat increasing on her face. It was situations like these as to why she hadn't been able to tell Ash yet, she was too shy to be able to. "Hahahaha," Serena started to nervously laugh as she hoped Shauna would drop the subject. However, Shauna didn't give in and just smirked at Serena with interest in her eyes. Sighing, Serena gave in and decided to answer. "No, I haven't told him yet how I feel. But, I'm kind of nervous. What if he doesn't see me the same way?"

"You'll never know if you don't ask him," Shauna explained while placing a hand on Serena's shoulder. "The only way to figure it all out is to tell him yourself. But, right now we have competition to win!"

Unbeknownst to either Serena or Shauna, Amelia had been sitting nearby and listened to the entire situation with a smirk on her face. Perhaps she could get something else out of this entire Showcase. Deciding to try it, Amelia spoke up from her spot while brushing her hair. "As if either of you could beat me. Your both second-class Performers compared to me. I bet you anything in the entire world I'll win."

Serena was now growing upset at the girl. No matter what, it seemed like Amelia held something against her even if it wasn't Serena's fault. Feeling her breaking point, Serena stood up and strolled over to Amelia. "And what makes you think you're that much better?"

"Simple," Amelia began while putting her hairbrush down and looking up at Serena, meeting her gaze directly. "I've had years of training under some of the best coaches. Granted, you kept me from Palermo, the greatest of them all. But, even without that old woman, I'm still better than the both of you combined."

Serena let a slight huff leave her mouth before trying to get herself calmed down. It would be of no good for her chances of winning if she was all worked up. However, the way that Amelia nonchalantly resumed brushing her hair told Serena that the girl was not interested in talking. "I guarantee that I could beat you today. Just as I did the first time we met." She soon found the words escaping through her mouth.

"Interesting, how about we put a little wager on it then," Amelia said as she placed the brush down, giving Serena her fullest attention. "If you win, I'll admit that you're better than me and are the best Performer out there." She then paused for a moment as she tried to make it seem like she was thinking of something she could win. However, Amelia already had the wager on her mind and had her prize picked out.

"But if I win, how does this sound? I'm going to enter that large tournament in Lumiose to practice for Showcases and to get some publicity and I know he'll want to compete, so I get that boy for the entire week," Amelia finished saying as she noticed the shock on Serena's face. "That means from the time the Showcase ends tonight, he's all mine until the tournament ends." Amelia watched on in joy as Serena appeared to be having an internal battle with herself over the bet. "You know; you don't have to take it. It just proves that you know I'll win."

"Serena, think this over," Shauna muttered to her friend, trying to keep her from making a deal she would regret later on. "I wouldn't take it, especially since you're using Sylveon and Pichu."

Serena shook her head back and forth at her friend's words. "No, Shauna. If I don't, she'll continue to just belittle us," she explained before reaching her hand down towards Amelia. "You've got yourself a deal. If I win, you'll stop saying that I'm a bad Performer and if you win..."

"I get the boy until the end of the tournament," Amelia finished while beginning to brush her hair again. She had no interest in Serena anymore, she got what she wanted out of this. Now she just had to finish her end of it.

"Y-Yes, you get Ash until the end of the tournament," Serena answered somewhat timidly, almost as if she was afraid of the possibility of Amelia winning.

Putting her brush back into her bag, Amelia got up from her seat and smirked at Serena. "Hmm, Ash, interesting name. But once our week is over, maybe he'll be wanting to stay with a real Performer." She then took her leave to go and get ready for the beginning of the Showcase.

"Serena! What were you thinking of making a bet like that?" Shauna said as she grabbed Serena by the arm and dragged her away. In the background, they could hear Monsieur Pierre begin his traditional opening ceremonies and a few of the Performers were being taken away to begin their Performance battles. "You're good, but who knows what this Amelia is capable of."

"I... I couldn't help it, I finally lost my temper," Serena explained while sitting on a couch. Slouching, she rested her head in her hands and sighed. "I've never met someone who gets under my skin like she does and so I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm sorry..."

"It doesn't matter now," Shauna explained as they heard the beginning of the Performance battles. They stole a quick glance and noticed that the first one had already ended since one of the Performers commanded a Metronome and it turned into an Explosion attack. "What matters is that you win and prove this wasn't for nothing."

"Right!" Serena agreed and stood back up. Grabbing onto her two Poké Balls, she quickly called out Pichu and Sylveon. The two Pokémon looked on in excitement as they prepared for their Showcase. "You two ready?" Serena asked, getting affirmative cries in response. "Great, because we have to give it our all."

"Performer Serena, you're up next, please make your way to the platform," an assistant stated as she poked through the door and into the waiting room. Serena was surprised at how quickly she was up, but got ready anyway.

"Ready?" She asked her two Pokémon before they left the waiting room. As they walked down the hallway to the platform, Serena grasped for the blue ribbon and clutched it tightly to help calm her down. Once good, she released the accessory and looked at Sylveon and Pichu. "Okay, Pichu, you'll be with me and Sylveon you'll be protecting us. Okay?"

"Sylveon!" The Fairy-Type cried out happily as Pichu leapt into Serena's arms. The duo were ready to get the chance for the entire Showcase and they were going to win this for Serena despite not knowing about the bet at all. The three of them then stood up onto the platform as it rose up towards the stage.

"And now! Ze beautiful mademoiselle Serena et her equally beautiful opponent, mademoiselle Kazalie," Pierre explained as the two girls appeared up on the stage next to each other. Serena looked at her opponent who appeared to have a Lilligant and a Skiploom. The girl looked familiar from another Showcase as well, but now wasn't the time to think about it. Instead, Serena focused on Monsieur Pierre, waiting for him to give the signal to start. "And, begin!"

A loud noise then filled the hall, signaling for the two Performers to begin. Getting right into things, Serena began her performance as Pichu jumped out of her arms and performed a front flip in midair before landing on the stage. "That was perfect, now use Thundershock, Pichu," Serena ordered as the Electric-Type charged up the electrical energy.

"Pi... Chuuuuu!" She cried out as the electricity flowed off of her body and danced around the stage. One good thing about her lack of control was that it managed to create some crazy patterns. This time, the Thundershock had spiraled upwards in all different shapes until meeting together up above Serena's head and connecting. The electricity then exploded, creating a set of fireworks much to Serena's surprise and happiness.

"Pichu, you know what to do now. Just like we practiced with Pancham!" Serena cried out as Pichu dropped onto her back and began dancing in a similar manner to Pancham when he spun on his back. While doing so, the baby Pokémon released a small current of electricity as a cyclone emerged around her.

"That's perfect! Sylveon, you use Swift and then follow it up with a Fairy Wind!" Serena commanded as the Fairy-Type did a little dance before whipping out a dozen golden stars. They then flew through the air and caught the other Performer by surprise as they struck her two Pokémon. The barrage didn't end there though, immediately after, a gust of pink wind blew through, completely disturbing their performance.

"Skiploom, get them back with Energy Ball!" Kazalie yelled out as the Grass and Flying-Type opened its mouth, a large green sphere forming inside of it. Launching it forward, Skiploom followed it up with a second one right away.

"Sylveon!" The Intertwining Pokémon cried out as she felt the two Energy Balls crash into her. Despite the pain, Sylveon had managed to keep the attack from disrupting Pichu and her dancing. But, what shocked her was the large blast coming their way.

"That's a Solar Beam!" Serena cried out, panic in her voice as she looked at Pichu wowing the crowd with her dancing and electricity yet Serena knew if they couldn't block it, then they were done for. "Quick, Sylveon, use Protect!"

"Syl!" Sylveon cried out as she created a barrier that covered herself and the others. The Solar Beam then smashed into the dome encasing with all its might, but Sylveon held strong and kept the Protect from shattering. "Syl..." Sylveon continued to mutter while keeping her concentration. The Solar Beam was stronger than they had expected, but she couldn't let it hit them. Finally fading away, Sylveon had a chance to catch her breath.

"Now, Pichu, run to me!" Serena could be heard saying as Pichu stopped her dancing antics. Her cuteness alone had caught the crowd's attention but Serena wasn't going to risk anything.

"Pichu, pi!" She responded before running right at Serena. Jumping up into her arms, the Electric-Type was immediately flung upwards into the air as she spun around freely. Knowing what to do, Pichu released another Thundershock as the electricity soared across the stage in all patterns as the crowd appeared to be captivated by it all.

"Sylveon, you use Fairy Wind and Swift once more!" Serena continued on as Pichu landed on the ground panting from all the exertion from the performance. Whipping her feelers backwards, Sylveon kicked up a powerful gust and immediately added in the Swift attack as the barrage swept across the floor and captured her opponents within it. She didn't want to rely on just Sylveon but Pichu had reached her limits and so she would have to just attack.

"Don't let up, Sylveon, keep attacking them with everything you have!" Serena called out as she watched Pichu barely able to keep up with her earlier dances. That was one thing they would need to work on, especially before the Master Class. The Fairy-Type nodded in agreement as she continued her constant barrage of Swift and Fairy Wind, making sure that the other Performer couldn't move at all. Then, the three of them heard the sound of the bell signaling that the battle was over. Sighing in relief, both Sylveon and Pichu dropped to the ground in exhaustion, this one had been harder than either of them thought it would have been.

"Et fini! Stop your performances s'il-vous-plait!" Monsieur Pierre cried out as the buzzer rang through the entire hall. From the looks of it, the entire battle was a one-sided event due to how Serena handled the battle portion but it was still up to the judges to decide. Waiting patiently, the two Performers didn't need to worry for long as all three screens soon lit up with Serena's face. Sighing, Serena grasped at her ribbon and lowered her head. This one had been rather nerve wracking for her.

"Congratulations, Performer Serena, you'll be advancing onto ze Theme Round later today," Pierre said to her as the crowd clapped in agreement. Soon, the platform began to lower beneath the stage as Serena and her two partners finally had a chance to relax. Making their way back to the waiting room, the three playfully talked about the performance they had just completed and how they had all done excellent.

"Sylveon, that was a great job to keep them from moving with your Fairy Wind," Serena told the Intertwining Pokémon as she smiled down at her. Serena then turned to look at Pichu, who was riding on the back of Sylveon happily. "And, Pichu, you did amazing out there as well. Just a little more practice and I'm sure you'll get you r electricity under control."

"Pichu!" The Electric-Type cried out happily as the three of them walked into the waiting room.

It had already begun to empty out as the defeated Performers left for the day to head off to wherever the next Showcase was being held and so Serena noticed as everyone was surrounded around the TV screen. Hovering over to it, Serena noticed the ending of a performance battle where a girl with her Honchkrow and Noctowl won. However, before Serena could even process the entire performance or try to get ready for the Theme Round, she felt as if someone was watching her. Turning around, Serena was surprised to be face to face with Amelia, the girl staring at her with disgust.

"That was pretty barbaric for a performance," she answered with a sound of disgust in her voice. She had watched the entire performance from Serena and the moment she noticed Serena go straight into attack-mode had left an upset feeling inside of her. "These aren't Pokémon battles, they're meant to be elegant and captivating."

"I thought my performance was captivating," Serena replied back as she tried not to grow upset at her fellow Performer. "Besides, we did our best and did whatever we had to do to advance on," she finished before Shauna came over to them.

"Plus, the way she used Swift and Fairy Wind together was a great combo that looked really well done. If one was stronger than the other, the entire move would have failed before hitting its target," Shauna explained with a slight smile as she backed Serena up. She didn't really know who this Amelia was, but the more she heard her speak the more she disliked her.

Amelia just shrugged her shoulders and let out a slight huff from her annoyance. "Fine, do what you want, but don't come crying to me when you lose. And don't forget what is on the line here," Amelia stated while narrowing her eyes at the honey-blonde haired Performer. "But, I guess I'll just have to show the both of you who the better Performer is."

Shauna was just about to reply back to the last remark when an assistant then poked her head through the door. "Performers Shauna and Amelia, you're both up next. Please make your way down to the waiting platforms."

"Well, I guess I'll be able to show one of you who's the better Performer," Amelia stated with a smirk before whipping her head around. In the process, her hair was also flung around and smacked Serena in the face as she walked away. "Just don't cry too much once you lose."

Serena just watched in disbelief. Why did this girl despise her so much? All she did was do what she was supposed to and won, yet, this somehow upset the Performer so much as to set her sets on Serena. "We'll see who's the one losing," Serena muttered as she watched both Shauna and Amelia leave the waiting room and head down the hallway. Turning towards the TV, Serena then watched as another Performance battle came to an end as a Performer with a Solrock and Lunatone advanced. Serena couldn't care less, it wasn't that she didn't care about the other Performers, just that she had all her attention on Amelia and Shauna. She was rooting with all her might that Shauna would win, but a part of Serena was worried for her close friend.

"And now, ze final Performance battle for ze evening!" Pierre cried out happily as the crowd roared in approval as the stage started to have its two platforms rise up from underneath. "We have Performers Shauna et Amelia!" Rising up alongside the two Performers were their Pokémon who would be performing alongside them and little to Serena's surprise were Ivysaur and Floette alongside Shauna.

However, there were two Pokémon next to Amelia that Serena had never seen before. Or better yet, one Pokémon she had never seen before but there were two of them. Wanting to know what it was, Serena pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the black and purple lamp-like Pokémon.

"Lampent, the Lamp Pokémon. The spirits it absorbs are said to fuel the fire always burning inside of it. It is said they like to hang around areas populated with people, waiting for one to pass away," the Pokédex explained in its robotic voice. The entry gave Serena chills as she thought about that Lampent absorbing the spirit of the recently deceased. However, she was immediately pulled from her inner thoughts the moment she heard the clock start.

"Alright, Ivysaur, let's show them how we do things!" Shauna called out as she got excited to perform alongside her first Pokémon again. It had been a while, but all they needed was just one more Princess Key and then they were qualified for the Master Class.

"Ivy!" The Grass and Poison-Type responded affirmatively as it got ready to begin their best performance yet. Or so they thought so. But, no matter how hard they tried to move, both Shauna and Ivysaur found themselves unable to move any part of their bodies.

"W-What's go-going on?" Shauna asked as she struggled against the force that was pressing down onto her body. It had gotten so strong that she was now sweating from the pressure and it was taking all of her strength to not fall onto the ground. "W-Why can't I move my body?"

"I wouldn't struggle too much," Amelia replied with a rather bored voice. She appeared to be yawning as Shauna struggled with this outside force on her body and didn't seem worried at all for her fellow Performer. "You see, the more you try and fight it, the stronger Lampent's Psychic will become. This way, you won't be able to actually compete."

"What!" Shauna called out as she felt herself forced onto her knees as she began panting from the intense pressure placed on her by the Psychic attack. "Y-You said... You said that S-Serena was... Was barbaric for the way she won and now you do this?" She finally managed to say after stumbling over her words. Looking at the clock, the Performer knew there wasn't much time left and so she had to try and do something. "Ivysaur, Floette, can either of you move at all?"

Both her Pokémon did their best to try and break free, but it wasn't working. The strength of the Psychic attack was just too much for either of them to move and it looked as though this was already over for Shauna.

Amelia only laughed as she looked at the struggle happening for her opponent. "Please, there's a difference between attacking someone and then restraining them. Plus, I actually plan on performing with my second Pokémon," Amelia replied to the broken Performer as she moved her focus from Shauna and onto her second Lampent.

"Okay, start off with a large Shadow Ball and shoot it straight above us!" Amelia called out as the Ghost and Fire-Type raised its arms over its head as a large sphere of ghostly energy formed. Then, without even a second's notice, the blast was launched upwards with amazing speed as it reached its destination without any difficulty. "Perfect. And now, use your Scratch attack!"

This command caught the audience by surprise. Lampent couldn't learn Scratch! Or, at least they thought so before witnessing the Lamp Pokémon slice through the orb with ease as the explosion caused sparkles to rain down around Amelia as she posed underneath it.

"And now, time for the grand reveal!" Amelia cried out as she looked over at the clock. She had wasted enough time playing with her opponent and now it was time to wow the crowd with the last for seconds they had. Lampent appeared to circle down around her as it started to glow pink. Then, to the shock of the entire audience, Lampent disappeared only to be replaced by a Zorua who landed in Amelia's arms playfully.

"Zorua," the Dark-Type cried out happily before wriggling loose from the hug its trainer had been giving. Now standing on top of Amelia's shoulder, Zorua launched off a Dark Pulse attack as the beam glittered underneath the remains of the sliced Shadow Ball and managed to give off a night time feeling. Amelia then posed underneath the display alongside her Zorua as the clock struck down to zero, signaling the end of the Performance battle. Upon completion, Lampent released Shauna from the Psychic attack.

"Et fini!" Pierre cried out to the crowd. Despite the obvious outcome for the battle, he still had to go through his usual ordeal. "And now, ze judges shall vote upon which mademoiselle best deserves to advance onto ze Theme Round!" The crowd didn't really seem too interested as it was already pretty clear who would be advancing on. Even if using a Psychic attack to bind her opponent and keep her from moving was a cheap tactic, Amelia had used it to her advantage.

"And ze winner is..." Monsieur Pierre began to say as his voice trailed off while awaiting the decision. Then, in a sudden flash, all three screens showed Amelia's face as the Performer who had won. "Performer Amelia! Congratulations mademoiselle," Pierre told the young girl as both platforms began to lower underneath the stage. Soon, it was going to be time for the Theme Round and they needed to get ready. "But don't any of you Pokémon lovers go anywhere just yet! Following this short break, we'll be moving onto ze Theme Round."

* * *

"Shauna, are you alright?" Serena asked once her friend and rival walked back through the doors and into the waiting room. Serena had watched the entire thing and felt bad for Shauna for the way Amelia had beaten her. "You didn't even get a fair chance to compete."

"I'm fine, just a little sore," she replied while stretching her muscles out. Besides her annoyed attitude and her body being sore, she was fine with being pushed onto the ground by a Psychic attack or, at least as fine as she could. "I'd like a chance to actually compete against her, but she was right. It was within fair play. A little cheap, but fair."

Serena couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could Shauna be fine with the way she was cheated out of the performance? "It isn't fair though. You or your Pokémon had no way to even counter that Psychic attack at all. If the roles had been reversed she would probably have been complaining!"

"Please, I followed the rules and it was completely fair. In no way did I physically attack her, all I did was restrain. If she had been prepared, then she wouldn't have been in the situation she was," Amelia answered as she walked out of the dressing room in a new outfit. It was similar to one worn by a skier. She was in a puffy purple jacket and matching purple ski pants. It seemed as though the Theme round had something to do with Snowbelle's colder climate since Serena had been given the same clothes as well only light pink in color.

Serena couldn't believe how this girl honestly thought she was correct in her thought process! Not only did she have the audacity to say Serena was barbaric, but she also had the guts to use Psychic to pin her opponent to the floor and do an easy routine! Serena was about to reply to the girl, but Amelia was already leaving to head off to the Theme Round before she could even utter a response. Letting a huff of air escape her nostrils as the girl left, Serena didn't know why she allowed Amelia to get to her so much. She needed to just ignore her.

"Serena?" Shauna asked as she noticed her friend's demeanor. Even Sylveon and Pichu had noticed and they were both doing their best to try and help their trainer calm down as well. "It's alright. Just let your performance do all the talking. She won't listen otherwise, so you'll just have to outperform her on the stage."

"Yeah," Serena muttered as they then both heard the crowd applauding like crazy. They must have announced what the Theme Round was if they were this loud. Watching the TV with interest, Serena noticed that even Monsieur Pierre was dressed in a winter outfit and wondered what was happening.

"Bonjour! For today's Theme Round, we have decided to embrace not only ze Performer and their bond with their Pokémon, but also ze beautiful nature zat surrounds zis wonderful city," Pierre began to explain, the crowd clapping it up for his opening. "And so, a Kalos Queen doesn't only have to be smart and good at taking care of Pokémon, but they also have to know how to get from town to town. And so, this Theme Round is similar to an orientation course!"

Pierre paused for a moment as he allowed the crowd to soak up all the information he just dropped on them. It was different, but after the town had asked to include their scenery Pierre had agreed to it. "To begin, all fifteen Performers who are remaining will race from ze Showcase Hall across ze town and to ze Gym. Along ze way, they must acquire two of ze three stamp marks located across town! Ze first five to make it to ze Gym advance on!"

Serena hadn't even managed to listen to the entirety of Monsieur Pierre's explanation, having jumped into the changing room as soon as he mentioned they were all racing across the town. For Serena, she wasn't too worried about making it since she had already explored Snowbelle City when they were here for Ash's Gym Battle a while back and so she felt good about her chances.

"Serena, are you almost ready? They're calling for you!" Shauna's voice could be heard as Serena zippered up her coat. Pulling on her new boots given by the Showcase staff, Serena walked out of the changing room and was ready to advance in this Showcase. Nodding to Shauna, the duo both understood what had to be done. There was no need for words to be spoken as Serena made her way out to the starting point.

Shauna could only watch from inside as it appeared that cameras had been positioned all over town to keep an eye on everyone. Pierre had also explained the rules and it had been rather simple. The first five with two stamps who reach Wulfric at his Gym advance. You're allowed to use your Pokémon to help as well. And with the sound of a bell, the fifteen remaining Performers were off.

Everyone in the hall watched on in anticipation as the group appeared to split off into two smaller groups as the path had split off into two directions. "Come on, Serena..." Shauna muttered as she clasped her hands together and held them up near her face. On the screen, Serena was in the lead with a few of the other Performers right behind her. However, she appeared to know where exactly she needed to go and didn't waste any time looking at her map for directions.

"Okay, according to the map we were given, the first stamp is at the Pokémon Center which means we just have to continue this road and then it should be an easy first stamp," Serena told Sylveon and Pichu as they walked down the street. Looking around, Serena couldn't help but be awed by the beautiful nature all around. The lightly covered ground glistened with snow as the setting sun managed to give off just the right hue of orange to create a majestic sunset over the side of the mountain.

"Syl," Sylveon agreed as they took a slight left in the path as they rounded a bend. Smaller buildings started to appear before them and all three of them were amazed with the little, cozy, log cabins. Each with their own little chimney that had smoke blowing out of them. "Sylveon, syl!"

"Yeah, I know, it's very pretty," Serena replied as she looked down at Pichu. The Baby Pokémon was having a fun time as she watched snowflakes falling all around them. "Are you having fun, Pichu?"

"Pi, pichu, chu!" Pichu cried out happily before throwing her arms up over her head. It was a much different Theme Round, but it was also a lot of fun. Shortly, they trio had finally saw the roof of the familiar Center and decided to sprint up to the stamp.

"Look, we're the second ones here!" Serena cried out happily as the three of them celebrated a little before they all placed the stamp down onto their card. That was one down, and just one more to go before they had to race up to the Snowbelle Gym. However, they had no idea that they were about to get into a lot of trouble. Having followed them, Amelia was now right behind them and was watching on in joy at her plan.

"Okay, you know what to do, Zorua," Amelia said as the Tricky Fox Pokémon jumped out of her arms. Walking on the ground for a few moments, Zorua made her way close to Serena before her eyes flashed a light pink. Then, to those not in the surrounding area, the entire are changed to an illusion created by Zorua. "Perfect. With this illusion in place, Serena and the other Performers who come this way will head off in the wrong direction."

"Okay, let's follow the path to get to the next stamp!" Serena cried out happily as Amelia watched on with a large grin. She couldn't believe that it was going to be this easy to trick all of them. Then, to her joy, Serena followed the fake path created by Zorua as the three of them ran off in a rush.

Amelia's grin soon formed into a smile as she walked over to Zorua and picked the Dark-Type up in her arms. Rubbing the fur on her body, Amelia praised Zorua for an excellent illusion before she stamped her own card. With only one more stamp to go, Amelia felt good about her chances at winning this Theme Round. "Now we just need to get that second stamp and we'll be good to go for the Freestyle Round.

* * *

"Hmmm, this is strange," Serena muttered as she looked around their current surroundings. There were no signs of the second or third stamp spots anywhere, yet they had followed the map once the area had looked different. But, all that was around them were trees. There was no way they could have taken a wrong turn, could there have been?

"We should be right near one of the remaining stamps, but there's nothing around here?" She continued to say as she looked around. Yet, despite however much she looked around, there were no signs of any stamps. "Maybe we took a wrong turn. But, we followed the map and everything."

"Syl!" Sylveon called out as they noticed something strange. Looking behind them all, the Pokémon Center appeared to be fluttering in the background. They all knew it wasn't normal and that something must have happened.

"Sylveon, use your Fairy Wind on us," Serena commanded as she received a shocked expression from the Fairy-Type. She wasn't in the mood to have to explain herself and merely nodded at the Intertwining Pokémon before she whipped up a gust of the Fairy-Type move.

Within moments, the illusion had been blown away and their true surroundings were now shown. They weren't even anywhere near the city; they were all the way out in the woods! Knowing what had happened, Serena threw her hands up into the air before running them through her hair. "Arghhhhh! Someone tricked us and now we're way off the path!" She explained to her two confused Pokémon before turning back around.

"Quick, we have to make it back to the city and finish this race. Otherwise, we're done for!" Serena explained as Sylveon picked Pichu up and placed the Baby Pokémon onto her back. Moving quickly, the small group managed to cover their trek out here in no time at all and they were soon back in front of the Pokémon Center.

"Alright, if we make a quick turn at the next street..." Serena started to say only for a loud horn noise to interrupt her thoughts. Looking around, Serena watched on one of the nearby screens as the fifth and final Performer crossed the finish line. She couldn't believe it, she lost and all because someone had tricked them. Dropping to her knees, Serena watched as Monsieur Pierre showed off the group of five Performers who had advanced onto the Freestyle.

And much to Serena's annoyance, Amelia was in the group who had advanced on. "I just know she had something to do with all of this!" Serena cried out as she punched the ground. She wasn't frustrated about losing or anything like that, not yet at least, more so she was upset at being fooled by Amelia. She didn't have any proof, but she just knew Amelia had a hand in it.

"Syl..." Sylveon muttered as she wrapped one of her feelers around Serena's wrist. She felt bad for her trainer as she was frustrated even more so than usual. Yes, they all wanted to win, but they had never seen Serena get this down about a loss.

"Pi..." Pichu joined in as she jumped onto Serena's head. The Electric-Type felt as though she was partly responsible for them losing and wanted Serena to know just how sorry she was.

Seeing how her Pokémon were acting, Serena bottled all her emotions up for the time being and stood back up while smiling at the duo. "You two don't need to apologize. You gave it your best shots, it was just myself who messed up. I should have been aware of our surroundings."

The group of three then made their way back to the Showcase hall in silence as Serena thought about what had happened. She had lost and was now eliminated from the Showcase. Now, if Amelia managed to win then she would also win the bet they had. Serena gulped at the thought of Amelia winning their stupid bet and now wished she hadn't just jumped into agreeing to it. The entire bet must have been a plan of Amelia's to rile her up and it worked.

Now in front of the building, Serena slowly made her way in and walked back down to the waiting room. Once inside, she noticed that the Freestyle Round had already begun and that none other than Amelia was performing. Serena watched as the Performer began.

"Alright, Lampent, Zorua, use a double Shadow Ball and aim them at each other!" Amelia cried out as the two Pokémon did as they were commanded. The two spheres of ghostly energy were launched at each other with success as an explosion soon followed, causing it to rain sparkles from the blast.

"That was great!" She cried out while smiling and posing. Amelia couldn't help but know she had this entire Showcase in the bag, with both Serena and that other Performer she beat easily out of the way, there was no one remaining who could challenge her. "Now, Zorua use Dark Pulse, but just sprinkle it this time. And Lampent, you use Psychic to lift Zorua up and spin her around."

"Lampent," the Lamp Pokémon cried out as he lifted the Dark-Type up into the air. Spinning her around, the Dark Pulse soon took on a whole new image as the sprinkles from it blended into the sparkles from the dual Shadow Ball. The entire display was captivating for the audience who were eating up her performance.

"Next, Zorua, you know what to do!" Without even the need to explain, Zorua's eyes glowed a light pink as the entire stage changed shape and design. Soon, they appeared to be outside where the sun was setting right behind the mountain and the new setting made the entire performance pop out even more so than before. "And finished!" She cried out to the sound of applause. Breathing heavily, she wondered if it had been enough to win the crowd over.

The other Performers went one after another as each managed to deliver rather interesting performances themselves. Serena had been interested in a few of them, but after being eliminated she had lost any interest in watching. Even Shauna had already left, having said she wanted to get heading towards Lumiose City for the tournament and now Serena was all alone as she watched the other Performers lined up on the stage.

"If it wasn't for Amelia, I would be up there right now," Serena muttered as she shut the TV off. She couldn't force herself to watch this one ceremony. Yes, it made her seem immature about losing, but it wasn't so much about the loss as it was how it happened. Placing her face in her hands, Serena placed her elbows onto her knees and looked out the window.

"Are you alright?" Serena jumped at the voice and was surprised to see Ash down in the waiting room. Shouldn't he have been up in his seat? "I saw what happened and felt bad for you. It was smart for the other Performers to trick you," he started to say, not realizing that his words weren't really helping at the moment. "Otherwise you'd be up there winning right now."

"But I'm not," Serena sighed out as she continued to look out the window. She couldn't bring herself to look at Ash, not right now knowing what could be coming. "I allowed myself to be tricked."

"Hey, it's alright," Ash said as he sat down next to Serena. He wanted to help her out, he knew firsthand how it felt to be close only to lose. "Everyone makes a mistake at some point in time. If you saw me back when I started out, you wouldn't even know I was the same Ash Ketchum," he joked, causing her to laugh a little.

She smiled a little now thanks to Ash and his help. That was her Ash. Always there to help and brighten up everyone's mood. Kind of like a beacon of hope for people who were down. But, upon seeing his smiling face, she couldn't hold it in any longer and began to cry. "B-But... You don't... You don't know how bad I wanted it."

Ash didn't know what to do. Yeah, he had gotten upset over losses when it came to his Gym Badges, but he had never cried over them. He felt both sad to see Serena like this, but also glad. It showed she had an incredible drive for her goal and even the slightest setback would only manage to motivate her more. Looking around the room only to realize he was all alone, he really was at a loss for an idea. Shrugging his shoulders in confusion, he decided to pull her into a hug. They had helped when his mom gave him one as a kid, so maybe they could help out now.

"Hey, it's going to be alright. There's going to be a Showcase in Laverre City in a little. You'll win that one for sure," Ash said as he rubbed Serena's back to help her. It seemed to be working as she had stopped crying, yet for some reason Ash was the one who was feeling strange now. For some reason, he felt his face heating up the moment he had brought Serena into the hug, and the fragrance of her hair upon being smelled also made him a little nervous. Pulling away, he noticed how Serena was now better than she was before.

"Listen, everything is going to be just fine. You'll get that third Princess Key and then you'll win the Master Class," Ash explained only to feel a tugging sensation on the collar of his jacket.

"But for now, you're mine," Amelia's voice shocked both Ash and Serena as she ended their time alone. Flashing Serena the Princess Key from today's Showcase, Amelia showed that she had won not only the Showcase but their bet as well. Ash, confused over the entire situation, struggled as he tried to break free of the hold only to no avail.

* * *

 **Well, that happened. Man, Amelia is just awful. Though, technically she never cheated since she remained within the rules just that she really used them to her advantage to win this Showcase. Now, if you're wondering why I didn't use someone like Miette for this, well, it'll be explained later on so I can't really say for now. So, I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I'm hoping to have it out real soon. Most likely Monday.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	43. Setting the Wheels in Motions

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Serena competed in the Snowbelle City Showcase, losing to Amelia after some tricky moves that allowed her to advance to the Freestyle Round rather easily.**

 **Also, I'm now on Twitter. You can follow me at potat_lasaro. I don't really tweet much stuff though. At best it might be updates and since we're in October it might also include some baseball related stuff...**

 **Ch 43: Setting the Wheels in Motion.**

* * *

"Hey, it's going to be alright. There's going to be a Showcase in Laverre City in a little. You'll win that one for sure," Ash said as he rubbed Serena's back to help her. It seemed to be working as she had stopped crying, yet for some reason Ash was the one who was feeling strange now. For some reason, he felt his face heating up the moment he had brought Serena into the hug, and the fragrance of her hair upon being smelled also made him a little nervous. Pulling away, he noticed how Serena was now better than she was before.

"Listen, everything is going to be just fine. You'll get that third Princess Key and then you'll win the Master Class," Ash explained only to feel a tugging sensation on the collar of his jacket.

"But for now, you're mine," Amelia's voice shocked both Ash and Serena as she ended their time alone. Flashing Serena the Princess Key from today's Showcase, Amelia showed that she had won not only the Showcase but their bet as well. Ash was confused over the entire situation as he struggled to break free of the hold only to no avail. He was completely confused as to what was happening right now. Why did Amelia think she could just drag him off to who knows where?

"Hey, let me go!" Ash was practically yelling at the top of his lungs as he struggled to break loose from her grip. Despite all of his squirming, he still couldn't get loose. It was as if she had used a String Shot attack to stick her grip onto him. "Serena, what's going on here!?"

"Ash, just listen to her and do whatever she asks of you for the time being," Serena sighed out as she watched the Pallet Town native stop flailing around. He was caught off-guard by that statement. Why would she want him around this person? Heck, he doesn't want to be around her! "Please, just, whatever she asks of you, just listen to her."

"But..." Ash began to say, only to be broken off by a sudden tug on his collar again. Before he knew it, he found himself practically wrapped around Amelia due to the force of the pull.

"Let's say that I 'won you'," Amelia began to say as a small smirk crossed her face. She couldn't help but wonder how someone like Ash wasn't already taken. He seemed like the perfect person just from the few moments she had seen him interacting with his friends. "And, like Serena said 'you're to do whatever I say'. So, let's go get something nice to eat," Amelia said as she wrapped her arm around Ash's and pulled him along. Sighing, Ash took one final look towards Serena with saddened eyes as he felt himself be pulled along. This was not how he expected his time in Snowbelle City to go.

* * *

"G-G-Giovanni's already here!?" James shouted out in fear as a grunt issued the news. The three Rocket Admins had just returned shortly from their little "gift shopping" and were still getting the place all ready for his arrival. "He can't be here just yet; I haven't finished dusting!"

"Oh relax, James." Jessie said as she dropped a wrapper for a candy bar onto the ground. "If anyone should be upset, it should be my millions of fans. Now that the boss is here, I'll have to postpone my appearances in any future Showcases, oh the sadness it'll bring to all my adoring fans. But, just as a Phoenix rises from the ashes, so too will my Performing career as millions will chant 'Jessilee' at the Master Class."

"We're losing her again, James," Meowth muttered as he swiped at the dropped wrapper. They had been rather busy cleaning out the boss' office since they had little thought to believe he would ever show up in Kalos and had turned it into a storage room of sorts. But, after a few sleepless nights the three, or better yet, two of them had cleaned while Jessie supervised the entire operation. "Hey! Miss Performing Queen, why don't you help out your subjects and mop the floor!"

"Please," Jessie replied with a simple wave of her hand. "Manual labor is fit for someone far below my status quo. You would never expect me to do some sort of manual labor," she said, her voice sounding as if it could spit venom at the "manual labor" part of her sentence.

Tossing a bucket at her, Meowth then followed it up with the mop as both items hit her square in the face. "Yeah, I do expect ya to help out!" The Normal-Type replied as she tossed the bucket back at the laughing Meowth. Not watching, the bucket smashed him directly in the face, knocking him backwards into a bookshelf and knocking all the items off of it. "Eh, you know what... Forget I ever asked, I forgot how powerful your Fling attack had become."

"Serves you right," Jessie retorted before going back to her supervisor position. "Besides, it's busy work supervising you two. Sometimes I run out of snacks and other times I get uncomfortable from sitting around all the time."

James just sighed as he looked at the new mess. At this rate, it would have been easier to just rebuild an entirely new office for Giovanni. Since, between their constant quarreling, they had caused more harm than good. "Please, I just swept that part of the floor! If you're going to fight, take it outside. I need this entire area cleaned for the boss' arrival."

"Calm down, James," Jessie said as she tossed another wrapper onto the ground much to James' annoyance. "It doesn't matter how the office looks since it isn't what's on the outside, but what's on the inside that matters. It's the thought that counts."

"Oh?" James asked as he pondered the situation. If that were the case, then why was he killing himself cleaning? "Well, when you put it like that, Wobbuffet, could you pass another candy?"

"Wobbu!" The Psychic-Type cried out while carrying the bowl filled with chocolates across the room. Unfortunately, at that very moment the door to the office swung open and smacked Wobbuffet in the back. The force of the hit caused him to toss the bowl high into the air where it flipped upside down and caused the chocolate to splatter against the floor.

"My cleaning!" James cried out as tears formed in his eyes.

"My chocolate!" Jessie joined in as she felt tears forming as well. Those were specially imported from Kanto and had cost quite a lot. She had been saving them for a rather big moment. "Wobbuffet, what do you think you're doing!? Those chocolates were supposed to be off limits to anyone except myself!"

The Psychic-Type put his right arm behind his head and sulked in sadness. He didn't know what happened, just that he had been hit by something. Turning around, Wobbuffet noticed a man standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. "W-Wobbuffet!" Hearing the cry, Jessie, James and Meowth looked up from the mess, melted chocolate covering their hands, to see none other than Giovanni standing before them.

"It's the boss!" The three cried out in unison as they saluted him. Unfortunately, they had forgotten about the chocolate in their hands and caused it to smear against their foreheads.

"Yes, I arrived safely here not too long ago and I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in the shape of my office," Team Rocket's leader stated as he looked at the mess. Chocolates were splattered across the floor, a broken bookshelf sat in the corner and wrappers littered every inch of the room. "I would have assumed my office would have been more situated for my arrival."

"Oh, this? This isn't your office, sir," Jessie stated quickly as she wiped the chocolate from her hands. Smiling with a rather large smile, Jessie needed to come up with something fast and only had one idea. "This is our office. Yours is down the hall. We'll show you to it once you're ready."

"Alright, very well," Giovanni stated with no hint of annoyance at all in his voice. He had no reason to be, the entire Kalos region branch was running better than he expected. Their profits were far more sustainable than he ever imagined and the grunts appeared to be in top form. "I would like a tour of the facility before being shown to my office. I need to inspect this place and make sure everything is up to Team Rocket's standards."

"Of course your marvelousness," Meowth said as he too wiped his paws. "We'll give you the tip-toppiest tour of the entire complex. And then, we have a super-secret surprise for you!"

This intrigued Giovanni. Raising his eyebrow, the man hoped to coax some information out of the talking Pokémon but to no avail. It seemed as though Meowth wouldn't budge on the secret. "Alright, start showing me around. We don't have much time until we begin the attack."

"Y-Yes, boss," James stuttered due to his nervousness. He didn't know why, but something about Giovanni always scared him more than it did with his two partners. "You've already seen the café upon arrival and I doubt you'd want to return to it. Unless you're feeling parched then we could whip you up a nice large-sized Rockatte. It's our biggest item," James explained only to receive a glare in response. Taking it to mean Giovanni had no interest in drinks, James cleared his throat and led him out of the room. "Well then, how does seeing the weapon you entrusted us to create sound?"

"I'd love to see it first," Giovanni responded as the three Admins led Giovanni down the halls of the base. Turning through the corridors, the three Team Rocket members ran into various grunts, all of whom seemed rather friendly to them. "They seem soft. They should be afraid of you, to make sure there's never thought of an uprising you need to strike fear in your men."

"Y-Yes, sir," Jessie responded nervously. This entire time they thought they were striking fear into all of them, but she guessed wrong. Coming to a door marked with a keypad, Jessie quickly punched in a four-digit code before the door began to slowly move open. "Behind this door is our ultimate weapon. With it, you'll be able to control every Pokémon around the globe."

"That's what I like to hear," Giovanni replied with a sadistic smile as they walked through the open door. Upon entrance, the door slammed shut behind them and they entered a small hallway. "Now, is the machine fully operational?" He asked with slight interest. Despite his true weapon having been stored in the very bottom of this base, a fact he would keep hidden for the entirety of his time in Kalos, Giovanni was still enticed by the thought of controlling the wild Pokémon as well.

The three Admins just looked at each other in fear. They never thought to test it out! What if it didn't work? Or worse, what if it blew up on them!? Noticing the stare from Giovanni, the three of them gulped before Jessie opened her mouth. "O-Of course it works. What do you think we've been doing out here in Kalos?"

"Yeah, we definitely haven't been going to the beach or competing in Showcases," James continued on before being whacked over the head by his two partners. "Owwww!"

"Shut it you numbskull," Meowth cried out in a whisper as James only nodded in agreement. Fixing his composure, Meowth began to talk again. "Well, we've been busy making sure this machine is working and managed to bring in two excellent minds who were more than willing to help us out."

"Hmm, what do you mean by that?" Giovanni asked as they took a left and entered into a rather large room. In it stood a rather large machine and it was situated next to a computer system.

"Well, we couldn't get it to work at first so we brought in some... help..." Jessie muttered as Giovanni appeared to be staring at the machine. Working on it were Lysandre and Xerosic. Although, Lysandre appeared to be doing very little involvement in the matter.

"So, these two must be the help you acquired," Giovanni smirked as he looked at them. He thought they had looked familiar, but the orange hair was a dead giveaway for who they were. "You must be Lysandre. How the mighty have fallen. You had all of Kalos crippled with fear, but you choked it all away. Imagine what could have been if you planned thoroughly."

"That was the past," Lysandre remarked as he leaned against the wall, a slight sigh leaving his mouth. It appeared that he was still heavily affected by the entire situation. "I had believed that I was doing good. That, if I ruled over Kalos I could save it from the corrupt but in the process I became exactly what I was trying to prevent. A corrupt and horrible person. I enslaved Pokémon to do my bidding and attacked children when they tried to stop me."

"And now you're working for me. It must really hurt knowing just what all this work is going to be used for," Giovanni grinned as he examined the weapon. It was really a fine piece of creation as everything looked to be perfectly done. "The fact that with your own two hands, you'll help bring me into power to control the entire world."

"I have no desire to help you achieve your personal dreams," Lysandre replied with a smirk of his own. It was time to see just how well he could read Giovanni. "But, your three stooges over there promised me control of Kalos if I helped you. And I expect my end of the bargain held up."

"Why of course. I'm a man of business and every businessman is no good if they can't be trusted," the Rocket boss replied as he placed his hand over his heart. "In exchange for helping me gain complete control of the world, I will give you free reign of Kalos. Do whatever you desire here, but I will be keeping my eye on all of you. Any funny business and you're done for."

"But, allow me to warn you right now," Lysandre began as his eyes grew serious. Gone were the self-doubt and sadness and in their place were eyes that had a powerful complexion to them. "We are in no way meant to play God. Your actions are going to have ramifications. In one way or another, nothing good will come from this."

"It's exactly what I'm hoping for," Giovanni replied as he placed his hands into his pant pockets. "With me in charge, nothing will good will happen. You see, Team Rocket's plan is to rule the world through the use of Pokémon. They are but mere tools for my plans and so, anyway that I can use them is alright for me."

Lysandre didn't reply. He had no clue as to what to say about the entire situation. This Giovanni wasn't just evil, he was cold and calculating. Almost as if he had expected everything up to this point to play out the exact way it had.

"You're confused," the Rocket boss continued as he watched a few beads of sweat roll down Lysandre's forehead. "There's no need to be. You'll be spared just as I promised in return for your services. But, until then you're to do what I say and for it to happen when I say. I'll be checking in on you later," he stated in a matter of fact way before facing towards Jessie, James and Meowth. "Now, show me the rest of this base."

"Yes, sir!" The three cried out in unison as they left the room and headed down the hallway. Deciding to reveal their little gift to him now, the three took him down a side hallway and into another room filled with computers and scientific equipment.

Giovanni looked at all of the equipment with little interest. Was this all they had to show him? Some laboratory? He was hoping to see something more useful for the organization such as their training regimen or the Pokémon they had acquired. "What's the meaning of showing me this room now? I would like to continue on with the tour of the base."

"Um, well you see..." Jessie began to say only for her nerves to give out on her. It was a lot harder to talk to Giovanni than any of them thought it would have been.

"We captured the world's strongest Pokémon for ya!" Meowth chimed in as he jumped on top of his two partners' shoulders. Giovanni seemed confused by the statement. How could these three capture the world's strongest Pokémon when his top men couldn't even catch an Articuno?

"That's right!" Jessie then joined in as her nerves came back to her. Moving forward the three led Giovanni into the back of the room towards some sort of stasis chamber. "You see, we captured him not too long ago once you told us you were coming to Kalos."

Walking around the corner, Giovanni was soon face to face with Mewtwo. Or at least he was looking at the creature that was floating in one of the tubes. Immediately he noticed the collar wrapped around the creature's neck. "What exactly is it?" He had never seen a Pokémon just like it. It was as if it were a one of its kind.

"Well, you really don't know?" James asked, only receiving a glare as a response. Of course Giovanni didn't know! If he had, he wouldn't have asked the question in the first place. Swallowing nervously, James began to shake a little as he removed Mewtwo from the chamber. "Alright, this is Mewtwo, an attempt at cloning Mew resulted in his creation and it was by your orders as well."

"What!?" Giovanni yelled out as the three agents jumped backwards out of fear. How could they tell him that he created such a being and yet, he didn't even know about it? Was this some kind of a joke. "How would I be responsible for creating something I have never heard of before. If this is supposed to be some sort of joke, then it isn't funny."

"N-No, sir, this isn't a joke at all!" Jessie quickly responded as she waved her hands around frantically. This was going to be a lot harder to explain than they thought at first. Placing one finger underneath her bottom lip, Jessie started to think as to how she could explain it. "Alright, I think I have it. You see, Mewtwo was this clone of Mew, but it was slightly changed. And, in the process, he was used by you in what you deemed a 'partnership'. However, over time he grew tired of the way you treated him and broke free," she explained before taking a break. To think, having him explain everything while mind controlled was actually a good idea.

"I'll take it from here," Meowth stated as he started to tap his chin. "Okay, where to go from here... Ah! Okay, and well, after escaping he went and lived on this island in Johto with all these other clones. But then, you managed to find him one day and attacked. We were so close to victory but then the twerps interrupted and helped Mewtwo," Meowth explained, making sure not to tell Giovanni that he was also responsible for Mewtwo not getting captured. "Then Mewtwo teleported away before wiping all our memories of him!"

"If this is all true, then how come you three remember the events?" Giovanni asked as he eyed the creature. Something about him was familiar, but he didn't know what. It was as if this, 'Mewtwo' as his Admins called it, was a part of a greater history with him.

"Well, we never had our memories wiped since we were hiding during the fight," James blurted out, only for his two partners to cover his mouth quickly. It seemed as though he had a habit of saying the wrong things at the wrong time.

"What he means is we hid once the mission went south. That way, once Mewtwo lowered his guard we could get him but sadly he got away from us," Jessie said with the best acting she could muster up. Unfortunately, it didn't look like Giovanni was believing it at all.

"Very well then," Giovanni said as he stared at Mewtwo with quite the interest. A Pokémon that had strength unrivaled was just the thing he had been looking forward. Smirking as he looked at Mewtwo, the Team Rocket leader soon saw something glistening in the Psychic-Type's hand. "Hmm, what's this?"

Reaching down into Mewtwo's hand, Giovanni felt two spheres being held. Forcing them from Mewtwo's grip, the Team Rocket leader soon realized just what they were. "My, you never told me he could Mega Evolve."

"He can Mega Evolve?" Meowth muttered before shaking his head profusely. Nodding it up and down, Meowth grinned at the thought of getting even more praise. "Uh, I mean we were going to keep it a secret and surprise you."

"Well, this has been quite the surprise then," Giovanni said, barely able to hold back his smile now. These three had gone above and beyond what he expected and once everything was finished, he had to make sure to reward them. It was a funny thought though, rewarding his men. Usually the thought would never cross his mind. "I'm very pleased with all your work out here. And there might be a reward for you three once the operation is completed. But, I'll be retreating to my room for now. I need some time to rest up following my long flight. Once I'm refreshed, I expect to be shown the rest of the base."

"Of course, boss!" They cried out in unison. Watching as Giovanni made his way out of the laboratory, the three Admins couldn't help but smile from his words. They had really hit the jackpot with Mewtwo and those Mega Stones. This had to be better than snatching Pikachu, for the time being of course. As soon as they were good, they had plans to go after Pikachu once more.

Giovanni continued to smirk as he placed the two Mega Stones in his pocket, soon followed by his hands as he walked down the hall. _"I can't believe they found something like this! With Mewtwo on our side, plus my true weapon hidden underneath the base, no one will be able to stop us at all! The power of the Ultimate Weapon and the strength of Mewtwo. Combined, we're unstoppable,"_ he thought to himself as he returned to the room the grunts had brought him to before. The had told him it was to be his designated sleeping quarters and so he walked into. Looking around, he noticed it was a normal room, just with a bed, dresser, and a night stand put in there. It wasn't like he would spend too much time in this room anyways.

Sighing, Giovanni pulled a phone out of the suitcase he had left on the bed upon first arriving at the base and dialed a number in. He had to check up on the other part of his plan. Letting the phone ring, the leader of Team Rocket waited patiently as the number of tones continued until it was now up to six. Getting ready to hang up the phone, a voice finally appeared on the other end.

"Sir?" The voice asked out in curiosity. They hadn't been expecting Giovanni to be calling at all based on the way they had picked up and it seemed as though they didn't know if it was him or not. "Is that you, sir?"

"Yes, report, Archer," Giovanni demanded as he spoke into the phone. He knew the Four Executives were already in Kalos under his orders as they searched for an item very beneficial to them. "Have you found the Megalith yet?"

"Yes, we've managed to find the Megalith, or as Team Flare liked to call it, The Giant Rock, in the lower levels of the now abandoned Lysandre Labs," Archer stated as he could be heard typing away at something. He couldn't believe how stupid of a name they decided upon for it since it was more of a description than anything else. "Ariana and I have been working on the best possible way to move it from here to Lumiose City so that we can work on it."

"Leave it," the Leader of Team Rocket ordered as the typing noise ended in the background. "Team Flare has all their info there. We can use it to speed up the process. Besides, I'll have Sird head there once she picks up the specimen."

"Yes sir, we'll be waiting here for her arrival. Just contact us when the time to attack is happening," Archer stated as someone could be heard walking around in the background. Giovanni didn't know exactly who it was, but he knew it was one of the other three members of the Four Executives.

"Excellent. Once this is finished, we will have no one standing in our way to world domination," Giovanni told his underling before laughing. His laugh then became contagious as Archer also could be heard laughing on the other end of his phone line. "I'll contact you with the next set of orders once I hear from Sird. Until then, continue researching this Megalith." Giovanni then promptly ended the phone conversation and tossed the device onto the night stand. There wasn't much time left until they struck and he was so close to achieving his dream now.

"Soon, the entire world will feel the wrath of Team Rocket."

* * *

"Um, could you explain again why I'm out at this restaurant with you?" Ash asked as he pulled at the tie around his neck. It was bad enough that he had been dragged off by Amelia following Serena's loss at the Snowbelle City Showcase, but then she had him dress up real fancy as well. "And why I have to wear this outfit. What was wrong with my other clothes?"

"These make you look more dashing," Amelia answered as she placed her elbow against the table and then rested her chin in her open palm. She could definitely get used to this. "And, like I said before, I won you for the time being."

"I still don't understand what you mean by 'won me'," Ash answered truthfully as he continued to eat away at the food on his plate. Amelia frowned at the way he ate, noting it down that she was going to have to do something about his table manners.

"You really don't have to worry your little head about it at all," Amelia answered as she then took a bite of her own dish. Sometimes, or all the time, it paid to come from a famous family since they had gotten into this restaurant without a reservation.

Ash however continued to eat away at his plate, causing a small crowd to start watching him in disgust. He could hear people murmuring about his eating habits, but he didn't care. Stopping for a second, Ash looked over at Amelia, a question having formed in his mind. "Hey, is there a reason why you don't like Serena? She's never done anything wrong to you at all."

Amelia grew upset at the mention of that name. Letting out a sigh, she narrowed her eyes as she thought about Serena. "Let's say not everyone has an easy time with performing," she answered quickly before taking another bite of her dish. Seeing that the answer wasn't enough to end Ash's wonder, she continued on. "As you know, I come from a famous family. My father was a great Trainer and my mother, a Performer. So, from a young age, the burden of living up to my parents' expectations followed me around. After years of training, I had finally gotten their approval to go and compete in Showcases starting last season."

"I was all excited to finally go out on my own journey and make my own name. You couldn't believe how excited I was," she continued to explain as her face softened and a small smile formed on her mouth before it formed into a frown. "However, I could never be 'Amelia'. Instead, everyone knew me as my parents' child and so that was what stuck with me. By the time I went for my third Princess Key, which just so happened to be against Serena, I had embraced that image and hoped that it would win over the crowd. But, it wasn't enough in even my hometown as Serena managed to beat me."

Amelia appeared to pause as she then took a sip of her drink. She needed to remain calm, but just talking about Serena caused her to get riled up. "So, I decided to do some research and found out she was the daughter of the Rhyhorn Racer Grace. And here I thought we had something in common, we both came from famous parents yet she never lived in her mother's shadow. She managed to go off and be a Performer without anyone comparing her and her feats to those of her mother. I, someone who had spent years practicing for this, lost to Serena the daughter of a Rhyhorn Racer and an inexperienced Performer." Amelia paused again as she found herself squeezing her hands into fists. She couldn't help it, her anger was just too much. "And, I guess to sum it up, I don't hate her as much as I'm jealous of her," Amelia muttered the ending, making it impossible for Ash to hear it.

"I'm sorry, but could you repeat that last part?" Ash asked as he raised his hand to his ear. He wanted to understand better so that he could help Serena out. He didn't like seeing people try and put her down.

"I said I was jealous of her!" She practically yelled in response. It took a lot for her to admit it the first time, but to have to repeat it had made her upset.

"There really isn't any reason to be jealous of Serena," Ash answered as he took the tie that had been choking him the entire time off. "She's just like you in a sense. Growing up, her mother practically forced her into becoming a Rhyhorn Racer despite her complaints about it. And for the longest time she didn't even have a dream. You should have seen how excited she was when she first found out about being a Performer. She couldn't stop thinking about routines or practicing. It lit a fire inside of her to become a great Performer alongside her Pokémon."

Amelia just sat there with a blank stare. She never knew this about Serena, well, how would she though? Still, it didn't help end how she felt about her rival. Serena still had it a lot easier than she did. Yet, she still couldn't help but feel a little bad about how she had treated her wrongly. "I... I never knew that about her at all. I just assumed she picked it up one day and just never went through any struggles."

"No," Ash responded while shaking his head. "She spent hours on end practicing with her Pokémon. Even now she's always out practicing, always trying to get better. There's a drive with her, one that makes her want to help everyone in all of Kalos... No, the entire world smile. Even if her performances can only help for a little bit, she wants to make everyone feel better."

Amelia just sat there in disgust about herself. She had gone out of her way to make this girl's life miserable just because she was jealous and didn't know all of the facts. To add to it, Serena was a Performer for all the right reasons while she only did it for publicity. How could she ever think about becoming Kalos Queen like that? "Why don't we head back to the Pokémon Center. It's getting late out."

"Are you sure?" Ash found himself asking. At first, he really couldn't stand her due to how she had been treating Serena but now he felt a little bad for her. It must be hard living in the shadows of one's parents. He luckily never had to, but some of his friends had before making a name for themselves.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Amelia answered as she stood up. Ash copied her action and the duo left the restaurant. Making their way back through the city, they walked in silence, unsure of what to say now. The lights were all on now as the street lights lit up the entire city and made the light layer of snow sparkle beneath them.

Luckily, the Center wasn't too far away and they reached it sooner than either of them expected. Walking through the front doors, Ash heard the familiar sound of Pikachu's paws sprinting across the floor. Looking around, he came to see a yellow blur jumping up into the air.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out happily as he landed on Ash's shoulder. He never had a chance to tell Pikachu where he was going since he had left the Electric-Type with Clemont and Bonnie when he went to check up on Serena.

"Hey, buddy, sorry if I worried you at all. I just went to go get something to eat," Ash explained while smiling sheepishly at Pikachu. The Electric-Type was upset by the fact Ash left him behind to get food. "It wasn't like I planned to do it at all, I swear!" He then turned to Amelia and gave one of his normal smiles. "Sorry to just run, but I need to go get ready for tomorrow."

Amelia just smiled in return as she nodded. "Yeah, that's fine," she responded before seeing Serena watching them. She may have learnt some interesting stuff about Serena, but that didn't mean she couldn't still mess with her. They were rivals and she didn't need to be looking soft now. "But, just wait one moment, Ash. I have to tell you something."

"Huh? What is it?" Ash asked as he turned around to face the Performer. He was really in a hurry since he wanted to think about his team for his rematch with Drasna, but he also knew to at least listen.

"I just wanted to say thank you for a nice evening," Amelia replied before taking a step closer to Ash. Then, with a swift movement, she kissed him on the cheek once again before stepping back and giving a flirtatious wave.

Ash just walked away, rather annoyed at the situation again. Why did girls have to kiss him for no reason? And every time, he was always caught by surprise. You'd think he would learn at some point to be expecting it so that he could react properly.

Amelia finished waving before walking over to Serena and sitting down next to her. "You enjoy what you see there?" She asked with a sly grin on her face. It was too easy to mess with this girl.

"Not really," Serena replied with as little emotion as she could. There was no way she was letting this girl get to her. "And I don't think Ash enjoyed it either."

"Well, get used to it because I'm traveling with you until we get back to Lumiose City," Amelia answered as she noticed Serena's face turn into a frown. She was hoping to see who Serena really was during this time while also annoying her. "I mean, Ash is mine until the end of the tournament and so, I'll be traveling with you."

"T-That's fine," Serena lied as she mentally sighed at the news. This was going to be the longest couple of weeks Serena ever knew. "We're heading to Kiloude City first though. That way Ash can battle Drasna."

"That's fine with me," Amelia responded before standing up. "And try not to get too jealous, Serena, it doesn't look good on you," she replied with a smirk before walking away.

* * *

"That sounds like a perfect team, Pikachu," Ash said as he stuffed a piece of paper into his pocket. The duo had been sitting outside on the Center's balcony together as they devised who they would like to use in their third Elite Four match. It hadn't taken much time to devise it, just that he wanted to be fully prepared now that he knew just how strong she was.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as they stood up from their seats. Getting ready to head back inside, they were both surprised to see Clemont blocking the doorway. He had a blank expression on and so it was impossible to read him.

"Ash, there's something I need to tell you," Clemont said, finally breaking the awkward silence that was hovering between them. Moving back to the table they were just at, the two boys sat down across from each other.

Clemont looked a little uneasy now as he twiddled his thumbs around. Finally working up the confidence to say what he needed to, he spoke up. "Ash, tomorrow Bonnie and I will not be accompanying you to Kiloude City. I want to use this last week prior to the tournament to train not only my Pokémon but to also train myself. If I truly want to have a chance against the likes of you and Hugh, then I can't continue traveling right now. I need to get serious!"

Ash understood everything Clemont was saying right away and let out a light chuckle. He didn't know why Clemont had to get nervous over something like this. "Clemont, there's no need to explain yourself for something like this. I would be doing the same thing if I were in your situation. But, promise me this: once the tournament begins, we're going to have one amazing battle!" Ash cried out as his voice increased in volume at the end as he did his signature fist pump. "I want to see just what you can do after this training session!"

"Right! And I won't disappoint one bit," Clemont responded as he fixed his glasses. "After training with Clembot the prior to our Gym Battle, I noticed significant gains in my skill. So, if I train twice as hard during this time, I should be able to catch up to everyone else."

Ash listened to the words Clemont was speaking, yet he didn't agree with them at all. Shaking his head, Ash decided to speak up. "Clemont, you've always been this skilled. It's just, you never have a chance to showcase your skills. You're already one of the strongest trainers I've met on my journey and I know you'll give anyone a hard time at the tournament." Ash just smiled at the end of his sentence. He was telling the truth, Clemont had always been this skilled, just, he never really had a chance to prove it. Watching him get up, Ash had a question form in his head. One that had been in there, but pushed to the back ever since the Kalos League. "Hey, Clemont?"

"Yes, Ash," the young inventor responded as he stood in the doorway.

"Um, I don't know how to ask this, but... Do you ever get these weird feelings when you're around someone?" Ash asked rather nervously. He had no clue what was bothering him, but it had been coming and going since the Kalos League, but now they were appearing more and more and it only happened when he was around Serena.

"I'm not really following what you mean by that," Clemont replied as he fixed his glasses once more. It seemed to be a rather peculiar question for the inventor. "But, when I am in an exciting battle, I do feel adrenaline running through my body."

"No, this is different than adrenaline. Like, you're really nervous at times. And just certain situations make you know that this is something you want for the rest of your life. Or just wanting to make that person always happy, it's just confusing me," Ash explained as he rubbed his hands through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Ash, but I'm still not understanding what you mean by that," Clemont answered, oblivious to what Ash was asking. He was even worse than Ash when it came to emotions. "I'm not really the best person to ask about emotions."

"It's okay," Ash said as he dropped the subject. He hadn't understood either and that was why he decided to ask Clemont. He could have asked Bonnie, but then the younger girl might have taken it out of context and given Ash a hard time. It was the safest bet to ask Clemont for help. "You know what, let's just forget about that and head off to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for all of us."

Together, the two boys entered back into the Pokémon Center as Pikachu merely shook his head back and forth at what just happened. Someone was going to have to hit them with a book about love and then force them to read it three times each before either of them came to understand the feeling. Entering in behind them, Pikachu made a sprint for Ash's bed and dove onto the sheets as he started to fall asleep.

* * *

"Clemont, are you really leaving for Lumiose City now?" Serena asked as everyone stood outside of the Pokémon Center. The Lumiose Gym Leader had just dropped his news on both Serena and Bonnie and so, there was obvious shock.

Clemont smiled at the young Performer as he nodded his head up and down. "Yes. I need to train, to grow stronger for when the tournament arrives. If I want to represent the Lumiose City Gym with honor and show the world just what I'm made of, then I have to use all my remaining time to get ready. Like I've said before, it isn't about winning this tournament as it is about showing people just how far I've grown. I want people to be impressed with the Lumiose Gym and to see it as one of the stronger Gyms in Kalos. Just as Hugh did."

"But why do I have to come?" Bonnie moaned as she tugged on her brother's jumpsuit. "It isn't like Ash and Serena can't watch me at all. They did it before."

"Bonnie, this time Ash has an Elite Four battle coming up," Clemont explained as he patted his sister on the head, trying to make her stop pouting at his decision. "I can't ask Ash to watch you while he has a battle to prepare for. And, you can be a little bit of a hassle. Now come on, we're leaving."

Sighing, Bonnie dropped the pout as she turned to face the road heading back to Lumiose City. Looking at Ash and Serena for one last time, she smirked as a thought came to her head. "Now don't you two try anything funny while we're gone." Serena's face instantly flushed red as Ash kept his same expression. He had no clue for what Bonnie meant just now, but it had gotten the blonde girl laughing. "We'll see you guys in a week!"

"Yeah, take care Bonnie!" Serena called out while waving towards the younger girl. Her face was still beat red, but she pushed that to the side as she wished the two Lumiose City residents good luck for their trip. "You too, Clemont. Train hard!"

Soon, the two blonds were out of sight and it was just Ash and Serena all alone. Serena started to wonder what they would do, having forgotten about Amelia's words to her the night before. Looking at Ash, she realized they would be alone for the next week or so and immediately a blush formed on her face. She then noticed that Ash's mouth was moving, but she was unable to fully hear what he was asking. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she responded. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you. I was thinking about my next Showcase. Could you repeat what you said?"

"Sure," he replied to the Performer with a small smile. "I was just asking if you ready to get going. The trip to Kiloude should take roughly two days to reach there and so it leaves us with five days before the tournament begins."

"Y-Yeah, let's get going," Serena replied as the duo began to take their first steps on the path to Kiloude City. However, a third voice spoke up as the door to the Pokémon Center closed.

"Wait for me!" Amelia's voice cried out as she walked over to the duo and quickly planted herself right in between them, making sure to flash a quick smirk to Serena. Ash appeared to be rather confused by the action as he had been under the impression that Serena's rival had already left. "Oh, don't tell me Serena never told you, Ash, but I'll be traveling with you guys. I've always wanted to go to Kiloude City and so Serena being the nice person she is asked if I wanted to come along," she said while smiling happily at the boy. Wrapping her arm around his, she then began to drag him ahead towards the path, leaving Serena behind.

"Um, sure, I guess that's fine," Ash replied as she tried to break the grip Amelia had on his arm. Looking back towards Serena, it appeared he had a look that was saying "help me" and Serena could only sigh in her disbelief of the entire situation. Shaking her head, Serena then followed in their footsteps as they left the city.

* * *

 **Well, a few things happened here and it was another dialogue based chapter. Giovanni met Mewtwo, the Megalith has been captured by Team Rocket and has begun being experimented on, Amelia reveals why she really hates Serena and joins the group, and Clemont heads back to Lumiose. Alright, so, all we have now is two chapters and then the tournament kicks off.**

 **Oh! About Amelie and how she sees Ash. She's physically attracted to him, but she doesn't know his personality. But, she's practically like every other girl who's every liked him only she's willing to be much more out there with her feelings which as we all read, Ash isn't too fond of the way she acts around him.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	44. Rocky Relationships

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, a lot of things happened, but the main ones being Giovanni having arrived in Kalos and Clemont leaving the group temporarily. Now, Ash gets prepared for his third Elite Four battle.**

 **Ch 44: Rocky Relationships**

* * *

"Hmm, it seems to be getting late out," Ash stated as he looked just over the trees, seeing the now setting sun. They had been traveling for almost two days now and there was still no sight of Kiloude City. It was looking more likely they would have to return to Lumiose City for the tournament instead. "The sun's setting. It might be a good idea to set up for the night."

Serena nodded in agreement as she stopped walking and placed her backpack on the ground. Amelia however was confused by the sudden stoppage in their trek, were they not heading to Kiloude City? Why stop here if there were no Pokémon Centers in the vicinity? Looking like she was lost, Amelia watched as Ash and Serena emptied the contents of their backpacks and pulled out some different supplies Amelia had never seen before.

"Uh, what exactly are you two doing?" She finally asked as a drop of sweat formed on the side of her face. They couldn't be doing what she thought they were.

"We're getting the campsite ready. Clemont left the two tents with us when he left for Lumiose City," Ash said as he began constructing one of the tents while Serena began on the other. "We'll be sleeping out here tonight."

"What!?" Amelia screeched as she looked disgusted by the notion. She was not going to spend the night in... in one of those things. She came from a wealthy family, there was no reason to spend the night in a tent. The thought of it left her speechless.

Serena noticed the sudden change in attitude and let a silent laugh pass through her lips. "Amelia, don't tell me you're afraid to camp out here tonight. It isn't too bad; we just sleep in a tent."

"O-O-Of course not," Amelia lied as she crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't afraid of anything at all. "It's just, I've never slept out like this. I've always stayed at the nicest hotels and so I don't see the point in doing this."

"It's really fun," Ash stated with his usual cheerful attitude. "Some nights we even sleep under the stars because it's just so peaceful. You'll enjoy it, trust me."

"O-Ok," was all Amelia muttered as she watched Serena finish putting the tent up with little effort. To think, these people slept out here like animals. How embarrassing it would be if someone who knew her saw her out here in the woods sleeping. Sighing, Amelia sat down on a tree stump and watched as the two finished setting up the rest of the campsite. _"This is below someone of my status. We should be at a Center, or better yet a hotel."_

The rest of the night had gone by without any events between the three trainers as they had a simple dinner of sandwiches and Poképuffs that Serena had baked prior to leaving Snowbelle City. Amelia had to admit that she was shocked by the way her Pokémon devoured the treats. She had never seen them enjoy a Poképuff like they did with Serena's. The group then stayed up for a little while longer as they watched the stars twinkle above them and listened to the silence that filled the woods. Amelia had to admit, it was peaceful and relaxing but there was no way she was getting on the dirty ground with them.

Finally, it came time to go to sleep when Ash retreated to his tent first. Now, it was just Amelia and Serena left outside and it appeared the former seeming to be rather hesitant to share a tent with her rival. Thinking back to these past few days, Amelia wondered if she had been wrong with how she treated Serena and all of it over just one silly Showcase. The girl held no animosity towards her, just some slight annoyance. And she was also able to get her temper rising, but otherwise she didn't treat Amelia any differently than she would the others.

"Are you coming in?" Serena asked, having already changed into her pajamas. The question caught Amelia by surprise as she reacted in a shocked manner before falling onto the ground. Standing back up, she saw Serena laughing at the sight of her clothes covered in a little mud and glared at her. She had already changed into her sleepwear and so she had nothing to wear but tomorrow's clothes.

Fighting back her laughter, Serena managed to get herself under control. "S-Sorry," she managed to get out while fighting back her last laugh. "I just never expected you to fall into the mud," she said before tossing the Performer her spare pair of pajamas. "Here. Put these on. They're my spare pair." Watching Amelia, she noticed the girl just stare at the clothes in her hands. It was almost too good to be true, there had to be a catch.

"Don't worry, they're freshly cleaned," Serena reassured the other girl as she made her way into the tent. Giving Amelia some privacy to change, Serena stood outside until Amelia signaled that it was alright to come back in. "They might be a little small, but it's better than sleeping in those muddy clothes you had on previously."

Amelia sat there on the floor of the tent without saying anything. Here she was, treating this girl horribly and yet she was nice to everyone. "T-Thank you," Amelia muttered as she laid across the hard ground. How she wished she had a sleeping bag, but she had never thought she would be in this situation.

Serena appeared to realize it as well since she slid the bag over to her, at times, rather rude rival. "Here, you can use my sleeping bag for tonight."

There it was. That kindness that Amelia had been surprised to find coming from Serena. Why was this girl so thoughtful to her? Especially after everything she had been through because of her? Taking the sleeping bag, Amelia unzipped it before laying it across the ground. "W-We... We can share it."

Serena was now the one caught off guard by the surprise move. She had for sure thought Amelia would have taken the sleeping bag all for herself, but here she was offering to share it. Serena merely nodded in agreement before the duo both laid on the bag, backs to each other. In no time at all, despite the tight sleeping arrangements, the duo managed to fall into a deep sleep.

The next morning had been almost exactly as the day before. Waking up, the group quickly broke down their tents before preparing for the possibly long trek before them. They had no idea at how far away Kiloude City could actually be for them, and Amelia was starting to regret joining them for this trip. Was it really worth it just to get Serena upset?

"How much further do we have to go?" Amelia asked once she had changed out of the spare clothes Serena had lent her. They had been a little snug on her due to her being a little taller than Serena, but they had done their job. "I'm still sore from yesterday."

"Well, it should be nearby," Ash answered as he rubbed the back of his head. There was a reason why he was never responsible for directions whenever they went somewhere. "Serena, do you mind checking?"

"No problem, just give me one second," Serena replied with a smile as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her travel guide. Opening the device up, she quickly went into her maps section and searched through it. "Well, according to this, we should be there by the end of the day. But, there's two paths up ahead. The path to the left is faster, but we have to walk along a dangerous ridge. While the right path will take us a little out of the way, it's safer and we should reach Kiloude City by nightfall."

Seeing just how badly Ash wanted to get to Kiloude City, Serena swallowed the saliva forming in her mouth and put on a fake smile. "I guess it means we'll have to walk along that ridge," she said while shutting her travel guide. Despite how she wasn't the biggest fan of heights, she wanted Ash to get to Kiloude City as quickly as possible. And if that meant putting up with her fear for a little, then that was fine. "It is the fastest route."

"Are you sure, Serena?" Ash asked out of concern. He didn't want to force her into doing something she was afraid of. "I don't mind taking the longer way there."

"Yeah, I say we take the longer way," Amelia stated as she stared at Serena. There was no way she was climbing along a ridge as long as she had a say in it. "That ridge is probably too dangerous to even walk along!"

"Well, according to the travel guide, it's fully functional as a path. There's nothing wrong with it," Serena replied with a slight glare at the girl. Even when she was nice the night before, she was still mean to her. "And the only thing we have to look out for are a few wild Pokémon. It's said they like to live around the area and can get territorial."

"So tell me again why we would walk into there?" Amelia asked beyond her belief. This couldn't be happening to her right now, but she was outnumbered for heading through the ridge. It appeared as though Ash was fine with going that way once Serena said she was good. And now, she would have to watch out for wild Pokémon as well. "It sounds stupid to me!"

Ash appeared to be pondering the thought. On one hand, it was dangerous but on the other they would get to Kiloude City much faster. Plus, Serena said she was alright on heading that way so it couldn't be that bad. "I think the best way would be to go along the ridge. Otherwise we might not make it back to Lumiose City in time for the tournament"

Hearing the news, Amelia sighed in defeat as she sulked from the announcement. This was not what she had in mind at all. This was going to be an interesting day indeed. And with that, the group moved forward towards Kiloude City with one goal in mind: Ash's battle with Drasna.

As they continued on, the three of them really didn't know what to say. And to top it off, Ash felt like he was in the middle of something he had no idea about. Sighing as he watched the two girls staring at each other, Ash could feel the tension rising between them. Hoping for something to happen, his wish was fulfilled when Serena then spoke up.

"So, Ash, have you decided upon who you'll use in your battle?" She asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice. If she had to guess, Ash would most likely want to use Charizard against her, but after that she had no clue as to which Pokémon he would be using.

"Yeah! I've got it all figured out," he responded while pumping his fist into the air. He had been thinking about it for a while and the group he had decided upon back in Snowbelle City were the perfect team to face her. "I just know they'll be able to win...if we get to Kiloude City that is." He then let out a light chuckle, making light of the fact that it had been a while since they first left Snowbelle City.

"Well, whoever you chose will be more than powerful enough to win," Amelia said as she moved closer to him. "From what I've heard, you're quite the trainer. I'm sure you have quite the impressive array of Pokémon."

Ash nodded in agreement as he fixed his backpack. "Yeah, they've all fought real hard for me so far. And I know they'll all be giving it their best shot when we battle against Drasna. We've been training for this very chance to battle the Elite Four, nothing is going to stop us!"

As they had been talking, the group hadn't even noticed that the path they had been traveling upon finally reached the fork in the road. Once aware of their surroundings, Ash decided to take the lead as the path along the ridge had narrowed down to a single file line and was impossible for more than one person to go at once.

"Serena, you said that Kiloude City should be on the other side of the ridge. Right?" He asked with excitement in his voice. He could hardly wait for his match with Drasna to begin. He wanted to show her just how much he had grown and improved since their last battle and that he had finally figured everything out.

"Uh huh. This ridge is a straight path right to the city," Serena responded as she was about to head behind of Ash, only for Amelia to move in front of her. The fellow Performer turned her head slightly to look at Serena and smirked at her before following behind of Ash. Sighing, Serena just shook her head before getting in line behind of Amelia.

The three then continued to walk in silence as they passed along the ridge. Not wanting to slip due to the drop into the woods below them, the three trainers moved slowly across as they watched the wild Pokémon who had made the ridge their home live their everyday lives. It was peaceful up here and was also nice as they were able to see the many different wild Pokémon who lived in the area. There was a flock of Pidgey led by a Pidgeot flying nearby and then they noticed a group of Geodude moving up the mountain as well.

Amelia, however, was growing bored and decided to have some fun with Serena. Turning her head to look at the Performer, she quickly gave her a devious grin before winking. Serena had no idea what she had in mind, and could only wonder. She didn't have time to think for a long time as her rival quickly made her move. "Ash, I'm a little scared of heights," she quickly lied as the boy before her stopped walking.

"Hey, it'll be fine. We're almost halfway along the ridge," Ash responded in his usual cheerful demeanor. Despite how he didn't enjoy Amelia treating Serena badly, he also didn't like to see someone upset. And, the duo were getting along a little better since they were traveling. Well, they weren't killing each other which was a start. "Just don't look down."

"That won't work," Amelia responded while keeping her act going. Serena knew where this was headed and only stared on in anger since there was nothing she could do. Shaking her head, she watched as Amelia grabbed ahold of his hand. "Do mind if I hold your hand? It'll make me feel safer."

Ash didn't appear to be happy about it, but then Serena's words from Snowbelle echoed in his head. _"Just do whatever she asks."_ Hearing them, Ash sighed as he looked at Amelia. "Yeah, that's fine," he answered with him faking his voice to make it seem like he was alright with it. In reality, he really didn't want to.

"Oh thank you, Ash, you're too kind!" Amelia cried out happily as she held on tightly to his hand. Looking behind her, Amelia noticed just how upset Serena appeared to be by the act and let a silent snicker leave her lips.

"It looks to be getting a littler narrower up ahead," Ash spoke up as he freed his hand for a moment. Looking ahead, he could make out what appeared to be some sort of buildings off into the distance. "Hey, the town's up ahead. I can barely wait; I can already picture my battle!"

"Pi, pikachu!" Pikachu cried out in agreement as they continued to walk forward. However, Ash hadn't been looking around when he shouted his claim and in the confusion, his shout had startled a group of Noibat who had been resting near the ridge.

The entire swarm flew all around them as they scattered about in the confusion caused by Ash, with a few of them flying into a few Golem. The effect of this led to Golem growing upset at the swarm and stomped his feet in anger, leading to a slight Earthquake.

"W-What's happening!?" Amelia cried out in anger as she fell backwards and on top of Serena due to the shaking. Both girls landed hard onto the ground as their bags dropped from their bodies.

"It seems to be some sort of Earthquake attack," Serena responded as she shoved Amelia off of her. Standing back up, Serena tried to regain her balance but Amelia had given her a light shove back to pay her back for the one she had just received. However, due to the shaking from the Earthquake, Serena lost her footing and began to slip off of the ridge.

"Ahhhhh!" She cried out in fear as she felt herself slipping. Reacting without thinking, she quickly grabbed ahold of Amelia's arm and accidently pulled her over with her. The duo then fell over the ledge of the ridge and were luckily caught in a tree's branch.

"Serena! Are you alright!?" Ash called out as he and Pikachu looked down over the ledge. The two girls hadn't fallen that far, but it was too far to get back up to him. Looking over, they appeared to be fine, but they were still away from the ground.

"Yeah, we're alright," she replied without trying to move. She didn't know how stable the branch was and with Amelia on top of her she was worried that it would break. "You just continue on to Kiloude City. We'll find a way there through the forest!"

"But," Ash started to say only for Serena to cut him off again.

"There's no 'but'. Ash, there's no way you can really help us right now. It's best for you to get to Kiloude City and prepare for the match with Drasna," Serena told him with a confident face. She wasn't the same girl from before, she could take care of herself just fine. "Just take our bags with you!"

"Serena..." Ash muttered as he looked down at the girl he had met long ago in a forest. Seeing her determined look, he just nodded in agreement before grabbing ahold of the two dropped bags. "I'll meet you two at the Pokémon Center!" He cried out, stopping himself from running off to say one more thing. "And... Please, be careful."

"We'll be just fine," she reassured him with a smile. And with that, Ash broke off for the remainder of the ridge. If he didn't hear from them soon, then he would be coming back out this way to help. But for now, he had to listen to Serena and trust her that everything would be just fine for her.

"Now just to get down from here..." Serena muttered as she looked around the tree. Right now, the branch looked sturdy enough but any sudden movements would most likely cause it to give out. "There has to be something here, aha!" She exclaimed excitedly before grabbing ahold of a vine that was nearby them. Perhaps they could use it to help climb down the tree.

"Uhhh, my head," Serena heard Amelia moan from on top of her. Cursing herself for forgetting about the Performer that was on top of her, Serena had no time to react as Amelia stood up. "What happened?"

And before Serena could answer, there was an indisputable sound that she had feared. A loud crack filled the air as the duo soon found themselves falling once more. Screaming with all their might, the two girls had no idea how they would get out of this situation as branches hit them on the way down.

"We're going to die because of you!" Amelia cried out as she grabbed ahold of Serena. She wasn't thinking rationally right now and was just acting. "And no one will ever know what happened to us!"

"Will you knock it off!" Serena shouted as she tried to push Amelia off of her to no avail. The girl just wouldn't let go no matter how hard Serena pushed. "I can't think with all this yelling!"

"Well, we shouldn't even be in this mess right now!" Amelia yelled once more as they both noticed the now approaching ground. Bracing each other due to the fear of crashing into it, neither of them noticed that they had been caught in a Sticky Web set up by some Sewaddle in the area. Crashing through it, the substance stuck to them as their landed on the ground with a light thud.

"You can stop your yelling!" Serena told her rival as she noticed that they had landed on the ground. Noticing the sticky substance covering them, she decided to ignore it for the time being. "We're on the ground."

"We're alive?" Amelia asked immediately as she stopped her high-pitched shrieking. Sighing out of relief, Serena was glad that she had at least stopped with the screaming. "Well then, get off of me," she then told Serena as she shoved the girl off of her body. Or at least tried to before Serena found herself pulled right back to Amelia. "That wasn't funny, I thought I told you to get off of me!"

Serena went to then stand up, only to find it harder than normal. It was almost as if something was holding her down. Trying as hard as she could, Serena managed to stand back up only to be pulled right back onto the ground. "Ughh, it must be this sticky substance covering us. We must be stuck together," she soon realized as she rubbed it against her fingers. The stuff sure was sticky as it almost immediately stuck her fingers together.

"Looks like we're going to be stuck like this for a while," Serena said sadly as she looked at Amelia with a frown. "Despite our differences, we're going to have to work together to get to Kiloude City."

"Please, as if I would need your help," Amelia stated as she went to stand up. However, just like Serena, she too felt the pull from the webbing. "I will not let this make a fool out of me!" She huffed out while exerting all her energy. Finally managing to break through, Amelia stood up and smirked as she had shown she was stronger than the web. That was before she felt something smash into her back.

The force of Serena being pulled into Amelia was more than enough to send the two girls rolling across the forest floor, and thanks to a slight incline on the forest floor, the duo continued to roll. Landing in a river, the duo finally stopped rolling but were now soaking wet.

"Look at what you did now!" Amelia cried out while throwing her hands up into the air and then slamming them down into the water, causing it to splash up and hit Serena in the face.

Serena just frowned at the girl as she wiped the water off of her face. She had tried to play nice with her last night, she had done nothing wrong to her the entire time she had been with them and now Serena was ready to snap! "My fault!?" Serena yelled out while pushing Amelia. Thanks to the water, the Sticky Web had melted off of their cloths and they were now free from each other.

"You caused us to fall off the ridge! You caused us to fall through the trees! And you caused us to roll across the forest and fall into this river!" Serena screamed, losing her patience for the first time since her short fight with Ash. "I have done nothing wrong to you since the day I met you and yet you feel like I cheated you out of something. Well here's the thing! Palermo chose me over you because that's what she wanted! I had nothing to do with it and even then I declined!" She finally let it all out. All her anger and frustration caused due to one tiny thing!

"There has to be more to it," Serena said as she calmed her heart rate down and controlled her breathing. "There has to be more to why you hate me."

"Who do you think you are!" Amelia shouted back at the honey-blonde girl, shocking Serena. Standing in the river now, Amelia felt all the water dripping off of her as she walked out of it. "Thinking you can just blame me for everything that's gone wrong! You're just as responsible as me! Plus, who declines to train with Palermo, only the greatest teacher in all of Kalos!" She was now stomping away as Serena only watched her leave. "You probably think you're better than every other Performer out there don't you? Well, I don't care! You were a failure as a Rhyhorn Racer and got lucky with Showcases!"

Serena just sat there in silence as Amelia continued walking further into the woods and towards the direction the city should have been. She couldn't believe what she had just heard! She tried to be nice and finally when she called Amelia out on everything she just blew up at her! Deciding not to follow, Serena just sat there as she glared at the Performer.

A few minutes passed until Serena could no longer see Amelia as she had ventured further into the woods. Sighing, Serena stood up and got out of the river now that she was cold and wet. Making her way over to land, Serena picked up a pile of twigs she found laying around on the ground and stacked them just as Ash would do on nights they had campfires. Once that was all set, Serena reached into her vest pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball before calling out Braixen.

"Braixen? Braixen, brai?" The Fire-Type asked curiously once she noticed they were all alone. She knew that Clemont and Bonnie had gone back to Lumiose City, but where were Ash and that other girl?

"It's... Well, it's a long story, Braixen, but I'll explain. Could you light this fire first though?" Serena asked nicely as Braixen twirled her branch around prior to lighting the pile of twigs. Moving close to the fire, Serena quickly felt herself warming up as the fire dried off her clothes. "Thank you, Braixen," Serena said while smiling at her starter.

"Brai," she replied happily to the praise before Serena began explaining the events from today. She quickly explained how there had been a rather unfortunate event happen and that she had gotten separated from Ash before going into detail about fight she had with Amelia. Well, if you could call it a fight that is. All the while, the Fox Pokémon listened with intense concentration as Serena finished her story only for them to both hear a scream.

"That sounded like Amelia..." Serena muttered as she fought with herself. On one hand, she felt this was fitting for the girl while on the other hand Serena knew she needed to help her. She couldn't just sit back and do nothing. Sighing, Serena and Braixen ran into the woods while following the scream.

Running through the woods, the duo wondered just what Amelia could have gotten herself into. Crossing a clearing, Serena and Braixen soon came into sight of Amelia as she was backed against a tree cowering. In front of her was a Pokémon Serena had never seen before and pulled her Pokédex out to scan it.

"Ursaring, the Hibernation Pokémon. It is said that an Ursaring is highly protective of their youth and can become quite dangerous if they feel threatened," the Pokédex explained as Serena placed it away. The Performer gulped as she looked over at the terrifying Normal-Type. Whatever Amelia had done, it had set this Ursaring off on a rampage.

Watching the situation, Serena knew she had to act quickly as Ursaring's entire arm glowed a bright white. A sign that something bad was about to happen. Throwing her arm outwards, Braixen copied the action with her branch. "Quick, Braixen, use Fire Blast on that Ursaring!"

"Braixen, brai," the Fox Pokémon cried out as the large blast exploded out of her branch. The blast soon flew across the forest clearing and rammed into the wild Ursaring. The attack however did nothing more than just push him a few inches away from Amelia.

Slamming his fist into the ground, Ursaring soon realized he missed his target and felt a slight burning sensation on the side of his body. Turning his head to the left, the Hibernation Pokémon noticed Braixen who had attacked him.

"Ursa!" He cried out in annoyance before turning his attention to the two newcomers. Gulping upon seeing the look in Ursaring's eyes, Serena did her best to remain calm. "Ursaring!" He cried out once more before charging at the Fox Pokémon.

"Stop it with a Flamethrower!" Serena called out as Braixen twirled her branch in her hands before firing off the Fire-Type attack. Ursaring, however, wasn't slowing down and ran right through the stream of fire before slamming into Braixen.

" _They... They came to help me?"_ Amelia thought as she looked over towards Serena who was bow helping Braixen back up. The duo were firing off another Flamethrower only for Ursaring to counter with a Hyper Beam that blew them backwards. _"Even after everything I've done...she came to help..."_ she continued to think as she remembered back to what Serena once told her when they met in Coumarine City.

" _If you're unable to move on and better yourself, then how can you even think you'll be on the same level as Aria?"_ Serena's words echoed through her head as she watched the duo confront the Ursaring. No matter how many times they were knocked down, they just continued to get back up. Flamethrower after Flamethrower, Fire Blast after Fire Blast. Those two just didn't stop until Ursaring knocked Braixen aside with his arm.

Now standing in front of Serena, the rampaging Ursaring swung his arm backwards and prepared to strike. Closing her eyes, Serena was ready for the blow, but instead felt something else. Opening her eyes, Serena stared right up at Amelia as the Performer was right on top of her. She had pushed Serena out of the way!

"Don't thank me yet," Amelia said as she stood up and brushed off some dirt. She couldn't believe that she had just done that. "I was just repaying you for helping me. We're even now, so don't expect anything else." There was no way she was letting Serena find out that she was warming up to her. No way at all!

"Thanks," Serena said anyway as she stood up, Braixen now by her side. "And don't worry, we'll finish this off. Braixen, use Fire Blast and merge it with a Hidden Power!"

"Braixen!" The Fire-Type cried out as she aimed her branch right at the confused Ursaring. He could have sworn there was a girl in front of him, only she was missing now. Before Ursaring knew what happened, he was smacked in the back with a powerful Fire Blast attack which was then followed up with three shinning orbs of light.

Turning around, the Normal-Type finally noticed the three of them standing off to the side and roared out in anger. The one in the purple had shown up out of nowhere and had set him off by throwing a stone at him. And now, those other two were trying to interrupt his revenge. Firing a Hyper Beam, Ursaring watched as they were quickly thrown backwards.

"This is crazy!" Amelia cried out as she felt her hands shaking from the last impact. That Hyper Beam was too close for her liking. "We're going to be killed by that thing!" Ursaring was now making his way over to them as his forearm glowed white.

Braixen however threw her branch outward as her entire body began to glow a light red. A Fire Blast that was much larger than before then emerged from her branch and managed to stop Ursaring's arm from descending down on them and give them enough time to get out of the way.

"Ash and Clemont mentioned that the Fire-Type version of Overgrow and Torrent is Blaze..." Serena muttered as she looked at the faint glow. It was definitely similar to what Ash's Sceptile and Croconaw looked like. "Alright, Braixen, we don't have much time left. Who knows what that Ursaring is still capable of! Use a Fire Blast and put everything you have into it!"

"Brai! Xen!" Braixen screamed as she jumped backwards and pointed her stick forward. Putting every ounce of energy she had left into the attack, Braixen fired off her Fire-Type move as the Fire Blast exploded out of her stick and sent Ursaring flying backwards and into a tree.

"D-Did that do it?" Serena asked before dropping to her knees alongside Braixen. If that Ursaring was to get back up, then they would be done for. There was no way Braixen could do anything else, it was amazing that she had put up with this much.

"I think so," Amelia sighed out as she dropped to her knees as well. She was too tired from this entire day and just wanted it to end. Once she got to Kiloude City, it was off to the Pokémon Center for a nice bath. "But, why did you come to help?" There was no extra meaning to it at all. Amelia wanted to honestly know why Serena had come to help her out.

Serena just smiled as she tried to catch her breath. There really wasn't a reason to it, she just knew it was the right thing to do. "I don't know. I mean, part of me didn't want to after how you treated me since I met you in Snowbelle but a bigger part knew it was only right to come and help."

"Well, thanks," Amelia replied as she tried to play it straight. She was glad Serena had helped her, but she didn't need the girl to think she was getting soft around her now. "But don't think this changes anything. I still plan on beating you at the Master Class and Ash is still mine until the end of the tournament."

"I didn't expect anything to change," Serena replied as the two girls finally let everything wash over them and share a laugh. Serena had to admit, it was odd to be able to laugh with Amelia since she would normally be all over her but it felt nice to be able to have a civil conversation for once. "And I'll be the one who wins the Master Class. We should get going though. Who knows how long it'll take us to get to Kiloude City from here."

* * *

"Alright, Luxray, you use Wild Charge! And Manectric, use Thunder on Luxray!" Clemont called out as he adjusted his glasses with his left hand while throwing his right palm forward. He had reached Lumiose City in no time thanks to the public transportation he had taken and his training over these last few days had been excellent. He could already see the gains he was making.

"Helioisk, counter it with a Focus Blast, don't let Luxray through!" Clembot tried to counter, but by the time Helioisk had formed the orb of energy in between his hands, Luxray was already pouncing onto him. The electricity that covered his body was much more wild thanks to the Thunder attack and so Helioisk had no way to protect himself from it. Flying backwards, the Electric-Type tried to get back up.

"Helio..." The Generator Pokémon cried out only to collapse from his fatigue. He had given it everything he had but it was no use. He just didn't have it in him to continue fighting.

"That was an excellent battle, sir," Clembot said while praising his creator. Based on his latest simulations, he believed Clemont had as good a chance as any to win the entire tournament. Granted, his database lacked anyone who hadn't faced him or competed in the Kalos League as a whole. Trainers from outside of Kalos such as Hugh were the bigger question marks. "At the rate you're improving, there shouldn't be anyone who could beat you."

"Well, I wouldn't go saying that," Clemont responded with a slight laugh. Saying he would do well and saying he would win were two different things. He still didn't believe that he had a chance to win, but... "But you are correct, Clembot. Thanks to your help, Luxray, Manectric, Helioisk and the others have grown in strength. The Lumiose Gym will be well represented at the tournament for sure. Now, just to get that one formula finished."

"is this the one that has to do with Ash's battle style?" Clembot asked as he began to search through his database for their closest 'Ash' download. Clemont had spent some time building detailed summaries of battles he had seen of trainers that he thought might appear at the tournament. Already he had the likes of Alain, Sawyer, Tierno, Trevor and many others who competed at the Kalos League. Though, the one he couldn't get just right, and it had escaped him while training for his Gym Battle, was Ash's. His unpredictability made it impossible to create.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if there was any way to create something similar to the way he battles. I already know the program we tried before was a failure, but what if I could create a formula that replicates the unpredictability? For example, it allows the program to choose a wide selection of choices instead of the most likely solution. If we could create this, then perhaps we could use it to try and understand Ash better," Clemont answered as he looked at Clembot with excitement. It might be a stretch, but if he could do it then there would be very little holding him back.

Clembot however was just confused by what Clemont was saying. Not that it mattered since all that would happen was a simple software update for him. Clembot enjoyed the battle style files since it allowed him to try out a few different ideas as well and add to how he battled. The robot was just about to respond when Meyer interrupted the entire conversation.

"Clemont!" Meyer's voice boomed as he entered the Gym. "I figured you would be in here after Bonnie explained why you came back without Ash. I have to say, no matter what happens at this tournament you'll be making all of Lumiose City proud. To think, you were invited to compete out of all the trainers not only in Kalos but the entire world."

"Thanks dad," the young inventor replied as he looked on happily. He had no clue as to why his dad would be here but it had to be important. "I've been practicing a few new ideas in case of any surprise battle situations and I think we'll be able to do really well as a team. Between Manectric and Luxray, I don't know if anyone could beat both of them. Add in Chespin, Bunnelby and Helioisk if he wants to battle and that's one powerful team."

"I have to agree with that assessment, Clemont," Meyer responded as he stroked his beard. Yet, it appeared he had something on his mind as Clemont could tell he was here for more than just small talk. Seeing that Clemont was picking up on what was happening, Meyer let out a light chuckle as he smiled at his son. "But, sometimes you need a little bit of help. Why don't you let your old man help you out a little?"

"Really!?" Clemont cried out in excitement as he looked on at his dad. It wasn't everyday his father battled, heck, Clemont couldn't remember the last time he had ever battled it was that long ago. He knew his dad was strong from stories he was told as a kid, but actually seeing him battle in person was something else he had never seen before.

"Yeah, it might be good for me too," Meyer joked as he swung his left arm around in a circular motion as he pretended to loosen up. "Clembot and myself will battle you at the same time. So, prepare for anything we might throw your way! We've got to get you as prepared as we can for the tournament!"

* * *

The duo, having now made their way out of the woods, decided to take a break to catch their breath. As they sat on some of the rocks that filled the area up, both girls could make out the tops of some buildings and assumed that they weren't much further from Kiloude City.

"Finally, we're almost there!" Amelia cried out as she laid down across her rock. To her, nothing could ever be as bad as today. Her entire body was filled with pain and she couldn't wait to just relax. "Then, I won't be stuck around you the entire time."

Serena just shook her head at the comment. Even after everything they had been through today, Amelia still treated her badly. Wanting to get to the bottom of it, Serena decided to speak up. "There has to be more to it," she began to say as Amelia just looked at her with a confused expression. "There has to be more to why you hate me. It can't be just because I beat you at a Showcase."

At those words, Amelia began to act differently. Gone was her more collected attitude and in its place was one more nervous. She hadn't expected Serena of all people to ask and there was no way she would be telling Serena the truth about herself being jealous. That would be too much for the girl. "No there isn't," she replied quickly while crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're just a Performer who gets off lucky and that was how you beat me," Amelia continued on as she did her best to hide the truth. Walking ahead of Serena, Amelia let a slight sigh escape her lips. That girl was going to be bothersome for sure. "Besides, what more would be needed to hate you!?" She added to it once she turned her head back at the girl. As much as Amelia hated to admit it, she appreciated what Serena had done and began to like her a little. Not enough to end what was between the two of them but just enough to tone it back a little.

Serena just watched ahead as she followed behind Amelia. She could never understand that girl, but couldn't help but smile. She couldn't explain why, but it felt as though things weren't as bad between them after today. She only hoped that it would help to end everything else between them as well. Walking through the remainder of the forest in silence, the duo soon came upon the city and let out a collective laugh of joy.

Sprinting down the road, the two girls only had one thought on their minds and it was to get to the Pokémon Center. Once there, they could rest a little and clean up after this adventurous day. Making their way down through the city, they both realized for the first time all day just how long they had been in that forest. When they had started, it was just after noon, but now, now it was later in the evening with many of the street lights on to help brighten up the path to the Center.

Seeing the familiar building off in the distance, they picked up their pace and made it to it in no time at all. Walking through the front doors, the two nearly collapsed onto the ground from fatigue but managed to make it over towards a table and sat down.

"I'm glad this is finally over," Serena muttered as she placed her head against the table. She was hoping something like today never happened again and that if it did, Ash would be there instead. "Let's just hope that it never happens to us again."

"Agreed," Amelia uttered one word as she placed her own head on the table. Never before had she gone through so much in such a short span of time. Well, she wouldn't have minded it if it involved a certain trainer of course.

And speaking of that trainer, he was now walking over towards them with his Pikachu on his shoulder like always. Amelia let out a content sigh as she saw him walking his way to where they were sitting. "Serena, Amelia, you're both alright! That's- umph" Ash began to say, only to be interrupted by someone practically tackling him.

"Oh, I'm so happy that you were worried about me!" Amelia cried out as she had him in a tight hug. She had practically tackled the poor boy onto the ground and now they were in a sitting position as she continued to hold him closely, much to his chagrin. He did not enjoy this at all.

Serena gave Ash a small, apologetic smile as she felt bad for the boy. He had been putting up with stuff like this for the past few days and yet he never understood why. Serena did though; whether Amelia did it honestly or to just annoy Serena she wasn't exactly sure about. "Ash," Serena decided to say, giving the young boy his chance to escape from Amelia's death hug. "Did you get the Pokémon you needed for tomorrow?"

"Of course I did" Ash replied happily as he showed off the new batch of Poké Balls attached to his belt. Granted, they all looked the same, but it was still the thought of showing that mattered. "And tomorrow, we're going to give it all we've got against Drasna! The group I picked, I just know they can win!"

* * *

 **So, hopefully you guys enjoyed it. It's a way to help thaw the icy relations between these two fighting girls, granted it didn't entirely work. But, Amelia now sees Serena in a better light, well a little bit anyways. How this continues going forward, you'll just have to see. Also, next chapter is obviously versus Drasna.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	45. The Dragon Master

**W** **elcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Serena and Amelia had gotten themselves into quite the situation. However, after Serena had come to the rescue for the both of them, they managed to get out of it all. Now, we're finally getting into Ash's match with Drasna.**

 **Ch 45: The Dragon Master!**

* * *

"So, Ash, are you fully prepared?" Serena asked as the group of three sat down for breakfast. Despite his match happening in just a few hours, Ash didn't seem nervous at all. In fact, he seemed to be pretty relaxed for the battle. "You look pretty confident for this battle, but I know you can win!"

"That was a stupid question," Amelia said to her rival before taking a bite out of the pancake on her plate. Chewing the food, she quickly cast a glance over to Serena before smiling over towards Ash. "I can tell right away that Ash is going to win hands down. Because he'll have his good luck charm cheering him on the entire time," she finished up before scooting closer to him.

Ash just nodded in agreement to the Performer's claim as he looked over at Pikachu. "Yeah, because Pikachu is going to be cheering with everything he has. If he cheers loudly, I know the others will do just fine!" Unbeknownst to him, Amelia appeared to lower her head in defeat all while Serena couldn't help but laugh silently at the situation. If there was ever a time for Ash to show off his usual denseness, now was it.

"But, it's going to take more than just cheering from Pikachu. I'm going to need to be fully prepared for Drasna. Last time, she easily beat Charizard but unlike then this time it's the real deal. If we lose, our chance of challenging Diantha is gone," Ash said as his eyes seemed to focus on one spot on the table. Almost as if he was trying to use it to clear his mind. "So much is riding on one battle and yet I can't help but feel excited."

Serena just shook her head before smiling. Ash was acting just as she thought he would have, especially what had happened the last time he faced Drasna. "I'm sure you're going to be just fine, Ash! You've trained really hard for this. And if I know you, you were out training last night."

As if on cue, a yawn escaped from Ash's mouth which caused Serena to laugh while Ash just rubbed the back of his head. It was almost as if Serena knew him perfectly from their travels. "We might have been out training just a little."

"I figured that, which is why I baked you and you're team a little treat for before the match," Serena replied as she pulled out a basket of Poképuffs. Opening the basket, the wonderful aroma from her pastries filled the air as both Ash and Pikachu started to feel their mouths water from it. Amelia however didn't appear as impressed with the deserts, most likely due to her rivalry with Serena. One that had actually turned into two separate rivalries without meaning to at first.

Seeing Ash about to reach for one of the Poképuffs, Amelia slapped his hand away before giving him a stern look. "Don't you think it's better to save them for after?" She asked with a curious look, almost as if she was thinking something over. "You know, that way you'll have a victory desert for your win today."

"Well, I guess," he answered somewhat disappointed in the fact he couldn't eat one of the Poképuffs. Slouching back in the booth, Ash stared up at the ceiling as he sat in boredom. "But, I was really looking forward to eating one."

Amelia shook her head back and forth much to Serena's annoyance. Who was she, telling Ash he could or couldn't eat at this time. Grabbing her basket, Serena placed it back inside of her backpack but not before grabbing two of the treats and placing them down next to her in the booth. If Amelia wouldn't let Ash have them now, then Serena would have to make sure him and Pikachu would have one each before the match. Looking over at the Pallet Town native, Serena watched as he stood out of his seat and began to stretch. An obvious sign that Ash was getting ready to leave for his next destination.

"Alright, I'm all ready for my match with Drasna!" Ash cried out as he finished his stretching. Without much of a notice, he quickly placed his hat on his head and grabbed ahold of his backpack before running out the door.

"He's quite the active one," Amelia muttered as she watched Ash run down the street in excitement, only to realize that the boy was heading in the wrong direction. "And very forgetful."

"That's Ash," was all Serena said before placing her own backpack onto her shoulders. Making her way out of the building, Serena looked around Kiloude City to see if there were any landmarks she could use to find her way back. "Always running off...before anyone else can give him directions," Serena muttered before she finally found the correct path. Making her way down the street, Serena passed by many different homes and businesses as she passed down the crowded streets. She could tell that a lot of people were visiting from Lumiose City due to them arriving for the tournament but never expected it to be this crowded.

"Now, the building should be around here..." She trailed off before seeing an almost simple building. The design wasn't too complex like the other two members of the Elite Four, it looked to be just a simple cottage. But, it also had two large statues of Reshiram and Zekrom right in front of the building. And the cottage itself took on more of a draconic design as she got closer, the shingles on the building looking like the scales of a dragon. Looking at the statues, Serena remembered learning about those two Pokémon and if she remembered correctly they were from Unova.

"I wonder if Ash is here yet," Serena muttered before making her way up to the door. Knocking lightly, she was soon surprised to see Ash welcoming her inside. But not only that, but also that Amelia had beaten her here as well. "H-How did you two beat me here?"

Amelia couldn't help but smirk as she saw Serena's confusion. It was just too priceless to pass up. And so, the Performer spoke up. "After you left me behind at the Center, I bumped into Ash. And I mean literally, he was running through the streets not paying attention when he hit me. Luckily, Drasna was out and about and she offered us a quick lift to her place."

"Yes, child," Drasna answered as she walked into the main room. She didn't appear different at all since they had first met her and she appeared ready for this battle just as much as Ash was. "You two got lucky to run into someone like myself when you did. But," she said as the smile dropped from her face. "We're here to have a battle and I'm sure you're prepared."

Ash shook his head in agreement before raising one of his Poké Balls in front of his while smirking. "This time, it won't end the same way we it did from our last battle. We're going to win for sure!"

"I enjoy your enthusiasm, but, have you prepared for what lays ahead? The Dragon-Type is not one that can be prepared for thanks to their rarity. And so, any strategy you have prepared for must have taken a while," she replied with a smile crossing back over her face. "I look forward to whatever you have planned." Drasna then motioned for the group to follow her out of the front room.

"Well, you'll be surprised for sure," Ash replied happily before joining Drasna in their walk towards the battlefield. Passing through the building, Ash noticed how there were many different pictures of Dragon-Type Pokémon and their trainers. He could make out Lance and Claire for trainers with their Dragonite and both Drakes he had encountered. The one from the Orange Islands was with his own Dragonite while the Hoenn Elite Four member had his Salamence. But, some of the others he had no clue who they were.

"I enjoy filling the building with images of Dragon-Type Pokémon and their trainers who I've met on my journeys. In fact, the next picture coming up is this girl I met not too long ago. She was a wild one, saying she was chasing after Rayquaza but when I saw her she had been in Johto. A far ways away from her home," Drasna explained as she pictured the girl who had an Axew living in her hair. Iris was her name, but it had little to do with today.

Walking outside, the group were soon impressed by Drasna's stadium. Taking on the shape of a half circle, the design looked to be based off of a Dragon as the wings formed the half circle and its head was greeting the group of four. Walking inside, Serena and Amelia soon made their way over to the front seats while Ash and Drasna stood on opposite sides of the field.

"Now, Ash, this battle is going to emulate how all Elite Four battles used to be in Kalos," Drasna began to say as the field rose up out of the ground. Just as Siebold and Wikstrom, this field appeared to be based around Drasna's preference as it looked to be a mountainous field with a small grassy plains area below it. "An official four-on-four match with substitutions not allowed."

"That's fine by me," Ash replied as he fixed his cap before looking out at the field. The mountainous terrain may give him a little trouble but he also felt good about his chances. "I'm just looking forward to a fun match."

"As am I," Drasna responded with a light nod. She had to admit, the boy's determination and confidence hadn't been seen by her since Diantha fought her all those years ago. Yet, here Ash was, making her excited for this match. "And, to start off will be this one. Take flight young one. Go, Dragonite!"

The large Dragon and Flying-Type soon emerged from its Poké Ball with a loud cry before flying up onto one of the multiple mountains and waited. It appeared to be waiting for a battle but was also extremely calm. Knowing that it was going to be a difficult battle either way, Ash grabbed one of his Poké Balls.

"A Dragonite," Ash muttered before enlarging the device in his hand. Looking on with determination, he began to toss it forward with great might. "Noivern, I choose you!" Opening up, the Poké Ball soon revealed none other than Ash's very own Dragon and Flying-Type who instead of flying up into the mountains remained down on the grassy field. "With Noivern's speed, we should be able to keep up with Dragonite plus we've got the strength to match it blow for blow."

"Are you so sure about that, young one?" Drasna asked as she raised an eyebrow at that last comment. Not many trainers had a chance to see what was past her Dragonite and so it would be an interesting challenge. "Hopefully you can handle it. Now, Dragonite, start off with an Ice Beam attack!"

"Dragon!" The Dragon Pokémon roared out as a large beam of ice formed in its mouth. Firing it off with immense speed and precision, Ash had almost no time at all to counter.

"Quick, get into the sky and avoid it!" He yelled out as the trail of ice rained down from the mountains and froze the area where Noivern had been standing on the grass. Now up in the air, Noivern continued to fly around the Ice-Type attack as the beam seemed to follow him everywhere. Gritting his teeth, Ash watched as Noivern was unable to lose Dragonite's Ice Beam attack at all.

" _There has to be something we can do! We can't just continue to dodge, otherwise we'll lose for sure,"_ Ash thought to himself as he noticed a small opening in the mountains. A spot that was just big enough for Noivern to squeeze through and make it onto the other side of the field and behind Dragonite.

"Noivern!" Ash called out to the Dragon and Flying-Type, receiving his attention. "Fly into those cracks in the mountain! Use them to avoid the Ice Beam!"

"Vern!" The Sound Wave Pokémon cried out before spinning to his left, barely avoiding the Ice Beam attack. Panting a little from the exhaustion caused by his constant dodging, Noivern pushed forward as he made it through the crack right as the Ice Beam froze the entrance shut.

"Dragonite, stay prepared!" Drasna ordered quickly as her own Dragon and Flying-Type looked around the field. Despite being on the tallest mountain out of the batch, there were still some spots that it couldn't see. "Just be ready for wherever it may appear from!"

"Now, Noivern! Hit Dragonite with your Dragon Claw!" Ash's voice rang out as everyone appeared shocked by the statement. They were not expecting an attack to be coming now of all time. Soaring up from the mountain range, Noivern used the cracks that separated the tops of the mountains as a speedy way to reach his target.

"Noi!" He cried out with all his might as he slashed against Dragonite with his green, glowing claws. Landing a direct hit, Noivern appeared poised for an easy hit and run but much to his shock, his tail had been grabbed upon landing the attack. "Noivern?"

"Now we have you," Drasna stated calmly while throwing an open palm outwards. To her, it had been a risky attack by the young boy and his Noivern and they were unable to capitalize off of it. "Dragonite, end this with Ice Beam!"

"Not so fast!" Ash shot back as Dragonite prepared to freeze Noivern solid. "Now, Noivern, Supersonic!" He commanded while throwing his arms to the sides of his body. There was no way he was letting Noivern be beat this easily. Swinging his head around, Noivern launched off the sound based move as it slammed right into Dragonite.

The Dragon Pokémon was stunned by the sudden move and accidently released his pray before firing the Ice Beam down onto one of the mountains. Upon impact the entire mountain had been frozen solid much to Ash's surprise, yet he didn't let this opportunity pass him by.

"Now! Hit him with an Acrobatics and follow it up with a Boomburst!" He was getting into it now and for good reasons too. This had been his first real battle since he faced Wikstrom way back in Shalour City, he was waiting for something like this.

"Noivern!" The Dragon and Flying-Type confirmed as he glowed a light blue while zigzagging across the mountain range. Slamming his head hard into his opposition, Noivern watched the now falling Dragonite slam into the frozen mountain top before swinging his head around. "Vern!" His voice screeched out as the sound waves echoed out of his large ears. Soaring across the open sky, the blast exploded upon impact with the confused Pokémon as the top of the mountain broke off.

"That was a nice idea, Ash," Drasna told the younger trainer while clapping. She had been impressed, but it was going to take more than that to defeat her Dragonite. "Dragonite, dear, show them just what we're made of."

"Dragonnn!" Dragonite roared out as it stood back up, showing to be over the confusion caused by Supersonic. Taking flight, the Dragon and Flying-Type flew right for Noivern and grabbed ahold of its opponent.

"Noivern!?" Ash called out in both concern and disbelief. He had never expected Dragonite to be that fast. Before he could even issue another command, Noivern had been tossed into one of the mountains and was now implanted against it.

"Now, Dragonite, Hyper Beam!" Opening its mouth, Dragonite charged up the purple and black beam as Ash could only watch. Noivern was struggling to get free from his imprisonment and it looked like everything was going to be over.

"Noivern, I know you can break free!" Ash yelled with his eyes shut. He didn't need to see Noivern escape because he knew it was possible.

"Vern..." Noivern grunted out as he pressed on with his hopes for escaping. Using all of his strength that was left, Noivern managed to break free right as Dragonite fired off its Hyper Beam. The Sound Wave Pokémon managed to avoid most of the blast but the end of it had struck his left wing causing him some pain.

Ash, now watching his Noivern free, decided that this was their best chance to take advantage of Hyper Beam's after effect. "Now, Noivern, Dragon Claw and give it everything you've got!" At first it looked good, but as Noivern approached Dragonite, Ash noticed that his wing was still bothering him. His usual speed was gone and there also appeared to be some uneven flight with him favoring his right side.

This however was their downfall as it allowed more than enough time for Dragonite to recover from the Hyper Beam attack and Drasna was prepared. "Now, quick, Ice Beam!" She commanded as Noivern was right in front of them. With no time to do anything but launch off the attack, both Dragon and Flying-Types were caught in an explosion caused by the two attacks.

Smoke filled the area they were occupying and so Ash had no way to know what had happened. Slowly, a gust of wind was blowing and cleared all the smoke and much to his surprise both Pokémon were still standing.

"Vern..." He then heard Noivern mutter. Looking up at the Sound Wave Pokémon once more, Ash noticed him collapse on top of the mountain defeated. Gritting his teeth from it, he quickly grabbed ahold of Noivern's Poké Ball.

"Noivern, return!" Ash commanded as the red beam struck his defeated Pokémon. He had thought Noivern would have been able to take down Dragonite, but the Dragon Pokémon must have been trained excellently to handle all the attacks. Now though, who would be the perfect choice to handle Dragonite and whoever else she might have waiting.

"Ash," Drasna called out as she snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking up, he noticed that she was smiling and was confused over the action. "Your Noivern fought excellently. For such a young one as well. Goes to show just how well you raised it. I look forward to whoever you choose next."

"Thank you, Drasna," Ash replied as he scratched underneath his nose. It wasn't every day that an Elite Four member gave out compliments and so he was taken by surprise a little. "Noivern is still a baby. It only hatched prior to my seventh Gym battle in Anistar City. But he's worked really hard to catch up to everyone else. But this next one should be a bigger surprise!" He exclaimed before switching out the two Poké Balls. "Snorlax, I choose you!"

"Snoreee," The Normal-Type cried out as he landed on the field with a loud thud. The collision of his body on the frozen field was more than enough to shatter the ice and reveal the grassy terrain once more. Scratching his stomach, Snorlax looked to be a little tired and not in the mood for battling.

* * *

"A Snorlax?" Amelia asked in shock. She would have thought Ash would have something much better than that thing for his next Pokémon. "That tub of lard looks ready to go to sleep instead of battle."

"You haven't seen any of Ash's Pokémon before," Serena replied as she gripped the front railing. This battle could decide the remainder of the match for Ash since if he fell behind by two it would become extremely hard for him to make a comeback. "They're all hard workers just like Ash. My only question is how will Snorlax actually attack Dragonite?"

Amelia looked confused by this statement. She may not have been that good with battles and may have only seen a few of them before today but even she knew how it would attack. "Well, he'll attack like normal. The same way Noivern did."

"That isn't what I meant," Serena explained as she watched Snorlax now ready to fight. She was about to continue on with her explanation only for Ash's voice to stop her.

"Okay, Snorlax, let's start off with a Hyper Beam attack! We'll show them just what we're made of," Ash commanded while throwing his right hand forward. If there was one Pokémon he could trust on for raw strength alone, then it was Snorlax.

"Laxxx," he yawned out while opening his mouth. A large orange beam soon emerged as it shot upwards right at Dragonite.

"Quick, you have to dodge it, fly downwards and hide in the mountain," Drasna ordered as Dragonite managed to duck just underneath the blast and used the falling rubble to help hide itself from Snorlax. "Now, Dragon Rush!"

"Dragonite!" The Dragon Pokémon roared out in agreement as Ash and everyone else could make out a large blue aura coming from the insides of the mountains. Then, in one quick movement, Dragonite burst out of them as he was surrounded in aura shaped like a dragon. Seeing this, Ash grit his teeth and looked over at Snorlax. There was nothing they could do since he was still recovering from the Hyper Beam.

"Brace yourself, Snorlax," was the best Ash could tell his large Normal-Type due to the effects of Hyper Beam. Tensing his body up, Snorlax was pushed slightly backwards from the collision caused by Dragonite but was otherwise alright. Signaling to Ash that he was fine, the trainer from Pallet Town could let out a sigh of relief. Dragonite was becoming an issue for him and there had to be some sort of way to take him out.

Looking around, Ash noticed that the parts of the broken mountains were now shaped similarly to stepping stones and knew what to do. "Snorlax! Use the mountains as if they were steps! Climb up above Dragonite and use a Body Slam!"

Snorlax nodded in agreement as he showed off his speed that was rare for his species. Moving with grace, the Normal-Type had already made it halfway to his destination before Drasna had even reacted.

" _That Snorlax is a speedy one, but, Ash doesn't realize he's putting himself at a serious disadvantage right now,"_ Drasna thought as she watched Snorlax now leap off of the last part of his climb to reach the very top of the mountains. He now had the higher ground and was able to see Dragonite from way above the ground.

"Snor!" He cried out before jumping from his spot. Ash just watched on with a smile as the Normal-Type picked up speed during his descent.

"I think you've forgotten something, Ash," Drasna pointed out as she kept a straight face during the entire situation. "Child, you forgot that Snorlax is highly vulnerable at this location. He can't dodge at all during this freefall of his. And so, you've given Dragonite the perfect chance to strike! Now, Ice Beam!"

"Hold on for just a little bit, Snorlax!" Ash called out as he watched on in anticipation. He knew this would happen, but he also hoped Snorlax could take the hits with ease. He could, and Ash knew it too. He then watched on as the Ice Beam bounced off of the Sleeping Pokémon without much damage being done.

"Snor!" He cried out once again as the Ice Beam tickled this time. No matter how many times they struck him, Snorlax wasn't going to be defeated. Slamming hard into a now panting Dragonite, both Pokémon appeared to be shaken up from the attack.

Now standing across from each other, both Snorlax and Dragonite were panting. Yet, that wasn't what caught Ash's attention. Instead, it was the sparks of electricity that were flowing around Dragonite, it was paralyzed! Drasna seemed to notice it as well, silently cursing under her breath as she looked at the situation. This must have been what Ash had wanted the entire time when he attacked.

"Now, Snorlax, Ice Punch!" Ash yelled out while punching forward himself, almost as if he was the one attacking.

"Not this time, Dragonite, stop them with Dragon Rush!" Drasna countered as she pumped both of her fists. Ash and Drasna both couldn't help but smirk at the battle, it was too much fun not to get into it like this.

Both Pokémon readied their attacks as Snorlax's arm was soon frozen and Dragonite was covered in the blue aura once more. Rushing towards each other, both Pokémon soon collided with each other as a mini explosion occurred and pieces of the broken mountain scattered across the field. Once everything died down, both trainers were shocked to see both Pokémon defeated.

"Snorlax!" Ash called out as the Normal-Type laid there defeated. He must have taken more damage than Ash thought during their Body Slam attacking. Sighing, he reached for Snorlax's Poké Ball and quickly recalled the defeated Pokémon. "Thank you for everything today. You battled great and defeated Dragonite. Leave the rest to the others."

"Ash," Drasna called out as she recalled Dragonite. "Your Snorlax is quite unique. I've never seen one move quite as fast as he could. Not to mention the trust he had in you to believe that your Body Slam plan would work. It truly shows just how much they care for you," she praised while gripping her second Poké Ball. "But, you're going to have to do a lot better to win against my second choice! Go, Druddigon!"

With a swift toss of the Poké Ball in her hand, Drasna's next Pokémon appeared as the Dragon-Type stood nice and tall. It had a menacing appearance to it, something that Ash had been expecting the entire time.

"Well, I'm sure we can get this done! Torterra, I choose you!" Ash cried out at the top of his lungs while throwing his third Poké Ball onto the field. The device opened up with a flash of white light before revealing the Grass and Ground-Type.

"Torterra!" The Continent Pokémon cried out happily as looked back at Ash. It had been a while since their last battle together and Torterra was determined to do much better. Getting ready to attack, the duo appeared ready to turn the match in their direction.

"Alright, Torterra, start off with an Energy Ball! Give it everything you've got!" Ash commanded while pointing his left index finger forward. He was relying on Torterra to help even up the battle for them.

"Terra!" Torterra roared in approval as a large green sphere of energy formed in his mouth. Launching it forward, he watched on as the attack managed to land directly on Druddigon who had merely raised his arms to block it.

"My, Ash, you should know better than thinking a simple direct attack could beat us," Drasna replied, sounding a little disappointed. She had hoped for more, but if this was the best Torterra could deliver then it would be over fast. "Try and stop this! Druddigon, use Dragon Claw!"

"Quick, Torterra, keep it away with a continuous attack of Energy Ball!" Ash countered as he saw the raging Dragon-Type run across the field of broken rock and rubble as its claws grew in size and glowed a greenish tint. Watching Torterra, Ash was hoping that the Energy Balls would work out but every time one was launched, Druddigon merely knocked it away with his claws.

"You really shouldn't try and stop us with an attack like that. It'll just leave you with disappointment when it fails," Drasna said with a tone belonging to a teacher. "Grass-Type moves won't do much to Druddigon and even though Type matchups aren't everything...in a match like this, they are important. Now, Druddigon, land that Dragon Claw!"

"Who said that the Energy Ball was meant to do damage?" Ash asked as one more of the green spheres crashed into the approaching Cave Pokémon, who this time appeared to glow blue for a split second after the impact before slamming his claws down onto Torterra's head. "We just needed for the right timing. Now, Torterra! Leaf Storm!"

"What!?" Drasna shouted as Druddigon jumped back from landing its Dragon Claw attack. Looking across the field, the Elite Four member was surprised to see both Torterra and Ash smirking at the situation before them. It was as if it were all a plan.

"Tor! Terra!" The Grass and Ground-Type shouted as the leaves on his back began glowing a light green. Then, before Drasna could issue another command, a cyclone of wind picked up as the leaves on Torterra's back flew into the cyclone and smashed right into Druddigon.

"That's great, Torterra! Now keep it up, put your all into it and really send Druddigon flying!" Ash called out as he pumped his right fist into the air. He had been waiting for Druddigon to be affected by the Energy Ball attack and once it had lowered the Dragon-Type's special defense, Ash knew their time to strike was now.

Torterra nodded in agreement as he planted his feet into the ground before the cyclone picked up power. Before Druddigon had even known what had hit it, the Cave Pokémon soon found itself flying across the field and up towards the remaining mountains. Slamming hard into them, Druddigon managed to break free from the Leaf Storm and was now standing atop of the mountain while watching Torterra.

" _Hmm, so Energy Ball was only meant to lower our defenses. Ash really did think this through,"_ Drasna thought to herself as a small smirk crossed her face. Perhaps this wasn't turning into the same battle as last time.

"That was great, Torterra, your Leaf Storm has really grown in strength. Now, rest up while you have the chance with a Synthesis attack," Ash commanded joyfully as Torterra smiled up at his trainer. He was handling Druddigon with ease or so the duo thought. Letting out a loud roar, Torterra's body began to glow a light white as he quickly felt his energy being restored.

"Now, Druddigon, get in close with another Dragon Claw attack!" Drasna ordered as she had a plan ready. If they were just going to attack them, then they would use it against Ash and Torterra. "Your trick won't work twice on us!"

"Really? Well, Torterra, show them your Energy Ball once again!" Ash commanded without hesitation. At this point in the match, they were going to have to try anything and everything to win.

"Terra," he muttered in agreement before launching off another Energy Ball towards the base of the mountain. Druddigon was now running down that part of the field as his claws glowed green once more. Slashing away at the Energy Ball, Ash and Torterra were both surprised to see their attack cut in half before Druddigon ran across the grassy field.

"Torterra, brace yourself! Get ready to take this hit head on and then blast Druddigon with another Energy Ball!" Ash ordered as the Cave Pokémon was already upon them. Digging his feet into the ground, Torterra felt the entire force of Druddigon's Dragon Claw hit his head as he was pushed a little backwards.

"Terra!" Torterra cried out once more. He was not getting beaten again, he was going to stand his ground and in doing so, slammed another Energy Ball right into Druddigon. The explosion from the impact caused Druddigon to flinch slightly, but the sight of the Dragon-Type glowing a shade of light blue had Ash smiling.

"Here's our chance, Torterra! Use Leaf Storm right now! Hit them with everything you've got!" Ash commanded happily as he threw his right fist forward while having his left pumped slightly. Panting for a second, Torterra's leaves began to glow once again before a cyclone of wind picked up.

"Quick, Druddigon, you've got to get out of there!" Drasna commanded to no avail. Druddigon was just too tired from the constant onslaught of attacks and had no time to dodge the incoming attack. Leaves slammed into its body before the Dragon-Type was picked up into the storm and slammed into the ground, causing a slight indentation in the field.

"Druddigon..." The Cave Pokémon muttered weakly as it collapsed on the ground. Despite the type advantage, the Dragon-Type just couldn't handle the continuation of attacks and Torterra's ability to handle taking on hits.

"Thank you," Drasna merely said as she recalled the defeated Pokémon with a smile on her face. "You fought excellently, Druddigon, now take a nice rest. You've deserved it friend." She then reached for her third Poké Ball with the intent to end this entire battle. Besides Altaria, this next choice was without a doubt her strongest. "Now, take flight and control this battle! Go, Noivern!"

Appearing from its Poké Ball, Drasna's Noivern let off a loud screech as both Serena and Amelia had to cover their ears to stop the noise. Looking at the Dragon and Flying-Type, Ash noticed how it was larger than his Noivern due to its age. This was going to be quite the battle for Torterra, but the Grass and Ground-Type was ready.

"Noivern, let us start off with a Dragon Pulse. See where they're at in this battle," Drasna ordered as she pointed her left hand forward with grace. Torterra had taken a lot of damage last battle against Druddigon and Drasna had a feeling the Continent Pokémon was growing fatigued.

"Don't think we can't dodge, Drasna!" Ash called out while swinging his left arm across his body with force. They may have used a different style against Druddigon, but that didn't mean they couldn't switch it up now. "Torterra here isn't just good at taking hits. And, the way your mountains are laying in pieces will only help us."

This appeared to confuse Drasna, along with Serena and Amelia who had shocked expressions on their faces. Drasna however was curious as to what Ash had planned for a way to counter Torterra's slowness. Looking over at Noivern, the Sound Wave Pokémon was already whipping its head forward as the Dragon Pulse took on the shape of a Dragon's head.

"Now, Torterra, let's show them your hidden speed!" Ash yelled while pointing his index finger forward. This was a tough move to pull off since if Torterra missed or couldn't keep up, it was all over. But, Ash believed that his Pokémon was more than capable. "Use Rock Climb and use the broken mountain as stepping stones! Climb all the way to the top and take down Noivern!"

"Tor," Torterra grunted as the claws on his legs glowed white and grew in size. Moving a lot more easily, Torterra easily dodged the Dragon Pulse as the attack crashed into the field harmlessly. Before either Drasna or Noivern had known it, Torterra was running up the mountains at an unprecedented speed for his species.

"Ash, I have to admit, you have some rather well trained Pokémon. A speedy and athletic Snorlax and now a Torterra that can dodge attacks. You've really proved to be quite the challenger. But it all ends now!" Drasna said as her eyes narrowed and Ash couldn't help but wipe his brow clean of some forming sweat. If Drasna had a look like that, she obviously had a plan ready. "Noivern, create a powerful storm. Whip up a storm with Hurricane!"

"Vern!" Noivern cried out happily before flapping its wings real hard. The wind it was whipping up was so strong, that even Ash had to brace himself despite his distance from the attack. He could only wonder what Torterra was feeling up there.

"I know you can take it, Torterra. Show them all just what your training has amounted to. We'll win this together," he called out to the Grass and Ground-Type. However, Ash could only watch as Torterra's claws shrunk in size before he was whipped off of the mountain and caught in the Hurricane. _"Come on, Ash, there has to be a way out of this!"_ He mentally yelled at himself as he looked at the situation. Right now, it didn't look good for Torterra as the Continent Pokémon was tossed around with ease. Then, to his amazement, Ash watched as the broken pieces of the field began to be pulled into the Hurricane attack.

"That's it..." he muttered to himself as he quickly adjusted his hat before smirking towards Drasna. "Drasna! I really have to thank you for giving us a clear path to Noivern!" Ash called out with joy before he pumped both of his arms up into the air. "Torterra, I know I'm asking for a lot right now, but it's only because I believe you can do it! Use Rock Climb on the floating stones! Use them as a bridge to get to in close to Noivern!"

Torterra's eyes immediately snapped open upon the command before being followed by a might roar that impressed both Noivern and its trainer. Waiting until one of the stones was near him, Torterra allowed himself to be flung around until landing. Now with a sturdy base, Torterra's claws grew in size once more before he sprinted across the bridge of stones. Ramming his head right into Noivern, the Grass and Ground-Type had managed to stop the attack and cause both himself and his opponent to begin falling towards the ground.

"Now's our chance to recover! While Noivern is stunned, use Synthesis again!" Ash called out with a smile. He was having a great time and he just knew Torterra was enjoying himself as well. He then watched on as the Continent Pokémon began to glow a shade of white and looked to have his stamina restored. "Perfect Torterra," he said towards the Grass and Ground-Type as both Pokémon landed on the ground now. However, despite landing that last hit, it appeared as though Noivern hadn't been hurt at all.

"There's got to be a way to hurt Noivern," Ash said quietly to himself as he watched the Dragon and Flying-Type stand up. Paying close attention, he then heard Drasna call for a Flamethrower attack which surprised him greatly since he didn't know they could learn an attack like that. "Quick, counter it with Energy Ball!"

Torterra fired off the green sphere in no time at all, but it was no match for the Fire-Type move as it was disintegrated in mere seconds before the flames covered Torterra's entire body. Dropping onto one knee, it looked as though Torterra had reached his limits as Noivern flew up into the air once again.

"Ash, your Torterra has been a great battler, but everything has to come to an end. Now, Noivern, Hurricane!" Drasna commanded as the Sound Wave Pokémon created a powerful gust of wind. The cyclone was now heading towards Torterra and he had no time to dodge before it crashed right into the Grass and Ground-Type. "You should just surrender for Torterra; I do not want to see it suffer any longer."

"Terra!" Torterra cried out much to the shock of everyone. Ash however understood what he wanted and nodded in agreement as the Continent Pokémon smirked at the sight of the battle.

Ash himself had a large smile on his face as well. If Torterra wanted to fight, there was no way he was going to quit either. "I see, so you want to continue fighting. Well, let's give them a taste of everything we've learned on our journey! Use the Hurricane to power up your Leaf Storm!"

"What!?" Drasna cried out in shock as Torterra's leaves soon filled the Hurricane attack. But, unlike the previous ones, this one managed to gain an increase in power as the leaves whipped around inside of the Hurricane. Slamming hard into Noivern, an explosion soon occurred as both attacks collided with their opposition head on.

Both Pokémon stood back up quickly, but had obvious signs of fatigue. Torterra appeared to be in the worst of shape due to his previous match, but he wasn't willing to give up just yet. Both Pokémon glared at each other in a friendly way before getting prepared to finish their bout.

"Alright, Torterra, let's end this with Rock Climb!"

"Noivern, use Dragon Claw!"

The two Pokémon rushed at each other as their claws both enlarged and changed color before meeting at the center of the field. Slamming into each other, it looked as if sparks were flying off of the two attacks before an explosion knocked them both backwards. Smoke then filled the field as visibility was impossible and both trainers could only wonder how their Pokémon were doing.

"Terra..."

"Noi..."

Both Pokémon could be heard muttering as the smoke faded away. To their trainer's surprise, both Pokémon were still standing despite the exhaustion that was apparent. Neither one was willing to give up. But, it appeared fatigue had finally set in for both of them as the duo both dropped onto the ground, defeated at the same time.

"So, you managed to defeat Noivern. Very well, child," Drasna said while returning Noivern to its Poké Ball. Praising the defeated Dragon and Flying-Type, Drasna placed it safely with the others. "To defeat three of my Pokémon, it shows the true strength shared between you and your partners. But, can you overcome this? Altaria, take flight child!"

"Well, last time we faced you, I wasn't in the right mentality for a battle and it showed. But, that lose was needed to clear my head a bit. And now," Ash trailed off while lifting a Poké Ball up in front of his face. "We'll be winning that Medal! Charizard, I choose you!"

Throwing the device forward, Ash watched as Charizard appeared out of the Poké Ball with a mighty roar. Landing on the field, the Flame Pokémon appeared ready to fight.

"Let's start off strong right away! We'll show Drasna just how much stronger we've grown!" Ash cried out as he raised his Mega Ring up towards his face. Touching it with his free hand, light began to shine off of it. "Charizard, Mega Evolve!"

Charizard roared in approval as the same light soon appeared from his Mega Stone before connecting with the light from the Keystone. Soon, Charizard was enveloped in a bright light as his body began to change shape until finally, the process was complete.

Standing before everyone was Mega Charizard-Y and unlike the previous times, he looked to be in full control and obedient towards Ash. Smiling, Drasna looked to her own Keystone.

"My, you two finally mastered it. I guess we'll have to go all out from the beginning as well. Altaria, Mega Evolve!" Soon, the same light that had covered Charizard soon enveloped Altaria as the Dragon and Flying-Type changed shape before finally looking like a large cloud. "This is your last hurdle, Ash. Can the bond between you and Charizard defeat Altaria?"

Ash just smirked in response. He was hoping she would Mega Evolve Altaria right from the start so that they could have their rematch. "We'll let our actions do all the Speaking! Charizard, start off with a Flamethrower!"

"Altaria, your Dragon Pulse please," Drasna countered as both Pokémon soon launched off their attacks which collided in the center of the field.

A powerful gust soon filled the area as Ash quickly placed a hand over his hat to keep it from flying away. They wouldn't be able to win on raw strength alone, they were going to need all of their adventures together and past battles to help.

"We can't just sit back but we also can't rush in. Drasna most likely has a plan to counter whatever we try," Ash muttered to himself through grit teeth. There had to be a way to eventually win but it would take some well-planned timing. "Alright, we'll take the next move if they're not going to. Quick, use Air Cutter!"

"Rah!" Charizard roared out before taking to the air. Flapping his wings as hard as he could, Charizard managed to create streaks of energy in the wind as they formed into tiny blades.

"That isn't going to work, Ash," Drasna replied as she quickly threw her arm off to the side. "Dodge it with Double Team. And then go right into a Sky Attack!"

"Tarriaa!" Altaria cried out happily as she flashed white for a split second as copies of herself surrounded Charizard. Soon, the Flying-Type move crashed into a few of the copies but a majority were still left. At the moment, there was nothing Charizard could do as he was surrounded.

Then, just as Drasna commanded, Altaria and her copies all flew high up above the field before glowing a yellowish orange. Then, flying straight at Charizard, it appeared like he was surrounded.

"We have you surrounded. There's no way for Charizard to dodge this!" Drasna called out while placing a hand on her hip. "There's no way you can escape this one."

"Quick, Charizard, fold your wings in and fall down towards the field!"

The order had caught Drasna by surprise. She hadn't expected the duo to just go into a freefall. And to make it worse, Altaria and her copies had no time to stop their course of action as they slammed into each other.

"Now's our chance, Charizard! Push off the ground and use Steel Wing!" Ash managed to yell while throwing his left fist up over his head. Even if the final battle was just starting, his whole body was running on adrenaline.

Flipping his body around so that his feet were facing the ground, Charizard landed with a powerful thud before pushing right off of the grassy field. Rocketing off of the ground, Charizard's wings began to glow white as he approached Altaria.

"Slow him down with a Dragon Pulse Altaria!" Drasna ordered as Ash could hear the excitement in her voice. It didn't matter to him however, try whatever she wanted he would just find a way around it.

"Taria!" The Dragon and Fairy-Type cried out as the large blue and purple beam was charged up. Turning her beak towards the approaching Charizard, Altaria launched the attack.

"Charizard, listen carefully! Fly to your left and then launch a Flamethrower at Altaria's beak! Once you do that, you should have a clear shot!" Ash explained to the Flame Pokémon with ease. He appeared to be doing much better than the last time he faced her.

"Rawwr!" Charizard roared in approval as he felt the warmth from his Flamethrower heating the inside of his mouth. Doing as Ash said, Charizard spun to his left and avoided the large blast while giving himself an opening. Firing off the Flamethrower, Ash and Charizard both watched as the Fire-Type attack crashed into Altaria's beak and forced her to stop her attack.

"Now's your chance!" Ash called out as Charizard soared across the sky. The Flamethrower attack gave them just the opening they needed, or so they thought.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet, Ash. You should know by now that I always have a plan," Drasna shot out, shocking both Ash and Charizard. "Now, save yourself with Protect! And then follow it up with a Sky Attack!"

Ash and Charizard were shocked. They had never thought of a Protect being used. Before either of them could try to counter, Charizard felt himself bouncing off of a large blue shield created by Altaria. Then, looking right up towards the spot he bounced from, the Flame Pokémon saw Altaria flying right at him.

"Altaria!" The Humming Pokémon cried out ferociously as she crashed hard into Charizard. The Fire and Flying-Type felt the hard hitting move at full force and was soon sent plummeting into the ground where he skidded to a stop among a pile of debris.

Ash looked on in worry. That Altaria sure was strong, plus, it was also pretty fast and Drasna was able to stay calm the entire time. It was going to take a lot of patience to make something work. Unfortunately, time wasn't on his side as he heard Drasna call for a Dragon Pulse attack.

"Charizard, you need to get up! I know you can do it!" Ash's words echoed through the stadium as Charizard grunted in pain, that last attack had really caught him off guard and left him reeling. However, he couldn't stop here, he had to win!

Looking straight forward, Charizard watched as the Dragon-Type attack raced right for him. It looked larger than the previous one he dodged, yet it didn't worry him one bit at all. Gathering up all his strength, Charizard formed the largest Flamethrower he could and fired it off right at the incoming attack. Soon, the two blasts collided as they caused an explosion to take place and give Charizard the coverage he needed to recover.

"I knew it! I knew you could keep going, Charizard," Ash called out as he could faintly make out the Flame Pokémon's image inside of the smoke. Ash was amazed by the power behind that Flamethrower, but knew now wasn't the time to wonder. He had to take advantage of this opportunity while they had it. "Quick, get in there and use a Steel Wing attack!"

"Rawwrrrr!" Charizard's distinct voice could be heard through the smoke as a light trail of white could be seen within the smoke. Yet, it was no use as Altaria was struck before she knew it. Feeling the slash from Charizard's wings, the Humming Pokémon cried out in pain as the smoke faded away to show not only Charizard having landed a hit, but that he also had her in a full nelson.

"Altaria, can you break free?" Drasna asked in a shocked tone. Yet, despite how much she tried, Altaria couldn't break free. It appeared like Charizard had gained the upper hand.

"Perfect! We'll give her a good spin and use Seismic Toss!" Ash yelled out happily as Charizard had already begun flying in a circle. By the looks of it, Altaria was already growing dizzy by the second as Charizard increased his speed. Then, stopping real fast, the Flame Pokémon gave Altaria a huge heave towards the ground.

"There it is! The finisher!" Ash called out as he watched Altaria head straight for the ground. There was no way she would get up after this!

"Protect." It had been a simple response and yet once again Ash was shocked by it. The blue shield soon enveloped Altaria as the Dragon and Fairy-Type landed harmlessly on the ground. How could he have forgotten about that move twice now? At this rate, Altaria was going to outlast them.

Looking up at Charizard, Ash watched as the Fire and Flying-Type panted in exhaustion. It was taking a lot of strength to continually dodge and fight back. And Ash's shock only grew more as he witnessed another Double Team and Sky Attack combination. As the Pallet Town native watched Charizard fly away from the incoming attacks, he had no idea how to stop them.

" _There has to be a way..."_ Ash thought to himself as Charizard was struck by the Sky Attack and slammed into the mountains nearby. Seeing this, it had given him a quick idea that would be risky but would hopefully pay off. "Quick, Charizard, get yourself free and then fly into the mountains and hide!"

"Rar?" Charizard muttered in confusion. This was definitely a new idea from Ash, yet he decided to try it out. Freeing himself from the side of the mountain, Charizard watched as a group of Altaria copies chased after him through the mountain range. No matter where he flew, the copies were right behind him.

"That's right, just follow Charizard for a little more," Ash said to himself as he watched Charizard's path. Just a little further ahead and it would be time to strike. Then, seeing Charizard reach the other side of the range, Ash knew to strike. "Quick, Air Cutter on the Mountains! Cut them all down!"

That was when Drasna realized it was all a trap. Looking at Altaria and her copies location, they were surrounded by the mountains and so a rock slide from the destroyed mountains would swallow them up. Watching as Charizard's Air Cutter slashed through the mountains with ease, Drasna knew she only had one thing left to do.

"Quick, use Protect!" She managed to order just in time as the falling debris crushed the copies. Seeing only the original Altaria left, Drasna was both relieved that she was alright but also worried that they were sitting ducks.

"It worked perfectly," Ash mentioned as he rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn't expected this idea to work out but it did and it had worked all the way to the end. "Now Charizard, Seismic Toss!"

Shooting forward, Charizard rushed at Altaria and managed to grab ahold of her once more. Flying high above the field, the two Pokémon could see the entire city from their location. Flying in a circle as fast as he could, Charizard immediately flew straight for the debris of rocks as he tossed Altaria right at them.

"Altaria!" Drasna called out as her Dragon and Fairy-Type crashed into the ground as dust was kicked up. Waiting in suspense, Drasna merely smiled as the dust settled to reveal Altaria back in her base form and defeated. "You did wonderful today, dear. I couldn't have asked for a better fight," she muttered to the defeated Pokémon before recalling it.

"Ash, you truly showed me just how strong the bonds between you and your Pokémon are. And with it, I humbly announce you as the victor today."

The words reached Ash's ears as a smile formed on his face. They did it! They defeated Drasna and were just one more Medal away from challenging Diantha! Running onto the field, Ash embraced the now exhausted Charizard with a hug as the duo celebrated together.

"We did it, Charizard! We won!" He cried out as the Flame Pokémon launched off a Flamethrower into the sky. "I couldn't have done it without you!" Ash finished as Charizard reverted back into his base form.

"He won!" Serena practically screamed from excitement as he let go of the railing. She felt the tension in her body lift away as her nerves relaxed and allowed her to breathe easily again. Serena couldn't even remember the last time something like this happened to her during one of Ash's battles, yet it happened now.

Amelia however just watched in shock. She had never expected Serena to care that much about the boy and couldn't help but feel a little guilty about how she had been acting. Yes, they were still rivals, but ever since learning more about the girl, Amelia had lightened up even if just by a tiny bit. Turning her head towards the field, she was surprised to see Serena already down there with Ash.

"Congratulations, Ash," Serena was the first to say as she ran down to the field to greet him after his victory. It had been a stressful match for Serena despite just watching and now she could finally relax. "The way you used the mountain to stop Protect was just a great idea. And of course Charizard was great as well," Serena said as the duo soon rubbed the back of their necks out of embarrassment, something that Ash thought was funny to see Charizard do.

"Well, it wasn't easy but I knew Charizard could pull it off. It was more of just getting Altaria to follow us than anything else. But once we were in position, nothing was going to stop us," Ash explained while pumping a fist into the air.

Amelia was going to say something herself, but didn't know what to say. The way she had seen Serena worry had opened her eyes to just how much the girl cared for Ash. It obviously went deeper than just a physical attraction like hers. And yet, despite how much she wanted to make Serena miserable for her amusement, there was one thing she would never do to anyone and that was break up a budding relationship. Sighing to herself, Amelia knew what she had to do tonight when it was just her and Serena.

"Ash," Drasna's voice spoke out as the elderly woman made her way over towards the winner of today's match. "I congratulate you on a match well fought. You truly bested me and proved yourself worthy of claiming the Dragon Medal," she explained while pulling a small Medal from her pocket. Looking just like the others he had, the slight difference on this was an image of a Dragon Pulse attack.

"The skills shown by your Pokémon today show that you are quickly on the path towards Diantha. Only one more of us remain, correct?"

"Yes," Ash quickly responded while nodding his head. "Only Malva remains, but that match isn't happening until after the tournament in Lumiose City."

"Speaking of which, registration opens tomorrow!" Serena suddenly remembered as she pulled out her travel guide. "And even if we leave now, we won't reach Lumiose City until the day after tomorrow. We're going to miss the tournament!"

"No you won't," Amelia replied as she appeared to be digging into her bag. It looked like she was going to be making her little announcement sooner than she planned. Finally finding what she was looking for, Amelia pulled out what looked to be a train pass. "This is a pass for the Lumiose train from here in Kiloude City. It's an express that travels back and forth between the two cities in just a few hours and so it should get you back to Lumiose City in no time."

"But, what about you Amelia?" Serena asked as the ticket was placed in her hands. "Aren't you coming along?"

"The ticket is only good for two people," she quickly lied while closing Serena's fingers around it. "Plus, I figured that practicing for the Master Class would be a better use of my time. But, I'll explain the rest later," she finished in a whisper that only Serena could hear.

Drasna just smiled at the entire situation. It was nice of the girl to give her train ticket to the others. However, she still had to hand over the Medal. "Ash, I believe this is yours," she finally said while handing the award over.

Grasping it in his own fingers, Ash couldn't help but smile. He was so close now, just one more match and he was there! "Alright, we got the Dragon Medal!" He cried out happily as he did his standard victory pose alongside Pikachu and Charizard.

"Rawwrrr!" The Fire and Flying-Type roared in agreement, accidently catching a part of Ash's hair on fire.

"Hot, hot, hot!" Ash cried out in pain as he patted the fire out. "Charizard, you need to be more careful. You could have burnt me!" Ash cried out only for Charizard to spray him with a Flamethrower.

"Never mind..." Ash muttered before falling over from the Flamethrower attack. Letting out a laugh, Ash couldn't help but do so following the victory. Plus, he was used to situations like this. However, through all the laughing and joking with the others, only one thought ran through his mind.

" _One more to go! Time to give it our all!"_

* * *

 **So, the Drasna battle ended and hopefully it lived up to expectations. Now, Charizard got to star, but don't expect him to stay around any longer. He got his moment and now it's time to go back to Oak's Lab. But, someone else will join up after the tournament. Which officially begins next chapter! Also, Amelia left, or better yet, announced that she was splitting off from the group to prepare for the Master Class. But, I think she started to see the errors of her way, or at least a little bit.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	46. Gather for the Tournament

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Ash finally defeated Drasna and after that Amelia announced she wasn't heading back to Lumiose City.**

 **Also, anyone wondering where I've been, well, last week I had come down with pneumonia and wasn't able to do anything for the entire week since it just drained me of all my energy. But, feeling better now so here's to the new chapter.**

 **Ch 46: Gather for the Tournament**

* * *

"So, you'll be leaving for Lumiose City in the morning?" Drasna asked as everyone sat down at her dining room table for dinner. Following Ash's match with her, he had expressed the need to get back to Lumiose City for the tournament that was happening tomorrow. "And you plan on competing in the tournament?"

"Yeah!" Ash stated confidently as a few pieces of food flew from his mouth. Swallowing the remaining food, Ash smiled sheepishly as he then continued his reasoning. "You see, I just know that the strongest trainers all around will be competing and what better way to train is there but to compete! I just know Pikachu and the others will do just fine!"

Drasna smiled as she wiped her face with a napkin. Something about Ash's determination was just contagious and she had felt it throughout their match earlier in the day. "Well, I'll be rooting for you all the way, dear. And I'll be keeping an eye out for news on a possible match with Diantha herself. That could turn into the match of the century with what you showed me today."

"Hehehe," Ash nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. Hearing words of encouragement like this was new, he had never been this close before and it seemed like everything was going right for him. He had defeated three Elite Four members and now had this tournament to train. "I wouldn't call it the match of the century but I'll give it my all and I know she'll do the same. It's going to be exciting if I make it there, that's for sure. But, Drasna," he began to say as a thought came into his mind. It had been bothering him during the entire battle and he just had to ask it. "How come you didn't have a referee for today's match? You're the only person I've battled who didn't use a referee."

Drasna couldn't help but laugh. She had been asked this question before, but it still was kind of funny to her. Heck, her answer could make her laugh sometimes due to its simplicity. "Well, I've never really seen the point in using a referee. You see, it's rare for me to get any challengers and I've always believed that it's kind of easy to see when a Pokémon has fainted. So, I've never asked for an official referee just because of that."

Ash couldn't help but look confused. It made sense in its own right, but it was just a strange answer to him. He had always used a referee, even in fun matches with his friends or just random trainers. It was just something he was used to having despite Drasna's thoughts on fainted Pokémon making sense. "I've never thought of it like that. How about you Pikachu?" Ash asked as he looked over towards his best friend.

"Pika. Pikachu," the Electric-Type muttered in response as he shook his head back and forth. He too was just like Ash in his thinking and had thought it was odd for no referee to be present.

"Ash," Serena joined in as she appeared to be typing in her tablet, looking up once she found whatever she was searching for. "The train for Lumiose will leave at around noon tomorrow. And at the rate it travels, we'll reach Lumiose in just under four hours. Registration closes at around five at night, so we'll have to head right over there."

"Right, though, if Amelia didn't give us this pass, we probably wouldn't have even been able to compete," Ash said as he smiled over towards the two girls. "Thanks a lot for the tickets, but are you sure that you don't want to continue on to Lumiose with us."

Amelia sat there quietly as she wiped her face clean. She had already made up her mind thanks to the trip here. If she wanted any shot at beating Serena fairly at the Master Class, she was going to have to skip this tournament. A little bit of publicity won't do her any good if she loses due to other aspects. "I've already made up my mind. And I have to get ready for the Master Class, so I'm going to use all my available time practicing and training. I have to show everyone just how good I am."

"Alright then," Ash answered in a confused way. To him, the tournament would have been a perfect chance to train as well, but that was her choice. "I think we should tell Clemont to register before us though, that way he doesn't miss out while waiting for us to show up."

"That sounds like a good idea. We'll call him tomorrow morning before leaving," Serena explained as she placed her tablet away. It was going to be great seeing Clemont and Bonnie again, plus she knew that Shauna was going to be in Lumiose City as well. "After dinner we can get ready for the trip to Lumiose City and be all set."

Ash nodded in agreement as he continued to shovel food into his mouth. Everything was going well for them and by tomorrow afternoon, the duo would be back in Lumiose City. The rest of the night went by uneventfully as the group of four talked about what could possibly be happening at the tournament and who could be competing. Finally, after a few hours, Drasna decided that it would be best for them to all get some sleep and guided them all to the guest rooms.

"Unfortunately, I only have two spare rooms," Drasna explained after she dropped Ash off at his room. Looking at the two girls apologetically, Drasna opened the door to the second room and showed them inside. "You'll have to share the room for the night, but there should be plenty of space for the two of you."

"It'll be fine," Amelia answered, shocking Serena with how she was fine with sharing a room. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do," Drasna replied as she made her way back to the door. "Have a good night, I'll see you both in the morning before you all leave." With that, the Elite Four member closed the door slowly behind her, leaving the two girls alone.

"You should probably get ready for bed," Amelia replied as she grabbed her own clothes to sleep in and appeared to head off to the bathroom that was attached to the room. Having her first chance to actually look at the area, Serena noticed that it contained a dresser, a nightstand, the bathroom attached to the room and a window to look outside. Nothing too fancy, especially for someone of Drasna' status. "You've got to be ready for your long trip back."

Serena however was suspicious of Amelia. The entire time she had been with them, the girl had done nothing but bother her. But now she was helping her? Something wasn't adding up and it bothered her. "Why are you doing this?" Serena asked, causing Amelia to stop in her tracks. Neither girl was expecting this question to be asked, but they both knew it was needed to be said.

"Doing what? I'm just getting ready for bed," Amelia answered in her usual tone of annoyance. She had to keep the charade up for as long as she could, or at least until Serena left for Lumiose City. She couldn't have her thinking she was going soft or anything. "Obviously that's what I'm doing based on how I'm heading to the bathroom to get changed."

"That's not what I mean," Serena replied as she dropped her backpack onto the ground and looked at Amelia. She could have sworn she noticed her fellow Performer flinched a little by that remark. "Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you hated me." She was right to the point with it. No need to beat around the bush right now. "What's the catch with all of this?"

"There's no catch at all. I just didn't want to head back to Lumiose City. Who needs some dumb tournament when I need to practice for the Master Class. If you want to waste time competing in something that's a waste of time, go right ahead. It'll make my job of beating you much easier," Amelia explained easily, but Serena still wasn't buying her explanation. Something seemed off, the usual hostility in her voice wasn't there. It was almost like it was all an act.

"Really?" Serena asked as she raised an eyebrow and looked at the Performer. "Because just a few days ago you were confident that you didn't need any extra training to beat me. So, I'll ask again, what's the catch with the tickets? Tell me the truth, or I'm ripping them up," Serena decided to threaten as she grabbed the tickets out of her bag. Holding them in her hand, the young Performer gripped them with both her hands and locked eyes with Amelia.

The Performer had no way out of this. Either she told the truth, or Serena would ruin her one chance at getting to Lumiose. But, it was killing Amelia on the inside. Why was she starting to care about this girl? She was supposed to despise her, not care for her as a friend. Sighing, Amelia placed her sleep clothes onto the dresser and folded her arms before turning her head away from Serena. "You were right."

"Huh?" Serena hadn't heard the other girl quite well enough due to her mumbling and wasn't sure of what was said. "Could you repeat that?"

Amelia just let out a huff as she appeared to be a little upset. It was bad enough that she was telling Serena the truth, but now she had to repeat herself. "I said you were right! All the way back in Coumarine City, you were right!" She practically yelled as Serena flinched from the sudden outburst.

"You told me that if I were unable to move on and better yourself, then how could I ever think to be on the same level as Aria. Well, I'm trying to bury the hatchet with those tickets! You're a better person than me. You're a better Performer and it just drives me crazy!" She cried out while grabbing ahold of the end of her dress and gripped it tightly. "I've been jealous of you ever since you first beat me. I thought you were doing this for fun and that you had never been through any hardships in life at all. I thought it wasn't fair that you, a rookie had beaten me a Performer from a famous family. One who had spent years practicing to become Kalos Queen! You never had the pressure of your parents weighing down on you!"

Serena was taken aback by all of this. She had no clue that Amelia had this much stress from competing and wasn't sure what to say. However, before she could even utter a sound, the girl continued on. "But that wasn't the worst part. Then, when I took your boyfriend out for dinner, he explained everything. How your mother had forced you into Rhyhorn Racing, all the practice you've put into Performing, everything! And…and it made me hate myself!" Amelia continued on as a fear tears dropped from her face. It was true, at that moment back in Snowbelle, Amelia had started to realize what she had become. Gone was the girl who had dreamed of being Kalos Queen and in her place was one who just dreamed of crushing someone else's dream. Serena had also picked up on Amelia's little 'boyfriend' wording and couldn't help but blush a little from it. "I had let my anger towards you, unwarranted anger, get the better of me and I hated myself for it. So, I decided to travel with you, see the real you and decide for myself just what kind of person you really were."

"And that was when it hit me," she stated, pausing a moment to wipe her eyes clean. "You were the same person. Kind and friendly, just overall nice and I had no reason to hate you. Your words from Coumarine rang through my head the moment you saved me from that Ursaring. You were able to forget all the things I did to you and helped me in my time of need. In that moment, I realized I had no shot against you in the Master Class, but couldn't bring myself to admit it. The final nail in the coffin for that came this afternoon during Ash's match with Drasna. The way you had cheered for him and just the intensity you had while watching showed that this wasn't just some little schoolgirl crush you had on him. And here I was playing with your feelings by trying to make you jealous. It sickened me and I realized I had already lost to you. You are the better Performer. And so, I decided to give those tickets to you to try and fix my mistakes. I planned to stay here and train in this little town, so that when the Master Class occurred, I could honestly say I could beat you without any dirty tricks."

Amelia had stopped trying to hold back the tears now. She was just letting them flow out and it felt right. She had been a horrible person, not only to Serena, but to every other Performer she had faced since losing to her rival. She hoped that even if Serena hated her, she would at least use the tickets to get back to Lumiose City. But, she wasn't expecting to hear the words that came out of Serena's mouth next.

"It's alright, I forgive you," she had responded with before embracing the crying Performer in a hug. Staring at her in confusion, Amelia wondered why Serena would be so willing to just forgive her for everything. "Like I said, you need to just move on and better yourself. If I held a grudge against you for all of this, well, then everything I said wouldn't be true. So, I forgive you for everything," she finished before pulling away from the hug.

"Y-You're too soft," Amelia choked out as she wiped away the last of the tears near her eyes. "Just forgiving everyone way too easily. But don't think I'll be going easy on you at the Master Class. I still plan on beating you and Aria and then becoming the next Kalos Queen."

"I wouldn't expect anything else," Serena responded with a smile as the two girls remained silent from that moment on. Looking at each other in what seemed to be a stare down, they had come to a mutual understanding of each other thanks to Amelia's admittance of everything. Sure, not everything was perfect, but there was still a way to work around it. And now, they could start a real rivalry. "We should get to bed though. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for all of us."

* * *

"Quick, Manectric, use Double Team and then Thunder!" Clemont yelled out as the Electric-Type flashed white before copies of himself soon formed all over the field. Manectric was then charging up electricity as the duo stared across the field and kept a close eye on their opponents.

"Good, even with Double Team up, do not take your eyes off of your opponent," Meyer commentated as he stood right next to Clembot with his arms crossed. His son may be a Gym Leader, but that didn't mean he couldn't still give him some help. "But, your Thunder attack is taking way too long to build up. You'll never land it at this rate. Watch how a real Thunder is! Clembot, you attack as well!"

"Yes, sir!" Clembot called out as he threw one of his mechanical arms forward. "Heliolisk, use Flash!"

"Now, Ampharos, use Thunder! Clemont, keep a close eye on this!" Meyer called out as a bright flash soon covered the entire field as no one but Clembot could see anything. However, Clemont could make out a single bright light that was breaking through the white light. Finally adjusted to the Flash attack, Clemont noticed that Ampharos was charging up electricity at a much faster rate than Manectric.

"B-But, how is that even possible? We started our attack much earlier?" Clemont asked as Ampharos released all the stored up electricity as it crashed into the field and wiped out all of Manectric's copies and left the real one defenseless.

"Now, Clembot! End this!" Meyer commanded, using a tone that had only appeared since he started to help Clemont train. Neither Bonnie, Clemont or Clembot had heard him talk in such a serious manner before and honestly, it kind of scared them all a little.

"R-R-Right," Clembot stuttered as he quickly regained composure. "Heliolisk, Focus Blast!"

"Helio!" The Generator Pokémon cried out happily before cupping his hands together. Soon, a large ball of energy formed within them as the Electric and Normal-Type launched it forward. With no way to dodge due to him charging up electricity, Manectric took the entire blast head on.

"Manec!" Manectric cried out defiantly as he stood even after the blast. He now looked ready to launch off the attack, but before Clemont could issue the command, Bonnie came running into the Gym.

"Clemont! Clemont! Ash and Serena are on the phone! They say they have some news for you," Bonnie answered as she was practically jumping up and down with excitement. It had been a while since she last seen her friends and was missing them quite a bit. "Hurry up, they're coming to Lumiose City once they get off the phone!"

"R-Right!" Clemont called out as he quickly recalled Manectric into his Poké Ball. "Sorry, Manectric, we'll have to finish this another time. And dad, how exactly did Ampharos build up so much electricity in a short amount of time?"

"That?" Meyer asked as he patted the Electric-Type on the head. "That's easy. You see, Ampharos focuses all of her electricity to one single spot on her body. This way, it doesn't take as much time to build up a larger charge that covers her whole body. It still packs the same punch as it normally would, but this way she's able to get it off faster."

"Wow, you'll have to teach me that later," Clemont stated as he felt Bonnie tugging on his jumpsuit. "I know, Bonnie, I'm coming!"

"Well hurry up then! You're making Ash and Serena wait too long!" Bonnie cried out angrily as she dragged her older brother out of the Gym and down the hallway to the nearest phone. Following behind them were Meyer and Clembot, the latter having a grin on his face due to the way Bonnie was acting right now.

"Those two can be a handful, Clembot. But I wouldn't trade it for anything," Meyer said happily as they followed behind them. It was nice having his two kids back around the house, but he knew once the tournament ended, they would be back out on the road journeying again.

"Whatever you say, sir," Clembot responded as he looked on in confusion due to the fighting. Rounding a corner, the group of four came across a phone and Clemont quickly transferred the waiting call to them. Within moments, Serena and Ash appeared up on the screen.

"Hey Clemont! And Bonnie! And Meyer and Clembot!" Ash called out once he saw the group before him. Jumping onto his shoulder, Pikachu quickly placed himself in front of the video phone as well.

"Pipika! Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out happily as Dedenne stuck his head out of Bonnie's bag upon hearing the Electric-Type.

"Dedenne!" He cried out in response while rubbing his cheeks. It had been a while since the two Electric-Types had seen each other.

"Hi, Bonnie, Clemont, Meyer and Clembot," Serena then said as she waved to the group who was gathered there. "Listen, Ash and I are going to be leaving soon but before we do, we have some news for you."

"News? What kind of news?" Clemont asked as he grabbed ahold of his chin. Could it have to do with the tournament or perhaps Ash's match with Drasna. "Did Ash win? Is that the big news?"

"Obviously not, Clemont," Bonnie sighed out as she eyed Serena. "If it's what I think, then Serena's really happy about it. So, did it finally happen, Serena?"

Serena knew exactly what the young girl meant and felt her face heating up from the comment. She was going to have to tell Bonnie to stop asking if she confessed to Ash yet. One of these times it was going to blow up in her face. "Real funny, Bonnie, but this has nothing to do with me."

"Yeah," Ash agreed, somewhat confused as to what Bonnie could have been hinting at. Between how Bonnie made it seem like Serena had been waiting for something good to happen and the way she reacted made Ash curious. But for now, he decided to ignore it and continue. "First, I beat Drasna thanks to Charizard and the others pulling through when I needed them to. But that isn't the big news. Listen, we're taking a train from Kiloude City all the way back to Lumiose, but we won't be back until about four in the afternoon. Registration for the tournament ends at five, so we figured it would be best if Clemont went and registered now so that he wouldn't miss out while waiting for us."

"That's a good idea, guys," Meyer answered as he stroked his beard. He hadn't even thought about making sure Clemont was signed up on time. "We'll make sure to have Clemont signed up. But you two need to make it back here! We can all catch up later when you arrive in Lumiose City."

"Right!" Ash and Serena both agreed before looking back at the two Lumiose siblings.

"I can't wait to be back in Lumiose City. It'll be great seeing you guys again!" Ash said as he gave his trademark smile. It had felt weird being away from the duo for so long and he had been looking forward to seeing them again. "Bye!"

Ending the call just like that, the group in Lumiose City were soon joined by a blank screen as they all tried to comprehend what had just happened. "So, the two of them are going to meet up with us later tonight. Well, no point in waiting around here! Off to the registration area!" Meyer suddenly cried out as he shocked Clemont. "We need to make sure you're all set for this tournament!"

"B-But, we have plenty of time!" Clemont tried to argue as his father began to push him down the hall. Finally relenting to his dad's wishes, Clemont gave in and began walking on his own down the hall until the group of four were outside of Prism Tower.

"So, Clembot," Clemont began as he shielded his eyes from the bright sun. "Are you going to compete as well? There's nothing in the rules that would keep you from competing. Plus, all Gyms are going to be closed until after the tournament so you don't have to worry about any challengers."

"I will have to decline," Clembot responded as his facial expression remained neutral. He honestly had no intention of competing at this tournament even if he hadn't been allowed. It just wasn't his thing. "But, I will be there cheering for you, sir."

"Alright then," Clemont responded in a somewhat disappointed tone. He had been hoping that Clembot would have entered as well since his creation was a pretty good battler. "Well, how about you da-" he had begun to say, only to stop when he couldn't see his father anywhere. "Bonnie, did you see where dad ran off to?"

"Huh?" Bonnie replied as she looked around. She had been looking straight ahead the entire time while they made their way through the city. She hadn't even noticed if their father was right behind them since she was too distracted about the tournament. "I thought he was right behind you!"

"He was!" Clemont replied as they began looking all through the area. Despite it being empty, there was no sight at all of Meyer and it confused to the two siblings as to where their dad could have run off to. "Perhaps he returned to store. It could be a pretty busy time with all the people in Lumiose City for the tournament."

Little did they know that Meyer had been nearby, watching them from an alleyway dressed in his Blaziken Mask outfit. "There's a reason I vanished Clemont. And it'll be a surprise for you and your sister," he muttered before vanishing from sight, leaving the Lumiose siblings and Clembot alone in their current section of the city.

"Clemont, what's wrong?" Bonnie asked as she noticed her brother's face change to an expression of confusion. "Did you see something?"

Noticing his sister's concern, Clemont quickly changed his expression to one of embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck. "No, no, nothing's wrong. It's just, I thought I heard someone talking. But, we're the only ones here."

"Perhaps it was your father walking by," Clembot offered as an explanation. But Clemont knew it wasn't him, the voice sounded closer to the likes of Blaziken Mask and Clemont was now hoping that the vigilante was competing as well.

"Yeah, perhaps it was just dad," he said, deciding to agree with Clembot as to have the subject dropped. Shrugging his shoulders, Clemont quickly readjusted his backpack before the group of now three continued on towards the site of the new Kalos League grounds to register.

Making their way through the city, Clemont noticed that the amount of people appeared to increase the closer they got to the stadium and wondered just how many people planned on entering. If every trainer he saw or heard talking about the tournament was actually competing, this was going to take weeks to get through. Sighing at the thoughts of him actually doing well having left him, Clemont soon found himself at the new stadium for the Kalos League.

"Wow, look at how big it is, Clemont!" Bonnie cried out as they all stared at the complex. It definitely was large, as Clemont took one look at it and gulped in amazement. It made the stadium in Vanquier Town look small, and that one was rather large itself. However, the design caught his attention since the stadium was more of a hexagon shape than anything else, and wondered how it would play into the battles if at all.

"Yes, Bonnie, it is rather large. Perhaps the battles will also be of a larger scale as well," he replied before thinking of the clash between Ash and Alain at the previous League Conference. If those two were able to destroy an entire field just imagine what would happen if Ash competed against someone like Alain here. "Let's just hope Ash doesn't destroy any fields at this tournament. The League won't be able to keep up in its manufacturing of them if Ash breaks them all."

"Sir, it appears the registration table is over there," Clembot interrupted as he pointed off into the direction of where a line appeared to be forming. In front of the line were three large tables, most likely where you registered. "I'll go and take Bonnie to some of the booths so that she doesn't get bored while you register."

"Thank you, Clembot. That's an excellent idea," Clemont said, praising his greatest creation and his friend. "Bonnie, why don't you go have fun at the different booths. It'll be a lot more fun than waiting in line with me."

"Sure! Dedenne and I can also find a keeper for you while we're over there," Bonnie quickly teased as she noticed Clemont's annoyance. Grabbing Clembot's mechanical hand, the duo ran off into the crowd before Clemont could tell her not to look for anyone. She may not have been able to find someone yet, but one of these days she would find a keeper.

Sighing at the sight, Clemont decided it was best to not let that get to him. Instead, he quickly made his way over to the line and waited patiently for his turn. Time appeared to be moving by rather slowly as Clemont watched the line slowly shrink as he moved closer and closer. How he wished he could just pull out one of his inventions and just work on it, but by the time he had all his supplies and began to work he would have to pick it all up and move forward.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Clemont found himself face to face with the registration table. Looking at the large clock nearby, Clemont noticed that it was already two in the afternoon. He had been waiting in line for almost two hours and hadn't even realized it. He could have used this time to train or even build his next great invention. The blond inventor was soon shaken from his thoughts however by the voice of the registration lady.

"Hello," she stated, greeting Clemont with a smile. Responding back nicely, Clemont then waited for whatever needed to be done. "To begin registration, I'm going to need your name and region you've come from. Also, any interesting tidbits about yourself are also appreciated."

"Uh, sure," Clemont responded as he rubbed the back of his neck. He would have at least hoped that the registration lady would have recognized him as the Gym Leader of Lumiose City, especially after what happened with Team Flare, but he decided to just answer the questions. "My name is Clemont, the Gym Leader of Lumiose City and I reside from right here in Kalos. For tidbits, well, let's see...how about this. I dream to help build inventions that help both people and Pokémon so that we all can live a much better life. And along the way, I plan to become one of the greatest Electric-Type trainers around. I want to learn about everything there is about Electric-Types."

"Alright, so I have you registered as Clemont from Lumiose City who also is the Gym Leader of this city and is an inventor," the lady responded as she showed Clemont the computer screen. The inventor could only sigh, almost everything he had just said was ignored. "Now, if you could please sign the release waivers so that if anything happens to you here, the League is not responsible."

"Um, what does that mean?" Clemont asked nervously. He had never heard of release waivers at any of the Pokémon Leagues and wondered why they would have them for a tournament.

"Nothing much, just that do to the skill level of trainers expected to compete, we were asked to have all participants sign this waiver. It's believed to be on par with that of the final battle of the previous Kalos League and that match was crazy. So, it's nothing more than a safety reason," she explained, helping to ease Clemont's nerves just a bit. Though, if all trainers are going to be on Ash and Alain's level, then what chance could Clemont have in winning.

Shrugging his shoulders to his own question, he quickly signed the waiver before being handed a stack of papers and a green colored card. "Now, those papers are the rules of the tournament and the green card you were handed is for the tournament. It'll be used to place you into your preliminary pool. Tomorrow at the tournament's opening ceremony, a special UAV light will be shined down so that you'll be able to see a hidden number on it. Now, if you head to the table to my right, you'll receive your room arrangements have already been made. And finally, good luck tomorrow!"

"Thank you," Clemont responded as he did a little bow out of respect before heading to the next table. Showing the lady his registration information, he was quickly handed a key and directed to a large building that looked like a hotel. That had to be the trainer's village for the League and that was the most likely spot to house everyone competing for the tournament. Thanking the second attendant, Clemont looked at the key and decided it was best to go and find Bonnie.

Making his way through the crowd, Clemont soon found himself lost as he tried to find any traces of Bonnie or Clembot. "How hard could it be to find them? One of them is a metallic robot. He should stick out easily," Clemont muttered as he continued to search through the crowd. Finally, he managed to notice the tip of Clembot's head over near a booth where it appeared a man was selling Magikarp to visitors.

"There they are!" Clemont cried out happily as he began to make his way over towards the duo. However, amidst the confusion caused by the moving crowd, Clemont accidently ran into someone, knocking them down onto the ground. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you at all in the crowd," he quickly apologized as he looked down towards the ground to see a girl with blue hair and a Piplup sitting on her behind from the fall.

"No need to worry, it was an accident," the girl replied as Clemont offered her a hand back onto her feet. Her Piplup however seemed to be more upset than she was, waving his arms around and pointing them at Clemont angrily. "Piplup, you knock that off right now. He said it was just an accident."

"Pip, Piplup!" The Water-Type cried out childishly as he crossed his fins across his chest. Clemont could only watch on in confusion as he saw the two interacting.

"Sorry about Piplup, he can get upset pretty easily sometimes," the girl explained while laughing nervously about the situation. "Oh, sorry, I never introduced myself. My name's Dawn and I actually am from Sinnoh. You see, I actually came out here with a friend of mine, but we got separated amidst the crowd. I was actually looking for them when we bumped into each other."

"It's alright, my Chespin can be a handful at times so I know how it feels," Clemont joked as the duo laughed about their Pokémon and their attitudes. "Well, Dawn, I've never met anyone from Sinnoh so it's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Clemont and I actually live here in Lumiose City. Funnily enough, I too was looking for my sister when I bumped into you."

"Clemont!" Bonnie's voice could be heard as Clemont saw a blur running through the crowd as he could make out Clembot following behind her. "Clemont, did you finally register? Can we go do something now?" She asked before noticing Dawn right next to her older brother. "Oh, you're a keeper!" She cried out before getting onto one knee and grabbing ahold of Dawn's hand. "Please, miss, would you look after my brother!"

"B-B-Bonnie!" Clemont shouted as his voice jumped a tone while his face was bright red. Moving quickly, the blond inventor released his Aipom Arm and grabbed a hold of his sister. "I've told you before to knock this off!" Turning towards Dawn, Clemont quickly apologized for his sister's actions.

Dawn just continued to watch in confusion as she felt a few drops of sweat forming on her forehead. It reminded her a lot about one of her friends. "It's alright. It actually reminded me of a friend of mine. He's always flirting with any girl he sees. But, I think it's cute that your sister wants to find a nice person to take care of you. So, what made you want to compete?"

Seeing that she was alright with what Bonnie had just done, Clemont let out a sigh before releasing his sister. "Well, my friends and I decided to enter. I want to use this as a chance to see how far I've grown as a trainer. What about yourself?"

"Well, I'm actually a Coordinator so I was over in Kanto competing in their Contests when I was invited by my friend to come along to compete. I know another friend of mine is in Kalos right now and I was hoping to see him again. I figured coming to the tournament would give me a chance to meet up with him again."

"Well, maybe we could help you find them," Bonnie offered as she popped in between Clemont and Dawn. Clemont could only sigh at his sister's energy despite how crowded the area was. "We're waiting for our friends too. So while we wait, we can help you find your friend."

"Well, the truth is, I kind of want it to be a surprise," Dawn admitted as she rubbed the back of her head with one hand while holding Piplup with the other. "I haven't seen him in a while and I thought it would be a fun surprise."

"Sure, we understand," Clemont responded while fixing his glasses. "But, we have to get going then Dawn, hopefully you find your friend and surprise him."

"Thanks, and good luck to you in the tournament!" Dawn cried out as the two Lumiose siblings walked away with Clembot behind them. She had to admit, they were rather interesting people, hopefully she would run into them and their friends again.

"You know, Clemont, she's pretty nice," Bonnie said before smirking at her older brother. Nudging his side a little, Bonnie couldn't contain her excitement. "She's the perfect keeper for you. She's nice, cute and smart. Plus, she's a Coordinator from Sinnoh. Hopefully we run into her again and then I can ask her again. How about it, Clemont?"

"Bonnie! Please, knock this off!" Was all Clemont could cry out as they wandered into the crowd of people before making their way back to Prism Tower to prepare for the tournament before moving into the Trainer's Village later tonight.

* * *

"Attention, our final stop is approaching soon. Our final destination will be the site of the new Kalos League stadium. For all those hopeful to compete in the upcoming tournament, this is your stop," the train's attendant stated over the speaker system. Jolting out of his sleep, Ash soon found to his surprise that they were already back in Lumiose City. Both himself and Serena had fallen asleep on the ride and the time had passed by quickly.

"Serena," Ash said as he turned to look at his friend. However, once he noticed her still sleeping he couldn't bring himself to wake her. Something about how she was sleeping so peacefully made it hard for him to wake her. Knowing that he would have to though, he gently nudged her shoulder. "Serena, we're almost there."

"Huh..." Serena muttered before letting out a soft yawn and rubbing her eyes. Looking out the window, she managed to watch as the train was now entering into the station before coming to a stop. "We're already here?"

"Yeah, I was just as surprised as you were," Ash responded as they both stood up and grabbed their backpacks from the storage compartment. "We really need to head over to the registration station. Luckily, it's only a few minutes from here."

"That's good, we'll head right over to it and then go meet up with Clemont and Bonnie over at the Trainer's Village," Serena responded as they got off of the train. Making their way out of the station, the two trainers soon found themselves caught in a large crowd of people who were all here for the tournament. To their surprise, it appeared that the streets were overflowing with trainers as they struggled to make it over to the stadium.

"Ash, I can see the registration table from here! We just need to make it through this crowd," Serena explained as she pointed over towards a table where a short line had formed. It appeared as though most people here had already signed up and were now just hanging around the area while waiting for tomorrow.

"Right," Ash responded as he looked around the area in hopes of seeing any opening. Noticing a small section where no one was standing, Ash knew they had to act fast. "Quick, over this way!" He yelled out before grabbing Serena by the hand and leading her through the crowd. Serena lightly blushed from the sudden action but immediately followed behind Ash as he led her to the registration table. By the time they reached it, the line had disappeared and the duo were the only ones left waiting.

"W-We...we would like to register for the tournament," Ash huffed out as he caught his breath. It had been a harder time getting over to the table than he had expected.

"Sure, we just need your name, home region and any interesting tidbit about yourself," the lady replied as she began to type into her computer.

"Alright, my name is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town in the Kanto region and I dream about becoming a Pokémon Master. I've traveled through so many places on my journey and recently won the Kalos League."

"Alright, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town," she replied while typing it into the machine. She then paused for a moment as she realized who was actually before her. "Wait, you're the Ash Ketchum. The one who had one of the best battles in the Kalos League against your opponent A?"

"Yeah, that's me. Though, both Alain and myself just gave it our all," Ash replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Well then, you're all registered for the tournament Mr. Ketchum," the attendant explained while handing over a few papers, a red card and a key. It appeared that there had been a few other workers but by now she was the only one left. "Those papers are the rules for the tournament and the key is to your room over in the Trainer's Village. That red card however, that decides what pool you'll be placed into tomorrow during the opening ceremonies so don't lose it."

"And now I'll register you," the attendant spoke as she faced Serena. The Performer then stepped forward towards the table.

"Hi, I'm Serena of Vaniville Town from here in Kalos. And I'm an aspiring Performer who wishes to become Kalos Queen," Serena explained as the lady typed away as she then handed Serena the same papers and a room key as well. However, the card Serena had been handed was colored blue instead of Ash's red.

"And you're officially registered Serena of Vaniville Town. We wish you the best of luck. And that goes to you too Ash," the attendant stated as she smiled at the both of them. "Now remember, the opening ceremonies begins at noon tomorrow. Please be at the stadium at least thirty minutes early."

"Right," Ash replied as Serena quickly thanked the attendant before they decided to make their way over to the Trainer's Village "Now, we just need to find Clemont and Bonnie. I wonder if they're here or if they're out looking at the different booths."

"Knowing Bonnie, she's probably dragging Clemont around to look at all the booths," Serena decided upon as they were now in front of the large hotel. The building was rather large, though Serena had to admit, she enjoyed the smaller house like setting from the Vanquier Conference. However, what was on her mind the most was the blue card in her hand. All she cared about was not being put into the same pool as Ash, because otherwise she was going to struggle in the tournament.

"I think it might be best just wait for them at the hotel then," Ash decided upon as they walked into the large building. The inside was done up nicely with furniture filling the entrance lounge as the white walls glistened with light from the large chandelier that hung in the center. Pictures of famous trainers covered parts of the wall, but what really caught Ash's attention were the amount of trainers that filled the entrance.

"There's so many," Serena spoke up, having been thinking the same as Ash had been. The place was just as crowded as the streets had been and both trainers wondered just how this tournament was going to finish up in one week if there were so many trainers already here.

"It just means there's that many more we'll have to beat!" Ash cried out triumphantly as Pikachu nodded in agreement. This was going to be a great time and Ash just knew it. "I wonder who might have signed up though?"

"Well, I know Shauna mentioned that Tierno, Trevor and herself were going to compete and I would assume Alain would come here as well. But, I don't know who else would be here," Serena answered as she put her hands behind her back and looked around. There really were a lot of trainers, some who looked familiar from just passing through a random town and others Serena recognized from the Kalos League. "But, whoever is here must be pretty excited. Just listen to them all talk."

"Yeah! We can barely wait for tomorrow. Right, Pikachu?" Ash asked as the Electric-Type perked his ears up and shot up. "Huh? What's the matter, Pikachu?" Ash asked as Pikachu jumped from his shoulder and began to point in a certain direction.

"Pi! Pikapi! Pi!" Pikachu cried out before electricity flew from his cheeks and then sniffed the air before following whatever it was.

"I wonder what Pikachu is looking for," Serena wondered aloud as the duo followed him through the crowd. Trying to be as courteous as they could, Ash and Serena maneuvered through the clustered entrance until they were in an open hallway. "It must be important; Pikachu is moving pretty fast."

"I think I know what it is," Ash replied as they turned into the room Pikachu had just entered. And just as he had thought to himself, Clemont and Bonnie were sitting in a dining room with their Pokémon while enjoying a meal.

"Ash! Serena!" The two siblings cried out as they stood up and walked over to the duo. They could barely contain their excitement at seeing their two friends again after so long.

"Bonnie! Clemont!" Ash cried back as they moved closer. Looking around, Ash noticed that other trainers were also in the dining hall eating, but he didn't care. "We finally made it here."

"And just in time too. It seemed like we might have been the last two to register," Serena explained as the group all sat down at Clemont and Bonnie's table as Pikachu ran off to interact with Bunnelby and the other Pokémon.

"You should see all the people out there. It's packed," Ash explained as he thought back to the streets and the entrance for the hotel. To think all those people showed up. Looking around, Ash then noticed that Luxray was with Clemont's Pokémon and smiled. "You decided to bring Luxray."

"Yeah, I figured it would be good for him to battle here. And, if I plan on winning, I'm going to need everyone to give it their all." Clemont then looked down at his group of four Pokémon who cried out in agreement. Though he questioned how far he was actually going to make it, Clemont knew they were all going to work hard for this. "So, Ash, have you decided on what Pokémon you'll be using?"

"Yep," he responded as he reached for one of the plates that filled the table. "I'm using my Kalos Pokémon to give them a chance to battle. I think it would be a good chance to get some extra training in. But before we continue any talks about battling, let's eat!" He cried out before piling food into his face.

"Even after everything you've been through, I see you're still the same Ash I traveled with," a familiar voice spoke out as Ash dropped his plate as he appeared shocked by the voice. Turning around, Ash's suspicions were confirmed when he saw who the voice belonged to.

* * *

 **Well, people are gathering already and who was the mystery person at the end? You'll just have to find out in the next chapter. Anyways, yes, Dawn is competing here and so are some other older characters but I won't say who. They'll be shown later on and some will appear next chapter.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	47. Race through the Streets

**Welcome back everyone, last time we left off, Ash and Serena finally reached Lumiose City and registered for the tournament. While that happened, Clemont had ran into Dawn, unaware that they both knew Ash, while registering himself. And, while finally reunited with the Lumiose siblings, someone from Ash's past showed up.**

 **Ch 47: Race through the Streets**

* * *

"Even after everything you've been through, I see you're still the same Ash I traveled with," a familiar voice spoke out as Ash dropped his plate as he appeared shocked by the voice. Turning around, Ash's suspicions were confirmed when he saw who the voice belonged to.

"Brock!?" Ash cried out in shock as he nearly fell out of his seat. Out of everyone in the entire world, Brock was not someone he was expecting to see at the tournament at all. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't travel due to your studies."

Letting out a nervous laugh, Brock pulled a chair up next to the group's table and sat down next to his longtime friend. "Well you see, I recently finished my studies. Or, at least to the point of studying on my own. I've enrolled for a yearlong internship with the Pokémon Center in Lumiose City to gain more knowledge on Pokémon native to only Kalos while also picking up on many of the tips and tricks known by the many Nurse Joy of Lumiose City," he explained while leaning back a little. "Did any of you know that Lumiose has the most Pokémon Centers in any one town? It's going to be crazy traveling between all of them. But the experience will be worth it."

"But, that doesn't explain why you're here at the tournament," Ash continued, obviously confused. Even if he had an internship, why would he be here at the tournament of all places? Wouldn't he be at a Center?

"Right, I'll explain," Brock apologized before pulling out a green colored card. Clemont noted that it was very similar to his own green card and wondered if it meant what he thought it meant. "You see, the internship doesn't start for another month, but once it does, I will have next to no free time at all. I wondered what I could do now before my life got too busy to do anything else and then I heard about the tournament. I figured not only would it be fun to battle one last time, but that I might have a chance to see you and have a battle against you."

"That's great! We haven't had a real battle in a long time," Ash replied happily as the others just watched on. Having Brock competing, a former Gym Leader who helped teach Ash quite a bit of what he knows now, was only going to make it harder for the others. "But, I'm going to win for sure!"

"He, we'll see about that," Brock joked as the duo clasped hands before Ash went back to eating. "So, I see your stomach hasn't changed at all," Brock joked as Ash continued to eat away. Looking at the others, Brock decided to strike up a conversation with them. "You guys are feeding him right? Ash usually has a large appetite, but even this is something else."

"You'd be amazed at how much he actually eats," Clemont replied before fixing his glasses a bit. "But, we're still wondering where he puts it all. It seems like no matter how much he eats, it just vanishes. It's as if his stomach is a black hole."

"Hey," Ash said as he placed his plate down for a second. "My training regimen requires a lot of energy and so I eat a lot."

"That's understating it," Bonnie joked as everyone gathered at the table began to laugh at the girl's remark. "If we don't stop you, you'd eat everything. I don't know who's worse at times, you or Chespin."

"So, Brock, what Pokémon did you bring for the tournament?" Serena asked with curiosity. The only one she knew that belonged to him was his Croagunk. Otherwise, the rest were a complete mystery.

"It's a surprise," Brock responded as he smirked at the young Performer. "You'll just have to wait until the tournament begins."

"So, Brock, if you're here, does that mean anyone else came as well," Ash asked as the thought had just come to him. If Brock had come, then perhaps some of his other past traveling friends decided to show up. He already knew Cilan wasn't competing but he hadn't been in contact with anyone else since the end of the Kalos League and was curious.

Grabbing his chin, Brock wondered if he should reveal the news just yet. Deciding against he instead just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. Misty was supposed to come with me, but a prior commitment kept her from leaving Kanto. She was disappointed too since she wanted to beat you. Misty had already ordered a plane ticket and everything."

"That's too bad," Serena joined in as she thought about the Cerulean City Gym Leader. Despite only knowing her for a little bit, Misty seemed like an interesting person and it would have been fun to see her battling here. "What did she do about the plane ticket?"

"Oh, she found someone who was able to go and gave it to them," Brock answered with a smirk. He didn't want to ruin any surprises for later on, especially since he knew they would probably yell at him for spoiling it. "All I know is that Misty told me they're very good."

"Hmm, I wonder who it could be. A strong trainer that knows Misty could be anyone. Especially since she encounters so many challengers as a Gym Leader," Clemont mused as he placed his hand underneath his chin.

"Well, no use in talking about something we have no clue about," Brock chimed in, deciding to change the subject. "So, Ash, how has your Elite Four challenge been going? I haven't heard from you since you left Kanto to come and challenge them."

"Take a look for yourself," Ash replied as he pulled out the small case that held his Medals. Opening it up, Ash's three Medals shined in the light as he showed them to Brock. "I've managed to beat three of them already!"

"Wow, quite the accomplishment there, Ash," Brock replied as Ash placed the case back away and then went back to his food. "Hey, I need to go get unpacked. I'll meet up with you all tomorrow at the tournament."

"See you then, Brock," Ash replied as the Pokémon Doctor stood up and pushed his chair back in place. Giving a quick wave, Brock excused himself before leaving the room. Looking over at his other friends, Ash knew this entire tournament was going to be special now. "I think I'm going to head up to my room as well. I need to think about who I'm going to use in the first rounds tomorrow."

"Alright, we'll see you in the morning then, Ash," Clemont responded as he recalled all of his Pokémon into their Poké Balls. "We'll meet up down here for breakfast and then head off to the opening ceremonies."

"Sounds like a plan," Serena agreed as she too got up. Despite it still being early in the evening, all the rushing around today had left her exhausted. She figured that resting up right now would be best if she wanted any chance of winning her first match.

"Ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked as his best friend quickly leapt onto his shoulder as they made their way out of the dining hall. Despite his calm expression on the outside, Ash was actually rather anxious on the inside. He couldn't wait to get this started. As they walked through the hall towards the elevator, Ash turned to Pikachu and spoke. "We've come so far haven't we?"

"Pi?" Pikachu replied, tilting his head in confusion. Just what was Ash implying right now?

"You know, since we first left Pallet Town on our journey. We've grown so much from that first day. And now, we're so close to taking the next step towards our dream. Everyone has given it their all so far and even with a few mistakes along the way we've overcome anything. And now, it's time to show the entire world just how much we've grown," Ash explained as Pikachu still looked on confused. He knew they really came far, but Ash really hadn't been someone looking to show just how good he was for a while. The thought was rather odd for Pikachu.

"We're going to win this tournament easily and then move on and finish our Elite Four challenge!"

"Pikapi..." Pikachu muttered as he stared up at Ash. He didn't like the way Ash had already talked about winning. It was one thing being confident and saying he planned on winning, but to declare he was already winning this tournament was something else. Before Pikachu could continue his thoughts, a new voice interrupted their conversation as they reached the elevators.

"So you're Ash Ketchum," the voice asked before a boy about Ash's height walked out from the shadows. He was dressed in a black fleece jacket that also had red lining right down the center where the zipper was and red lining around the wrists of the jacket. He had on light blue jeans and a pair of sneakers that were red and black. What stood out to Ash however was the boy's red hair which was shoulder length and had a point sticking up near the front. "I've heard quite a lot about you. For someone so young, you've acquired quite the reputation and I am impressed. Saving the entire region of Kalos from Team Flare is no small feat."

"Eh, thanks...I think," Ash replied as he stared on in confusion. Who exactly was this guy and why did it seem like he was so interested in him? "Are you planning on entering the tournament tomorrow? I've heard there are going to be some strong trainers entering. I'm going to show everyone just how good my team is and we're winning the whole thing."

"Yeah, I'm entering," the boy responded swiftly. He wasn't interested in any sort of small talk, he just wanted to see this Ash and get out of there. "Though, I'm looking forward to facing someone of your capabilities. It isn't every day you get to face off against someone of your caliber. But, I have to warn you, I'm no push over."

"We're pretty tough as well. Pikachu here has been through quite a bit during our travels," Ash responded as he looked at the Electric-Type on his shoulder. "I'm sure that Pikachu can handle anything thrown at us tomorrow."

"Confident, that's good. But sometimes being overconfident can be a downfall for many," the boy replied as he waved his hand in front of his body. "As much as I've enjoyed our little chat, I have to be going. I have a reservation for tonight and I can't be late," he said before beginning to walk past Ash. The boy shoved his hands into his jacket's pockets and seemed to pick up the pace.

"Hey! Wait! I didn't get your name!" Ash called out as he waved towards the retreating boy. For someone who seemed so mysterious, Ash seemed interested in him. Anyone who knew quite a bit about Ash was interesting since despite everything he had been through, not many people seemed to recognize him from what he had done. Not that it was a bad thing to go unnoticed, just odd that this boy knew.

"My name? You can call me Silver," he said while shrugging his shoulders. Walking out of view, Silver appeared to have a smirk on his face as he disappeared from view. "So, Lance was right about him showing up. Hopefully everything else goes smoothly. Especially when everything goes crazy."

"That was odd, wasn't it, Pikachu?" Ash asked with a confused expression on his face. He didn't know what to make of the entire situation. But, there was one thought on his mind though. "But, I think we should get going. We're going to need our rest for tomorrow.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome all of you to the second ever Pokémon World Tournament! The opening ceremonies will begin in just under twenty minutes. All competitors running late, please get here as soon as possible," A voice screamed out over the loud speakers as Ash and the others walked through the crowd. The streets appeared to have calmed down a bit now that most people were in the stadium waiting for the opening ceremonies.

"Hmm, I still haven't seen Shauna at all since we got here. I hope she made it on time," Serena muttered as they were soon able to see the stadium. "I would have thought she might have come looking for us with Tierno and Trevor."

"Perhaps they're already inside the stadium. They might have thought it would be much easier to find us there instead of searching through all of the crowds," Clemont reasoned as a few other competitors passed by them.

"Well, we're bound to see quite a few people from the Kalos League," Bonnie replied as she pointed out one of the trainers Ash had beaten during the preliminary rounds. "And there's the other semi-finalist. The one who only managed to beat one of Alain's Pokémon."

"Remo was his name I believe," Clemont said as they watched the burly man walk by on the streets as he yelled something about winning the entire tournament. "I see he's still just as boastful and confident as he was at the Kalos League."

"It seems as though the competition is going to be strong for this tournament," Brock assumed as he watched a few more trainers walk by. There really was a wide array of people entering. "But, it won't matter if we miss out on the opening ceremonies."

"Next time we shouldn't rely on Clemont for waking us all up. His alarm clock broke during the night," Bonnie explained as everyone began to ran towards the stadium with Ash in the lead and Clemont trailing behind everyone. Rushing, the group made it to the entrance in no time at all before knowing they had to split up.

"Now, Bonnie, I want you to behave yourself while sitting up in the stands," Clemont began to tell her as he waved a finger in front of his face. "I expect you to follow any rules set by the staff and to not annoy the other spectators."

"You shouldn't worry so much, Clemont. She can sit with myself and Mairin," a familiar voice said as the gang turned around to see none other than Professor Sycamore standing at the entrance with Mairin. "You see, we decided to come here and watch all of the marvelous battles that'll happen."

"Are you sure, Professor?" Clemont asked hesitantly. He knew just how much of a hassle Bonnie could be and he didn't want to just throw her onto him.

"Of course. Bonnie will be just fine with me. Besides, I think she would have a lot more fun with Mairin and myself than by herself."

"Professor Sycamore," Ash said as the man's attention turned to him. "If you and Mairin are here watching, does that mean Alain is competing as well?" It was more of a question, but due to Ash's excitement, someone passing by wouldn't have been able to guess it. Ash had been hoping for another battle with Alain ever since the end of the Kalos League and was hoping the man would be competing.

"Well, I don't think that'll it'll matter if I tell," Sycamore began to say as a smile formed on both his and Mairin's face. Alain had received an invitation from Diantha to come and compete and had decided to, knowing that Ash would be entering as well. "Yes, Alain entered the tournament in hopes of having a rematch with you and Greninja. I just know that the two of you will deliver a breathtaking match for all of us."

"All competitors that haven't arrived yet, please head to the stadium floor immediately as to not miss the opening ceremonies. This is your final warning," the attendant spoke over the loudspeaker once more. Knowing that the group had to get going, Sycamore merely smiled at them as Bonnie soon joined Mairin by his side.

"I'll be rooting for all of you. Good luck everyone," the Professor stated as they left Ash and the others. Once out of view, Brock turned to Ash.

"So that was _the_ Professor Sycamore?" He asked as Ash nodded in agreement. "I've read a few of his books and his research on Mega Evolution has opened so many new possibilities on how the energy released from it could be used to help cure sick Pokémon. I'll have to talk to him at some point and see if he could give me a few lessons personally."

"I don't know how much research he has with him but he might have quite a bit at his lab. Though, Alain might not let anyone use the information," Ash explained as they made their way out onto the stadium floor. It was just as crowded as the streets had been the other night.

"Huh, did something happen that would make him hesitant to give it out?" Brock asked, unaware of the attack caused by Team Flare just prior to the Kalos League.

"Well, you could say someone had misused the energy to try and attack Kalos," Clemont explained as a drop of sweat formed on his forehead. The whole fiasco with Team Flare had been crazy and no one wanted to see something like that happen again. "I don't think Alain would decline you from learning about it, but he may seem skeptical at first."

"I see," Brock replied as he nodded his head. Perhaps he wouldn't mention it to the Professor until after the tournament then.

"I wonder how many people registered," Serena stated out loud as she looked through the crowd, trying to recognize anyone. Though it was hard to see past the people in front of her, she did notice someone who looked familiar. There was that blonde trainer with the Mega Absol not too far up ahead and a few people to her left was that Nate guy they had met prior to leaving for Snowbelle. "I think a see Shauna and the others!" She finally pointed out as she could make out the top of Tierno's head. And where the dancer was, there was a high possibility that his friends were there as well. However, it was too crowded to try and get over to them and the group decided to just stay where they were.

"Now, if you could all turn your attention towards the main stage, the Champion of Kalos herself, Diantha, shall kick off the opening ceremonies!" The attendant cried out once again as everyone in the stadium looked up towards what looked like a balcony. In it were five seats, each holding one of the five champions. Taking the cue, Diantha rose from her seat and made her way to the edge of the balcony where a microphone was placed.

"Hello and welcome to everyone in attendance and those watching from the confines of their homes. It is with my great pleasure to have Kalos be hosting such a prestigious and honorable event. The Pokémon World Tournament has only occurred once before as all of you are well aware. And because of this, I just know that all of you excellent trainers will be giving it your all for this special event," she began with as the crowd erupted into an applause. Waiting for the crowd to calm down, Diantha remained silent until it was quiet enough to speak again.

"I know not all of you dream to be a Champion of a region. But, whether you're a Trainer, Coordinator, Performer, or just any other dream, always shoot for the top. Because if you never try then you'll never know what could have been. Over this next week, I expect a grand surprise of battles out of those who advance onto the next round." Pausing once more, Diantha waited for what appeared to be a large screen above the balcony to turn on. At the same moment as the screen turning on, it appeared as though the lights dimmed as everyone noticed the effects happening.

"Now with the screen turned on and our UV rays also being broadcast, I would like all of you to pull out the cards handed to you at the registration table," Diantha explained as participants all pulled out their red, blue or green colored cards. "As you've all noticed, there are three separate cards. The reason behind this is to allow the machine to build teams accordingly."

That had caught a lot of people by surprise. They had not been expecting to hear about teams at all. Knowing that there may have been some discontent on this issue, the League had already come up with an answer and their reasoning was good. "Now, you all must be caught off-guard by this revelation but we have a good reason for this change. The number of participants exceeded anything we had accounted for and due to that, it would be impossible to finish the tournament in a timely manner."

"And so, the League decided to try something different. Every registered individual will be placed onto a team with two other trainers. One with a red card, another with a blue card and the last with a green card. Every card has a hidden number on it and the computer will soon randomize them all and place them accordingly. Once the teams have been decided, we'll be able to announce what we have planned for the screening round to see who advances on. Now please, raise your cards to the light so that as the machine creates the teams, you'll find your fellow teammates."

"This is a different way to start a tournament," Brock stated as he raised his card up to the light first. Just as Diantha had explained, his card soon gave sight to a hidden number. "I'm number 237."

"Look, Pikachu, we're number 97," Ash stated while looking up at his number. "I wonder who we'll be partnered up with. I hope it's someone we know."

"Ash, the odds of being partnered with someone you know with the amount of participants is highly unlikely. It's most likely a test to see who can work together with people they don't know." Clemont then raised his card up towards the light as he waited for his number to reveal itself. "Hmm, looks like I'm number 314."

"That just leaves me," Serena said while smiling. On the inside however, she was nervous beyond her imagination. She wanted to be on Ash's team, but in the case she wasn't, she didn't want to hold back anyone else. Raising her card towards the light, Serena's number was soon visible. "Number 6. Odd, such a low number."

"Well, the numbers are randomized. It isn't like the number you receive is determined by when you sign up," Clemont explained as Diantha appeared to begin speaking again.

"Now that your numbers are now revealed, please turn your attention towards the screen which has everyone paired up into teams of three," she explained as every set of eyes turned to the screen. "Once you find your teammates, please give us your full attention." Having finished with what needed to be said, Diantha signaled for everyone to begin searching for their teammates.

"Alright, Pikachu, we're looking for numbers 467 and 497. Whoever they are I'm sure it'll be fun!" Ash cried out as he placed his card back into his pocket. "Let's go find them!" With that, the duo ran off to find their new teammates.

"It appears that we're on the same team, Serena," Brock mentioned as he pointed up towards the screen. Right next to her number 6 was his 237. "Now we just have to find number 652 and then we'll have the entire team together."

Despite the good news of being with a friend, Serena couldn't help but sigh since she wasn't on the same team as Ash. Putting it behind her, she quickly put on a smile before following Brock to go and find her last teammate.

"I guess that leaves just myself to find my teammates," Clemont muttered as he looked up at the screen. His number 314 was right in between numbers 1 and 257. "I wonder who they could be though. Hopefully they're not too crazy."

Walking through the crowd, Clemont looked around as he saw many different trainers finding their groups. The young inventor was surprised at how quickly some of the teams were forming. He noticed that Alain was with a green haired boy who looked to be a little timid for some reason. It was kind of funny to see someone like Alain partnered up with someone who appeared to be scared of him. Deciding not to waste any more time, Clemont continued to walk around until he heard one of his teammates' numbers being called out.

"Number 257. Looking for either 1 or 314. Both are also appreciated," the gruff voice stated through the crowd. Following the voice, Clemont soon found the person calling his number and was shocked to see Blaziken Mask standing there as the person.

"B-Blaziken Mask!? You're number 257!?" Clemont practically yelled as he tried to contain his shock from the fact he was teaming up with Lumiose City's protector. "I didn't even think you were competing."

"Ah, Lumiose City Gym Leader Clemont," Blaziken Mask started to say as he extended a hand out to shake hands with the inventor. "I expected to see you competing. I asked by a friend of mine to come and compete. He thought it would be fun for me to have a chance to relax while also helping my public image. I guess dressing as a Blaziken and then fighting crime at night makes some people skeptical of you," he lied, not willing to tell Clemont the true reason as to his involvement. "But, what were the odds of us being placed on the same team?"

"Not very likely, but it's a good thing. I think we'll have a good shot at going far in the tournament if we combine our strength," Clemont finished off as he then looked up at the screen. "But, we still need to find whoever number 1 is."

"Look out, future champion coming through!" A voice Clemont immediately recognized as the one belonging to none other than that Remo character started to cry out. "Kalos League semi-finalist and future champion Remo right here! I'm not only the number one trainer competing here today, but I'm also the number 1!" His voice boomed out across the stadium.

Clemont could only sigh as he hoped that it wasn't what he hoped for. He knew very little about the guy, but from the few moments he saw of Remo, Clemont knew he was very boastful. And Clemont didn't know if he could put up with it all. "Please don't mean his card is number 1," Clemont quietly muttered as he watched the burly man make his way across the crowd.

"Looking for numbers 314 and 257! Anyone got them because if ya do, it looks like you hit the jackpot with me as your partner!" Remo continued to yell out as Clemont noticed him swing his umbrella around freely. "With my strength, I'm guaranteeing a victory for my team."

"He's...he's quite the confident one isn't he," Blaziken Mask joked as they watched the man come closer to them. He could only watch in confusion as the man came closer to them while waving his card around at everyone he passed. "But, we should probably let him know who we are."

"Hey! Number 1, we're numbers 314 and 257!" Blaziken Mask yelled as Remo caught ahold of the words. Looking at each other, Remo couldn't help but smirk at the two who were claiming to be his partners.

"So, it looks like I get Brains and Rooster Man as my partners. Well, let me personally congratulate you two for becoming the victors of this entire tournament without even needing to battle once," Remo bragged as he pounded his fist against his chest. "I've heard quite a bit about you two, but I'll let you know right now that I won't need any help in this tournament. So don't get in my way."

"My, you're a confident one, aren't you," Blaziken Mask retorted as his cape swayed behind him. "You may not like it, but we're a team and to win we'll have to work together against every other contestant here."

"I don't need no help. From where I came from, you only look out for yourself. Garchoo and I don't need you two slowing us down since we came to win," Remo finished as he smirked at the duo before twirling his umbrella around. "Just try to keep up with me."

Seeing this, Clemont sighed at the sight of his team. Blaziken Mask was a good partner, but it seemed like Remo was too stubborn to understand the process of teamwork. It looked like it was going to be a long week for Clemont. _"Hopefully Ash is having better luck with his partners."_ Clemont thought as he looked out into the crowd to try and see anyone that he knew.

* * *

"Where could they be, Pikachu?" Ash asked as they continued to look around the stadium floor. For him, he was having a hard time finding any of his teammates while everyone else were finding theirs easily.

"Pika, pikachu," Pikachu muttered out as he shook his head. It appeared like they were the only ones unable to find their new partners. Looking around, Ash noticed that the boy Clemont told him about, Hugh, appeared to have found one of his partners. He was standing with that Mega Absol trainer they had run into a long time ago. There appeared to be a third person as well, but Ash couldn't see who it was due to the crowds.

"Well, sooner or later we'll find them and when we do I'm sure we'll win it all!" Ash cried out as he began searching again. It was a lot harder to find someone than he imagined it would have been. "We just have to keep searching. Hey! We're number 97!" Ash cried out as Pikachu joined in with his own cries.

As they paused for a second, Ash could have sworn he felt something poking the back of his left shoulder. Turning to look that way, there appeared to be no one there. Feeling the tap on his opposite shoulder, Ash looked in that direction only for no one to be there either. Shrugging his shoulders, Ash continued on as he looked for his teammates.

"Pika?" The Electric-Type suddenly spoke up as his ears perked up. He could have sworn he just heard a familiar voice, but no one was around them.

"What's the matter, Pikachu?" Ash asked as he looked around the area just as Pikachu was. "There's nothing here out of the ordinary."

Just then, Ash heard it too. It sounded like a muffled laughter, but he knew someone was there hidden in the crowd following him. "Whoever is following us, we know you're there!"

"No need to worry about that, Ash! We were just playing around, weren't we, Piplup?" A voice said while laughing. Walking out from the crowd, the person following them was none other than Dawn. "Though, after Unova you'd think you would realize it was me right from the beginning," she explained with a slight wink.

"I guess, I just wasn't expecting to see you in Kalos," he replied back while rubbing the back of his neck. First Brock and now Dawn, Ash wondered just how many people he had already met before were competing. "Why are you here though?"

"For the tournament of course. I had received an invitation from Cynthia, but didn't have a way to get here. Turns out Misty had gotten a plane ticket but couldn't attend and so she asked me if I wanted it. So, I took the first flight to Kalos and have been here for just over a week now," Dawn explained as she reached into her bag and pulled out her blue colored card. "And you said you're number 97, right?"

"Yeah, though I haven't been able to find the other two who are on my team. It seems almost impossible," Ash responded as he pulled out his own card.

"Well, looks like this could be your lucky day. I'm number 467. Looks like we'll be on the same team," Dawn replied as she winked at Ash. "We'll win the entire tournament for sure now."

"Of course! Nothing will stop us, especially once we find our third teammate," Ash cried out happily before him and Dawn high-fived each other. "But, who could be 497."

"You've got to be kidding me," a voice Ash knew all too well spoke out. Turning towards the voice, Ash was soon face to face with none other than Trip. "How do I get stuck with someone like you?"

"Yeah!? Last I checked, I beat you in the Unova League, Trip," Ash shot back as he felt a little annoyed by the comment. "I'm sure I could win again if we battled."

"Yeah, you were stronger than me back then, but I've also learned that someone stronger than you are always out there. After losing to you and Alder, it taught me a lot about what it takes to be a trainer. But, being overconfident to the point of declaring victory isn't going to help us," Trip stated as he stared at Ash with a slight glare. Their rivalry may have softened following his lose to Ash, but Trip wasn't going to miss out on winning because of someone's overconfidence.

"Well, why don't I show you just how wrong you are!" Ash shot back as he gripped a Poké Ball in his hand. Trip appeared interested as well, grabbing his own Poké Ball.

"Guys, knock it off!" Dawn shouted out as she stood in between the two rivals. "Fighting against each other isn't going to help us. We need to work together."

"He started it," Ash stated in an upset manner while looking away from Trip. "He didn't need to say that."

Trip just shrugged his shoulders to that response. "You mean calling you out on the obvious? Whatever, just don't get in my way." Turning away from Ash, Trip looked up at the balcony to see Diantha about to speak.

"Boy, this is going to be a long week, isn't it, Pikachu?" Dawn asked with a sigh as she looked at the two boys. Pikachu and Piplup could only nod in agreement as they then heard Diantha begin to speak.

"Now, it appears that everyone has found their teams. Hopefully this week brings new relationships between each of you as you all work together. However, with the preliminaries about to begin, I must reveal the rules to all of you," the Champion of Kalos stated while the screen above her quickly changed images. On it, two coins appeared as one had the image of a Poké Ball on it and the other was of the Honor of Kalos itself.

"Now, every team shall be handed one of two coins shown above me. The point of this preliminary is to see who can collect both coins without losing there's. The first six teams to collect both coins and reach Professor Sycamore's lab, where they'll be greeted by his assistants, will advance onto the tournament." Diantha then paused for a moment as a map of Lumiose City appeared before everyone.

"You shall all begin from here in exactly thirty minutes. How you choose to wander the city is up to your team's decision. Now, each member of the team is allowed the access to one Pokémon. However, Flying-Types are forbidden from use to keep teams from soaring across the city. Once one team loses all three of their Pokémon, they must hand their coin over to the winners. There is no limit on the amount of coins you collect, yet I recommend getting the one you need and getting to the laboratory."

"A race?" Trip asked as he raised an eyebrow. It was a different way to weed out the week competition. "So, out of all of us, only six teams or 18 total trainers will advance on. That leaves no room for mistakes."

"I know, it's just so different. But it seems like a good idea doesn't it, Piplup?" Dawn asked as she looked at the map. There was no clear route thanks to the city's design.

"Pip, piplup lup," the Water-Type cried out in agreement as he pounded his flipper against his chest. He appeared to be just as excited.

Ash also appeared just as excited for it. It was like a...well a battle royal of sorts. Everyone was being thrown into one single battle to decide the group who advanced. "We'll just beat everyone in our way! The more teams we beat the less there are to beat us."

"No," Trip answered quickly as Ash looked at him in a confused manner. "You might look at it as a good plan, but the more people we face, the weaker our Pokémon get. So, it's best to get just one coin and rush to the Lab."

"I'm going to have to agree with him on that plan, Ash. Why risk it if we have the other coin?" Dawn chimed in as she looked between the two boys. "You'll be able to battle once we reach the finals."

"I guess," the Pallet Town native muttered in disappointment as he looked away from the group. "Then we might as well think of a route."

"Good idea," Dawn said while smiling at her friend. "Based on the map, if we take Hibernal Avenue towards Jauna Plaza and follow it to Vernal Avenue we should be fine."

"That's also not counting for any other trainers or possible traps they have set up," Trip reminded her as Dawn appeared to sigh from the response. "But, we don't have any other choice right now. Just stick together and don't do anything stupid."

Ash was about to respond when Dawn stepped between them once again. "Don't worry about that. I'm sure we'll be just fine. Now, shouldn't we think up some cool team name?"

"Team name?" The duo asked back in confusion. They hadn't thought they would need a name at all. However, based on Dawn's reaction, it looked like they were going to have one.

Sighing, the two boys gave in as they listened as she came up with different ideas. Unsure of what to think of each one, they continued to disapprove of each idea until finally settling on one.

"How does Team Champions sound?" Dawn asked as Ash and Trip seemed interested in it. "I think it fits since we all want to win. So, why not just tell everyone that as well."

"Sounds like a good idea, Dawn," Ash replied as he pumped his fist into the air. "We'll be champions for sure."

"A little drastic, but it'll work," Trip added in as the group soon heard a buzzing sound. Looking up at the screen, none other than a pre-recorded message from Professor Sycamore began to play.

"Hello," the Professor began his message off as he waved to what he assumed at the time was a crowd of trainers. "And congratulations on deciding to compete here. Now, as you've been told already, only the first six teams that reach my lab will be able to advance on. However, even if you've collected two coins, that doesn't mean you're safe. The League Committee has set up numerous traps along the way so be careful. And I'm hoping to see a marvelous showing from each and everyone one of you. Now, please head to the entrance of the stadium where you'll be given one of the coins to begin with." Just then, Sycamore's image disappeared from the screen and replacing him were arrows pointing towards the multiple exits.

Knowing what to do, Ash, Trip and Dawn made their way outside only to be greeted by a few interns from the Pokémon League.

"Grab the first coin you can," Trip commanded as he reached out first and grabbed ahold of the item as both Dawn and Ash looked to see it was the Poké Ball coin. "Now, it's best to get out of here while everyone else is waiting to get their coins. It'll give us a chance to plan."

Running into the city, Trip left the other two behind as they decided to quickly chase after him. "What happened to sticking together?" Ash asked out loud as they caught up to Trip in an alleyway.

Out of breath, the group managed to sit down as they thought something over. However, before they even could, a strange noise could be heard coming from underneath them.

"What is that noise?" Dawn asked as the ground beneath her gave way. The bluenette soon found herself falling, only to feel someone grab ahold of her arm. Looking up, Dawn smiled as she saw that Ash had grabbed ahold before she fell down it. "W-What happened?" The Coordinator asked as she looked down the hole to see a group of Drillbur climbing up.

"Those Drillbur must be one of the traps Professor Sycamore talked about. Looks like we'll have to battle them. There's too many to escape from," Trip explained as he reached for a Poké Ball. "Serperior, come on out!"

"Pikachu, you use Thunderbolt as well!" Ash commanded as he struggled to hold Dawn from falling. "And make it quick!"

"Pika... Chuuuuu!" The Electric-Type cried out loudly as electricity soared from his body and crashed into the approaching Drillbur. However, the attack didn't do anything to the Ground-Types, shocking Ash and Pikachu. "Pika?

"It didn't work at all!" Ash cried out as he watched a Mud-Shot attack come flying by his face and hit part of the building nearby.

"Of course it wouldn't. Drillbur are Ground-Type Pokémon. Electric moves have no effect on them," Trip explained as he looked at his first Pokémon. "Serperior, use Leaf Storm!"

"Serperior!" The Grass-Type cried out triumphantly before whipping his tail around. A cyclone of leaves began to form before they were launched down at the nearby Drillbur. The first few were caught in the attack, but the remaining few appeared unharmed.

"Drillbur!" The Ground-Type cried out angrily before firing off their Mud-Shot attack once again. Launching off the balls of dirt, Drillbur watched on as the attack slammed right into Serperior and pushed it back towards the end of the alleyway and into a few trash cans.

"Serperior!" Trip called out as he looked down at the approaching Drillbur. The first few were already up out of the hole. "There has to be a way to stop them all. But how do we do it without tiring ourselves out?"

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash called out as Trip looked on in confusion. Didn't he already know they wouldn't be affected at all? "Make sure to aim it the ground! Knock them back down there!"

Pikachu nodded in agreement as the sphere of electrical energy formed on his tail until he finally launched it forward. Smashing into the ground in front of the Drillbur, Pikachu managed to weaken the pavement to the point where once the Drillbur stepped on it, it collapsed in on itself.

"Okay. Hold on, Dawn!" Ash called out as he pulled his friend up with all his strength. Using every ounce of energy that he had, Ash managed to bring Dawn out of the hole as the duo were launched backwards from the amount of energy Ash used. "We need to close up that hole!"

"Drillbur!" The gathered Ground-Types cried out simultaneously as they scaled back up the destroyed ground. Moving fast, they were already upon Pikachu as the leader slashed him with a Metal Claw attack.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in pain as he flew backwards and into Serperior as the Drillbur soon summoned forth a group of rocks and launched them at the duo.

"Serperior, get you and Pikachu out of there, stat!" Trip called out as the Grass-Type wrapped his tail around Pikachu and slithered around the falling rocks. "There has to be a way to trap them... But, how?"

"I've got it!" Dawn suddenly shouted out as the others looked confused. "Piplup, I need you to use Bubble Beam on all of them. Put everything you've got into this attack."

Pip... Lup, lup, lup, lup, lup!" The Water-Type cried out as the barrage of bubbles flew from his beak. Crashing into the Drillbur, it knocked them slight backwards towards the hole.

"Trust me on this! Just knock them back into the hole and we'll be fine," Dawn explained as Piplup continued his attack. It wasn't pushing them any further back, but the Bubble Beam also seemed to keep them stuck in place.

"I think I understand, Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded as Trip continued to look at him with confusion.

"Pika... Chuuuuu!" Pikachu cried out victoriously as his powerful electric attack flew from his body. Smashing into his targets, the attack once more appeared to do nothing but was actually pushing them back.

"Come on, Trip, help out!" Ash cried out as he looked at Trip with his arms pumped. "Serperior is the one needed the most to finish this."

"R-right," Trip replied with a head nod. This Ash seemed a lot different than the one he met in Unova. For some reason, Trip found it hard to believe that this was the same guy he battled against in Unova. "Serperior, use your Frenzy Plant attack!"

"Ser... Perior!" The Grass Snake Pokémon cried out loudly as he slammed his tail into the ground. In connection to it, a swarm of large vines appeared from the ground and slammed into the Drillbur horde. The attack had been more than powerful enough to push the group back down into their hole, allowing Dawn her chance.

"Piplup, use Ice Beam over the hole! Make sure it's strong enough to hold!" Dawn commanded as her starter Pokémon opened his beak once again. This time however, a stream of ice flew out of Piplup's mouth and covered the hole in a layer of ice. Watching as the Drillbur smashed into it, Dawn sighed as the frozen cover appeared to have stopped the attacking group. "That was close," Dawn sighed before dropping onto her knees and wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Thanks for catching me when you did, Ash."

"No problem," Ash replied as he sat on the ground as well. Despite it only being a few minutes, the group had grown tired. "What was that though?"

"A trap," Trip answered quickly as he looked at his two teammates before checking on Serperior. "Obviously there's more like this set up all around the city. But, Ash, what were you doing? Electric-Type attacks don't work on Ground-Types."

"I know that," Ash replied quickly as he fixed his cap a little. "But even if an attack doesn't effect a Pokémon doesn't mean I can't use it on the field and affect them that way. There's more than one way to use an attack."

Trip just stood there in shock. He was surprised to see how much Ash had improved since he left Unova. "I didn't think of it in that sense. I never would have used an Electric-Type attack on a Ground-Type. You've really changed since Unova."

Ash let out a nervous laugh while he began to rub the back of his head. "I didn't really change much; I'm just really driven this time. Not that I wasn't in Unova, but after Sinnoh I needed a little fun. I got overconfident in myself and relaxed a bit, but after what happened in the Unova League and how it ended I knew I had to get serious again."

"Well, okay..." Trip replied, unsure of how to react. He had always thought Ash was this immature kid, but it turned out he was actually a lot stronger than Trip had ever thought. Deciding to change the subject, Trip looked down at his two teammates. "Come on, we've wasted enough time."

"But what about planning something?" Dawn asked as she stood up and fixed her skirt while wiping some dirt off of it. "Shouldn't we be prepared?"

"There's no reason to at this point. We don't know where any traps are planted, and for all we know, someone might have heard the commotion and already be looking for us," Trip explained as Serperior slithered over towards him. Rubbing the Grass-Type's head, Trip sighed out. "Besides, it might have just been a few attacks, but fatigue will continue to build up. And with only one Pokémon each we need to make them count."

"Might as well get going then," Ash stated as he stood up and tried to loosen his muscles, catching Dawn by her arm had hurt his shoulder and he needed to keep it from stiffening up. "The sooner we grab a coin, the sooner we can head towards Sycamore's Lab."

With that, the group of three made their way out of the alleyway before returning back to their planned route. Making their way down Hibernal Avenue, the group watched as a few teams were already in battles. Deciding to not get caught up in the mess, Ash, Dawn and Trip slowly moved around them as they passed by Café Kizuna. Watching, Ash saw what looked to be a Blaziken using a Flamethrower down one of the alleyways. Not having time to watch, Ash continued to sneak across the avenue until they reached a junction.

"I know we agreed on going through the Jaune Plaza, but if we continue straight and towards the Centrico Plaza, it'll give us a straight route to the lab," Ash explained as he remembered the many trips he had taken while in Lumiose City. Clemont's Gym was in the Centrico Plaza, meaning it was the middle of the city. They would then be able to head right for the lab from there and make it quickly.

"Are you sure, Ash?" Dawn asked as she looked at one of the maps hanging around the city. "Yes, it is a more direct route, but we might run into more trainers this way. Maybe we should just stick to the original plan."

"I agree with Dawn," Trip said as he began to turn down towards Jaune Plaza. "We can't get caught up in multiple attacks. We need to save all our energy for one battle and then just sprint to the finish line."

Giving up, Ash just threw his hands behind his head as Dawn began to follow behind Trip. Sighing a little, Ash soon followed behind his two teammates as they made their way down towards Jaune Plaza. Not seeing a single trainer, Ash felt something was off. You would think someone would be along these parts with so many teams having entered the competition. And as if on cue, a Flamethrower attack crashed right in front of the group causing Trip to jump backwards.

"Who's out there!" The Unova native demanded as he looked around the back alley they were traveling along. It was quiet. With the exception of the stream running through the area, there was no noise at all. Continuing his search, Trip was unable to react as a Hyper Beam was launched their way. The large blast smashed right into Serperior as the Grass-Type flew backwards and right into Trip and the others.

"What strength," Dawn muttered as she got from underneath the Grass Snake Pokémon and noticed that the other team still wasn't appearing. "And, we don't even know where they're attacking us from."

"Pikachu, we'll scare them out from their hiding spot. I need you to watch carefully, whatever direction they attack from you need to use Thunderbolt in that direction," Ash explained as Pikachu ran up in front of the group while Trip tended to Serperior.

"Pikapi," the Electric Type cried out happily as he reached the center of the plaza. Listening carefully, Pikachu tried to figure out where the attacks were coming from, only for a Pin Missile attack to come from behind all of them. "Pika!?"

"Quick, Piplup, block that attack with your Bubble Beam attack!" Dawn commanded as the Penguin Pokémon jumped up in front of his trainer. Firing off the round of bubbles, both attacks collided as smoke soon filled the area.

"This isn't going to end well for us," Ash stated through grit teeth. Trying to look through the smoke, the Pallet Town native couldn't make out a single thing. But, he could hear the sounds of footsteps moving along. He knew the other team was approaching and they were moving fast. "Pikachu!" Ash called out through the smoke as the Electric-Type continued to look around for anyone. "Start spinning and use Thunderbolt! Don't let them get close!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out victoriously as he dropped onto his back. Launching a Thunderbolt attack, the move took an unexpected turn for everyone but Ash and Dawn. Splitting off from the usual single strand of electricity, the attack soon became strands of electricity that danced around the area and made it next to impossible for anyone to move closer without getting shocked.

"There's nothing we can do," Trip stated with a sound of distaste in his mouth. There really was nothing they could do. The other team had them playing defensively right now and Pikachu could only keep up this spinning Thunderbolt like attack for so long. "They're going to get to us soon."

"Not if I can do anything!" Ash cried out as he pumped his fists, or at least it looked like he did in the smoke. Throwing his left arm out towards his side, Ash yelled out to Pikachu. "Buddy, come here fast! We're going to get away now!"

"Pikapi. Pi," Pikachu replied as he jumped onto his feet and ceded his attack. Moving fast, the Electric-Type jumped up into Ash arms as they heard the other team moving closer.

"Running away? That's pathetic," one of them spoke, their image still clouded by the smoke making it impossible for Ash to see who it was. "Drapion, use Pin Missile."

"It isn't if it means getting away for now!" Ash cried out as he grabbed ahold of his two partners' hands and ran a little to his left towards the stream. Catching even his teammates by surprise, Ash jumped into the water as the Pokémon followed after them. Right as the group hit the water with a loud splash, Ash felt the water pull them all down stream and away from the attack as he could barely make out a set of Pin Missiles flying right above the stream.

"That was pathetic, he got away," the boy stated again as his voice sounded like it was full of disgust. He was dressed in a blue and black zippered up jacket and had gray pants to go along with his matching blue shoes. His purple hair also shined in the sunlight as he looked on in anger. "They should have already been beaten."

"So, Paul, what's your obsession with this Ash guy?" A girl with long blonde hair and a purple outfit that ended at around the beginning of her thigh. She appeared to also have a single earring present on her right ear. "You wanted to find him right away."

"It isn't an obsession at all. Understood?" Paul asked as the smoke cleared away to show them all gone. "The last time we battled he beat me and I just want to return the favor. That, and I know I'll get a good battle out of him."

"Why don't you just admit how much you actually like him? From the way you've been mentioning him, it seems like he's had an effect on you. Really, you don't need to play this tough guy act," the girl teased as she watched her Pyroar jump down from one of the nearby roofs.

"Astrid, this isn't an act," a third voice stated as a boy and his Eelektross appeared from an alleyway. "Just watch Paul's Sinnoh League match with the kid. Those two had arguably the best match of the entire tournament and it was only in the Quarter-Finals as well."

"Enough talking, we're losing time," Paul stated as he looked at his two teammates. "Astrid, Hugh, let's get going. We'll cut off any teams trying to advance to Professor Sycamore's lab through the spot where Vert Plaza and South Boulevard connect."

"Sure thing, Paul," Astrid replied as she placed her two hands behind her back and followed behind the trainer. _"We could have already been done. We did get our second coin within only a few minutes of this starting,"_ she thought as a light laugh escaped her mouth. Astrid knew this was going to get interesting for sure.

* * *

 **Well, the tournament's starting off real fast. For those wondering, the idea is similar to the Chunin Exams from Naruto where you had to get the two scrolls. Though, it's probably the only part I took from it since I needed a way to narrow the amount of trainers down to about six groups right off the bat. Oh, and who didn't think that I would include Paul. Like, there's a reason he's here and hopefully it'll make sense later on.**

 **Anyways just some of the groups that were fully shown here:**

 **Ash, Dawn, Trip**

 **Clemont, Blaziken Mask, Remo**

 **Paul, Astrid, Hugh.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	48. Moving On

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, the preliminaries had kicked off while Ash found out he was partnered with Dawn and Trip before it all began. Once it started, the group had their fair share of events as they were attacked by both Pokémon and another team.**

 **Ch 48: Moving On**

* * *

" _Running away? That's pathetic,"_ the voice of the trainer who said this rang through Ash's head as he and the others were still pulled down the river. He had a suspicion that it had been him, but now that he had gotten a clear hearing of the attacker's voice, Ash knew for sure. He now knew that Paul had entered the tournament as well. _"Just wait Paul. I'll show you what's pathetic."_ Ash continued to think as he suddenly felt his body pulled from the river.

He didn't know how long or far they had drifted. It had happened so fast that he himself had little to no time to react and the plunge into the water had caused him to wane in and out of consciousness. However, by the feeling of the warm arms around his torso, he knew someone had spotted him and the others and decided to pull them out of the water. Ash was thankful, but also hoped that whoever rescued him wasn't looking for a battle.

"Ash... Ash! Ash, wake up!" A familiar voice cried out to Ash. Whoever it was sounded nervous as Ash tried to force his eyes open. Finally able to do so, the rays of sunshine flashed his eyes as he quickly shielded them with his hand as he could make out the figure of a girl and what seemed to be Pikachu right next to her. "Brock! He's finally waking up, how are the others doing?"

"They should be fine. Just a little shaken up from the initial plunge. I wonder what could have caused them to fall in?" Brock asked as he looked over to the third person with them. "Nate, you wouldn't have any ideas, would you?"

"From the looks of it, they were ambushed at some point in time," Nate stated as he walked out from his hiding spot. It appeared as though they were in some sort of alleyway and he was keeping watch with his Dewott. "And to get out of there and continue to compete, they must have jumped into the water."

Ash now knew why the voice was so familiar. It was Serena. "S-Serena? Pikachu?" Ash muttered as he sat up and looked at the Performer and his best friend who had been sitting right next to him the entire time. Looking around, he noticed that Brock was looking over Dawn and Trip to see if they were alright as well. "W-where are we?"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out affectionately as he rubbed his own face against Ash's, causing the trainer to let out a light laugh at his best friend's affection.

"Haha, Pikachu, I'm alright. I swear," Ash managed to say between the laughter that was leaving his mouth. Looking around the area.

"Ash, you really shouldn't be sitting up," Serena said as she tried to get him to lay back down. Looking around, he noticed that she must have laid out her sleeping bag to make the ground softer. Both Dawn and Trip were on sleeping bags as well it appeared. "We found you three drifting down the river unconscious. Well, Nate's Dewott spotted you guys first and then we grabbed you all and took you here."

"But, where's here?" Ash asked groggily as he forced himself to stand up. His legs were still asleep however and he felt them giving way. Just about to fall and hit the ground, Ash felt himself grabbing onto Serena for support as the Performer helped him maintain his balance. "And, how much time has passed?"

Moving Ash's weight around so that it was easier to help hold him up, Serena flung one of Ash's arms across her shoulders as he managed to stand better. "Well, we're not really sure. This is just an alleyway along the Estival Avenue."

Ash shook his head at that news, that meant they had drifted almost across the entire city by the time Serena had found. Luckily, they were at the same distance from the lab, but just on the opposite side of the city. Sighing, Ash felt as though this was partially his fault.

"Ash," Brock spoke up as he walked over to his longtime friend. Moving the position of Ash's body from Serena's to his own, the Pokémon Doctor helped steady Ash on his feet. "Tell us exactly what happened."

Ash just looked down at the ground as he thought about everything that had occurred. It all happened so fast and despite just meeting them, Paul and his team moved so fast and were already working so well together. "Paul," was his reply as Brock let out a surprised gasp at the revelation. "He...he ambushed us around the Jaune Plaza and we had no time to react. Even when we tried to go on the offensive, they had a way to stop us. It didn't look good so I jumped into the river and pulled Dawn and Trip with me."

"I see," Brock stated soberly as he used his free hand to rub his chin. "I had a feeling Paul would come and compete. Though, I never thought he would actually attack you in the preliminaries. He must really want to face you."

Just then, a loud coughing fit came from Trip as the trainer began to stir. Sitting up, Trip soon realized the situation they were in and looked at Serperior. The duo were ready to battle it out, but before he could, Dewott was already in front of Serperior, scallop raised to the Grass-Type's face.

"Relax, we're not the enemies," Nate pronounced as he looked at Dewott and signaled for the Water-Type to back off. "We've already got both coins, there's no reason to battle you three. We were merely helping you out after finding you three drifting down the river.

Knowing that the situation wouldn't work out if they fought now, Trip quickly recalled Serperior into his Poké Ball before noticing that Dawn was now waking up. Looking around, he noticed her Piplup run right over to her as wait for her to get up.

"P-Piplup?" Dawn muttered as she watched the Penguin Pokémon embrace her in a hug. He had been worried that something bad might have happened to her but it appeared as though everything had worked out for the best as she was fine now. "Hey, it's alright. I'm just a little shaken up."

"Pip, piplup!" The Water-Type cried out as he let go and appeared to go and join Dewott as the duo kept watch of the situation. He felt as if something was off, but he couldn't tell what.

"So, we should probably be going," Nate stated now that the entire group had woken up. "We can't waste any more time. We watched over them until they woke up, now we have to get going."

"Right," both Serena and Brock responded as Ash began to stand on his own. Looking at them, the duo nodded in agreement, knowing fully well that they'd be meeting up in the next segment of the tournament.

"I wouldn't be getting so comfortable," a shrill voice yelled out as it caused everyone in the vicinity to feel shivers run down their back. Following it was a loud and crazy laugh that caused everyone to grow a little weary of the situation. "You really thought the entire area was clear? Trevenant, tie up the loose ends."

Just then, it appeared that large purple vines appeared out of the ground as they gathered around the group of six trainers. Beginning to move, the vines wrapped around Nate, Brock and Serena quickly as they were unable to move. The next set managed to catch Dewott off guard and tie him up as well. Then, the vines wrapped around the trainers' mouths making them unable to speak.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to cut through the vines! Quick!" Ash commanded as the Electric-Type jumped high into the sky. Flipping through the air, Pikachu's tail began to glow white before stiffening up. Landing the attack, Pikachu's tail sliced right through the approaching vines only to then be caught by the next set of vines.

"Pikachu!" He cried out in annoyance as the vines all tightened around him. Squirming as much as he could, Pikachu just couldn't break free as the vines only tightened around him.

"It is useless to try and break out," a male's voice now sung out as it filled the alleyway. "We'll take down two teams at once. Banette, Will-O-Wisp!" He cried out before snapping his fingers. Before Ash could even react, a line of fire soon surrounded himself, Dawn and Trip, separating them from the others, as they felt the heat from the flames.

"Well, why don't you show yourselves then!" Trip called out as he gripped Serperior's Poké Ball. "Or are you too afraid?"

"Has anyone ever told you about the monsters in the dark?" A third voice stated. This one sounded feminine as well, only not as crazy like the first one. "Because sometimes you might just run into them. Ariados, String Shot!"

"Aria!" The Bug and Poison-Type cried out as the sticky substance soon wrapped around the three trainers. Unable to move at all, Ash, Dawn and Trip tried to break free but found themselves unable to.

"Don't bother. You're never breaking free of this trap," she stated as they then heard a clicking sound. Almost like a pair of shoes. "You know, I've read quite a bit about you three. And to think we, Team Shadows will be able to take you down this easily is amusing. Whoever attacked you earlier made this all possible."

Just then, three people appeared out from the shadows as the group could finally get a good image of them. The girl on the left appeared to be dressed in a black dress that covered her entire body and was flowing in the wind. Her hair was a mess as the black hair flew all over the place and her smile was giving everyone the creeps.

Next, a man stood on the right side as he was dressed in a brown cut off vest that was unzipped, showing off his bare chest. He also had on a pair of blue jeans as he approached them. However, what Ash noticed the most of him was the object on his stomach, it looked almost like a Keystone to him. The man continued to walk forward as he rubbed his bald head until he was in front of the group. "You three look like you've seen something scary. Maybe you should just give your coin over now."

"The only thing scary that I've seen are your teeth. Have you never heard of a dentist?" Dawn asked in a taunting tone as she pointed out the man's crooked teeth and the fact that even a few were missing. "Otherwise I've seen worse."

"Why you!" He cried out, ready to go and touch the object on his stomach. Having a better view, Ash knew for a fact that it was a Keystone. This made it much harder if they had to handle a Mega Evolution.

"Cadlare, don't," the third voice stated as she finally walked out of the shadows. She seemed to be dressed in a red skin tight dress that ran down past her thighs and had on red dress shoes to match as well. Her blonde flowing hair reached down past her neck. "It isn't worth it on these three. Save the surprise until the tournament actually gets interesting."

Moving forward some more, she came to a stop in front of Dawn and placed a hand underneath her chin. "My, you're a cute one. Would be a shame if something happened for talking back to us, wouldn't it?" The way she spoke made Dawn shiver as the lady ran her hand down the side of Dawn's face. "Now, be a good girl and convince your team to hand over their coin. I wouldn't want to have to use force."

"As if we would ever hand over our coin!" Dawn shouted back as she whipped her head out of the woman's hands. "Piplup, use Drill Peck!" Dawn shouted as the Penguin Pokémon, who had hidden from the first round of attacks.

"Piplup!" He cried out heroically as the Water-Type jumped out from behind a dumpster, catching the group by surprise. As he ran forward, Piplup's beak grew in size while also glowing white until finally ramming it right into Ariados. Sending the Bug and Poison-Type flying right into its trainer, Piplup puffed out his chest in satisfaction before running over to Dawn.

"That was great, Piplup," Dawn praised him as the Penguin Pokémon broke through the String Shot and freed her. Looking over at her two partners, Dawn and Piplup quickly freed them before the trio of trainers faced their adversaries.

"So, you think you're good for breaking free?" Cadlare asked as he stepped forward and towards Trip. "Come on champ, you and me right now. But, when I get through with ya, you won't want to take any pictures of ya face. Ya hear?" He then turned quickly to the girl in the black dress as he smirked. "Hex, it looks like you get the cute one. And Malum can handle little miss prissy over there," he explained while pointing a thumb over towards Dawn.

"We'll see about all of that! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash cried out quickly as Pikachu began storing energy up inside of himself. Launching the bolt off quickly, Pikachu managed to free himself from the vines by burning them with his attack. Now free on the ground, the Electric-Type scurried over to Ash before jumping up onto his shoulder. "Time to show them who they're messing with!"

"Ash, we'll handle tall, evil and sexy over there," Dawn explained as she pointed over towards who Ash assumed was Malum. Before running off in that direction. "We need to show her what happens when you mess with a Coordinator."

"Serperior, Leaf Storm!" Trip called out as he tossed the Poké Ball containing the Grass-Type forward. Upon emergence, a loud storm kicked up as Serperior launched Banette and Cadlare off into a separate section of the alleyway before Trip ran off. "And I'll take the bald, toothless, idiot!" Trip yelled as he ran off in the direction that the trainer was launched in.

"Well, looks like it's you and me then," Ash said as he fixed his hat by straightening it. "Pikachu use Electro Ball!" Ash yelled while throwing his hands off to the sides.

"Oh, you poor misguided soul," Hex spoke before breaking into a laughter. The sight of the girl laughing at what Ash presumed to be himself didn't make him that comfortable and he quickly focused on the battle ahead. "To think you'll be able to beat me in a battle. There is a reason we waited for you to enter the alleyway after all."

Pikachu then lifted his tail up towards the sky before leaping up above the others. The large ball of electricity soon formed on his tail as the Electric Mouse Pokémon aimed his attack. Swinging his tail forward, Pikachu launched the attack at the stationary Trevenant only for the Ghost and Grass-Type to vanish from sight.

"Huh?" Ash replied in confusion as he looked around. How did that Trevenant just vanish like that? It was impossible! "What just happened?"

Hex just smiled as she tilted her head to the side, her large eyes focused right on Ash. "Don't you worry one bit darlin, you'll see soon enough," she explained while smirking with a sly grin. "Now, Trevenant dear, smash Pikachu into the ground."

"Trev!" The Elder Tree Pokémon cried out angrily before appearing behind Pikachu in an instant. Smashing his two hands into Pikachu's back, Trevenant sent the Electric-Type crashing into the ground as the bricks covering the floor shattered upon impact. Then, just as quickly as he appeared, Trevenant vanished and reappeared in front of Hex.

"I warned you that it wouldn't be that easy," Hex replied before petting Trevenant. "Now, use Leech Seed, dear!"

"Trevenant!" The Ghost and Grass-Type cried out angrily before launching off a barrage of seeds right at Pikachu. Opening up, the seeds soon released a set of vines that wrapped around Pikachu and slowly sapped away his energy. However, both trainers were unaware of the fact someone was watching them from up above on the roofs.

"So, that's Ash Ketchum," the person muttered as a light breeze began to blow. Watching the battle with deep interest in Ash, the trainer was surprised to see the boy and his Pikachu struggling.

"Ain't no use fighting this. There's no way you'll get out of here!" Hex cried out before chuckling at the sight of a Pikachu. "But don't worry, I know for a fact that your friends will be struggling just as much." As if on cue, an explosion soon occurred in the background as some bricks were kicked up. "Speaking of them. It seems like little miss Coordinator is having some difficulty. Too bad Malum will take care of her. Poor girl didn't know what hit her."

"Dawn' stronger than you think. I think it's your friends that need to worry," Ash said with a grin on his face. He knew Dawn had been through a lot worse than this and there was no reason she couldn't take care of this. "Now, just to finish you and get to the others."

"Please, your Pikachu can't even move. Not to mention he's lost so much energy at this point I doubt he could handle Trevenant," Hex called out as she looked at the situation. Nodding her head, Trevenant vanished from sight and made Ash start to look around the area. "You'll never be able to slow us down. As long as Pikachu is tied up, he's an easy target for Trevenant. Now!"

"Trev!" The Ghost and Grass-Type shouted as he reappeared right next to Pikachu. With a mighty swing of his left arm, Trevenant smashed it down onto Pikachu's head. The blow had left Pikachu dazed just a bit and he had no way to brace himself for the second hit which sent him flying into a wall with the Leech Seed still wrapped around him.

"Just surrender," Hex pleaded as Trevenant reappeared next to her. Smiling at Ash, she slowly rubbed Trevenant as the Elder Tree Pokémon appeared to smile at the affection. "I don't want to hurt your Pikachu. Just give me your coin and then we can go our separate ways. This is your last warning, otherwise I stop playing."

Ash just stood there as he gritted his teeth together. Fists balled and raised in front of his body, the young trainer had no clue what to do. There had to be a way to win this, but right now he just couldn't figure it out and it was frustrating him! Shaking his head, Ash yelled out his reply to the girl.

"We'll never surrender. As long as there's a way to win, Pikachu and I will always continue fighting. As long as Pikachu is alright to continue, I'll continue. So, until then, we'll continue to fight," Ash replied as he raised one fist up to his eye level. Looking over at Pikachu, the duo shared a smile as they both knew they would be in it for the long run.

"Suit yourself. Stupid decision though," Hex replied as she shrugged her shoulders. Looking forward, it appeared as though her eyes grew in size as Ash appeared to take a step back due to them. "Now! Trevenant, Earthquake!"

Ash's eyes widened at that command. Looking over at Pikachu, Ash could tell he had had a lot of his energy already drained and with a Super-Effective move like Earthquake coming he didn't know if Pikachu would handle it. Looking on, Ash watched as Trevenant appeared to slam his feet into the ground and had them take hold of the earth. Feeling the light quakes, Ash knew that sooner or later the big quakes would be coming.

"Now, Weezing, use Gyro Ball to free Pikachu!" A new voice cried out as a figure appeared in front of Ash. Before he could even try to figure out what was happening, a second figure, one he recognized as a Weezing, appeared to begin spinning as a light blue circle formed around the Poison-Type.

"Weezing, weez," it cried out before slamming into the vines created by the Leech Seed. Breaking them all, Weezing then picked up Pikachu right as the Earthquake attack occurred. Now able to relax, Ash looked at the newcomer to this battle and wondered who it could be. He had never seen someone like this before.

They were dressed in a black, loose garment for a sleeveless shirt and a matching black pair of pants made from the same garment. Around their waste was what looked to be a piece of cloth being used in a similar function as a belt and around the person's neck was a scarf that flew behind them. What caught Ash's attention the most however was the chain armor like substance that covered the person's arms. Looking closely, Ash noticed the person had purple hair that was pulled back in a short ponytail.

"Now, free his friends," the person commanded and Ash could have sworn it sounded kind of feminine, but it was hard to hear since it sounded muffled. Moving quickly, Weezing dropped Pikachu off at Ash's side before quickly breaking everyone else free from the Forest's Curse attack. "Quickly, you three must leave!"

"But we can help!" Brock argued back as he reached for his Poké Ball. "We'll be able to fight her all at once!"

"That is true," the person replied as they flashed a quick look at Brock. Seeing the look in the person's eyes, Brock had a feeling to not get on whoever this was' bad side. "But, you're also in the way at the same time. The enemy can use you as a distraction. Plus, by the time you get around the Will-O-Wisp it might be too late. At least head to the finish line and qualify for the next portion of the tournament."

Brock and Serena were both speechless. They had no idea who this person was and yet whoever it was, was helping Ash! Seeing them waste time, Nate gave up waiting for them. "Come on! We need to make it to Sycamore's Lab before the other teams do!" Running off, Nate was soon followed by both Brock and Serena who were both hesitant about leaving Ash behind. However, they both knew he would be fine no matter what.

"Thanks for getting them out of this," Ash said while facing the mysterious ally. He felt like he had seen clothing like this before, but couldn't place his finger on it. Pushing that thought to the side for now, Ash decided to focus on the battle again. "But, who are you? If I'm going to be battling with you, at least tell me who you are."

"Not yet. It is not safe here," the person stated as Ash shrugged his shoulders in response. How hard could it be to just tell him their name right now? It would only take a few seconds. "But, you can call me a friend...I hope."

"I've been watching your battle your battle and decided to help you. Pikachu looked to be in a tough situation," the mystery person stated once more as they narrowed their eyes towards the opponent. "And so, together we'll win this!"

* * *

"Piplup, use Bubble Beam to knock them back! Then charge right at them with Drill Peck!" Dawn shouted as she caught up to the thrown trainer. From the looks of it, she didn't seem too tough but if there was anything she learned it wasn't to judge an opponent based on how they looked.

Piplup nodded in agreement before firing off a barrage of bubbles. The attack seemed to catch their opponents by surprise as they had no time to react at all before being hit. Watching as the bubbles smashed into Ariados, Piplup took advantage of the moment and slammed his beak right into the Long Leg Pokémon.

"Hahaha!" Malum laughed out as she watched Ariados stand back up easily. She thought it was cute how this trainer thought she had a chance at all. "You really don't know who you're messing with do you?" She asked while flipping her hair forward. Doing so, her hair covered the front of her face, making her look a little insane with the way it parted. Pointing a single finger forward, she commanded the next attack. "Ariados, get in there and use Poison Jab!"

"Why does it always have to be Ariados?" Dawn asked with a shrug of her shoulders. She thought it was kind of funny how herself and Piplup always ended up facing the Bug and Poison-Type. "Quick, dodge the attack by using Ice Beam on the ground!" She quickly called out while sweeping her left arm outwards.

"Pip...Lup!" He cried out with all his might as a stream of ice escaped from his beak. Crashing into the ground, a large pillar of ice soon formed as Piplup was lifted high above Ariados and dodged his attack.

"Perfect! Now slide down it and use Drill Peck!"

"Stop them with a Hyper Beam attack!" Malum commanded as herself and Ariados watched Piplup slide down his ice pillar while his beak grew in size. "Make sure you hit him dead on!"

"Aria!" The Log Leg Pokémon cried out as a black and purple beam formed in his mouth. Watching the Penguin Pokémon slide down his icicle slide, Ariados watched before launching the Hyper Beam with utmost precision. Smashing right into Piplup, the Hyper Beam exploded on impact as ice and bricks went flying all around the area. Already on the move, Ariados gave Piplup no time to react as he started to swing away at the Water-Type with a Poison Jab attack.

"Piplup, watch out!" Dawn managed to say only for the Water-Type to be smashed in the face. The pummeling continued on as Piplup had no time to put up a defense what so ever. Finally being hit far enough away, the Penguin Pokémon had just enough time to duck under the next Poison Jab.

"Now, Piplup, send it flying with a Hydro Pump and then finish this up with a spinning Drill Peck!" Dawn called out as Piplup opened his beak. Doing so, a ball of water soon formed before being launched off as a stream crashed hard into Ariados and sent the Bug and Poison-Type flying backwards.

"Ariados, Hyper Beam! Come on and launch it!" Malum cried out angrily as her Pokémon stood back up. Looking a bit tired, Ariados managed to fire off a weakened Hyper Beam right at the charging Piplup.

However, Piplup was prepared and jumped high into the air. As he did so, he forced his entire body to spin as the Water-Type took on the appearance of an actual drill as he penetrated through the Hyper Beam and stood right in front of Ariados. The Bug and Poison-Type looked to be scared and so was his trainer as they both cowered before Dawn and Piplup much to the Coordinator's surprise.

"P-P-Please go easy on us!" Malum cried as she got onto her knees and hugged Ariados. The duo appeared to be in tears as Dawn could only look on in confusion over the entire scene. "E-Everything we did was just to try and scare you. I got partnered up with those two lunatics and so I had to play along! Just don't hurt us!"

"So...do you forfeit?" Dawn asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she could trust this woman, but the moment she jumped up and shook Dawn's hands in agreement was everything she had to see.

"Yes, yes! I forfeit just don't hurt me!" She cried out only for a sly grin to cross her face. "Ariados, Hyper Beam now! Before that annoying blue penguin can react!"

"Piplup use Ice Beam now!" Dawn countered as she clutched her hands into fists. That was beyond rude what this woman just tried to pull off. Luckily for her, Piplup was able to launch his attack first as the Ice Beam crashed right into Ariados.

"A-Ariados!?" Malum cried out as she looked at the frozen Long Leg Pokémon in shock. Her Pokémon having been defeated, she had no clue what to say. Just sitting there, she looked up to see Dawn already leaving the area.

" _Ash should be fine on his own. But, Trip, he might need help handling that other guy,"_ Dawn thought to herself as she ran through the alleyway with Piplup in her arms. Turning a corner, the Coordinator was soon face to face with a battle between Serperior and Banette.

"Trip!" Dawn called out, causing the young boy to look her way. As he did so, Serperior was hit by a Shadow Ball and caused the Grass-Type to smash into a building. "We've come to help."

"Don't bother, we've got this under control," Trip replied as Serperior slithered back towards his trainer. Looking at the situation, Trip quickly analyzed that it felt as though Banette wasn't using all of its strength. It was almost as if the Ghost-Type was holding back for a reason. "Tell me," he began to say while running a hand through his hair. "Why is Banette holding back? Obviously you would be battling at your full strength in a case like this. But instead I can tell that Banette isn't."

"You tell me, kid. Do you want to be scared beyond belief?" Cadlare asked as he rubbed his stomach while a smirk crossed his face. He had been wanting to use this for a while now and this would be the perfect chance. "Because what I'm going to show you is a power so great that you can't possibly win. Now," he stated while touching the Keystone attached to his stomach. "Banette, show them your true strength! Mega Evolve!"

Light shined from the stone attached to Cadlare while it appeared a similar stone was attached to Banette, something that Trip never noticed due to the fight. However, as he watched what seemed to be a transformation of sorts he realized just what was happening.

"T-This is Mega Evolution," he muttered before staring down Cadlare and his newly transformed Banette. The Ghost-Type's head changed slightly as a zipper like object appeared to run down the front of Banette's face. The same zippers appeared where Banette's hands and legs were as well. Not only that, but the color of Banette changed to that of a black with its hands and legs being purple in hue.

"So, you did know about this. Surprised you went through with the battle knowing it. Now, Banette, use Will-O-Wisp! Burn Serperior!" Cadlare screamed as a vain appeared on his face. He wanted to finish off this entire team quickly, especially now that Malum was defeated. It was a shocker, but it didn't surprise him too much. She seemed to be all talk when it came to raising her Pokémon anyways.

"Serperior, dodge the attack and then use Dragon Tail to hit Banette upwards!" Trip countered as the Ghost-Type had already launched off part of the Will-O-Wisp attack. Slithering across the field, Serperior dodged each and every one of Banette's attacks as he appeared before the Ghost-Type.

"Perior!" The Grass-Type shouted before smashing his now green, glowing tail into Banette's head. Banette was soon flying up into the sky as both it and its trainer only smirked at the sight of it all.

"Now!" Cadlare screamed as he balled his hands into fists and looked to be getting invested in the battle. Before either Trip or Serperior knew what was happening, a dark ball of energy smashed right into Serperior and pushed the Grass Snake Pokémon into the ground. "Great, now do it again!"

"Oh no! Serperior, deflect it right back with Dragon Tail!" Trip stated as he threw a hand forward. There was no way he was losing here; he was going to win no matter what. "Then get in close and use Glare!"

"Ser! Serperior!" The Grass-Type stated proudly before twisting his entire body and smacked the Shadow Ball right back at Banette. Following behind the attack, Serperior prepared himself to use Glare and paralyze their enemy. However, the Shadow Ball didn't hit Banette but instead smashed into a building, causing a small indent. Likewise, Serperior's Glare attack did nothing due to the disappearance of Banette.

"Kid, please tell me you didn't think we were that dumb. Of course we needed you to be dumb enough to chase us up here, but all of this was a plan. A plan for victory! Now, Banette, Will-O-Wisp!" Cadlare was now smirking widely as Trip watched on in confusion. He had never battled a Mega Evolution before and had no clue as to what it could entail.

"Bane, ette ette ette," The Ghost-Type laughed as it quickly reappeared under the falling Serperior. Putting its hands together, Banette before to form a fireball like object that Trip knew was a Will-O-Wisp attack. Unable to counter, Trip could only watch as Banette threw its Will-O-Wisp right into Serperior.

"Ser..." Serperior muttered once on the ground. The burn from the Will-O-Wisp attack was causing Serperior's body to burn up as flames erupted all over him. And to make it worse, Banette appeared next to the Grass Snake Pokémon as he fought the burn.

"Shadow Claw! We'll leave them wishing they never met us," Cadlare told Banette as the Ghost-Type vanished in the shadows temporarily before reappearing next to Serperior. Shocking both Trip and Serperior, Banette smashed its glowing left hand right into the side of Trip's Pokémon.

The force of the attack caused Serperior to skid across the floor of the ground until coming to a stop in front of Trip. Looking around, the young trainer quickly noticed that Piplup was about to enter the fight when he looked at the Coordinator. "I said we'll handle all of this. So, tell Piplup to stay out of this fight."

"We were just going to help," Dawn explained as Trip shook his head back and forth. He didn't want any help. He wanted to win this on his own with Serperior. "But, if you're going to be so difficult, I'll go help Ash out."

Cadlare was faster to act then Dawn was moving, however. With a snap of his fingers, Banette appeared before Dawn and Piplup and fired off a Will-O-Wisp attack, trapping everyone in a ring of fire and making it impossible to leave the area at all. "There, now you can watch us battle without the need to leave. Pull up a seat and enjoy. It'll be one spectacular and spooky show."

"We'll show you a real fight! Serperior, get in there and use Dragon Tail! Hurry!" Trip commanded as he appeared to be a little frustrated by the whole event. It was almost like Banette was much, much faster than before. Looking at the battle, Trip watched as Banette managed to dodge the Dragon Tail attack with ease before slamming a Shadow Ball right into Serperior's back.

"Please, just give up," Cadlare began to say as he softly rubbed the Keystone attached to his body. "If you haven't realized it yet, we picked this alleyway because of the shadows. As a Ghost-Type, Banette can move within the shadows and move much faster than anyone could react to."

"There's always a way," Trip replied as he gulped at the sight before him. Banette was too fast as the Ghost-Type could jump through the shadows with ease. It was impossible to stop it. "Well, looks like we'll just slow you down! Serperior use Glare!"

"Ser... Serperior!" The Grass Snake Pokémon cried out happily as his eyes glowed a shade of red. Then, right as Banette snuck into the shadows, a bright light erupted from Serperior causing the shadows to temporarily vanish and reveal where Banette was hiding.

" _Of course! If I can get rid of the shadows, then Banette has nowhere to run off to!"_ Trip thought as he watched Serperior be blasted by another Shadow Ball. Tightening the closed fist even more, Trip could only watch on as he waited for his chance to attack. "Dawn!" He called out surprisingly, shocking the girl. "I need Piplup to use Ice Beam on the Center of the field, now."

"R-Right," Dawn muttered as she looked down at Piplup. The Penguin Pokémon looked a little tired from the last battle they had just finished and she wasn't sure if the Ice Beam would be able to survive traveling across the Will-O-Wisp attack. "We'll give it a try. Ready, Piplup?"

"Pip! Piplup, lup," Piplup cried out as he pounded a flipper against his chest. Jumping out of Dawn's arms, Piplup made his way over towards the edge of the Will-O-Wisp attack and braced himself as the flames were affecting his concentration. Taking a deep breath, Piplup opened his beak as a large tower of ice soon formed at the center of the street.

"Perfect! Now, Serperior, use Glare on the ice!" Trip shouted out as his starter did exactly what was asked of him. Slithering towards the ice tower, Serperior brushed off the pain from his burn and made it to the base of the tower. Opening his eyes nice and wide, Serperior's, now red, eyes flashed through the tower as a bright light covered the entire alleyway. Due to this, all the shadows were gone but Trip knew they only had a few seconds to attack.

"Now! End this all with Frenzy Plant!" Trip screamed with all of his might. Throwing a finger forward at his opponent, Trip smirked as he noticed confusion spreading across Cadlare's face as he saw all of the shadows disappear.

"Ser! Serperior, ser!" The Grass Snake Pokémon cried out before slamming his tail hard into the ground. The impact caused the surrounding area to shake a little as the ice tower shattered from the shaking. But, that wasn't what Trip wanted. Within a few seconds, a wave of large vines appeared from the ground and shot towards the now revealed Banette. Before the Mega Evolved Pokémon could react, Banette found itself being smashed by the vines and sent flying into a building.

"Banette! Say something to me!" Cadlare cried out as he ran over towards his Pokémon. Holding Banette in his hands, Cadlare watched as the Ghost-Type transformed back into its base state.

"Ba, banette..." The Ghost-Type muttered as it slowly closed its eyes to rest.

"Thank you, Banette, you gave it everything you had and then more. Please, take a long rest," he told his partner as it was recalled into its Poké Ball to sleep. "Well, guess it's all up to Hex. To be honest, that girl scares me a bit. She's kind of crazy."

"Well, Ash will be able to handle her with ease," Dawn replied back as they all waited for the Will-O-Wisp to die down. Normally Dawn would have used Piplup to put the fire out, but the Water-Type was too tired to try and do something like that. "I know he's probably beating her right as we speak."

* * *

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt and then get ready with Iron Tail!" Ash quickly called out as Pikachu dodged a punch from Trevenant before jumping over the Elder Tree Pokémon. Moving quickly, Pikachu launched off the Thunderbolt as electricity flew across the street only for Trevenant to vanish.

"Pika!?" Pikachu cried out in shock as his tail quickly glowed white and stiffened. He was getting prepared for the next strike and wasn't taking any chances. Trevenant had been able to escape all of their attacks easily.

The mysterious trainer gritted her teeth as her eyes quickly darted around the field. She had no idea as to what Trevenant had planned and it made her nervous. "Weezing, stay alert and be ready to attack with Sludge," she ordered as she constantly looked around the field.

"Please darlin, it ain't going to make no difference if you prepare or not. Trevenant can't be stopped as long as we're in the alleyway," Hex commentated as she cast a look towards the mysterious girl. "And why would you be helping him? Shouldn't you be with your own team?"

"My team doesn't need my help right now," her muffled voice replied as she stared down Hex. "We've already earned a coin and now they're heading to the finish line as we speak since only the person holding the coins need to cross it."

"So you decided to play hero and help out. Kind of sad that you had to dress up as a wannabe ninja as well," Hex teased as the ninja comment appeared to frustrate the girl a little. "Now, Trevenant, use Earthquake!"

Within seconds, Trevenant appeared out from the shadows and began causing the ground to shake. Not wanting to get hit by the attack, Pikachu leapt into the air where Weezing caught the Electric Mouse Pokémon with its heads. Moving fast, Pikachu then leapt off of Weezing as he swung his tail around in midair. Slashing his tail towards Trevenant, Pikachu was shocked when it missed once again.

"I told you, it's impossible to win. But, you two are too stupid to listen!" Hex yelled as Trevenant appeared next to her. "Now, I'm ready to end all of this! Trevenant, trap them all with Forest's Curse!" She yelled out as she threw her arms out to the sides of her body.

"Trevenant! Trev!" The Elder Tree Pokémon shouted as a horde of purple vines emerged from the ground. They quickly snatched up Pikachu within their grasps though Weezing floated too high above the alleyway to be grabbed. The others however were still in range. The vines then set their sight onto Ash and the mysterious trainer as they shot right at them.

"Look out!" The girl cried out as she pushed Ash out of the way of a vine. However, despite how many they dodged, it appeared that more and more were coming. "Weezing! Use Sludge from up there to get rid of everything!"

"Weezing..." The Poison-Type responded as a batch of poisonous liquid poured out of its mouth and down towards everyone else. As if on cue, Trevenant disappeared to go and hide while Hex got underneath an awning to escape the attack. Seeing that they were in the open, the mysterious trainer grabbed Ash's hand and dragged him over to a spot of the alleyway where the Sludge wouldn't reach them.

However, despite being safe from the Sludge attack, they were not safe from Forest's Curse. Within seconds of dropping their guards, both Ash and the girl were wrapped together by a vine that remained. Hex couldn't believe her luck and began laughing maniacally at the sight.

"Oh, you make it too easy sometimes. Getting yourselves wrapped up at once? I couldn't ask for a better result. Now, like I said, you'll never win while we're in the alleyways. There's too many shadows for you to stop Trevenant."

"Shadows..." the girl muttered while looking around as best she could. Seeing that Hex meant, an idea immediately popped into her head. "Weezing, free Pikachu from his confinement and then I need you to take him up above the alleyway!"

"Weezing, weez," the Poison-Type responded before its entire body spun rather quickly. Having the familiar ring form around its body as Weezing crashed into the vines restricting Pikachu. Giving Pikachu a lift, the two Pokémon were now above the alleyway and had a perfect view of everything.

"Ash," the girl managed to mutter out as the vines made it hard to speak. "I need...I need you to have Pikachu use Thunderbolt. And put everything into it right now. Don't worry about Weezing. He'll be just fine."

"O-Okay..." Ash muttered, unaware of what was about to happen. But, looking up at Pikachu it appeared as though the Electric-Type understood the plan as well. Nodding, Ash began to issue the next command. "Pikachu! U-Use Thunderbolt and with all your strength!" Ash managed to get out as the vines tightened themselves around the duo.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled back in response. From up above, the shadows weren't as prominent as down in the alleyway and allowed them a better sight. From his view now, it looked as though Trevenant was just moving around quickly but in fact it was using the shadows to make it look as if it were vanishing. Charging up all of his electricity into this one single attack, Pikachu felt every ounce of his energy being stored up within his body. Once ready to attack, he launched the powerful attack right at his opponent. "Pika! Chuuuuuuu!" He cried out as the electricity shot across the sky and down onto Trevenant.

The Elder Tree Pokémon had no idea as to what hit him. The blast was so powerful that it had actually stunned Trevenant to the point it was stuck in place and caused the vines to let Ash and the other trainer go. Landing on the ground, Ash could barely see Trevenant due to the shadows and understood what had just happened. figuring that the Ghost and Grass-Type must have also been paralyzed from the attack and now was their time to strike.

"Pikachu, end this with an Iron Tail!"

"Weezing you use Gyro Ball!" The girl called out as she appeared right beside Ash while throwing a hand outwards.

The two Pokémon launched off their Steel-Type moves in succession as Weezing was the first to slam hard into Trevenant followed by Pikachu's Iron Tail right into the Elder Tree Pokémon's head. The blow being so powerful from the added momentum from falling, that Trevenant fell over defeated.

"T-This can't be happening!" Hex cried out as she recalled Trevenant to its Poké Ball. "We had it all planned out. First we surprise attack, then we separate your team and then we take you all out one at a time. Where did it all go wrong? Now we're going to be in trouble!"

"Trouble?" Ash asked only to receive no answer. Watching the girl as he waited for a response, he became nervous as she began to shake.

"N-No, please! We tried our best! They were just better!" Hex appeared to be shouting as she grabbed ahold of her head and continued shaking. "P-Please forgive me! I'm sorry for failing you!" Then there was silence. Before Ash or the other girl could react, Hex dropped to the ground in what appeared to be an unconscious state. Checking on her, the mysterious trainer soon found there to be no pulse at all and whatever she had been arguing with must have killed her on the spot.

"Who would do such a thing?" Ash asked as Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder. "This is just a tournament. Who cares if they lose to me?"

"There is more to it," the girl replied as she looked around the area. Seeing no one around, she quickly noticed something shimmering in the corner of the alleyway. Walking over to it, the girl was surprised to see a microphone and speaker system. Almost as if someone had left it there to listen in on the entire city. If there was one here, they had to have been placed in other spots. But, for what? Destroying the machine swiftly, the girl appeared much calmer about telling him everything.

"Alright, this isn't a normal tournament at all," the girl began to explain as she looked dead serious. "You see, and do not repeat this to a single person, there is a belief within the Pokémon League that it is being used to draw out someone in hiding. I don't know who, but whoever it is has also put teams within the tournament. For some reason, they want you taken out."

"So, why don't they just go and stop him now?" Ash asked as he then shared a confused look with Pikachu. "And why me out of every person competing?"

The girl leaned against the wall before tossing a coin to Ash. "That was the coin that Hex had on her. Take it," she said before changing the subject. "Well, according to my source, the League doesn't want to attack without knowing that the person they're searching for is there. And as for why you? Well, I guess stopping Team Flare from destroying the world would make you target number one on this guy's list."

"So, why did you help me out? I could have won by myself," Ash began to say as the girl pulled her mask that covered her mouth down to reveal a smile.

"You see, you may not know who I am but I really admire you. A lot. A few years back you managed to defeat my father in a Gym Battle and at the time I had never seen anyone do so. He thought I wasn't watching, but from my bedroom I could see a fight happening and watched in secrecy. I've strived my entire life to become stronger than my father, but now I also strive to become stronger than you. And so, I will fight by your side and help protect you from any threats," she explained while placing her hands behind her back and smiling.

"Well, I'm glad I could help you a little," Ash responded in confusion. He had no clue on what to say and kind of just stood there awkwardly in silence. Coughing a bit, he decided to try and change the subject. "And you can't tell me your name?"

The girl was about to respond when she heard footsteps coming from the alleyway. Looking, she saw Dawn and Trip running towards Ash. Not wanting to be seen, she quickly looked towards Ash with a smile. "I told you, a friend. But, you'll learn who I am when the time is right." With that, the girl vanished as she left Ash in a confused state. He had no clue as to what happened just now. There was some evil organization forming? The leader wanted him gone? He hadn't done anything to anyone yet. Shrugging it off to not alert anyone, Ash watched as Dawn and Trip appeared before him.

"So, you actually won," Trip said as he looked at the other coin in Ash's hand. "And you took their coin. Good. We really need to get going or we won't qualify at all."

"Right!" Dawn agreed as she realized that they must have been pretty preoccupied by the battles just now. "According to the maps we saw earlier, if we leave this alleyway and continue straight we should reach the lab," Dawn explained. Agreeing with her statement, the group of three made a break for the street and to reach Professor Sycamore's lab.

* * *

"Garchoo, use Dragon Rush!" Remo shouted as he threw an open palm outwards towards his opponents as his opened umbrella rolled on his shoulder. "Give 'em everything you've got!"

"Gar!" The Dragon and Ground-Type shouted as his body was enveloped in a blue aura. Racing forward, Garchomp slammed into the three Pokémon the other team had as an Inkay, Gourgeist and a Wobbuffet slammed into their trainers, a man with blue hair, a woman with magenta hair and a short man with what looked like a brown curly wig. Carrying their momentum, the group accidently went flying off as they were launched out of the area defeated, but not without dropping their coin.

"Remo, was that necessary?" Clemont asked as he watched the burly trainer lift up his latest spoils from battle. "We've already got over a dozen coins because of you insisting on battling everyone. We need to get to Sycamore's lab."

"Nonsense, Brains," Remo replied as he closed his umbrella and appeared to be leaning against it. "The more teams we take out now, the less we have to face later on. In fact, I'm helping us out in a way. Not to mention, I've vowed to myself that I'll win every battle I'll take part in. For this tournament, nothing else matters but winning the entire thing."

"That's great and all, but if we don't qualify then that means nothing," Blaziken Mask added in dryly as he appeared to be staring off into the distance while on a roof. Jumping down from it, he walked up and in between Remo and Clemont before speaking. "While you've been battling it out down here, the fifth team which was led by Ash Ketchum just reached the lab."

"What does it matter what place we finish in. As long as I show them all what I'm made of, then we'll still win," Remo replied cockily as he crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. He really had no clue as to how this whole thing worked and it annoyed Clemont.

"You didn't listen to the rules at all did you?" The young inventor asked with a long face. The way Remo was acting made it seem obvious as to how the answer would be relayed.

Shrugging his shoulders Remo pulled out the coins he collected from previous battles he had taken part in all day. "Who cares. All I know is that you need two coins and to reach Sycamore's lab. Other than that, there aren't any more rules to this entire thing."

"That would be correct, if it wasn't for one thing," Blaziken Mask said as he joined in on the conversation. Remo appeared surprised by the remark and looked at him curiously. "They also stated that only first six teams that make it there would advance on. And with five teams already qualified, we would have to hurry."

Remo's grin dropped as he heard every word that was heard. He didn't know about only six teams advancing into the actual tournament. Who plans a huge tournament and only allows eighteen trainers to advance!? "W-What are you talking about? You're obviously joking," he said while letting out a nervous laughter. However, upon seeing that no one was laughing with him, Remo began to panic. "Well why didn't you tell me earlier! I swear, if we get eliminated because of you two not telling me anything..." he muttered before breaking into a sprint for the lab.

"We better catch up to him," Blaziken Mask stated with a smirk. "He'll probably get distracted or lost along the way." With that, the two remaining members ran, or in Clemont's case tried to run, after their burly teammate. Sighing, Clemont knew this week was going to kill him. How he wished he could have gotten on a different team.

* * *

"Welcome one and all to the first day of the Pokémon World Tournament! I'm your host Freddy O'Martian though some call me The Scoop. Either way, I would like to thank the Pokémon League Committee for selecting me to host this prestigious event and I hope that I am able to do it justice for all you fans out there," Freddy stated passionately as he practically jumped out of his seat while speaking. "Earlier today we had six teams make it to Professor Sycamore's lab and earn their spots here today. Now's the time to meet them all! So give a warm round of applause to all of them!"

Within seconds, the floor of the stadium began to lift up six platforms that fit perfectly into it. On each platform were the three members of each team, but, the other teams were unable to view each other due to being separated by walls. Once on the floor, Ash looked around and couldn't believe how many people he knew were here. Lost in his thoughts, he almost missed out on Freddy's introductions.

"Finishing as the final team to qualify, the trio of Clemont, Blaziken Mask and Remo or Team Lightning as they dubbed themselves, should pack a punch to the other competitors. Among them is a Gym Leader of Lumiose City itself, Lumiose City's esteemed superhero and a Semi-Finalist in last year's Kalos League. If there's one team you need to look out for it's them!" Freddy explained as Ash watched the three trainers with interest. Remo appeared to be soaking all the attention up as his umbrella sat comfortably on his shoulder. Clemont and Blaziken Mask however seemed like they could have done without any of the attention.

"Coming in fifth is quite a different group, made up of two trainers and a Coordinator, I now would like to introduce you all to Team Champions! Comprising of them is none other than Trip, a native of Unova who in his second go at the Unova League last year managed to work his way up to the Top eight. Opponents have to watch out for his amazing Serperior, but, his greatest weakness is lack of depth in his roster. Outside of Serperior, the rest of his team drops off in strength. The Next member, Dawn, is a Runner-Up of the Sinnoh Grand Festival just two years ago and finished as a Semi-Finalist in Hoenn's last year! She might be Coordinator but her Piplup, Togekiss and Mamoswine all pack a punch! And finally, put your hands together for last year's Kalos League winner, Ash Ketchum! Led by his trusty Pikachu and his outstanding Greninja, I don't know if there's any one trainer who could pose a serious threat to this boy!"

The crowd began to erupt into a loud applause upon the mention of Ash's name. He had sort of turned into a local hero for all that he did to stop Team Flare and then only increased that support by winning the Kalos League against Alain. Ash felt his face heat up a little from the attention, but also liked it. Waving to everyone, he couldn't help but smile at the fact this felt right. Once the crowd had died down, Freddy began with his next team.

"Well, let's see if the next group can garner as much attention as Ash did by himself," Freddy joked as his voice was filled with excitement. It had been a while since he last hosted a tournament and he was looking forward to this. "Coming in fourth is quite the combination of trainers. Coming in fourth is none other than Team Mega! Led by Kalos League Runner-Up Alain, this team is sure to give us all quite the battle. Out of every trainer here, I see Alain with his Mega Charizard X posing the biggest threat to Ash and with him backed by his two teammates they might prove to be the favorites in this tournament. Joining him are a newcomer in Wally. A boy from Hoenn who reached the Top sixteen in the Hoenn League last year, Wally and his Gallade could prove to be quite the opponents. And the other member has quite the family legacy. His Grandfather is a leading expert on Pokémon and his father served as the temporary Indigo League Champion while Lance was away on business, please welcome Gary Oak!"

"Gary?" Ash asked as he looked over at Alain and his team. That Wally kid seemed to be scared of the entire crowd as he tried to remain calm in the situation, but Ash had never thought to see Gary here. Looking at his rival, Ash wasn't surprised to see him acting all calm and collected like always. It appeared that he wasn't as excited for the crowd's applause though, that may have been due to it being associated with his family name and not himself or his own advancements in his studies on Pokémon.

"Yes, yes, quite the showing of potent trainers isn't it?" Freddy asked as he took a quick drink of water to wet his throat. "Now onto the next team! Coming in third is the combination of Nate, Serena and Brock! These three have chosen to go with the team name of Team Heartbreak. Strange name, but I don't ask why, I just report it all! Now, Nate is quite a newcomer to professional battling having just graduated from the Aspertia Town Trainer School in Unova. However, when he's on with Dewott, they're unstoppable! Joining him are Serena the Runner-Up to last year's Master Class losing to only Aria herself and Brock. Once the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock handed the rights over to his younger brother to pursue his dream of becoming the world's best breeder! Now in school to become a doctor, Brock has an internship with Lumiose City's Pokémon Centers to learn more about Pokémon native to Kalos!"

"Moving this along now!" Freddy said, not taking as much time anymore. Ash assumed he had gotten a message to move it along. "Finishing as the second team to finish the qualifier is none other than Team Strategy! Comprised of Sawyer, Silver and Janine this team looks to go far in the tournament! Sawyer is quite the accomplished trainer for a newcomer, making it all the way to the Semi-Finals of the Kalos League and bringing Ash Ketchum down to his final Pokémon before being defeated. Silver likewise is a powerful trainer in his own right, having finished as the Runner-Up in last year's Unova League, he looks to come out with everything he has. And last but not least, we have none other than Janine. The daughter of Elite Four Member Koga, Janine has been trained in the ways of the ninja and is the official Fuchsia City Gym Leader. Don't let her fool you though, she's the furthest thing from a push over."

"That girl..." Ash muttered, careful as to not let the others hear. "That's the girl from the alleyway." Thinking, Ash wondered if her warning was real or if she was just trying to psych him out. Though one thing was for sure, Brock appeared to be smitten or was since Croagunk was outside of his Poké Ball.

"And now! People make some noise and give a loud welcome to our first place finishers. I welcome Team Victory!" Looking over, Ash saw just who he thought it was. Standing there paying no attention to the applause was Paul. Then, to Ash's surprise, Paul looked in his direction and smirked. It wasn't one of his cold smirks, but seemed like it was more of a friendly one that rivals gave each other.

"Now, making up this team are Paul, Astrid and Hugh! Hugh is another native of Unova, having made it all the way to the Top eight of last year's Unova league so he's looking to show people today that he can hang with the best of them. Likewise, we have another Quarter-Finalist in Astrid who with her Mega Absol is looking to carry her team to victory. And finally, put your hands together since we don't have just one League winner joining us in this competition, but we have two. Last year's Unova League winner, Paul, looks to use this as a chance to train for his upcoming Elite Four challenge."

Ash was both shocked, but also expected it. It was only a matter of time before Paul won a League Conference, but Ash couldn't help but laugh at the fact that they both won during the same year. Hearing a static sound, Ash looked up at the large screen above the balcony where the Champions sat and saw the screen on with six images, each one composed of the three members of each team.

"If you could all take a look at the screen, the three matches will now be randomly generated right before your very eyes!" Freddy told the crowd as the images began to move around the screen before coming to a stop. "Wow! Can you believe that!" Freddy cried out ecstatically as everyone in the stadium cried out in excitement.

Looking up at the board, Ash noticed the match-ups and couldn't believe his luck.

Team Champions Vs Team Mega

Team Victory Vs Team Lightning

Team Heartbreak Vs Team Strategy

* * *

 **There we go. Tournament is about to start off and we already have Ash vs Alain. Or do we? All we know is that they're teams face each other. Who knows how this will end. Anyways, this was meant to be out before Halloween hence that other group having all Ghost and Bug Types. But, it came out later but I kept the theme. Now, next chapter goes right into it and a few things will be explained.**

 **Oh yeah, to better explain what happened to Hex; she worked for Giovanni to take Ash out of the tournament to keep him away from Lumiose or leave him weakened to the point that he could send someone after him. However, she lost and Giovanni literally used Mewtwo's psychic powers to kill her. Also, no Janine doesn't like Ash. She admires him as a trainer and wishes to surpass him.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	49. Round One!

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, the preliminaries ended and Ash and the others all advanced. But, not without a little excitement as they were attacked by surprise. Well, that's really all I've got to say for this one...**

 **Actually, one more thing! Thank you to everyone so far in this story! We have passed 460 reviews and are close to 350 followers and are over 300 favorites. With this being my first Amourshipping story, I never imagined this kind of response. So once more, thank you to everyone!**

 **Ch 49: Round One!**

* * *

"Now, to all of those wondering, the rules for our wonderful tournament are quite simple," Freddy began to say as he sat back down in his seat. The fact that there was going to be a rematch between the two trainers in the Kalos League Finals appeared to excite the crowd up quite a bit. Wiping a drop of sweat from his face, Freddy began to speak once more. "Alright, so as you all know, there will be five days of battling in which you all will battle one of the opposite teams. The two teams with the best records by the end of the week will face off against each other for the championship."

"Each of the matches will be comprised of two members of each team facing off in one-on-one single battle matches. And the first team to earn two wins is declared the victor of the match," he continued on as he looked over some of his cue cards real fast. His voice rising with interest, Freddy could tell this would be interesting. "Though, in the event of a one-one tie, the winners from both teams will then face off in a sudden death one-on-one using the same Pokémon used in their previous match."

"So, the Pokémon you pick is crucial to the entire match and not just your own battle," Trip said with a hint of interest in his voice. Not only did he have to worry about who to use, he also had to worry about who his partners used and how their opponents countered them.

"So, the battles all begin tomorrow afternoon so until then the teams are free to explore and do whatever they want to do. I wish you all the best of luck and that your battles bring the intensity of a Hyper Beam, the coolness of a Blizzard, and the burning passion of a Fire Blast. Until then, I'm Freddy O'Martian and I'll see all of you wonderful fans here tomorrow!" He cried out, leaning over his safety railing and nearly falling.

"So, it isn't a normal tournament at all," Ash muttered as he looked around the field as he eyed some of the competitors. Obviously he would be facing off against Alain tomorrow, no one else could take him except Ash. _"That girl, Janine, she mentioned something about this not being what we assume it to be. What could that mean?"_ Ash thought as he watched a few of the teams make their leave. Paul and his teammates were the first to leave, but not before Ash's rival flashed one more look towards Ash. The look in his eyes told Ash everything that he needed to know. "Don't worry, Paul, I'll be making the finals for sure. You just make sure you're there as well," Ash muttered to himself as Paul turned back around and left the stadium floor.

Next to leave appeared to be Alain and the others on his team. Ash wanted to go and ask what Gary was doing here, but now wasn't the time. Besides, he would have all week to ask him. Turning his head to the left, Ash noticed that Clemont and Blaziken Mask were trying to explain something to Remo but the burly man wasn't having any of it as he walked away from his teammates. Ash could only let out a tiring sigh as he too knew what it was like to work with an interesting teammate.

"We should get going," Dawn said as she snapped Ash out of his thoughts while Piplup chirped in agreement. "We can grab some dinner and talk about the match tomorrow to see who'll battle and who should go against who."

"There's no point," Trip replied as he took a few pictures of the stadium to help remember the festivities. "You and I both know Ash plans on battling Alain so that's a done deal. That just leaves one of us to battle and I feel as though our best chances would be for myself to go. Our opponents aren't ones to be taken lightly, especially not Alain. But, I'm worried about Ash a little."

Dawn just looked at the green haired trainer with confusion in her face. What could be wrong with Ash that would make Trip nervous? "Uhh, what exactly do you mean by that? Ash seems perfectly fine to me," Dawn mentioned as she looked over at the Pallet Town native with interest.

Trip shook his head a little, almost as if he realized he misworded his previous statement. "What I mean is, his mentality. He isn't all there right now. You can tell he's focused on winning the war before the battle and it won't work out like that. He's got to play this tournament like you would chess. And in a sense, I don't think Ash is able to think both two steps ahead and think of the current turn at the same time," he answered before shrugging his shoulders. Placing his camera away, Trip turned towards an exit, but stopped for a second. "We might as well get going, it seems like Ash will be a while."

"O-Okay," Dawn said, confused over how much thought Trip has put into this tournament. He was right though, they all had to be careful about which Pokémon they used and how often they did because the other teams would be able to scout them and find their weaknesses. Turning to Ash, Dawn raised a hand to her face to help project her voice. "Hey, Ash! Trip and I are heading back to the Trainer's Village! We'll see you there!"

"Alright, I'll see you guys in a little. I'm just going to explore the stadium a little," Ash replied back as he gave them a thumbs up as Dawn returned the gesture before leaving the floor. _"Should I question her about all of this? Or would it come off as suspicious if I did so? But, she did say someone wanted me out of the tournament... Ah! I wish this was a lot simpler!"_ Ash thought to himself as he ran his hands through his hair.

"The pressure of the competition isn't getting to you is it Ash?" Sawyer's voice could be heard as the Hoenn native appeared to be walking towards Ash, notebook in hand. Ash could only smile sheepishly as no words could come to his mouth at the time. "Well, you should be. Sceptile and I have trained quite a bit and we're ready to get our revenge for what happened at the Kalos League!"

Finding his voice, Ash let out a light laughter as he noticed Brock and Serena walking over towards them. "I should have expected to see you here, Sawyer. How's it been?" Ash asked as the duo exchanged a handshake. Releasing themselves from the grip, both boys appeared to have a fire burning in their eyes as they readied themselves for their eventual meeting. "But, I wouldn't count your victory yet. Greninja and I have also grown stronger."

"Ash, I'd love to talk longer, but I've got to get going. My team and I want to talk over a few ideas for tomorrow's opening matches, but I'm sure I'll see you around," Sawyer said as he gripped the notebook in his hands tightly. "But, I'm really looking forward to our battle. It's one of the reasons I came back to Kalos."

"Well, I've really wanted a rematch as well and I know Greninja's been itching for a fight as well," Ash answered as he pumped his fist in front of his body. "Just make sure you give it everything you have and I'll do the same!"

"Right!" Sawyer cried out as a smile formed on his face. Saying his goodbyes right as Serena and Brock appeared, Sawyer apologized for running off as he did and left the group as he rejoined his team and left the stadium. Watching the team leave, Ash noticed that Janine turned her head back towards Ash and raised a finger to her mouth. It was as if she was telling him to stay quiet about what she told him.

"So, Ash, mind telling me how it went with that group who attacked us?" Brock asked as he eyed Ash with a serious look. "It didn't seem like a random event. Almost like they wanted to face you and your team."

Ash grabbed his chin and wondered if he should explain the situation. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to keep it to himself for the time being. "I don't know. That girl with the Trevenant said something about 'taking down the winner of the Kalos League' would make her a favorite to win. I think some teams only attacked us because of myself."

"But you're safe and here in the tournament so that's all that matters now," Serena said as she gave Ash a small smile. She had to admit, leaving him to fight that girl had made her nervous, but there wasn't anything they could really do to help. "So, have you already decided on who you're using tomorrow against Alain?"

"Sort of. Though, it's going to be a surprise until then," Ash answered as his stomach began to rumble loudly. Grinning sheepishly, Ash began to rub the back of his head before a second rumble escaped. "I guess my stomach has other thoughts though. Tomorrow is going to be great though. I'll be able to face Alain right away!"

Brock and Serena couldn't help but laugh at Ash' stomach despite being used to it. Slinging his arm around Ash' shoulders, Brock took his free arm and pointed it forward with intensity. "Despite everything changing, things still stay the same! I'll be sure to whip up some of my famous Lazy Boy no Chew Stew that you loved during our journeys. And perhaps you can tell me more about your latest adventures through Kalos."

"That sounds great, I could really go for a nice meal," Ash replied with his expected answer. Removing his arm from around Ash's shoulders, Brock left the area as he got ready to go prepare his famous stew for the rather large group from today. Turning to Serena, Ash soon realized they were the only ones left in the stadium as the crowd had already left the area.

"Are you enjoying the tournament?" Ash asked as he stood there, unsure of what to say. "Being paired up with Brock is great for you. He's an excellent trainer."

"I know," Serena replied as she smiled at Ash. Today had been crazy for sure, but her two teammates managed to help her through the entire preliminaries. "We were attacked by this team led by this overly hyper boy and his Empoleon. Brock called him by his name, but I forgot it in all the rush. But, we managed to win with Brock helping me find an opening to finish one of the other members of that team. You were right though; this has been fun."

Ash let out a light chuckle as he could only imagine how someone like Barry could come off as overly hyperactive to anyone who never met him before. However, he was more excited that Serena was having fun. "That's great to hear. I'm sure you three will do just fine once the battles start tomorrow. But, why don't we get out of here. What do you think, Pikachu?"

"Chaaaa!" Pikachu cried out in agreement as he did a little fist pump into the air. The Electric-Type was tired from earlier today and even if Brock's food wasn't ready yet he was ready to get going.

Serena let out a light giggle as she watched Pikachu's reaction. "It seems like Pikachu is just as ready as you are for this tournament. You both can hardly sit still," she said before pulling out her travel guide. "While we're waiting for Brock's stew, why don't we grab something small to eat. I heard there's an ice cream stand not too far from the stadium."

Nodding in agreement, Ash and Serena made their way out of the stadium and headed down the road towards the stand Serena had mentioned moments earlier. Grabbing their ice cream from the vendor the duo sat down on a nearby bench as they watched the bustling streets.

Sitting in silence, the duo were just enjoying the scene before them when a ball rolled towards them. Noticing the little boy who had dropped it, Serena picked the ball up and walked it over to the little boy. As she did so, Ash couldn't help but watch with interest. He didn't mean to stare, but the Pallet Town native just couldn't move his eyes as he watched Serena start to pass the ball back and forth as the child laughed out. Not realizing it, Ash was soon smiling as he heard Serena join in on the laughter. He had to admit, she had a way to make people happier. Not only that, but he noticed just how far she had come since meeting her in Santalune City. She wasn't the same timid girl. Now, she was one of the top Performers in all of Kalos and wasn't afraid to jump and help anyone. Ash knew he admired her for all of it, but he didn't realize that his admiration had a little more reason behind it.

"Staring a little much, aren't you Ashy-Boy?" Gary's voice rang in Ash's ear as he jumped and turned only to see Gary standing next to him drinking a soda. Smirking a little, the Pokémon Researcher sat down next to his friend and slung his arm around Ash's shoulders. "It's been a while since we saw each other. Anything exciting happen since then?" He asked, hinting at something Ash didn't pick up on.

"No, I'm still fighting my way through the Elite Four. And Serena is competing in Showcases. All she needs is one more Princess Key and then she can compete in the Master Class," Ash said, not realizing his voice was raising with every word he spoke about Serena. As he finished speaking, a new thought soon popped into his head that he just had to ask. "So, Gary, what made you compete. I never expected to see you at a tournament. Well, not since you retired as a trainer to become a researcher."

Gary raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ash. Was it that hard to believe he had come to just compete? Of course, that wasn't the reason but Gary just wondered if he was that predictable. "Research," Gary answered with a wave of his hand. "Professor Rowan told me that this would give me a chance to research many different kinds of Pokémon not native to Sinnoh," he quickly explained as Ash seemed to nod in agreement to this statement. Yet, something was in the back of his mind. The way that both Rowan and even his own Gramps had told him to go compete was strange. Especially how he was about to leave for Alola to study a phenomenon there where Pokémon native to Kanto were evolving into new forms, or Alolan forms as he quickly named it. He was supposed to head over there for a couple of weeks when Professor Rowan told him there was a change in plans and that he would head to Kalos.

"Well, it's great to have you here competing," Ash answered as he rubbed behind Pikachu's ears, earning a happy cry from the Electric-Type. "Especially since we could be battling tomorrow. I'll be giving it my all against you."

Hearing Ash's words, Gary quickly snapped out of his funk and looked at Ash with a fire in his eyes. "Hey, don't expect me to go easy on you either. I still need to put you in your place for how the battle back at Gramps' place went. Just because I don't battle regularly anymore doesn't mean I'm an easy opponent." He then stood up as Ash looked at him with a confused expression as to why he was leaving. "I just wanted to say hi before tomorrow. But, I really need to get going, I've got a few things I need to do before the match tomorrow."

"A-Alright," Ash answered in a confused tone. It seemed like all of his friends were just stopping by and then leaving today. Quickly changing his tone, Ash let out a mini fist pump as he looked at Gary with determination. "I'm expecting your best tomorrow! Don't hold back at all!"

"Right," Gary said with a head nod as he turned his back towards Ash. "Listen, enjoy your date with your girlfriend tonight. But don't let it make you unfocused for tomorrow." With a simple hand wave, Gary walked away slowly as he left Ash in a confused state.

" _Girlfriend?"_ Ash asked himself silently as he and Pikachu both exchanged expressions. His was of confusion while Pikachu was watching with interest to see what Ash would say. "That's what Brock is always after right?" He asked his best friend, causing Pikachu to fall over from his shock that Ash didn't even know what a girlfriend was. Before Pikachu could even respond, Serena was soon walking towards them smiling. Seeing her smile, Ash couldn't help but smile back as he felt his cheeks heating up a little.

"I think by the time we get back to the Trainer's Village, Brock's stew should be ready," Serena stated as Ash stood up next to her and fixed his hat and backpack. "Maybe we'll run into the others there."

"I'm sure we will. Knowing Brock, he's cooked enough food for all the teams," Ash answered as he rubbed his stomach in excitement. It had been a while since he had a genuine Brock meal and he was beginning to grow a little impatient for it. Turning towards the large hotel, Ash and Serena soon made their way towards it as they maneuvered through the dying crowds.

"Was that Gary I saw over with you earlier?" Serena asked as she tried to start up small talk as the hotel was approached. "It's great to see him again. I really should show him that the egg he gave me hatched. He might be excited to see Pichu."

"Yeah," Ash replied with a simple head nod as the last words Gary spoke sat in his head. He didn't really know what a girlfriend was, except that Brock seemed desperate at times to get one. But, he didn't see where Gary was getting that impression from at all. "He just wanted to say he'd be beating me tomorrow."

"That sounds like Gary," Serena said as they reached the entrance to the hotel. Walking inside, the duo noticed that the trainers from yesterday and this morning had mainly left with them all out of the tournament now. "Wow, this place really has emptied out. I guess whoever didn't advance left already."

"That's a shame. I know if I lost, I'd still be here watching just because of how special this tournament is," Ash muttered as they walked down the hallway. Upon getting close to the dining room, Ash's nose was filled with the aroma of Brock's stew and he couldn't help but pick up his pace.

Walking into the dining room, Ash and Serena both saw a rather large table filled with Clemont, Bonnie and Dawn, who Ash knew he would have to introduce later tonight during dinner. Also sitting with them were Sawyer and Gary. Off to the side were Alain and Wally who seemed to be staying to themselves and Remo appeared off in a corner by himself as he piled food into his mouth. Continuing to look around, Ash noticed that all members of Team Victory were sitting together while Janine was also off by herself. Not in the room at all however were Trip, Silver, Nate and Blaziken Mask. Ash silently wondered where they were as he sat down next to Dawn while Serena sat on the other side of him.

"Ash, Serena, you're just in time. Brock said his stew is just about finished," Bonnie stated happily as she kneeled on her seat. It appeared she was just as excited as always. "Did you know Clemont and I ran into Dawn yesterday? She mentioned how she was looking for a friend of hers and we didn't even know that we were both looking for you."

"It was kind of hectic yesterday," Dawn answered with a nervous smile. The crowd had been so large, she had accidently bumped into Clemont. "Though, we had a chance to talk just now and it turns out we both traveled with you at different times."

Ash however appeared to be off in his own thoughts as he looked down at the table. Everything he had been told today appeared to still be clouding his thoughts. Could he trust Janine? Ash didn't know, but he did soon realize that everyone at the table was looking at him funnily. Shaking his head and smiling awkwardly, Ash began to answer. "No, I never knew you two had met," he answered honestly as he could smell Brock's stew coming towards them. Wiping his mouth clean of any saliva he unconsciously began to drool, Ash appeared ready to eat.

"Ha. I was expecting that kind of reaction from you, Ash," Brock jokingly stated as he placed a bowl down in front of said trainer. Placing the next few down, the Doctor turned back towards his supplies and cooking station to grab the next batch of plates. "Everyone eat up. I've made plenty to handle Ash and then extra. Unless his stomach has grown even more since the last time I traveled with him." The table let out a laugh as they then dug in.

* * *

"So, those three failed me," Giovanni muttered as he shut the television off in his office. He had just finished watching the evening news on the World Tournament and to his surprise, Jessie, James and Meowth didn't advance on. Standing up, Giovanni placed his hands behind his back as he walked across the room.

"It doesn't matter. In the long run, those three are nothing more than pawns in my master plan. Once preparations are complete, the entire world will fear Team Rocket," he continued on before a knock on his door alerted him to a visitor. "Come in." The command was short and to the point. Just as he wanted it to be.

"Sir," Sird's voice could be heard as she appeared from the other side of the door. Walking in slowly, she appeared to be holding a vile of some sorts in her right hand and Giovanni's attention was on it. "We managed to find it."

"Excellent. And you're sure this will small amount will work?" Giovanni asked as his agent handed over the vile. Eyeing the substance inside of it, a smirk came to his face as it swished around.

Sird placed a hand up over her chest before bowing towards Giovanni. "I saw the substance in person. It is stronger than any legends described," she explained before walking over towards a monitor. Viewing it, Sird noticed that the Megalith had been brought to the lab as it and Mewtwo were strapped up to multiple computers. "With the Megalith's power and this, no one will be able to stop you. Though, is it really necessary with Mewtwo being here?"

"You can never be too prepared, Sird. Especially with that Ketchum boy here. If he's left unchecked, it'll only lead to problems for us," Giovanni responded as he placed the vile onto his desk. If what Sird said was true, then holding the planet for ransom would be a lot easier than expected. "Which is why I want him out of the picture. The sooner he has been terminated, the better."

"Yes, sir," Sird replied as she didn't appear fazed by Giovanni's statement. Whether he meant to capture this Ketchum or to dispose of him for eternity, she didn't know. Either way, she was fine with both choices. "What would you like me to do about this nuisance?"

"You personally? Nothing." The idea was tempting though. Sird was one of his best and she could take care of the boy in no time at all. But, if something went wrong and she was captured he would be beyond mad. Losing one of his top agents for a mission that anyone could accomplish was reckless. "I need you to help the scientists in the lab finish out creation. I've already gotten someone planned for this mission."

Nodding, Sird began to make her way to the exit. "Very well, sir. If you need me, I'll be heading down towards the laboratory." And with that, the door closed softly as Sird vanished from his sight.

Turning back towards his desk, Giovanni looked at the vile with interest. Such a small sample could cause so many problems for this world. And yet, Giovanni was excited by the prospect of it. His last big plan had been ruined and now he was seeking revenge before commencing his largest plan yet. Moving the vile ever so carefully as not to damage the container, Giovanni pulled out a few files of his agents and laid them across his desk.

"Yes, these two should be able to accomplish the job perfectly. I'll have them on the next flight to Kalos first thing in the morning," he stated before letting out a light laugh. He just knew that this was going to be a wonderful time for him. Everything was coming together perfectly. "But until then, there has to be a way to keep an eye on him."

He appeared to be deep in thought as he tried to figure something out. Seeing an image of Jessie, James and Meowth hanging on the wall, he knew of a way that they could be of service to him at this point in time. Getting back up out of his chair, Giovanni left his office in search for the three members.

* * *

"Listen," Gary stated as he sat next to Alain and Wally. The former appeared to be unfazed by Gary's sudden joining of them while the latter jumped from shock. It was early in the morning right now and everyone else were still in bed resting for their matches tomorrow. Team Mega on the other hand were using this time to prepare for their match that would begin in just a few hours. "We have to face off against Ash Tomorrow and we all know who he's using."

"Greninja," Alain answered as excitement could be heard in his voice. He had waited for a rematch with the Water and Dark-Type since he had beaten Charizard in the Kalos League finals, and now was going to be his chance.

"Exactly. And right now none of us can beat him," Gary answered truthfully as Alain seemed to disagree with that statement. He knew he could defeat Greninja if given the opportunity. "There's no argument to it either; Greninja is on a whole other level compared to us. Which is why I have a plan to beating him," Gary explained with a smirk as his eyes lingered over towards Wally.

The younger trainer gulped as he felt a little nervous from Gary's stare and only wondered what the researcher wanted. "Wally," Gary finally began to say as the boy jumped a little from his name being called. "You'll be facing off against Ash today."

"W-What?" Wally asked as his voice cracked with nervousness. He hadn't expected something along those lines when he signed up for the tournament at all. There was no way he could hold his own against a League Conference winner. "Why not have Alain face off against him. He's a much better choice."

"Yes, Charizard and I can beat Ash and then either you or Wally could face whoever else they send up," Alain joined in as the first few trainers from the other teams emerged in the dining area. Among the group were the members of Team Strategy, Remo and Hugh. "There's no reason to send Wally up against Ash for no reason."

Gary shook his head back and forth as he disregarded the idea of Alain facing Ash. Doing so would only cost them the match. "No way. If Wally battles Ash, even if he loses, we'll be able to tire Ash out and see how he's battling before he faces you."

"I think I understand," Wally answered as both Alain and Gary were shocked by his sudden announcement. "I'll be a scapegoat of sorts so that Alain can study Ash and find a way to defeat him in the tie-breaker round."

"Scapegoat isn't the term I would use," Gary answered as he saw the rest of the competitors enter the area. Needing to finish, Gary leaned in closely to the other members of his team. "More so a scout. Giving us a chance to tire out Ash will be huge in the long run. It'll give us a clear advantage for the final round. But, don't let the others know of this. It might ruin the plan." And with that, Gary closed his mouth as Ash, Serena, Brock and Dawn all sat down at his table.

"You ready for our big match today?" Ash asked confidently as he looked over in Alain's direction. The elder boy appeared uncomfortable by the question, yet he did his best to not give anything away. "Greninja and I are ready to give you and Charizard a great battle."

"As our we," Alain replied, his voice sounding a little shaky as he took a sip of his morning coffee. Ash seemed to notice it, yet wrote it off to Alain being tired from yesterday. Placing his mug down, Alain eyed his two teammates as they all stood up together. "Sorry to leave so soon, but we want to get to the stadium early to be prepared."

Ash just nodded his head in agreement as the elder trainer nodded back. Ash understood the want to be all ready for an important battle. "We'll see you at the stadium then."

"Smell ya later, Ashy-Boy," Gary said as he did a short wave with his right hand, his left placed comfortably in his jeans' pocket. As he walked by, the researcher gave Ash a friendly smirk as both were ready for the match to begin now. Trailing behind him was the silent Wally who just looked down at the floor as the three teammates quickly left the dining area.

"Ash, shouldn't we think about who'll be battling today as well? We don't want to go in unprepared," Dawn asked as Piplup chirped out happily as he stole a sausage from his trainer's plate. "I don't know who that Wally guy is, but both Alain and Gary are pretty strong from what I've seen."

Removing his fork from his mouth, Ash let out a light sigh before snapping his wrist so that his palm was facing the ground. "We really don't need to worry. That Wally kid won't battle today since Gary and Alain will go at it. I'll take Alain in the first battle and I'm sure Trip can take Gary in the second battle. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow to battle. It's a great plan."

"If you say so..." Dawn muttered as she took a sip of her orange juice. It didn't seem smart to not have something planned, but Ash appeared pleased with what he had come up with and that was good enough for now. Deciding to not push the topic anymore, the Coordinator turned so that she was facing Serena. "So, Serena, Ash tells me you're a Performer. And an extremely good one at that. Perhaps you could show me a few of your routines. I'm sure it would be helpful for my Contests. I could even show you a few of my combinations. Maybe you could use them as well."

"That sounds like a great idea," Serena answered as she wiped her face clean with a napkin. Smiling at the bluenette, Serena let out a light giggle as she thought about them helping each other. "Ash mentioned Contests before and I would love to see how they're done. The way he described them made them sound like Showcases but with the final round being a battle."

"Kind of," Dawn replied as she rubbed the back of her head. Leave it to Ash to leave out some of the details. Smiling towards her new friend, Dawn began to explain just what a Contest was really like. She began with how they're meant to show off a Pokémon's beauty and attacks instead of the trainer themselves and then went on to explain how different Contests had different rules when it came to Appeals and battles.

Serena just soaked in all the information as she thought it would be fun and interesting to try a Contest. If she ever went to a region with them, she would definitely have to give them a try and see how incorporating her Performing experience would help her. About to explain about Showcases, Serena stole a quick glance at the clock on the wall and noticed that they needed to get moving. Telling the others, everyone was all up and moving in no time at all as Ash led the way with Brock as the two girls brought up the rear.

"And you see, each Showcase has a different Theme Round where you and your Pokémon have to work together. Sometimes it's a fashion accessory dress up, others could be a quiz on your knowledge on Pokémon. One time, I even got a Theme Round where we had to herd Rhyhorn up," Serena explained before laughing at the memory of the Rhyhorn all running at her before showing their affection. "You should have seen my face once I saw all the Rhyhorn stampeding. I thought they were going to run over me."

Dawn mentally pictured the scene herself and couldn't help but try to stifle her own laughter. "That does sound like a funny situation. I wish I could try a Showcase while in Kalos. I just know it could offer me an experience I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else," Dawn said as she quickly smashed her left fist into the palm of her right hand. "Hey! You said that there's a few more Showcases left and one's nearby right? Well, why don't I compete there with you!? We could turn it into a friendly competition."

Serena thought at the idea and wondered if she would be able to match up to Dawn. This was a Coordinator who never made it below the Top four in any Grand Festival she competed in. Catching herself thinking negatively, she immediately cursed her thoughts before turning towards Dawn. "That sounds like a great idea!" She cried out happily before walking into the stadium. "The next one I was heading towards is being hosted in Laverre City."

"Well, looks like I'll be competing in that one as well," Dawn said as a smirk crossed her face. Extending a hand forward, Dawn awaited Serena to accept it. "And may the best person win it."

Taking Dawn's hand, Serena shook it with a lot of energy behind it showing her enthusiasm. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to win the Showcase. Even if it takes everything and then some more." Seeing that they had reached the spot to split off. Serena and Brock stood in the hallway that would take them to their own locker room as Ash and Dawn prepared to make their way to their own. "Good luck you two!"

"Give it everything you've got, Ash. You should know firsthand that these two won't go down easily," Brock added on as he flashed Ash a thumbs up. It had been quite a while since he had seen Ash battle in person and he was excited for it.

"I know. And don't worry about us, we'll win today once Greninja and I beat Alain," Ash explained as he picked Greninja's Poké Ball from his belt. Holding the capture device in his hand, Ash looked at the sphere before looking up to Brock and flashing his own thumbs up. "You two need to focus on your own match today. Give it your all guys! We'll see you after the battles."

And with that, the two groups split up and headed in their own directions. Making their way down the hallway, Ash and Dawn quickly found the room marked with their team's name on the door and entered. To no one's surprise, Trip was already inside watching what appeared to be a news report on the tournament.

"And we're live from the site of the Pokémon World Tournament folks where fierce fighting is sure to fill this stadium for the next week," a girl with pink hair and a black turtleneck shirt along with jeans stated as the camera panned down to the field. "I'm your host Malva bringing you news throughout the day on the tournament and how the matches appear to be playing out. With me for this tournament is Alexa from the Lumiose Press providing updates from down on the field for all of our wonderful viewing-." Malva's voice was cut off as the screen turned black, Trip having shut it off.

"They're tough. That news anchor made sure to cover everything to expect from all of three of them. You can't underestimate any of them," Trip explained as he stood up and faced Ash with a blank expression. "I'm assuming you want the first match against most likely Alain?"

"Of course!" Ash replied enthusiastically as he pumped his fist in the air a little. "We'll make sure to get our team out to a quick lead today. Then you'll be able to wrap up the entire match in the second battle."

Just then, Freddy O'Martian's voice appeared over a loud speaker as everyone knew what that meant. Dropping their backpacks in the locker room, the three trainers made their way out to the field. As they made it there, Ash noticed how they had put up seats for the other members of the team to sit on while watching. Ash then turned to look at the stadium, it was packed full with spectators. Nodding a little, Ash and the others made their way over to the seats as they waited to begin.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the very first match of the Pokémon World Tournament!" Freddy began to say as the crowd erupted into applause. "Now, to begin this battle bustling tournament are two power packed teams bursting with intensity and determination: Team Mega and Team Champions! Both teams are heavily favored to compete for the title, but one has their chances considered just a bit more!"

As Freddy continued to talk, Ash heard a grinding noise and immediately looked over at the field. It appeared as though the platform they all stood on yesterday for the opening ceremonies was being lowered down towards the basement of the stadium. Peering carefully over the side, Ash was amazed once he saw a new platform rise back up. This one was different as it had large rock platforms along with a waterfall that turned into a small stream across the middle of the field.

"And as you all can see, our field for the first match today is one made of rock and water!" Freddy continued on as a referee made his way over towards his spot on the field. He looked different than the referees from the League as he was dressed in a nice suit and tie and didn't even have any flags. However, before he could continue on this thought, Freddy's voice soon echoed through the stadium.

"If both contestants for the first battle could make their way over towards the field, then we could begin!"

Looking at both Dawn and Trip, Ash knew he was up first just like they had agreed on and quickly made his way onto the field platform to the sound of cheers. Paying no surprise to the crowd, Ash had a smirk on his face as he watched Alain slowly stand up. However, that smirk soon turned into a frown of disappointment and annoyance as he saw Alain lean against the dugout and watch as Wally timidly got up and made his way towards the field.

The crowd noticed the pick from Team Mega and immediately seemed surprised by it. Whispering amongst themselves, the crowd wondered why Wally was battling instead and so was Ash. He thought Alain or Gary would be battling him not...not this kid. Watching him approach the field, Wally appeared to have a look of determination hidden behind all of his timidness. Almost like he wasn't going to lose no matter what the cost.

"What's the big idea, Alain." The words had caught everyone on Team Mega by surprise except for Gary. The young researcher knew they needed to get to Ash quickly if they would win and sending Wally out to battle wouldn't just tire his Pokémon out, it would also make him slightly annoyed. "Well, what's the big idea? I thought one of you two would want to face me?"

Alain couldn't look at Ash, knowing that he wanted to battle just as much as the Pallet Town native but he also knew he couldn't battle Ash. At least not for the time being anyhow. Gary meanwhile sat there with a blank expression as he couldn't allow Ash to try and read him. Seeing that he wasn't getting any answers, Ash turned back towards his opponent and shrugged. It looked like he was just going to have to beat this Wally kid first.

"Your name's Wally, right?" Ash asked as his hand ran across his four Poké Balls in his possession. Getting a slightly startled reaction from the boy, Ash watched as the green haired boy slowly nodded in agreement. "Good luck today, but I need to get through this match quickly."

"I-I'm not that easy to beat," Wally said quickly as he pulled out a Poké Ball of his own. "My...My Pokémon and I... we've all grown together. We won't go down that easily. Instead, we'll beat you today," Wally said, his voice filling with confidence as he drowned out the crowd and paid attention to only Ash. Tossing his Poké Ball towards the field, a Gallade soon emerged from it and stood patiently as he awaited a command. "G-Gallade and I have been through a lot. He...He's helps me overcome my timidness when we're together. The both of us... The both of us will win this."

Ash let out a light chuckle as he finally gripped a Poké Ball himself. Perhaps this match was going to be good after all. Hopefully this boy could keep up with him. Gallade and Wally appeared like mirror opposites however. One was cool, calm and collected and the other wasn't. Wally appeared to be doing his best to look intimidating, but the boy was sweating and shaking a little due to his nerves.

Throwing his Poké Ball outwards, Ash was ready to battle. He wouldn't need to tire Greninja out today. Instead, he had a different idea as to who could handle Gallade. "Hawlucha, I choose you!" The capture device opened up as a bright light emerged from it before Hawlucha was standing out on the field, arms crossed and a stare down with Gallade having begun.

"And out first match looks to be a brutal beat down between ferocious Fighting-Types. However, Gallade has an added Psychic-Typing that might swing the match in Wally's favor. All we can do is sit and watch just how these two trainers will handle the battle," O'Martian's voice echoed out across the entire stadium.

"This match is over," Trip commented as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Looks like I'll be looking at a 1-0 disadvantage."

"Huh?" Dawn asked as she looked back and forth between the field and Trip. She was confused as to how the Unova native could make a call as big as that at this moment. "What makes you say that? The battle hasn't even begun!"

Trip opened his eyes as he stared off in Ash's direction. "Look at him. His body language says it all," Trip explained as they both looked over Ash's posture and mannerisms. They were still Ash-like, but like Trip mentioned, it felt off at the same time. "I warned him about his ego and then this happens. It reminds me too much of myself after winning the Junior Cup. I felt like I was more than powerful enough to defeat Alder, that no one in all of Unova could stop me. Then, that fantasy came crashing down and shattered like a house made of glass. But, that loss helped me become a better trainer."

"So you think Ash is going to lose?" Dawn asked as she placed a hand up towards her face due to her nervousness. Piplup and Pikachu appeared to be cheering for Ash from a little further down the seating area and couldn't hear Trip's words which made Dawn relieved.

"I think he has no chance. And unless he gets his head on right, we have no chance of winning this tournament at all," Trip said as he crossed his arms. Right at that moment, the two trainers both issued their first commands.

"Karate Chop!" Ash called out with excitement as Hawlucha sped forward. Taking no time to reach his opponent, Hawlucha jumped into the air and performed a front flip as his two forearms glowed white. Swinging them around, Hawlucha smashed them right into Gallade's chest as the Fighting and Psychic-Type slid backwards a few feet but appeared to be relatively unharmed. "Keep on the offensive! Continuous Karate Chops!"

"Quick, Gallade, parry them away from you!" Wally called out as his voice cracked a little. He hadn't been expecting a Hawlucha of all Pokémon. He was told it would be a Greninja. However, the young trainer knew he needed to give it everything he had.

"Gallade," the Blade Pokémon agreed as he raised his arms in front of his body. Moving swiftly, Gallade blocked each and every attack as the two Pokémon clashed against each other. Neither seemed to be making any progress as every time Hawlucha tried to strike, Gallade merely blocked the attack.

"Now, Gallade!" Wally called out as the Blade Pokémon surprised both Ash and Hawlucha by grabbing ahold of the Wrestling Pokémon's two arms. Giving a full toss, Hawlucha found himself flying right at the mountain of rocks on the field. It looked as though he was going to crash until Ash yelled out a command.

"Hawlucha, tuck and roll! Do a front flip in midair to straighten yourself out! Then push off the mountain and use it to strengthen your High Jump Kick!" Ash commanded as he raised a fist outwards towards the Fighting and Flying-Type. Hawlucha smirked at the command before performing the command.

Spinning through the air, Hawlucha managed to maneuver his body so that his feet were now facing the mountainside instead of his face. Soaring through the waterfall, Hawlucha disappeared from sight before splashing out of the waterfall. Drops of water dripped off of his feathers while his left knee glowed white. Catching Gallade off-guard, Hawlucha smashed his knee right into the Blade Pokémon's face and sent him skidding backwards before crashing into a few rocks.

"And Hawlucha manages to turn Gallade's own toss against him as he lands a powerful High Jump Kick! The feisty Fighting-Type packs a powerful wallop to his opponent! How will Gallade respond to this?" Freddy asked the crowd as the dust settled to show Gallade standing with barely a scratch on him.

"How?" Was all Ash could mutter out as he stared at Gallade. Hawlucha struck him head on and yet it did next to nothing! Well, he wasn't going to stand around and do nothing. They would have to keep Gallade on the defensive! "Hawlucha, continue with X-Scissor!"

Wally appeared to shake his head a little. Ash assumed it was due to nerves, but it was something else entirely. "I-I'm sorry, Ash...but it seems like y-you're getting sloppy," he explained while watching Hawlucha run across the field to get towards Ash. "Y-You shouldn't...you shouldn't judge us by our looks... Double Team!"

"Lade!" Within a split second, Gallade flashed white as copies of himself soon filled the surrounding area. Hawlucha was unable to change his direction and flew right through one of them before continuing right into the pile of rocks. Both Ash and Hawlucha were surprised by the command that they had no time to react to the next one.

"And now use Psycho Cut!" Wally commanded as the Blade Pokémon reached for the spike on his head. All of the copies repeated the action as the spike soon eradiated a purple energy. Swinging it forward, the blasts all crashed into the area where Hawlucha had been laying. Exploding on contact, rocks and water went flying everywhere as Hawlucha's body could be seen soaring across the field before crashing into the ground.

"Hawlucha!" Ash called out as the Wrestling Pokémon stood back up. He was panting heavily from the last attack but he wasn't ready to give up. They may have underestimated their opponent at first but now was their time to turn it around. "Get to the top of the waterfall! Survey the area and see what you can find!"

"Lucha," Hawlucha replied with a nod before he began leaping up the mountainside. Moving carefully as to not lose his footing on the slippery rocks. Once on top, Hawlucha noticed just how many copies of Gallade were still left. Dozens of copies filled the field as Hawlucha wondered what he could do to win.

Ash however had an idea in place already. "Now! Flying Press into the water! Give it all you've got!" Ash demanded as Hawlucha complied with the command. Leaping from the top of the mountain, Hawlucha spun in midair as his body glowed. Then, crashing into the water, Hawlucha watched as the water flowed all over the field like a tidal wave. Upon contact with the copies, the water managed to destroy them all and even push the real Gallade back a little.

"There it is! X-Scissor!" Ash yelled while punching a fist forward towards the field. Hawlucha didn't waste any time as he was already back on his feet and moving once more. Running right for Gallade, the Fighting and Flying-Type crossed his arms into an "x" shape while they glowed a light purple in color.

"Haw! Haw! Hawlucha!" The Wrestling Pokémon cried out as he smashed his two arms right into Gallade's chest. The attack seemed to harm Gallade quite a bit as fatigue began to kick in and scratch marks lined his chest.

Seeing this, Wally sighed a bit as he had been hoping to hold out on using it until later on. But, he couldn't risk anything at all. Grabbing a pendant around his neck, Wally touched a stone like object as light began to flash out of it. Upon that moment, Ash realized that it was a Keystone. Looking over at Gallade, Ash finally noticed a bracelet around Gallade's wrist.

"Gallade, Mega Evolve!" Wally's voice could be heard through the light. Once it had died down, Ash noticed that Gallade was now different. His chest was now white in color instead of the usual green and his arms grew in size as the blades appeared much stronger now. Also, a cape like appendix now flowed from Gallade's back as he stared down Hawlucha. "Gallade, get in close with Close Combat!"

"Gallade!" The Blade Pokémon cried out triumphantly before running right up to Hawlucha. Blinking, Ash barely had time to see Gallade appear before Hawlucha. With a swift punch to Hawlucha's chin, the Wrestling Pokémon was launched upwards. Now airborne, Gallade jumped high into the air after his opponent as his barrage of punches and kicks continued up there before punting Hawlucha into the ground.

Standing back up, Hawlucha showed off his fighter's spirit by not backing down. He was going to win no matter what. Raising his fists up to prepare for the next strike, the Wrestling Pokémon was surprised once more as a different command was called.

"Psycho Cut!"

Ash didn't know what to say. He had been completely off his usual game while battling and it had shown. Wally had told him he was sloppy and because of it he had put Hawlucha at a disadvantage. And now, he had no words to say as he stared in shock as the purple blade of energy came smashing down into Hawlucha. The Wresting Pokémon flew backwards, defeated from the blast upon contact. Ash knew it too as he watched the referee raise his arm into the air and make the call.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle! The winner of the first round is Gallade!"

"Amazing!" Freddy's voice could be heard as Ash recalled Hawlucha. "Once he Mega Evolved, Gallade was on a completely different level than Hawlucha. And not only that, but he managed to destroy his fellow Fighting-Type in just two hits! Two! Definitely not the opening battle we expected from Ash, hopefully he can turn it around before his next match!"

Ash just balled his fists at those words. It wasn't that Freddy was wrong, it was because Ash let it happen again. He was constantly falling into this egotistical trap of his, letting his mind tell him he was better than he was. And every time he thought he learned better, he fell for it again. Walking past his two teammates, Ash just glanced their way and muttered an answer.

"I'm going for a walk. I need some fresh air." And with that, Ash walked out of the stadium to the sound of thunderous applause for Wally. The boy Ash knew if he had been thinking clearly and used Greninja or Pikachu he could have beaten before Gallade Mega Evolved. But that was in the past. For now, Ash needed to clear his head.

* * *

 **And there's the end of the first round. Well, Ash lost which shouldn't be much of a surprise. Especially since where's the tension if they won the first match? Now Ash has to do a little thinking of why this always happens to him and hopefully he'll figure it all out soon. But, until then it's up to Trip to try and even out the match and send it to a tie breaker.**

 **So, quick little update (okay, two updates): First, you may have noticed that updates have slowed down a little. Well, that's due to school for me. Mid-terms just finished last week for me so I'm hoping to be back on track. But, some weeks might have fewer chapters or none at all since, well, school is more important to me than this story. Sorry, but it is what it is. But, the story will be finished and I'm doing my best to put out at least one chapter every week.**

 **And the 2** **nd** **update. I have an announcement coming around the first week of December about what I have planned next. But don't worry, this story is far from finished. So, just keep an eye out for anything.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	50. Blazing Battles for All

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash lost to Wally in a shocking upset and now the group is at a disadvantage being down 1-0.**

 **Ch 50: Blazing Battles for All!**

* * *

"Amazing! Wally from Team Mega manages to stun not only the crowd, but Ash Ketchum himself as the Vanquier Conference winner looks to be speechless as he stands down on the field!" Freddy cried out as the scoreboard gave one point to Team Mega. "How will Team Champions respond to this!?" Freddy asked before he noticed something strange down near the dugout for said team. "If my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, it seems as though Ash Ketchum is leaving his team and heading out of the stadium. Yes! That's exactly what he's doing! He's even leaving his trusty Pikachu behind as well! What could be going on down there with young Ketchum?"

The camera's all appeared to be on Ash now as the young trainer walked off of the field, leaving his team alone. He paid no attention to them however, he told Dawn and Trip what he was doing. He needed to think. He needed to think all by himself, and right now was the only chance he would get. Placing his hands in his pockets, Ash lowered his hat to cover his eyes as he made his way out of the stadium and back towards the Trainer's Village. Ash already had planned to drop his Pokémon off there for the day so that they would all be ready for tomorrow.

"Why do I always let this happen?" Ash muttered to himself as he walked by a few vendors on the street. He could have sworn they mentioned something about watching where he was going and he thought they used the word "twerp", but he didn't have the time or want to ask them. Walking along, Ash finally made it to the Pokémon Center inside of the Trainer's Village and dropped his Pokémon off with the resident Nurse Joy. Looking around the room, Ash noticed a few trainers who had stuck around playing with their Pokémon. The sight made Ash smile only to realize that he had a lot of work to do. Hearing the sound of a TV, Ash turned to look at the screen, unaware of two people watching him from afar.

"And now we'll begin the second portion of our opening round matchup between Team Mega and Team Champion!" Freddy's voice boomed out of the TV as Ash saw Trip standing across from Alain, both trainers staring the other down. It appeared as though the duo were going to be battling it out on the grass field, possibly to Trip's advantage. Though, Ash knew Alain was going to be a hard matchup no matter what advantage Trip held. "And both trainers are selecting their Pokémon as we speak! How will the grass field affect their selections?"

"Okay, Serperior, let's go!" Trip called out as he tossed his Poké Ball onto the field. The capture device opened up to reveal none other than Trip's most trusted partner as the Grass-Type slithered on the field before coiling itself up and facing towards Alain.

"I thought you'd go with Serperior," Alain replied as he felt for the group of Poké Balls strapped to his belt before picking one out to use. "I could go with Charizard right away, but it's best to save him for later on. Bisharp, let's go!" With a toss of the Poké Ball, the Steel and Dark-Type emerged on the field with a look of determination on his face as he stared down Serperior.

Ash was surprised to see a Bisharp being used by Alain since it wasn't one of the six used during their match in the Kalos League. Realizing that Alain more than likely had other Pokémon besides the team he last used against Ash, the Pallet Town native was surprised to see the two trainers off and moving.

"Bisharp, start off with Focus Blast!" Alain called out coolly as he placed one hand on his hip while the other hung free by his side. He didn't really have much interest in this match at all since it wasn't going to be against Ash, so it was best to just finish it quickly and then be on their way.

"Bisharp!" The Sword Blade Pokémon cried out happily before cupping his hands together. As the yellow orb of energy began to form, Bisharp was already launching it forward at his opponent.

"Serperior, counter with Dragon Tail! Send that orb right back to its sender!" Trip yelled out as he watched the orb skid across the ground, ripping up the field before rising into the air and straight for the Grass-Type's chest. Moving swiftly, Serperior readjusted his body while his tail was now glowing green and had scales over it. Swinging across his body like with a baseball bat, Serperior hit a line drive right for Bisharp and both trainer and Pokémon watched on.

"Catch it and then crush it," Alain ordered as he threw an open palm forward before turning it into a fist. Nodding, Bisharp raised his two hands in front of his body and braced himself for the attack. Crashing into Bisharp's hands, the Focus Blast appeared to be pushing the Sword Blade Pokémon backwards until his hands managed to curl around the sphere and crush it into sparkling particles.

Trip and Serperior weren't shocked at all. From what they read, they expected Alain to be stronger than possibly anyone they had ever faced when excluding Alder. However, they were still on the move and launched their next attack. "Now, Serperior, continue our Dragon Tail!"

The Grass Snake Pokémon then slithered down across the field as his tail remained glowing. Moving faster than Alain expected, Serperior was already in front of Bisharp before trainer or Pokémon could properly react. With a swift flick of his tail, Serperior launched Bisharp across the field until the Dark and Steel-Type skidded to a stop on his stomach.

Alain smirked at the prospect of this battle since he wasn't expecting Serperior to pack this much of a punch. But, Alain wasn't worried at all, Bisharp was more than enough to handle this. Alain watched as Bisharp stood back up and issued a short, but to the point, command. "Focus Blast, once more! Rapid Fire!"

"Sharp! Bi, bisharp!" The Sword Blade Pokémon cried out loudly as he cupped his hands together. Forming the sphere in his hands, Bisharp fired off the first attack as the next orb of energy began to form.

Slithering out of the way of the first Focus Blast, Serperior was met with a second to his face. Shaking off the pain, the Grass-Type looked over to see his opponent constantly charging up the attack right as he managed to duck a third blast. "Perior! Ser, serperior!" He panted out while dodging all of the attacks. Every now and then, one of the Focus Blasts would hit the Grass Snake Pokémon only for him to recover from the pain and continue on.

" _This is no good! If we keep playing defensively then Serperior will be too tired out to launch a counterattack,"_ Trip thought to himself while watching both Serperior and Bisharp. The former was sweating a bit while panting heavily while the latter appeared to be just fine as he fired off another Focus Blast. Looking around the field, Trip tried to find anything he could to use to his advantage but there wasn't much, if anything, at all. "We're not falling behind. We're not losing this match," he muttered through grit teeth as he clenched his fists. Seeing an opening, Trip decided to risk it. "Frenzy Plant, let's go, Serperior!"

"Serrrrrperrriorr!" The Grass-Type screamed loudly as he slithered underneath a Focus Blast before slamming his tail into the field. A swarm of vines emerged as the entire field was now covered in them much to Alain's short burst of shock. Watching as the vines shot forward, Alain just smirked.

"Bisharp, use the vines as a bridge to Serperior! Then use Iron Head!" He called out while throwing his hand out to the side. He knew that his Bisharp was different than others of the species. His was a lot more flexible and faster on his feet which was shown as the Sword Blade Pokémon bended over backwards to dodge the first vine before jumping up onto the second approaching one and began to run down it.

"Amazing folks, Alain has used Trips own attack as a way to reach Serperior! Will the Unova native be able to counter Alain's current plan or is it going to be an early night for Team Champions?" Freddy asked as all eyes in the stadium were glued on Bisharp who was maneuvering through the vines.

"Sharp... Bisharp. Bis!" The Dark and Steel-Type cried out as he ducked, swung and sliced his way through the horde. Once within striking distance, Bisharp's entire head began to glow a dark silver as he just ran right through the vines by that point.

"Just like we expected," Trip muttered as he took a picture of Bisharp running through the vines. His response appeared to shock Alain who flinched for a split second from the words. Looking up at Alain, Trip smirked at his fellow trainer. "Serperior and I expected you to take the battle to us if we could clog up the field. And it was just what we wanted to happen. Now! Glare! Then follow it up with Dragon Tail!"

Serperior reared his head forward as they glowed a dark red before a bright light flashed straight ahead and smashed right into the rampaging Bisharp. Running through the light, Bisharp appeared to slow down for a split second as sparks of electricity could be seen flowing across his body.

"Oh no!" Alain said as he realized Bisharp had been paralyzed. Watching, Bisharp appeared to stall for a second as he couldn't move only to be smacked across the face with Serperior's tail. Sliding across the now vine covered field, Bisharp came to a rest near the top of one of the said vines. "Bisharp, you need to get up! I know there's more in you!"

"S-Sharp," Bisharp replied shakily as he stood back up, arms hanging in front of his body. The Dark and Steel-Type was now beginning to pant from exhaustion and Alain knew that he needed to end this and fast! However, Trip was still on the attack.

"Try to keep up! We knew we needed to change the pace of this battle! Bisharp is too strong to allow you two to attack as you pleased. So, we had to lure you into a trap!" Trip explained while throwing an open palm out towards Serperior. "And now you'll see what we can do! Serperior Leaf Storm!"

"Look at Serperior move! If you thought it was fast before, watch as he slithers across the vines to approach Bisharp! I've never seen someone turn a field into such an advantage as Trip did today, folks," Freddy narrated as the Grass Snake Pokémon did as he explained.

Now in front of Bisharp, Serperior whipped his tail around as a swarm of leaves formed at the tip. Launching them forward, Bisharp soon found himself caught in a cyclone of leaves and was unable to break free. Being pelted by the harsh leaves, Bisharp did his best to endure the attack and it looked like Trip was going to win until everyone heard Alain chuckle.

"It was a good combo from you, Trip," Alain began as he gave the boy a real smile. He enjoyed the battle with him, but it was time to end it. "But, you're not the only one to study up on your opponents. Serperior is your top Pokémon and there is plenty of information on him. And so, when I found out we would be facing off I realized Bisharp here would be the best choice. The longer the battle lasts, the higher your chances of winning usually are thanks to Glare paralyzing your opponents. But we've got our own move!" Alain yelled out as he pumped his fists by his sides as they shook a little with excitement.

"Bisharp, Thunder Wave now!"

Raising his arm slightly, Bisharp released a small electrical pulse from it. The attack seemed to do nothing, but in fact the electricity swirled into the cyclone of leaves and made its way back down to the origin, shocking Serperior with it.

"No way! I never expected a Thunder Wave!" Trip called out in shock as Serperior appeared to be immobilized by the paralysis. Electrical sparks flew from his body as both trainer and Pokémon watched Bisharp fall right for them, now free from the Leaf Storm.

"Time to end this!" Alain called out as he threw an open palm forward before his curled into a fist. "Guillotine!"

"Guillotine!?" Trip called back in shock. He couldn't let that move land if he wanted to win this. "Block it with Dragon Tail!"

Serperior nodded as his tail glowed green and was raised in front of his body, they were going to go down fighting no matter what. Looking up at his descending opponent, Serperior watched as the blades on Bisharp's arms grew in size and glowed a sliver in color as the two attacks collided against each other.

Sparks flew as both Pokémon were holding onto their last bits of strength for this final bout. It would most likely decide the battle and all four participating knew it as well. Looking to be a stalemate, luck was not on Trip's side as Serperior flinched for a split second due to his paralysis and lowered his tail in that time. It was all Bisharp needed however as the Sword Blade Pokémon sliced right across Serperior's body before escaping the jungle created by the vines. An explosion soon occurred as Serperior felt the after effects of the move and fainted immediately.

"Serperior is unable to battle! The winner is Bisharp!" The referee declared as both trainers recalled their Pokémon back to their Poké Balls. "And with this victory, Team Mega has won the round and Match!"

"Amazing folks, with a surprising upset in the first match, Team Mega jumped out to a quick lead that they wouldn't let go of no matter what Trip tried to do. In the end, Alain was just too much for the young Unova native," Freddy stated as the two teams left the field to make way for the next battle. "We'll be taking an hour intermission now to prepare the field for the next two teams and their matchup! Until then please enjoy yourselves around the compound grounds!"

Ash let out a slight sigh as he watched the TV go to a commercial. Trip lost, something Ash had a feeling would happen since it took everything Ash had to beat Alain. And that was after losing to him three times prior. Though, Ash knew he couldn't blame Trip at all, it was his fault for putting them in that deficit to begin with. If only he had used his head. Putting his hands in his pockets again, Ash walked out of the Pokémon Center and into the slightly crowded streets.

"So, that's the boy Giovanni wants taken care of?" A man with messy blonde hair and a rather big build asked as he removed his binoculars from his face. He was dressed in a gray, sleeveless, vest that had a large red "R" across the front. The vest was unzipped, showing a blue muscle shirt underneath. He had on matching gray pants and also wore sunglasses on his face. "Doesn't look like much of a problem."

"You may be right, Attila, but if Giovanni wants him gone then he must be important," the man now known as Attila's partner stated. He was slightly shorter than Attila, just reaching where Attila's nose was. He had gray hair that flowed down the side of his face and his neck along with two tufts that stuck out near the top of his head. He was dressed in the same exact outfit only his top was a normal Team Rocket outfit with a long-sleeved blue undershirt underneath it. While Attila appeared to be ready to pounce, his partner seemed much more calm and patient. Sighing, he opened his mouth to speak to Attila.

"Attila, we shouldn't underestimate him. Remember that boy in Johto?"

Attila appeared to let out a light growl of annoyance from that as he slowly recovered from that short annoyance. "We were caught off guard by that brat and his two friends, Hun. No way can this pipsqueak beat us if he's alone and surprised. We should jump him now and take care of business."

Picking up his binoculars, Hun looked through them and watched as Ash made his way around the grounds. Hun didn't seem to be as visibly annoyed by that failure but he too was upset at having lose Raikou all those years ago. "Still... something about him just makes me think we should be careful with him. Besides, there's too many people around. We'll tail him for now."

The duo then jumped down from the roof they had been standing on, landing in the group of people. Blending in, they watched as Ash barely avoided bumping into a vendor due to the crowd.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," Ash could be heard apologizing as he turned around to look at the person he bumped into. To his shock, the vendor was actually someone he recognized from the past. "Nick!? What are you doing here?"

Standing before Ash was none other than said boy as he was dressed in a black shirt with a picture of a rocket ship on the front and was holding a tray full of food to sell. "Yeah, I figured I'd run into all of you at one point," the young boy said while letting off a light laugh. As he did so, Ash noticed at his newer appearance. His hair appeared to be unkempt as it was longer and all over the place. There also appeared to be a few scars on his face and Ash noticed that Nick's glasses also looked to be taped up.

"You see, I'm actually here for the tournament. Professor Elm had actually come up to visit me during the middle of my personal training to tell me about it. He figured that it would be a good way to see how much I improved since beginning my training. That, and he mentioned something about it being good to interact with other people. Whatever that meant," Nick explained while shrugging his shoulders in confusion. Still couldn't wrap his mind around what Professor Elm meant by that last comment.

Ash just sighed as he looked at the boy rubbing the back of his head. Ash assumed had an idea at what exactly Professor Elm meant by that last comment, but couldn't bring himself to explain it. Instead, he decided to steer the conversation back towards his original intention. "No, I meant it as in why are you out here selling food?"

"Oh that," the young trainer replied as he stared at the box of food he was selling before scratching his cheek. "Yeah about that... You see, I already explained how I came out here to compete in the tournament. Unfortunately, my team was beaten by this super powerful trainer. I didn't even have time to see who he was, just that his Drapion destroyed all of my team. All I remember is rounding the corner and then boom! Pin Missile hits Eevee, a Flamethrower strikes my teammates Fraxure and then a Thunderbolt took down my last teammates Glalie," he explained while using his hands as a way to help paint a better picture.

"And the funny thing is, they didn't even take our coins. They just beat us and left. Too bad the rules stated we were out though. We were only a couple streets away from qualifying as well." Ash just continued to stare in confusion as he waited for Nick to explain why he was selling food of all things, however, the thought appeared to not be in the front of his mind as he finished talking about the preliminaries.

"So, then, I decided to book a plane ticket back to Johto for after this week, only to see my Trainer's Account is empty. I'm completely broke at this point. Professor Elm offered to pay for my ticket but I can't do that to the man. Instead, I found these three nice vendors who needed a hand. They worked for this outer space themed café and since they were willing to pay top bucks I said yes!"

Ash just looked on with a confused look. Why wouldn't Nick have booked a round ticket instead of paying for two separate ones? Better question though was; why wouldn't he get new glasses first? Those looked to be ready to break into so many pieces he wouldn't be able to tape them back together. Ash was about to respond to Nick's lengthy explanation when he heard someone yelling. Turning his head, the Pallet Town native noticed a man with blue hair, a woman with magenta hair and a shorter man with brown curly hair who were all dressed the same way as Nick was.

"Oh, those three are my bosses. They never told me their names, but they promised me a check at the end of the tournament. Though," he began to say before moving closer to Ash and whispering, "don't tell the short one, but I think he might be bald. I've noticed that his hair is actually a wig." Smiling, Nick politely bowed to the best of his ability without spilling any food before turning back towards the stadium. "I'd love to talk some more, Ash, but I've got to sell, sell, sell!"

Ash was silent. He was starting to think that Bonnie might be right about him being an idiot after all. Especially with the fact he didn't even get his bosses names or a secure way to get the money before accepting the job. Shrugging it off, Ash looked at the stadium as he could hear the sounds of cheering fans flowing out of it. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Ash could hear an explosion occur, signaling that the next match must have begun.

* * *

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen as we're back from our short intermission. Next up are two teams that'll surely have all of you sitting on the edge of your seats. On one side we have the calm, collected, and looking like early favorites: Team Victory!" A spotlight shined down onto one of the two dugouts as images of Paul, Hugh, and Astrid appeared up on the screen while the crowd cheered in delight.

"And opposing them is a team that might not know the meaning of teamwork based on the prelims. Though I will say they're gritty and don't back done from a fight. Led by Lumiose City's very own hero, please welcome Team Lightning!" Just as it had for Team Victory, a spotlight flashed on Lightning's dugout only to show Clemont and Blaziken Mask in the center and Remo off on the end of the bench to himself. It appeared as though he was upset over something. "Now then, we all know the rules to this tournament and let's get the first action packed battle up and running!"

"I don't see why I'm sitting this one out," Remo muttered in an annoyed tone from his end of the bench. Throwing his hands behind his head, he let out an annoyed sigh before turning his head towards the field. "I'd be able to carry us all the way to victory. Garchoo and I are plenty strong enough to handle these two."

"You may or may not be, but that isn't the point," Blaziken Mask stated in response as he stood up, gripping a Poké Ball in his hand. "You nearly cost us during the preliminaries. Because of that, the team has agreed to not have you battle this round. Hopefully it teaches you something."

"Yeah, it'll show just how weak you two are in comparison to myself," Remo shot back as both Clemont and Blaziken Mask shook their heads in disbelief. "Believe me, neither of you two will win."

There was no reply at all. Instead, Blaziken Mask just walked forward as he made his way out to battlefield as he was opposed by his opponent, Paul. "Best of luck to you," he said in a friendly manner to the young boy as he tossed his Poké Ball out onto the field. Appearing from it was none other than his trusty Blaziken. Landing onto a field that looked more like a city, houses filled the entire field except for the exact center which was a courtyard with a large clock rising up above the field.

Paul merely scoffed at the remark as he already gripped a Poké Ball in his hand. "Thanks, but I won't be the one needing any luck. Torterra, stand by for battle!" With a quick toss, Paul' Poké Ball soon emerged to reveal the large Grass and Ground-Type.

"And opening up our first battle of the second match is none other than Blaziken and Torterra. Both Pokémon are seen as quite the powerful battlers but with them battling it out on the city field, will Torterra's lack of movement effect Paul?" Freddy O'Martian asked as he noticed both trainers had already issued their first commands.

Blaziken began with a powerful Flamethrower as the blast appeared to be heading right for the stationary Torterra only for Paul to call for a Stone Edge and using them as a shield to block out the encroaching flames. Once the Fire-Type attack died out, Torterra quickly launched the floating stones right at his opponent.

"Blaziken, dodge to your left and then blast the rest with a Flamethrower!" Blaziken Mask ordered as the Fire and Fighting-Type rolled to his left as the first batch of stones flew right by him and disappeared into the surrounding parts of the field.

Opening his mouth, the Blaze Pokémon let out a cry before a stream of fire erupted from his mouth. Launching it to his side, Blaziken and his trainer watched on as the flames crashed into the attacking stones and pushed them right into one of the building. The threat appeared to be over, but in fact was only getting started.

Sensing a shift in the wind, Blaziken Mask quickly threw an open palm outwards towards his partner. "Quick, heat up with Flare Blitz! More stones are coming from your southeast!" And right as he issued the command, the remaining Stone Edge began to fly out of an alleyway and right for Blaziken.

"Blaziiii... Kennnn!" Blaziken yelled out as his entire body was consumed in the outstanding flames. Upon contact with Blaziken's now lit body, the Stone Edge attack melted from the heat Blaziken eradiated.

"So, you picked up on our real plan. I'll have to give it to you. You're not just any trainer," Paul stated, a small smirk on his face. Not many could pick up on the fact that Torterra had been trained to control his Stone Edge attack in a way he could change directions. Paul had to admit, if everyone he faced in this tournament were of equal ability of this man than it would be quite the interesting event. "Why don't we kick it up a notch now? Torterra, Frenzy Plant wide range!"

"Wide range?" Blaziken Mask repeated to himself as he watched the Continent Pokémon let out a mighty roar before glowing green. He knew something wasn't going to end well and that he had to get Blaziken out of there. "Blaziken, get to higher ground! Use the clock tower in the center as leverage."

"Blaziken!" The Flame Pokémon grunted as he used his legs to thrust himself into the air. Performing a front flip, Blaziken came to a perfect landing on top of the clock tower and watched with folded arms as Torterra slammed his front legs into the ground.

Blaziken Mask also watched on in confusion. He was too busy trying to understand what Paul's "wide range" comment meant that he was completely shocked once he saw the attack unfold. Large vines, even bigger than the ones Serperior summoned, soon encompassed the entire field as the buildings were destroyed. Only planks of wood and siding remained from them, but the attack didn't end there. Instead, the vines began to intertwine as they formed one giant extension of the attack before launching itself at Blaziken.

"Quick, dodge it, Blaziken! Jump skywards and then launch a Flamethrower!" The command was swift and simple for the duo. Jumping with precision, Blaziken avoided the giant vine as it crashed into the clock tower and destroyed it before shooting upwards at Blaziken. The Fire and Fighting-Type was ready however, launching off his Fire-Type move with marksmen accuracy. The flames soon consumed the encroaching vine before causing it to disintegrate and leave them with an opening to strike.

* * *

"This is going great," Clemont stated while looking at the situation. Blaziken was now fast approaching Torterra with a Blaze Kick attack and it looked to be a direct hit for them. "Blaziken is too fast for Torterra to hit him with anything. Plus, his Fire-Type attacks are making his attacks useless."

"I wouldn't be celebrating just yet," Remo answered as he stole a glance at Clemont. The inventor appeared slightly confused by the comment but watched on with encouragement. "It's all part of a larger plan by Paul. Look, the entire field is destroyed now. Blaziken has nowhere to run for the next attack and he's also becoming visibly fatigued from constant dodging. He's got to finish this match up fast before Paul gets his opening."

Clemont listened to the trainer's words before looking at the field. He was right. Every single piece of coverage had been leveled in the Frenzy Plant attack and now the entire field was just an open battleground. Clemont then heard the loud smack of Blaze Kick smashing into Torterra's head and thought he heard a slight laugh from Paul.

"That was a great counter, if it was actually one," the Sinnoh native replied as he let out a small sigh. Narrowing his eyes, Paul turned all of his focus towards Blaziken. "You see, look at the situation now. You're right where I want you to be! Stone Edge!"

"Torrrrr... Terra!" The Grass and Ground-Type shouted out before a swarm of stones emerged from his back. Blaziken was still in the middle of bouncing back onto his feet after landing the previous attack when the stones all crashed into his body and knocked him backwards. Getting back onto his feet, Blaziken was met with a second round as the Stone Edge attack circled back around and struck him in the back.

Gritting his teeth together, Blaziken Mask watched on as the never ending barrage seemed to destroy Blaziken as his panting increased. Nodding to himself, the plate on his belt opened up to reveal his Keystone inside of it. "I was hoping to avoid this, but it looks to be necessary." Touching the stone, Blaziken Mask called out to his partner.

"Blaziken, Mega Evolve!" The light then began to shine off of both of their stones and Paul saw his opening.

"Torterra, Frenzy Plant, max power!"

"He's attacking when Blaziken is Mega Evolving?" Astrid asked as she covered her eyes from the bright light. It seemed crazy to do such a thing, especially since the move probably wouldn't work with them being unable to see.

Hugh just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He may not have seen this Mega Evolution phenomenon until coming to Kalos, but he still didn't know what the big deal about them were. "It's just like any other battle. Why allow your opponent time to rest? Paul's going on the offensive."

"But he can't see, the light is too blinding," Astrid countered as she looked over at her teammate who was sitting in the dugout instead of standing up cheering for Paul. "There's no way they'll land an attack."

Hugh shrugged his shoulders as the light began to die down. "Who said he was going to attack while blinded?" As if to answer his question, the light finally vanished as Mega-Blaziken stood in the spot where Blaziken had been moments ago. However, the Mega Evolution didn't have any time to grow accustomed to the battle as a horde of vines appeared all around him.

Astrid let out a slight gasp of excitement as she looked at the field now. Paul had used the blinding light to set up his next move, not attack, and now he had Mega-Blaziken surrounded. "That's brilliant!" She cried out in excitement as she watched Mega-Blaziken jump to avoid one of the vines.

"Blaze?" The Fire and Fighting-Type could be heard asking himself as there were no buildings to land on to help him avoid the next attack. Instead, he was soon met with a vine right to his face that sent him skyrocketing into the ground. Quickly rolling out of the way of another vine, Mega-Blaziken had an opening at Torterra and decided to take it.

"Good eye, Blaziken! Now, Flare Blitz!" Blaziken Mask commanded as the Flame Pokémon's body was consumed in flames before racing towards Torterra. Everyone could notice that his movements were now slower from his fatigue and Blaziken Mask slowly cursed himself for not Mega Evolving him sooner.

"That won't work either," Paul taunted as the vines quickly formed a shield for Torterra, shocking everyone in the stands. Mega-Blaziken had no time to stop his movements and crashed right into the shield before bouncing off of it due to its strength. Slowly getting up, Blaziken tried to dodge the next vine but soon found himself caught in its tightening grip.

Paul stood there with a blank expression as he watched the last of the battle unfold as Mega Blaziken grew tired from the crushing attack. Ordering Torterra to drop the Flame Pokémon onto the ground as he reverted back into his base form.

"Blaziken is unable to battle! The winner is Torterra!" The referee declared as the vines all retracted back into Torterra before both trainers recalled their Pokémon.

"Amazing! Quite the fast-paced, action packed battle from this one!" O'Martian commented as the scoreboard was updated to give Team Victory a single point before becoming blank once more for the final battle. "How will Team Lighting respond to that tough loss in the first round? Or will Team Victory make sure to stomp down on anything before it can form?"

Paul began to turn back towards his team but stopped as he heard someone calling out to him. Turning back towards the field, Paul saw his opponent with a smile on his face. "Young man, that was quite the exhilarating experience for the both of us. You definitely got me there with your 'wide range' attack. Let's have another all-out battle sometime. Alright?"

"It's a deal," Paul replied as he let a light smile on his face before turning back towards his teammates with a blank expression. He was then met with a surprise as Astrid gave him a friendly tap on back as she smiled at him.

"That was amazing out there! How exactly did Torterra manage to control both Stone Edge and Frenzy Plant like that? I've never seen someone be so in sync with their Pokémon to be able to battle like that," she said, excitement in her voice as she followed Paul back towards the dugout to sit down.

"It's simple," Paul answered in a normal voice. "Torterra has been through years of constant training and a few years back we managed to get to the point where he felt Stone Edge as an extension of his body. Now, it's the same way with Frenzy Plant. Thanks to it, we're able to use them both in new ways."

Hugh just watched from his end with a smirk. The two looked like they would be at this for a while considering Paul had barely spoken any words to Hugh himself since becoming a team. Most of the time the duo were talking about training ideas and strategy for the tournament. "Well, I guess since you two are preoccupied I'll go battle," he commented but only received a slight look of annoyance from Astrid as Paul merely shrugged, not picking up on what Hugh meant. They had agreed that Astrid was going to battle in the second spot, but that wasn't happening now. Looking across the now beach themed field, Hugh watched as Clemont stood up and was talking to his teammates. _"Show me what you're made of Lumiose Gym Leader."_

" _Here goes nothing,"_ Clemont thought as he couldn't help but have some feeling inside of him telling him there was something going on. He noticed that Freddy wasn't commentating as much and even when he stole a quick glance from the Champions they had all looked a little worried. Almost as if something terrible occurred. Knowing that there was nothing he could do at the moment, Clemont pushed those thoughts to the furthest part of his mind that he could and focused on the battle. _"I'm going to win this. Not just for my team, but for Clembot and the Lumiose Gym."_

The two trainers made their way out onto the field as they exchanged a friendly glare with each other. Last time didn't end in the way Clemont had wanted and it was time to show Hugh just what he was made of. It seemed as though both trainers had been waiting for this as their glares quickly changed into smirks.

"So, did you finally take over as the Gym Leader, or do you still allow your duties to fall onto others?" Hugh asked as he picked through his Poké Balls until he found the one he was looking for. "I'm hoping you've grown stronger since our last battle. Otherwise this won't be much of a match."

"Don't you worry, Hugh. I've grown plenty from my training. And I see no problems with allowing Clembot to run the Gym while I'm away. He is just as much the Gym Leader as I am in my eyes. Together, we make an outstanding team," Clemont replied back as he picked out his Poké Ball and enlarged it in his hand. "And I'll show you with this battle."

"Go right ahead. I'm waiting," Hugh replied as he tossed out his Poké Ball first. "Go, Liepard!" the Dark-Type landed onto the field with a light thud as some sand was kicked up by the sudden impact. Looking on with interest, Liepard reminded Clemont of his trainer perfectly.

Fixing his glasses, Clemont let out a light chuckle before gripping his Poké Ball. "I figured you would choose Liepard. So, I figured a rematch was in store. Manectric, I need your assistance!" The capture device then opened up as the Electric-Type landed on the field.

"Maneccc..." he growled out upon making eye contact with his opponent. Liepard on the other hand looked to be quite calm as he stared down Manectric. The two Pokémon had a score to settle from last time.

"Alright, Manectric, let's show them how much we've grown!" Clemont called out as Manectric looked ready to pounce at Liepard. The duo both had the same look in their eyes and they would not lose, no matter what. "Start off with Thunder!"

"Manec!" The Discharge Pokémon yelled as his body flowed with electricity. However, just as Meyer had helped them with, all of the electricity flowed to one spot on Manectric; the tip of his head. Then, once fully charged in only a few seconds, Manectric let the attack fly as the bolt of electricity flew across the field as it left a burnt mark across the sandy field as it approached Liepard. Before the Dark-Type could dodge, the surge of electricity was already flowing through his own body.

"So, you've gotten better," Hugh muttered as he placed one hand in his pocket while smirking. "That's good. I need to make sure you don't get too rusty. But, you'll have to do better! Now Liepard, Double Team and then go into Dark Pulse!"

"Manectric, time to get moving! Use your own Double Team and then use our new move! Signal Beam!" Clemont called out at the exact same moment as Hugh did.

The two Pokémon both flashed white for a split second before copies of themselves filled the entire field. Water splashed as some copies landed in the water and the sand rustled under their feet. It looked like two armies were ready to face off as both sides charged up their beams. Purple and black erupted from Liepard's mouth while a streaky pink beam flew from Manectric. The two armies made up of copies all launched their own beams as all the attacks collided in the center of the field and erupted into one large explosion.

Sand kicked up and water splurged all over the field as all of the copies were destroyed in the explosion. Manectric and Liepard weren't safe from any damage either as the duo were both thrown backwards as Liepard landed in the water while Manectric crashed into one of the palm trees that were scattered all about. Both Pokémon were able to get back up, but Liepard was faster in his recovery and both Hugh and Clemont knew it.

"That was quite the showing, but if you can't recover in time then there's a problem! Liepard get in close with Night Slash!"

"Lie!" The Cruel Pokémon cried out as he leapt from the water and back onto the sandy beach. Racing across the field, Liepard's front two claws turned black before being covered in an aura. By the time Liepard attacked, Manectric didn't even see it coming. With a quick slash of his claws, Liepard landed his attack before going in for a second attack.

Clemont however was prepared for the second one and had Manectric react accordingly. Throwing a hand forward, Clemont yelled out his idea. "Alright, Manectric, drop onto your stomach and then use Headbutt!"

"Ectric, tric," Manectric replied as he managed to duck underneath the incoming claw as some sand was kicked up into the air. Liepard couldn't stop his claw and instead got it wedged into the palm tree. Unable to move, Liepard struggled to free his claw but immediately stopped once an atrocious pain filled his body.

Looking at the scene before him, Hugh could only watch as Manectric continued his Headbutt attack on his trapped partner. There didn't seem to be anything he could do to help and instead they would have to improvise.

"Kick him with your hind legs!" Hugh ordered as Liepard jumped into the air and kicked the approaching Manectric backwards and into the palm tree, freeing himself thanks to the impact. Now with his claw free from the tree, Liepard slashed forward once more as Manectric was knocked off to the side.

"Manectric, are you alright?" Clemont asked as the Electric-Type got back up and looked down Liepard. Manectric was just getting started as this battle was far from over. Electricity began to spark all over his body as his excitement for the battle only increased the longer it was happening.

"Manec!" He replied before a low growl escaped through his mouth. He was tired, but had more than enough strength in him to keep going. Maybe not for a lot longer, but enough to win.

"Alright, then it looks like we'll have to end this match right now!" Clemont replied as the Discharge Pokémon nodded in agreement. "We'll put everything we have into this one final attack."

"So, you're growing tired as well," Hugh replied as he looked over at Liepard, who was panting heavily from all the constant attacks that came from the duo. "I'll say this though. You battled just as I expected. And I find it funny how it's come down to how our first battle ended."

"Yeah, it's been fun battling you, Hugh. Perhaps we can have another battle sometime later on," Clemont replied as the two trainers didn't break their eye contact at all. "Okay, Manectric, let's give them our strongest Thunder!"

"Well, we'll just have to give you our strongest attack as well," Hugh shot back as the two trainers smirked at each other in excitement. "Liepard, Hyper Beam!

"Manec!"

"Pard!"

The two Pokémon charged up their respective attacks as the field around them began to shake from the power they were radiating alone. The sand around Manectric began to turn black, having been burnt from the electricity he was building up. Likewise, the water Liepard was standing in began to shake vigorously as Liepard's Hyper Beam charged up.

"Liepard!" The Cruel Pokémon roared out as he fired off the large beam attack. Ripping through the sand, the Hyper Beam left a trench in the sand as it flew straight for Manectric. The Discharge Pokémon wasn't worried however, instead, he launched off his Thunder attack, scorching the nearby palm trees as the blast flew right by the Hyper Beam and crashed into Liepard at the exact same moment that Manectric was struck by the Hyper Beam.

An explosion soon followed as the force from it knocked both trainers onto their rear ends. Getting back up, Clemont fought against the powerful winds to keep his balance but had difficulty as it kept pushing him backwards. Hugh likewise was having difficulty as the wind pushed him back and continued to blow his hair into his face. Both trainers used all of their strength to push forward as the wind slowly died down. And to their surprise, both Pokémon were still standing.

"I knew we could handle it, Liepard! Now, let's finish them off while they're still shocked!" Hugh said while placing his left hand on his hip. Most of the field was now just a pile of black sand as the palm trees were now broken and snapped while the water had mostly spilled onto the sand. "Dark Pulse, let's go!" He yelled out, arms raised at his sides.

"Manectric and I won't allow that to happen! Use Signal Beam once more!" Clemont countered as he threw his right hand forward with intensity. Both of their Pokémon were panting heavily and it was a surprise at this point that neither had fainted.

"Amazing folks! The intensity of this battle is rocking the entire stadium after that last clash!" Freddy's voice echoed throughout the entire stadium as the fans grew excited. "And even after taking their strongest attacks head on, both Pokémon are still going at it. You can see their unwavering spirits and passion burning bright down there!"

"Man... ec..." Manectric grunted out as his hind legs gave way. Now on just his front legs, Manectric charged up his attack first as the pink, streaky beam launched across the field. Liepard was quick to dodge however and rolled to the left to avoid the blast before firing his own attack.

"Lie... Pardddd!" He practically screamed out as the Dark Pulse flew across the sand. Tearing up the remaining portion of the field left, both trainers were surprised to see the concrete base for the field. They didn't even realize that it had gotten that intense at one point.

" _This isn't good! Manectric can't move and that blast is coming fast. We've got to stop it somehow, but an attack at this range would only hurt us,"_ Clemont thought while running all different scenarios through his mind. There weren't many options to choose from however. He could try to attack, dodge in some way or to hope Manectric could tank the attack. Gambling his chances, Clemont decided to try something else. "Manectric, drop onto your stomach and roll to the right! Then attack with Signal Beam!"

"Mane! Manec!" The Discharge Pokémon barked out as he rolled to the right and was now propped up by one of the broken trees. Using it to help him aim, Manectric charged up his Thunder attack which surprised Clemont since he hadn't ordered that move. Likewise, Hugh was surprised to see Liepard charging up his Hyper Beam.

"So, it ends here. I'm really not surprised that these two have formed this rivalry. Even with their short time knowing each other, they were thrown into battles against each other and immediately tried to prove the other wrong," Hugh muttered as he watched Liepard's front legs give out on the Dark-Type. Both Pokémon were barely conscious but neither was willing to concede defeat to the other. And Hugh had to smile at this sight, it was just the challenge from a Gym Leader he had been looking for. One that would push him to new heights.

"It's been fun," Clemont muttered to himself while fixing his glasses. He wasn't too surprised at how the battle turned out, especially since these two were equals the last time they fought. A smile soon found its way onto Clemont's face as a light chuckle escaped. "Hugh! Thank you for the battle! I haven't felt this thrill in a long while and it's just a feeling that I can't explain in words. I wish this could continue on for a while longer, but that isn't the case. Just promise that whoever wins, there's no hard feelings from the loser!"

"Yeah," Hugh replied with a smile of his own forming. He too had a chuckle escape from his mouth as the two Pokémon launched their respective attacks before having them collide right in the center of the field.

The two blasts managed to merge together into one giant ball of white light as the energy being radiated from it could be felt by not only Hugh and Clemont, but by their respective teammates inside of their dugouts as well. Reaching its breaking point, the sphere exploded as both trainers were thrown from their sides of the field and landed closely to their dugouts.

"Manectric!"

"Liepard!" Both trainers cried out in concern as the strength of the blast made it impossible for them to get back up to the field. They both could have sworn they heard a thud noise before being knocked backwards, but neither knew if it had been their own partner or their opponent. And so, upon the moment that the light died down, both trainers rushed up onto the field to the site of both Pokémon down for the count.

"Manectric and Liepard are both unable to battle! And that means with his victory earlier in the match, Paul and Team Victory win!" The referee declared while the Pokémon were being recalled. Turning back to their respective teams, both trainers held their heads high as they listened to the sound of the crowd going wild.

"Let's give a loud round of applause to these two young men! You can just tell they left everything out on the field!" Freddy said, causing the crowd to cheer a lot louder. As they did so, Clemont blushed a little out of embarrassment from the attention.

"I'm sorry, I let you guys down," Clemont said as he looked at his two teammates. He had wanted to win. He really did. Especially since they needed this win to not fall behind in the standing. Clemont was then surprised to see Blaziken Man place a hand on his shoulder.

The city's hero had a soft smile on his face as he spoke. "Clemont, we couldn't ask for more out of you. You were matching blows with that trainer out there. All that matters is that you gave it your best shot."

"Well, tomorrow I'll be battling it out so you know we'll be winning," Remo stated as he stood up from the dugout. Stretching, he quickly grabbed his umbrella before making his way from the battling area. "But whoever is battling with me will have to pick up the slack. You can't expect me to win twice even if I can." He then stopped walking for a moment and looked back at Clemont. "But nice battle out there, brains."

Clemont and Blaziken Mask just looked at each other before laughing. Despite how he acted, the duo could tell that he actually meant well. Picking up their belongings, the two trainers exited the area as they headed back to their locker room.

* * *

"Where are you heading?" Silver asked from his spot in the locker room. Both himself and Sawyer had noticed Janine had jumped up in worry and made her way to the door. "Our match is going to start real soon." In the background, Silver could hear the referee declaring the battle as a double knockout. They were going to be heading out there after the break.

Janine quickly turned around as she appeared torn over her choices. "I feel as though something is going to happen. I need to go checkup on something. And besides, I'm not even battling today. You and Sawyer are!"

"And what's this something?" Silver asked with a raised eyebrow. Janine just began to sweat as the boy didn't break his stare. Sawyer, meanwhile, was busying reading up on his notes and didn't appear interested in the conversation. "Is it that boyfriend of yours? That Ketchum boy?"

"Wha!? No!" Janine shouted in shock as she felt her face heat up from the accusation of Ash as her boyfriend. She admired the boy as a goal for what kind of trainer she wanted to become, but had no interest in him like that. Still, being accused of it caused her to grow embarrassed. "Besides, you seem just as interested in him as well, care to explain?"

Silver shrugged his shoulders before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Just go do whatever you want. It isn't like you're battling today," he said as Janine smirked at the red haired boy knowing she had won. On the way out of the room, Janine could have sworn she heard Silver mutter something about an "annoying girl" but just shrugged it off.

"Alright, now to find Ash," she muttered before sprinting down the hallways and out of the stadium. Looking around the street, Janine tried to figure out where Ash could be at the very moment. "I just have a bad feeling about this. I saw his battle and since he hasn't returned to the stadium I know he's not in a clear state of mind. This would be the perfect time for them to attack him."

And as if on cue, the sound of an explosion filled her ears as she noticed smoke rising up out of the park in the Trainer's Village. Knowing that her gut was correct, Janine rushed over there with all her might. Running across the streets with precision, she soon found herself at the Trainer's Village and saw the smoke rising in a darker shade than before and gripped a Poké Ball.

"Crobat, I require your help! Clear out that smoke!" With a flash of white light, the Poison and Flying-Type emerged from the device and was already flying towards the smoke. Following after her, Janine reached the park as she saw Ash standing across from two people. Covering her mouth with her cloth, Janine took action.

"Ash! What's going on here?" Janine asked as she stood next to Ash. Across from them were two men standing with a Steelex and a Skarmory. "I saw the smoke and came over here."

"I'm not sure. I was walking through the park thinking over some things when these two attacked me," he explained while looking over at the two criminals. As he finished speaking, Crobat had managed to blow the smoke away, showing the faces of the two attackers along with their large red "R"s. "Team Rocket, I should have expected someone like you would try to disturb this tournament."

"Oh look, the pipsqueak thinks we're here for the tournament," Attila stated in a taunting tone as he stood there with a smirk on his face, his Skarmory hovering right next to him. "There are bigger fish to fry than this tournament. They just happen to be in the same place at the same time."

"Attila, enough nonsense. We need to finish this now before anyone gets involved," Hun stated as he shifted his weight to one side as Steelex moved in front of him. It didn't look good as Skarmory and Steelex approached.

"We'll show you exactly what happens when you try to mess with anything around here!" Janine yelled out as she balled a hand into a fist, a trait she didn't even realize she picked up. "Crobat, Wing Attack!

"Crobat!" The Poison and Flying-Type shouted as her wings all glowed white while moving at what seemed to be faster than a bullet. Slamming into Skarmory, the Bat Pokémon circled around and struck Steelex only for the Steel and Ground-Type to swat Crobat away.

"She's a spunky one. I like them like that," Attila stated happily as he cracked his knuckles in excitement. "It's been a while since we last handled one of these. Skarmory, Steel Wing!"

"Crobat right back at them with Wing Attack!"

The two Flying-Types shot off at each other as their wings glowed a bright white in color. Smashing into each other, their attacks appeared to be equal in strength as neither could gain the upper hand. Then, to Janine's shock, Steelex slammed his tail right into Crobat and sent the Bat Pokémon slamming into the ground. Now free, Skarmory continued right for Janine and Ash as the Ninja pulled him down onto the ground to dodge.

"We're not after you, Fuchsia City Gym Leader," Hun stated as his Steelex moved back next to him. Janine noticed how the larger one was much louder and boastful while the one with silver hair was calculated and conserved. Almost complete opposites of each other. "Leave now and nothing will happen to you."

"No way! Ash and I will stop you right now!" Janine shot back as she eyed down the two Team Rocket members. Her confidence however was shot down immediately as Ash let out a light chuckle.

"Uh, Janine, all of my Pokémon are with Nurse Joy..." he sheepishly replied, realizing the dire situation they were in. "But, I'll still fight! No way are they going to finish whatever they have planned here!"

Once more, the two dual Flying-Types shot off like rockets as their respective trainers issued a Wing Attack and Steel Wing attack respectively. Clashing into each other, sparks flew from their wings each time they struck. Crobat, however, knew that she needed to be more careful with Steelex also aiming for her. Weaving in and out of Dragon Pulse attacks, Crobat found herself in a dog fight as she collided once more with Skarmory.

"Now, Steelex, Iron Tail!" Hun issued it calmly as Janine let out a slight gasp from her shock. They had purposefully attacked in the way they did to not only draw Crobat into a wide open area, but to also tire her out. The Steel and Ground-Type swung his tail recklessly as it struck a few trees on its route to strike Crobat.

Janine could only watch as she waited for the Iron Tail to strike. Crobat was too locked in a stalemate collision to be able to move and it looked unlikely that it was going to end anytime soon. Seeing the tail swing forward, Janine was confused when a sphere of energy struck it and pushed it slightly off course.

"I may not be the brightest sharpest fork in the drawer, but even I can tell when something isn't right," a voice Janine had never heard before stated before another attack came from a tree. Janine managed to see the attack prior to it striking Skarmory and recognized it as a Shadow Ball attack. The blast managed to give Crobat the chance she needed and struck Skarmory right across the face with a Wing Attack before flying back in front of Janine.

"Who's out there!? Show yourself so I can crush your annoying face!" Attila cried out in annoyance. It was turning into the situation with Raikou all over again for him and he was not going to have that happen again. "Only a coward hides in a battle."

"Or an idiot," the voice said again as Ash recognized it finally. Just as he put it all together, Nick jumped out of the tree with Eevee on his shoulder and his food tray slung around his other shoulder. "Like I said, I'm not too smart, but I won't allow someone to hurt a friend of mine...or is it acquaintance? I never really figured it out," he muttered the last part to himself before pounding his chest. "Either way, I won't let you ruin this tournament! I need it to make enough money for a plane ticket back to Johto!"

"Well, it doesn't matter who you are since you'll be gone in a second!" Hun said while nodding. Steelex understood the command as he moved forward with another Iron Tail attack. Only this time it was aimed for Nick. The Johto native didn't seem fazed by the approaching attack.

"Please, we've seen stronger attacks from Magikarp," Nick bluffed as he felt his knees shaking a bit from the approaching attack. "Eevee, show them a real Iron Tail!"

"Vee!" Eevee cried out as he leapt from Nick's shoulder. Spinning around in the air, his tail stiffened while glowing white. Swinging down onto Steelex's tail, the two attacks collided before Eevee miraculously pushed harder on Steelex and knocked it backwards.

"Don't forget about us! Skarmory, Sky Attack!" Attila's voice rang out as Skarmory appeared out of the sky covered in a veil of flames and was sparking with electricity. Eevee however was caught in the air from the previous attack and had no way to dodge. Skarmory then slammed hard into Eevee as the Normal-Type was launched high into the sky.

"Eevee, try to aim for the trees! The leaves should cushion your fall! Just don't aim for the burnt ones!" Nick yelled out, thinking that it would help. Both Janine and Ash could only watch on in confusion at Nick's command. Janine couldn't help but wonder how this guy was going to be of any help.

Sighing as she shook her head, Janine pointed up towards the flailing Eevee before calling out to Crobat. "Go and catch Eevee! Quick!" Within seconds, the Bat Pokémon had caught Eevee on her back, yet the Normal-Type was still flailing as he believed to be falling still.

"Cro!" Crobat cried out once they were near the ground. Realizing this, Eevee cried out happily for the help before running back to Nick and onto his shoulder as they waited for the two Team Rocket Members.

"It looks like we'll have to team up to take them down," Janine pointed out as Crobat came to a rest on her shoulder. The Bat Pokémon had grown tired since the battle first started out and needed a breather.

"Sure thing. I'm always up for a good battle!" Nick replied with a smirk as he removed his food box and loosened his arm up a bit. Looking over at the two members opposing them, Nick shrugged. "We'll just have to show them to not mess with us!"

* * *

 **And Trip loses after putting up a good fight against Bisharp. Why Bisharp and not Charizard? Alain wanted to use the Fire-Type but decided to rest him. Since even he knows that if you overuse one Pokémon in this tournament it'll allow your opposition to figure a counter to it. So instead, use one no one had seen up to this point. Not only that, But Team Victory also gains a win after Paul manages to outsmart Meyer in their battle before Clemont and Hugh battled it down to s double KO. And Team Rocket? Well, they're on the move to take Ash out of the picture, especially while his head isn't all there.**

 **And finally, we're reintroduced to Nick. A bumbling idiot I hate including since I hate writing him but he's actually important to a part of the upcoming story. Though, probably not in the sense a lot of people are expecting.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	51. Off to the Races

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, the first day of the tournament continued on as Alain managed to defeat Trip with help from Bisharp while Team Victory also won their match against Clemont and Team Lightning. As this was going on, Ash was attacked by two members of Team Rocket but was saved in time.**

 **Ch 51: Off to the Races**

* * *

"Skarmory, show these two who they're messing with! Sky Attack now! Crush them!" Attila cried out as his voice was filled with rage as he threw a fist forward. The Steel and Flying-Type screeched out in agreement before his body burst into flames and sparked with electricity.

"You know, if I wanted to waste my break, I would have stayed near the stadium," Nick said as he watched the approaching attack. "Instead I was sleeping peacefully in that tree when you woke me up! Now, Eevee, Iron Tail!"

"Wait! Don't do that!" Janine tried to warn him, but it was too late. Jumping from Nick's shoulder was the Normal-Type as his tail seemed to stiffen up. Swinging it forward, the two attacks collided in the sky. Both trainers watched on as Attila seemed to be growing impatient.

"Come on you! Take him down already! How hard could it be to beat a little Eevee!?"

"Relax," Hun stated as he looked around the area. Still no sign of any respondents, they would have to finish this fast before someone came. "Stay calm or we won't get anywhere with this. Steelix help out with a Dragon Pulse attack!"

"Steelix!" The Steel and Ground-Type shouted in excitement as a large purple beam formed in his mouth. Launching it before anyone could react, the beam took on the shape of a dragon before crashing into Eevee. With a loud explosion, the blast threw the Normal-Type up into the air as he tried to recover from it.

"Ha! Look what the little baby did now, made himself an easy target. Now, Skarmory, Fury Attack!" Attila appeared pleased with how this was going. If they could just take care of these two, then that Ketchum boy would be coming with them.

"Skarmory!" The Armor Bird Pokémon cried out as his beak glowed white before taking off for the now falling Eevee. It looked to be a direct hit only for Janine to stop it.

"Crobat, intercept with Wing Attack!"

"Cro!" The Bat Pokémon grunted before she rocketed off for the two Pokémon. With her wings glowing white, she smashed all four of them into her fellow Flying-Type before flying straight up and smashing them into Skarmory's back.

Skarmory let out a shriek of pain as he began to descend towards the ground. The attack had been a surprise neither him or Attila were expecting and now it would pay for it. Crashing into the ground, The Armor Bird Pokémon bounced right back up and spread his wings. Flying straight up again, Attila called out for Skarmory to use a Steel Wing attack on their pests.

Crobat however was far from finished. Flying graciously, the Poison and Flying-Type ducked underneath the approaching attack before circling back around and catching Eevee on her back. The spunky Normal-Type wasn't finished either as both their trainers called out commands. Dashing forward, Crobat's wings clashed with another blow from Skarmory before Eevee took advantage of his spot on Crobat. Launching a Shadow Ball, the Ghost-Type move crashed into Skarmory and gave Crobat all the needed time to strike him down.

"Steelix, Dragon Pulse!" The command was short and to the point for Hun. Catching both Nick and Janine off-guard, they watched as Skarmory righted himself out before landing on his trainer's shoulder. This was then followed up by Steelix launching off the familiar purple beam before it crashed into both Eevee and Crobat.

"This isn't good!" Nick cried out as his voice sounded a little shaky. He hadn't expected any of this to happen at all when he picked the park to go and take a nap in. Otherwise he would have gone elsewhere. "At this rate they'll beat us in no time."

"We'll have to work together then," Janine countered as she took a step forward and threw a palm outwards. "Crobat, you need to slow your descent! Open your wings and glide on the wind for a second! Use it to pick Eevee up and then rest for a second."

"Sorry girly, but we won't let you! Steelix wrap Crobat with your tail!" Hun issued as he threw a hand forward before turning it into a fist. The Steel and Ground-Type whipped his metallic body around before his tail struck Crobat. Tightening his hold, Steelix made sure to not allow even the slightest of movement and led to Eevee crashing into the ground.

"Eevee, you alright?" Nick asked as he tried to run over to the newly formed crater only to be blocked by an exploding Dragon Pulse from Steelix happening right in front of him. Blocking his face from the flying debris, the young trainer watched as both Skarmory and Steelex moved in front of him.

"We can't allow you to interfere anymore then you've already done so," Hun explained coolly while eyeing the Johto native. Nick appeared to be looking a little bit panicked from everything happening, a sight that brought a large smirk to Attila's face.

"Listen, kid, if ya want to play with the big boys expect a treatment far worse than ya gettin right now! Skarmory, hit the brat with a Fury Attack!"

"Skarmooorryyy!" The Armor Bird Pokémon screeched as his beak grew in size and glowed white. Shooting off for the Johto native, Nick found himself unable to move as a sudden electrical shock ran through Skarmory's body, surprising everyone in the area.

"There's someone else," Hun said while analyzing the surrounding area. "We should drop back for now, as we can't risk taking on another interference."

Attila appeared to be a little annoyed from that comment as he quickly recalled the defeated Pokémon. Glaring all over the park, the large man tried to find out just from where the blast had come from but had no luck at all. "Gwhhaa! These pesks always have to ruin our plans! Well, just remember that next time it won't be so easy for you!"

"Steelix, release that creature and use Sandstorm," Hun commanded as the sound of sirens could be heard approaching. Moving swiftly, the Iron Snake Pokémon threw Crobat up into the air before slamming his tail into the ground. Kicking up all the sand in the area, Steelix let out a mighty roar before the sand circled around his body and made it impossible to see anything.

"We can't let them get away!" Janine cried out as she tried to run towards the sand. However, the strength of it only managed to push her backwards every time she tried to approach it. Gritting her teeth together, the young ninja tried once more only to be knocked onto her rear end by the powerful storm. "Ash! You can't be really letting them go! Can you?"

"There's nothing I can do right now," he replied, still sounding a little annoyed from earlier in the day. "All my Pokémon are with Nurse Joy. And even then, I'd probably only mess it up. They've already left, so there's nothing we can do now," he answered, not sounding like the Ash Janine had learned of at all. Normally he would never be willing to give up and let them get away, but right now he sounded like a broken version of himself.

"Ash..." Janine started to say as Crobat landed on her shoulder panting. She was about to continue on but was cut off by the sound of police sirens as Officer Jenny finally arrived on the scene and assessed the situation.

"What happened here? It looks like a battle occurred," she asked while looking at some of the charred remains of the ground. "Is everyone alright here?"

"Yeah, just fine..." Nick muttered as he climbed out of the crater and covered in sand. He must have been thrown into it during the Sandstorm, losing all of his merchandise based on the empty box slung around his shoulder. "Though I have felt better."

"That's good that everyone's alright," Officer Jenny stated as she pulled out a notepad and a pen. "Now, I'd like you three to tell me everything that happened here today. That way we'll be able to begin searching for whomever attacked here."

"Alright, I can give a good description of them," Janine said as she began describing the duo to the officer as the sound of cheers could be heard from the stadium. Drowning them out of her thoughts, the group continued on to explain just what went down moments ago, completely unaware of the person who left the area undetected.

* * *

"Croagunk, use your Poison Sting attack! Keep Clawitzer away from us!" Brock commanded as the attack exploded on the approaching Water-Type. Sawyer had just issued an Aqua Jet attack as the climax to their heated battle was coming to a close. Both trainers knew their Pokémon were reaching the end and there wouldn't be much left in either's tanks.

"Now follow it up with Poison Jab!"

"Quick, block it with a Crabhammer attack!" Sawyer countered as he watched Croagunk run across the prairie field they were battling on. The Poison and Fighting-Type ran across a small stream that separated the two opposing sides as he raised a glowing purple hand, ready to strike.

"Claw!" The Water-Type shouted as his large claw was engulfed in water and swung it forward. The two attacks clashed as both were standing their ground. It seemed to be an even match until Sawyer decided to add to the attack.

"Now use Aqua Jet!" Letting out a shrill scream, Clawitzer's entire body was encased by the surging water before slamming himself into Croagunk and sending the Toxic Mouth Pokémon reeling for a moment. "And finish it all up now with Crabhammer!"

"Try and stop him with Poison Sting!" Brock issued as Croagunk lifted his head up off of the ground and fired off a few of the toxic needles. The command appeared to be useless as Clawitzer used his enlarged claw to block the attack.

"Clawitzer!" He cried out as his claw once more was covered in water. Swinging it downwards, the attack made contact with Croagunk's body as the Poison and Fighting-Type was knocked out cold from the attack.

"That's it!" The referee declared as he held up his arms. "Croagunk is unable to battle, the winner is Clawitzer!"

"Well there you have it folks! Young Sawyer showed off an array of tactics to counter Brock and Croagunk. Both sides managed to give it their all, but in the end Clawitzer managed to hold on just a bit longer than Croagunk!" Freddy yelled out as the screen showed a point being awarded to Team Strategy.

Brock quickly recalled Croagunk before thanking the Toxic Mouth Pokémon for all his hard work out there. If they had landed one more attack, perhaps the battle could have gone the other way for them. Making his way back to his team's dugout, Brock looked a little disappointed in how it all ended.

"Sorry everyone, I guess that Sawyer kid just had the upper hand against me. He managed to react so fast to everything I did."

"It's alright," Serena replied as she flashed him a smile. Though deep down, they both knew she was worried about Ash and how he had left the stadium during his team's match. "Sawyer is really strong. He managed to make it to the Semi-Finals of last year's Kalos League and both Him and Ash were down to their last Pokémon."

"I see," Brock replied as he returned the smile back to Serena. "With all these strong rivals, it's no surprise that Ash managed to win the League. Between Alain and Sawyer, he must have his hands full."

"Yeah, they always managed to keep him sharp. Though, we really haven't seen either of them since Sawyer returned to Hoenn and Alain is helping Professor Sycamore out," Serena explained as she looked down at Nate with a smile. "Do you mind going out for this one?"

Smirking, Nate flashed a grin and then a wink at Serena as she appeared to be a little surprised by the motion. "Not at all, beautiful. I'll go out there and win this battle not only for our team but for you and all the lovely ladies out there watching," he replied while standing up.

"Oh... You don't have to do that..." Serena stated while Nate walked away and towards the field that was currently being selected. Letting a few thoughts of Ash reenter her mind, Serena quickly reached for the ends of her skirt and tightened her grip around them as she worried for the boy. She knew he was strong enough to overcome this on his own, but she still worried having known how he became all depressed back in their first trip to Snowbelle City.

"Worried about Ash?" Brock's voice interrupted her thoughts as the Performer looked over and saw the Pokémon Doctor leaning back against the dugout wall. Giving him a head nod, he smiled. "Ash is strong. He'll be back to his usual self by tomorrow. And if not, we'll just have to knock some sense into his thick skull."

Serena nodded in agreement before shaking her head back and forth. "I believe that Ash can get back on track. I just can't help but worry for him, it's just... I want to see him do so well and seeing him like this hurts me. I know he's in a tough situation and all, but I also know he's fine. This is Ash we're talking about. He'll just keep moving forward just like the Ash I know."

"You really care for him a lot, don't you?" Brock asked as he eyed her. Before she knew what she was agreeing to, Serena nodded her head up and down as the Pewter City native smirked at the girl. "That's good, he's going to need someone like you to watch out for him. He's always been so reckless."

Knowing exactly what she had just agreed to, Serena's face began to turn as red as a Tamato Berry as she tried to rephrase the situation. "Well... It's... I admire... He's really great..." She tried to say, unable to choose one sentence and continue, instead beginning several sentences.

"It's alright, I know the pain of love!" Brock cried out as he lifted a closed fist in front of his chest. Shaking it with all he had, he raised his head towards the open ceiling and began to speak again. "Love is a cruel game where everyone is a winner and a loser! I've had my fair share of heartbreaks and I'll continue throwing my heart on the line until I find the right person who loves me back! But, Serena, you can't give up no matter what! Trust me, Ash is very dense and you just have to keep attacking him with actions since he should be able to understand those more than words!"

Serena just stared at Brock like he was crazy for a moment since she had never seen him when he had gone into one of these moments. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Serena could only nod slowly in agreement, unsure of what to say to that little outburst. Hearing the sound of two Poké Balls opening up, Serena was saved from having to respond thanks to the battle beginning.

"And the final battle of the day is about to begin! Team Heartbreak needs this to send the match into a tie-breaker otherwise Team Strategy will win the match and gain a point in the standings, sending them into a tie for first alongside Teams Mega and Victory!" Freddy explained to the crowd as both Feraligatr and Dewott appeared on a field that was made up of a creek. In the center and rocks around the rest of the field. It was slightly similar to Ash's field from earlier, but also different in the slightest ways such as instead of one large rock as the field, there were countless rocks placed together to make the floor. Also, there were several rocks that shot up around the field to use in any way seen useful and it lacked a waterfall.

"Let's get this over with," Silver muttered as he looked at his opponent. For some reason, the boy's flirting reminded him a little too much of his partner. "Feraligatr use Ice Punch!"

"Feraligatr!" The Water-Type cried out as he ran across the field and raised his fist. As he approached Dewott, Feraligatr's fist became encased in ice as he socked his opponent across the face.

Flying backwards, Dewott skidded across the ground before coming to a stop as he placed one hand on the ground and appeared ready to attack. "Dewott, wot!"

"It's okay, Dewott, these two seem to be in a rush," Nate said as he tried to calm down his partner. "Obviously they don't care about putting on a show for all the beautiful women of Kalos and the world. We'll just have to show them that you don't mess with us! Use Razor Shell! And then follow it up with an Ice Beam at Feraligatr's feet!"

"De! Dewott!" The Water-Type cried out as he raced forward. The speed he was moving at surprised both Silver and Feraligatr as Dewott was already upon them before they could react. Splashing across the creek, water kicked up as the Discipline Pokémon reached for the two scallops at his sides.

Pulling them forward, the two shells elongated as water emerged from them. Slashing them against Feraligatr, Dewott found himself hitting the forearms of his opponent as the attack was blocked from doing too much damage. Dropping the original attack, Dewott followed through with the rest of the order as he flipped up and over Feraligatr before firing an Ice Beam off in midair.

"Watch out!" Silver yelled as Feraligatr had no time to block the attack. Watching as the water from the Razor Shell fell around the Water-Type's feet, Silver was quick to realize what the plan was. Before Feraligatr could launch any sort of attack, he immediately felt the water around his feet freeze around his feet.

"Perfect job, Dewott! Now, get in there with Aerial Ace!" Nate yelled out as he pumped his fist upwards. Shooting back down towards Feraligatr, Dewott's limbs all glowed white as he appeared to look similar to an arrow.

"Not this time," Silver replied as he knew what was needed to handle this. "Knock him away with Superpower!" The command surprised his opponent as Feraligatr appeared to punch Dewott away and backwards into the creek. "Now we'll use your own strategy against you! Ice Punch on the water!"

"Ferali!" The Big Jaw Pokémon grunted in agreement as he managed to break out of the icy restraints and walk over towards the creek. Lifting his now frozen fist, Feraligatr launched it downwards and towards the water as ice began to form all around Dewott. Moving rapidly, the ice soon formed all over Dewott and made it impossible for the Discipline Pokémon to move at all.

"And now use Hydro-" Silver began to say before Nate's voice interrupted him.

"I forfeit!" Nate shouted out, shocking everyone, even the referee. He didn't want to, but to keep up the act that both himself and Silver were just normal trainers, they couldn't reveal some of their best moves. And it seemed as though Silver's trainer instincts were taking over based on the move he was about to command. They couldn't allow Team Rocket to find out just how strong some of these trainers here actually were.

"You all heard me right! I forfeit! In the state Dewott is in, there is no way for a counterattack to be made. So, why risk any injuries to my best friend and still lose instead of just knowing when to throw in the towel and hope that tomorrow turns out better for us?"

"A-Alright..." the referee agreed as he shook off his confusion over the announcement. "Nate has agreed to forfeit the match and so the winner is Silver and Feraligatr!" As the referee made the call, Nate flashed a look over to Silver, revealing himself as the other trainer sent to help him in the tournament. Understanding, Silver merely nodded slowly as he recalled Feraligatr and left the area alongside Sawyer.

Breaking Dewott out of his icy confines, Nate quickly recalled the Water-Type into his Poké Ball before making his way over towards his teammates. Keeping the charade up, the young agent rubbed the back of his neck in a disappointed manner as he sat down in-between Brock and Serena.

"I'm sorry, guys. I really wanted to win and I let you all down. But, I couldn't bring myself to risking Dewott's health, especially with him fully frozen into the field. It just wouldn't have sat well with me if he had gotten hurt."

"It's alright," Brock said while placing a hand on Nate's shoulder. "The wellbeing of your Pokémon are more important to us than any win. As a trainer, you have to make the correct call when it comes time to a forfeit and I believe you did the right thing."

"And besides," Serena joined in as Nate turned his head to look at her. "It isn't about winning or losing, but that we all give it our best shot. Tomorrow we'll win for sure."

"T-Thanks, guys," Nate replied as they stood up and left the area as a team before grabbing their bags from the locker room.

Not wasting anytime there, the group were leaving their locker room when they ran into Clemont, who had apparently left his team to go and pick up Bonnie from Professor Sycamore. "Clemont, that was a really great battle today," Serena said as she waved over towards the inventor.

Making his way across the hallway towards her, Clemont rubbed the back of his neck while Bonnie smiled at her brother. "It really was, Clemont. Both you and Manectric just wouldn't stop. I thought you two were going to last it out and show that Hugh just what Lumiose Gym is all about," Bonnie agreed as Clemont only continued to rub the back of his neck.

"Bonnie, it wasn't that great. Manectric and I could only manage a tie with Hugh and his Liepard. Even after all our training, Hugh is still just as strong as ever," Clemont explained as he appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. It had been one of the most exciting matches he had ever been a part of, but the tie still stung just a bit to him. "But, just wait until you see what else I have up my sleeve," he said, while fidgeting with his backpack. "We'll be earning a win for sure."

"Unless you're facing us," Brock corrected him as they all let off a light laugh. Turning towards the exit, the group all noticed how Nate had mysteriously vanished one again. "I could have sworn Nate was with us..."

"I saw him walk off in one of the other directions not too long ago," Bonnie explained as she pointed down the hallway she had seen him walk off in. "He seemed to be moving pretty quickly so it had to have been important."

"Well, Nate will probably join us later tonight," Serena reasoned as the group of four made their way out onto the streets. "For now, let's all head back to the Trainer's Village and see if Ash is there. He's probably a little upset over today's battle."

"I agree; it might be best to just check up on Ash. His battle reminded me of our time in Snowbelle City. It didn't sit right with me, especially how he even left Pikachu behind," Clemont said before looking more positive. "But this is Ash, he's probably fine by now and was more annoyed with himself falling into that similar way of thinking."

"When do you think the next matchups will be posted?" Brock asked as they walked through the streets as the sight of the large hotels of the Trainer's Village could be seen. "The sooner they reveal them, the more time each of the teams will have to plan what they'll do for tomorrow."

"At best, it might come out at dinner tonight," Clemont reasoned while fixing his glasses. Looking around the area, he could see Remo down the street at a vendor buying food while it appeared that Janine was sitting on a bench drinking a soda. Clemont didn't let the rips in her clothes fool him either, something had to have happened out here today.

Walking into the hotel, the small group were surprised to see Ash sitting there like his normal self, Pikachu having rejoined him since leaving him with Dawn. The entire group wanted to go and talk with him, but decided that it would be best to leave him alone for the time being and instead made their way towards the dining hall where the smell of a delectable aroma was filling their nostrils.

"Ash seems to be looking better," Bonnie mentioned as she picked a plate up from the pile. Placing a few items on her plate for herself and Dedenne, the young child turned towards the three older members of their small group. "I wonder what happened earlier."

"Knowing Ash, he let Gary get to him," Brock replied with a serious look on his face. After seeing Ash win the Kalos League, the Pokémon Doctor had hoped that Ash had outgrown this aspect of himself. However, it looked like he was still easily baited by people if given the right situation. "You see, when Ash was first a trainer, he was easily taunted and if you could push his buttons just right he wouldn't think straight. There were quite a few times where he was always trying to chase after Gary and prove he was his equal but was usually upset at Gary for a comment or remark at the time."

Serena and Clemont looked at each other as the group of four sat down at a table where Dawn was already sitting. Together, the group sat in silence as no one really knew what to say about today. All three of their teams had lost and were already at a disadvantage, especially Dawn's team with Ash in his current mindset. However, that silence was soon broken with Trip emerging into the dining room.

"Turn the TV on, they're showing the matchups for tomorrow." His order was short and to the point. Doing what he asked, Hugh reluctantly turned the TV on as he too wanted to see the matchups.

"And Team Victory managed an astounding win in their first match as Paul managed to control the pace of his battle from the very beginning and both Hugh and his opponent, Clemont of Team Lighting went right down to the wire before a double knockout was called. If you're the other teams, you wouldn't want to be matched up against them heading into the second round," Malva's voice explained as highlights from that battle played. The screen then transitioned from that to an image of the standings which were self-explanatory to most.

"And even if it has been only one day, Team Mega and Team Victory have emerged as early frontrunners in the standings," Alexa's voice now joined in as Malva agreed with her statement. "Though, after today I wouldn't count out the likes of Team Lightning. They haven't even had Remo battle yet and he was a Semi-Finalist at last year's Kalos League."

"That is true," Malva agreed as Remo's previous battles appeared on the screen. "Though he does come off as rather blunt at times, the man has to have some strategy behind his team. Lead by his Garchomp whom can Mega-Evolve, Lightning should look to ride him for as long as they need to if they seriously want to stay in the race. Though, I wouldn't count out Team Champions either."

Alexa and Malva then appeared on the screen as the images of Trip, Dawn and Ash appeared across the screen just below them. "The team is composed of quite the array of strong trainers. And Trip even managed to hold his own up against Alain, the runner-up from last year's Kalos League. So, if Ash Ketchum can perform better than he did today then I think they have a shot to go all the way as well."

"Yes, well, it's easy to say that right now, though as of today every team is still in the running. Of course, tomorrow is where the matchups are the most important. If a team can jump ahead with two wins already, it's a good sign of seeing the favorite of this tournament. But, enough of that, let's reveal the matchups for tomorrow," Alexa stated as the images of the eighteen trainers appeared on the screen along with their team names. At this moment, Ash walked into the dining room hoping to get something to eat. The TV however caught his attention first as he watched the images stop moving.

"No way, you've got to be kidding," Dawn's voice could be heard as Ash didn't take his eyes off of the screen, a small smile forming on his face. Looking across the room towards Paul and his team, the two rivals shared a small smile. They would finally have their rematch tomorrow.

"Paul and Ash...at this point in the tournament," Brock muttered to himself as the others looked at Ash with curiosity. "That's like having a championship matchup in the first round of a League Conference. Tomorrow will be hectic for sure."

"Do they really go that far back?" Clemont asked as he noticed that his own team would be facing off against Sawyer and the other members of Team Strategy. That left Brock, Serena and Nate for the likes of Team Mega.

Brock let a small smile pass over him as he thought back to Ash's match at the Lily of the Valley Conference with Paul. That had been one of the best matches he had ever seen up until now and Brock wasn't sure if he would ever see a better one. "Not to the degree that Ash and Gary go, but you could say that Paul helped shape Ash into the trainer he is today." The others looked on in shock, they had no idea that one person could have played such a huge role in helping Ash.

"You see, Ash and Paul never got along. They had opposing views on how to raise Pokémon; Ash with love and kindness and Paul through strict, tough training. Their ideals clashed at times, but they both grew to accept the other and their training style while noting that a mix of the two were needed to bring out a Pokémon's true strength. Though, if you ask Paul that he'll probably decline that notion." Brock then folded his arms as Trip caught his attention. It seemed that the green-haired boy was not pleased with the matchup as he had balled his fists. Though, whatever the reason was beyond Brock.

"Wow, so that explains how Ash had become such a great trainer. He not only learned through experience, but through his rivals as well," Clemont replied sounding amazed at this latest bit of information.

"I don't know if Trip is as excited though," Dawn joined in as Piplup chirped in agreement. The duo had been with the Unova native after their loss and he wasn't pleased with how it had gone at all. "Trip was annoyed that Ash let himself be played like that and so seeing him facing off against another rival so soon probably doesn't sit well with him."

"Ash will be fine, I know he will," Serena replied as she smiled at Dawn. She trusted Ash to make better decisions this time around. Plus, if his rivalry with Paul was anything like she heard, then there was no way Paul would try anything like Gary. Dawn nodded in agreement before smiling back at Serena, the two nodding their heads in agreement that everything would be just fine.

* * *

"Welcome back all you Pokémon battle fanatics! Today is sure to be filled with just the same amount of action as the first matchup is between Team Lightning and Team Strategy!" Freddy's voice echoed through the TV. Sitting in their locker room for the moment were the members of Team Champions as they awaited their match at the end of the day.

"Ash, you seem really excited for today," Dawn mentioned as she watched the boy continuously pace around the room in excitement. "If you don't stop, you'll tire yourself out before the match."

Ash just sheepishly laughed as he sat back down. He couldn't help it; he was just filled with too much energy. "Sorry. I'm just too excited to be facing Paul again. I have to burn off some of this excess energy before the match."

"Pika! Chu pika!" Pikachu agreed as he pretended to throw a few punches. The Electric-Type then scurried up Ash's body before planting himself on the shoulder of his best friend.

"It's been a few years now since we last faced off against Paul and we both want to see just how much he's improved," Ash mentioned as he watched the TV show the two teams scheduled for the first match heading out to their dugouts.

"Well, it looks like you'll have to wait a little longer," Trip's voice interrupted Ash's little celebration as it caused the Pallet Town native to turn towards him. "I just handed over our lineup and you're not in it."

"What!?" Ash practically screamed, not sure if he heard Trip correctly the first time. "What do you mean I'm not battling this round!?"

Lifting his head up, Trip stared at his rival-turned-teammate with a serious expression. "Simple. The second day is the most important for us. I can't risk having us fall behind with two losses and after yesterday's little showing of yours, I need to be sure you've got your head together. We can't risk any more slip ups."

"So you benched me without my consent!" Ash shouted as he stood up, Dawn looking a bit shocked over what was happening. She had seen Ash get upset at the likes of Hunter J and Paul, but never at a friend like this. "You say that we need this match today and yet you never stopped to think that maybe I'm the only one who could beat Paul."

"I did what was best for the team. In your current psychological situation, you're a detriment to all of us," Trip explained as Ash walked over towards him.

"Well, if I'm such a burden then tell me who'll fight Paul?" Ash asked as he moved closer to Trip, his anger becoming more visible. "You do realize that it took everything my team had to beat him last time and even then we barely won. So how are you going to win against someone who had faced Elite Four level talent?"

"By not acting like you," Trip replied before pushing Ash away from him. "I don't let my ego play me. Because once again you've let it take full control of the situation. And this is something we cannot risk having happen out there in a battle! Until you can show that you're thinking straight again, you won't battle, understand!"

Ash just stared with a blank expression on his face. It had happened again, and even after yesterday where he tried to fix the problem it just popped up once more. It frustrated him, it was never so apparent in Kalos until he ran into all of his rivals at this tournament. Even against the likes of Sawyer and Alain, he had never fallen into his ego's traps but Paul and Gary were able to cause it to happen without Ash even realizing it. Dropping his backpack on the floor, Ash lowered his head before covering his face with his cap.

"You're right, Trip." The response was a surprise to his teammates, but his actions following it were even more shocking. "I have been too focused on stroking my ego at this tournament. And it's something that I hate. I let myself get caught up in winning all the time and forget why I became a trainer, but I need to figure this out on my own!" And before anyone could stop him, Ash was running out of the locker room, Pikachu hanging onto his shoulder with all his might as he ran out of the stadium in annoyance at himself.

"S-Should we go after him?" Dawn asked as she looked at the open door. Ash's backpack laid in the middle of the room and so Dawn picked it up before placing it down on one of the benches. "Trip, do you think we really have a chance against Paul without Ash facing him?"

"We might, though it'll take everything we have," Trip replied as he replayed the image of Ash sprinting out of the room in his mind. "But, right now Ash has to figure this all out on his own. Let him be, once he's fine, he'll hopefully come back."

"And it looks like Remo steps up first for Team Lightning, no surprises there for them as they're in desperate need for this win!" Freddy's voice echoed through the silent room. "And he'll be opposed by none other than Sawyer. It looks to be quite the battle as both trainers prepare themselves for battle on the forest field!"

"Alright, Garchoo, you're up!" Remo cried out as he raised a Poké Ball up to his face and tossed it outwards. He device opened up and immediately revealed his partner to the entire crowd. Landing with a thud, the branches on the nearby trees swayed a little from the breeze created by his landing.

"So, a Garchomp," Sawyer muttered while pulling for one of his own Poké Balls. "We'll just have to fight Dragon with Dragon. Go! Sceptile!" With a toss of the capture device, Sawyer's most trusted partner appeared on the field, his bandana tied around his neck like always.

"So, kid, you're Sceptile can Mega-Evolve," Remo stated while playing around with his umbrella, Garchoo's Mega Stone shining from the light in the stadium. "I guess this'll be an interesting match after all. Garchoo, Dragon Claw!"

"Yep, we've been through a lot and our bond is strong thanks to it," Sawyer replied as he threw a hand forward. "Sceptile, counter with your own Dragon Claw! Then switch into a Leaf Blade!"

"Tile!"

"Garchomp!"

The two Pokémon shot forward as their hands glowed green while also growing in size. Meeting at the center of the forest, their claws struck against each other in quick succession as neither were able to land a hit. Grunting as he dropped his Dragon Claw, Sceptile hastily lunged across his body and underneath Garchoo's incoming attack before slashing upwards with a Leaf Blade.

"Chaa!" Garchomp cried out in pain as he stepped backwards before jumping out of the way of Sceptile's next strike. Watching as the Leaf Blade sliced a branch of a nearby tree off, both Remo and Garchoo smirked at the challenge before them.

"Your Sceptile packs quite a punch there. Too bad it won't last long against us," Remo shouted out as he threw an open palm outwards and stomped his left foot down into the ground. "Garchoo, use another Dragon Claw to get in close!"

Garchoo listened to the command as his claws immediately took to the familiar shade of green before clashing with Sceptile once again. Sawyer could only watch in confusion as Remo issued the same command as last time, surely the man knew that it had been countered before. However, right as Sawyer issued a Leaf Blade attack, he heard Remo issue his next command.

"Perfect execution, Garchoo! Now, Dragon Rush! Go!"

"Gar!" The Dragon and Ground-Type cried out in unison with his trainer. Normally Garchoo would fly upwards to begin his strike, but this time he just continued to lunge forward as his body was enveloped in a blue, draconic aura. Sceptile tried to bloke the approaching attack with his Leaf Blade but found himself overpowered by the might of the attack. Being sent backwards, Sceptile grabbed a hold of a tree branch and swung himself around before landing safely and able to attack again.

"Now! Get in close with Leaf Blade!" Sawyer called out as Garchoo had his back turned towards the Forest Pokémon. Lunging forward, Sceptile was able to slice right through Garchoo's blue aura and strike the Mach Pokémon in his back.

Getting back up, Garchoo appeared to be fine despite the attack and shook it off like it was nothing before letting out a mighty roar. The two trainers quickly called out their next attacks as the two dueling Pokémon exchanged blows with their glowing claws.

" _Come on, just a little closer,"_ Sawyer thought to himself as he watched the battle occurring before his eyes. The duo were now approaching a section of the forest that was thicker with vegetation and would allow Sawyer more room to work with his Grass-Type moves. Seeing Garchoo right near the vines, Sawyer saw his chance!

"Now, Sceptile, jump backwards and use Frenzy Plant!" Sawyer commanded as he cupped his hands together and slammed them into the ground while Sceptile copied the motion. Soon, dozens of vines shot up out of the ground as Garchoo tried to avoid them with all his might.

However, the vines hanging down from the trees made maneuvering around them difficult and Garchoo soon found himself smacked across the face with one of the Frenzy Plant's tentacles before blasting across the forest and becoming entangled in some more vines.

"Remo!" Clemont's voice could be heard from the dugout as he called out to his teammate. "Sawyer isn't someone you can beat through raw strength! You need to come up with a strategy of sorts to win!"

Remo just growled at the advice as he watched Sceptile launch off another wave of tentacles right for the ensnared Garchoo. "Butt out of it, Brains! I don't need nobody's help to prove how strong I am here! Besides, we already have a strategy; Hit them harder than they can us!" Throwing his umbrella forward, Remo touched the tip of it as the Keystone inside of the accessory shinned brightly.

Soon, Garchoo unleashed a roar of massive proportion as his Mega Stone began to shine as well. Quickly, his body changed shape as the Mega Evolution process ended to reveal the new form of Mega-Garchomp.

"Haha! Now, use Dual Chop to cut yourself free!"

"Garrr!" The Dragon and Ground-Type cried out as his two claws glowed green. Slashing them forward, the two appendixes sliced through the first portion of the Frenzy Plant attack before cutting himself free from his vegetation trap. Once freed, Garchoo jumped high above an attacking tentacle before sliding down it and slashing away at all nearby portions. Landing on the ground safely, the two opponents stared each other down before their trainers called for their next commands.

"Dragon Claw!"

Once more the two Pokémon clashed from inside the forest, their blows causing the branches on the trees to swing from the breeze created from the blow as sparks flew from the grinding claws. Instead of a stalemate this time however, Garchoo managed to knock Sceptile back and into one of the trees thanks to his new strength from Mega Evolving. Remo then stayed on the offensive as he issued a Dragon Rush attack before Sceptile could get back up.

"Not this time you don't!" Sawyer cried out as he swept his left arm across his body. Looking around the field, Sawyer managed to see a way out of their current predicament as he noted a slight divot to their left. "Sceptile, roll to your left and onto your stomach!"

"Tile!" Sceptile cried out as he rolled off to the side and landed in the ditch on his stomach. The Grass-Type watched with anxious eyes as he could see the blue aura from the Dragon Rush skim over the top of his back before crashing into and destroying the tree he had just been in front of.

Sawyer and Sceptile let out a collective sigh before Garchoo circled back around to face them directly. Seeing the direction this battle was heading in, the Hoenn native reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out his all too familiar notebook. "You're a lot tougher than I imagined. It looks like I'm going to need all of my knowledge to beat you. Sceptile, Mega-Evolve!" he mentioned before pulling out his bookmark. Touching the Keystone attached to it, light shined off of both it and the Mega Stone attached to the bandana.

Both Remo and Garchoo waited as the light died down only for them to see Sceptile transforming. Alongside it were vicious cries that neither had ever heard before and by the time the transformation was completed, both were glad to be rid of the screams.

"Let's see how you handle this now! Sceptile use Dragon Claw!" Sawyer commanded as he placed his notebook back into his pocket. Rocketing off, Mega-Sceptile was already in front of Garchoo before the Mach Pokémon knew it.

With a quick slash across the face, Sceptile cried out triumphantly as his second claw sent Garchoo high above the trees and out of view. However, both trainers knew this meant nothing as Remo quickly countered the descent with another Dragon Rush as Sceptile went on the defensive with a Leaf Storm attack. Garchoo was not to be stopped however as his entire body roared out before slicing right through Sceptile's launched tail and ramming right into the Forest Pokémon. It had been the cleanest hit of the day for Garchoo and the effects showed as Mega-Sceptile was now panting a little harder.

"You know, kid, you two are not half bad at all," Remo praised Sawyer as he spun his umbrella around before placing it on his right shoulder. "You really made us work for this match but now it's over! Dual Chop!"

"Not so fast! You may not have paid much attention to the field before, but now it's going to haunt you!" Sawyer called out as Remo finally noticed all of the branches and vines that littered the forest floor along with the torn up remnants of the Frenzy Plant attacks. "Now we'll beat you just like this! Frenzy Plant, Sceptile, but use the destroyed wildlife to tie up Garchoo!"

Sceptile and Sawyer both cupped their hands together as they completed the familiar motion before slamming them into the ground. To Remo's shock, the torn vines soon joined together with bits of the Frenzy Plant and wrapped around Garchoo, making it impossible to move an inch. It all looked to be over as Sceptile's final attack rocketed towards them, tearing up the ground as it did so.

"Hehehe, I have to thank you for giving us the victory now, boy," Remo stated as he cracked his knuckles while Sawyer looked on in surprise. The young Hoenn native saw no way for Remo to win at all. "Garchoo, use your Dragon Claw attack, now! And once freed, use the holes in the ground from his previous attacks to get in close for our finisher!"

"Garrrrrchhhooomp!" The Dragon and Ground-Type screamed as his two claws glowed green as he struggled to get free. Taking the sharpened blades of his hands, Garchoo finally managed to cut himself free from his restraints before dropping down underneath the field through the tunnels created by Frenzy Plant.

Moving swiftly, Garchoo took no time at all before reaching the same spot on the field that Sceptile was currently occupying. Watching with interest, Sawyer didn't pick up on the shattering ground until it was too late. With a large explosion, meteors soon crashed up through the ground and slammed right into Sceptile. No doubt a very powerful Draco Meteor from close range. As the attack exploded against the Forest Pokémon's body, Sawyer could only watch as his partner transformed back to normal before landing on the field with a loud thud having been defeated by the attack.

"Sceptile is unable to battle! The winner of the match is Garchoo!" The referee declared as both trainers recalled their Pokémon. Sawyer appeared a little surprised that Frenzy Plant had created a tunnel for enemies to use and immediately wrote down this new piece of information in his notebook.

"And that does it folks, Remo has managed a stunning victory just as he said he would! By following his strategy of clobbering his opponent as hard as he could, Garchoo managed to knock Sceptile out!" Freddy told the crowd, his voice appearing to grow louder as he spoke.

"Haha! I said I'd be winning today! And there's no way I'll ever loss here!" Remo declared as the crowd appeared to applaud him for his well-earned victory today. Striding back to his team's dugout, Remo placed his umbrella onto the bench before slinging an arm around Clemont's neck.

"Alright, Brains, we're already up one battle so it'll be easy for you. All you need to accomplish is defeating whoever is sent out to battle you so don't mess this up," Remo continued on as Clemont forcefully removed the burly man's arm from his body.

"You just worry about yourself Remo," Clemont replied as he brushed a few pieces of dirt off of his jumpsuit. Picking out a Poké Ball, Clemont turned back to face Remo as the sun shined off of his eyes. "I am the Lumiose City Gym Leader after all."

"You better be right, Brains. Because there's no way I'm letting you ruin our shot at victory," Remo muttered as he watched Clemont make his way up to the field as Janine faced the opposite side. The field had already changed to that of an ice field that had glaciers as land structures to use.

"And the second battle is about to begin! On one side we have the daughter of Koga, the nasty ninja of Poison-Types, Janine!" The crowd applauded for the young Gym Leader as she appeared to stare down her opponent, neither trainer breaking the stare as Freddy continued on. "And opposing her is none other than the Electric whiz-kid, the boy genius, Clemont!" The crowd appeared to applaud even louder for the boy, something that he appreciated as he did have the home region support that some of the other contestants lacked.

As both trainers raised their Poké Balls, they both knew this was going to be one hard battle for both of them. "Go!" They cried out simultaneously as the two devices opened up to reveal their choices.

"And Janine goes with her prized Crobat while Clemont counters with his Gym's most frequently used Pokémon Heliolisk! This looks to get interesting as both Pokémon are known as their respective Gym's aces!" Freddy commentated as the matchup screen was updated to show the two Pokémon.

"As a fellow Gym Leader, I wish you the best of luck today, but to beat me you'll need more than that!" Clemont called out as he fixed his glasses, a few rays from the sun shining down onto them. "We'll be giving it our all today! Heliolisk, use Parabolic Charge!"

"Helio!" The Generator Pokémon cried out as the frills around his neck opened up. Electricity then flowed through them before it all conjoined into one ball above Heliolisk's head and then immediately breaking off into multiple strands of lightning.

"Quick, Crobat, dodge with our aerial maneuvers!" Janine cried out as the Bat Pokémon fluttered around the multiple streaks of lighting. She managed to duck and dive around the bolts before spinning upwards to avoid the attack and get out of range from it. Now able to rest a little more freely, Crobat steadied herself while waiting for the next command.

"I've heard a lot about you, Lumiose Gym Leader," Janine said while fixing her scarf. "And I'm glad we're able to face off here but don't expect to be victorious against us at all, not with your disadvantage! We've trained far too long to be done in! Now, Crobat, attack him with Wing Attack!"

"Cro!" The Poison and Flying-Type cried out as her wings glowed white. Diving straight for her opponent, Crobat slashed right across Heliolisk's chest as the Generator Pokémon slid across the field from the attack.

Clemont watched on with anxiety as Crobat circled back around for a second attack. He wasn't quite sure as to what his supposed disadvantage was, but the blond had a feeling it would be revealed soon enough. Prepared this time for the approaching Crobat, the young inventor quickly threw his right hand towards the field. "Heliolisk, move to your left! Dodge that attack and then counter with Dragon Tail!"

"He-Helio... Heliolisk!" The Normal and Electric-Type cried out in nervousness as his feet weren't responding properly. He was telling them to move his body to the left, but his body wouldn't budge. Instead, they were just slipping all over the ice as Crobat slammed hard into him a second time.

"Ah! The ice!" Clemont cried out in concern once he realized what Heliolisk's predicament was. "Unlike Crobat, Heliolisk is at a disadvantage due to the slippery surface from the ice! And while Crobat can fly around freely, we're just an easy target..."

Janine smirked as she heard Clemont's revelation. She wasn't surprised that he had figured it all out at all. Of course, she wasn't going to let him get any attacks in at all. "And it looks like you finally figured it out. Your Heliolisk is going to have quite the difficult time maneuvering this field and we'll take advantage of that! Now, Venoshock!"

"Crobat, cro!" Crobat responded before a purple liquid shot out of her mouth. Clemont watched as Heliolisk fell onto his stomach at his attempt to dodge, just barely avoiding the first blast only to be struck in the face with the second. Sliding on his stomach from the force of the impact, Heliolisk slid right into one of the glaciers as he used it to steady himself onto his feet.

" _There has to be a way to maneuver around the field..."_ Clemont thought to himself as he heard Janine issue a Wing Attack once more. This time, instead of dodging, Clemont quickly told Heliolisk to block the attack with a Dragon Tail as the two attacks collided and the result gave Clemont an idea.

As the two Pokémon ended their clash, Clemont watched on as Heliolisk slid across the field slowly but was able to control his direction to a point that he ended up with his back against one of the glaciers. Deciding to try it out, Clemont watched on as Crobat circled back around just as she had the previous time before issuing the command.

"Heliolisk, don't try and run to escape! Skate around the field instead! Slide your feet freely and use the glaciers as stopping blocks for yourself!"

"Heli!" Heliolisk muttered in response before kicking one of his feet against the ice. Just as Clemont had thought, it looked as if his Pokémon was in fact skating as he dodged the incoming attack easily. Sliding his feet across the ice, the Generator Pokémon appeared to have out sped his opponent as Crobat was unable to land a single blow.

Janine appeared to be shocked from this based on her facial features from watching Heliolisk. She had never seen a Pokémon ice skate before and it left her dumbfounded. Knowing now wasn't the time to get surprised by anything, she quickly shook off her shock before pointing her hand forward. "Crobat, Venoshock let's go!"

"Quick, Heliolisk, counter with your Flash attack!" Clemont's voice rang out as it was immediately followed by a bright light that blinded both Janine and Crobat along with her teammates.

"W-what's happening!? I can't see anything!" She managed to grunt out as she could hear the sound of Crobat being smashed into the icy field. At this point in time, there was nothing she could do as the bright light made it impossible to see anything. Instead, she knew that as a ninja she would have to rely on other senses instead of being defeated from her lack of eyesight.

"Crobat, protect yourself with a Double Team! Don't allow them to find the real you while we can't see!"

"That isn't going to be much of a problem for us," Clemont taunted while letting out a light chuckle. He had turned this match around in a matter of seconds and it looked like he was in complete control. "Now, Heliolisk, use Parabolic Charge!"

Once more, Heliolisk launched off the Electric-Type attack as multiple strands of lightning shot in all directions. Unable to see at all, Crobat and her copies were electrocuted from the sudden blast before the real one fell onto the ice. Taking full advantage of the situation, Clemont commanded Heliolisk to move in with a Dragon Tail attack.

Janine could only make out a blurry image of Heliolisk as his now green tail could be seen easily. Issuing a Wing Attack, Crobat raised her wings weakly as Heliolisk slammed his tail hard onto the Bat Pokémon and broke through her defense. Chunks of ice flew up from the blow and Janine was unsure of what happened until finally she could fully see again. To her surprise, Crobat was defeated by that last attack.

"Crobat is unable to battle! The winner is Heliolisk and thus the match goes to Team Lightning!" The referee declared while raising his hand. The scoreboard was immediately updated to show that both Team Strategy and Team Lightning had one win and one loss each and were in a tie for third place based on how the other matches went today.

"Excellent battling, Clemont!" Blaziken Mask shouted while his son recalled a tired Heliolisk. "Using the field as an ice rink was a great idea to overcome Heliolisk's inability to run on it and using Flash as a means to blind your opponent was the perfect plan to slow her down."

"Thanks, but Heliolisk deserves all the credit. He was the one battling out there," Clemont responded only to stop when he felt someone wrap an arm around his neck. Looking up, the young inventor saw Remo with his arm across Clemont's shoulders and grinning.

"There you go, Brains! Battle like that every time and there's no way we'll lose. And even when you eventually do lose, Remo is here to carry us since I'll never lose a match!" The burly man exclaimed as the group made their way back to their dugout. Both Clemont and Meyer could only sigh at their teammate's mindset. It appeared he still wasn't getting the concept of teamwork.

"And with those two victories today, Team Lightning has earned their first win of the tournament and could be in a first place tie by the end of the day! We'll now take a short intermission to get the fields ready for the next match but don't go anywhere folks! Our next match will feature Team Heartbreak facing off against the fearsome and powerful Team Mega! This battle will surely be an exciting one!" Freddy's voice rocked through the entire stadium as the crowd grew excited for the next match.

* * *

Ash could hear the cheers of the crowd, but that didn't stop him, he just kept running through the streets due to his disappointment and annoyance. How could he let himself fall right back into this same mental trap? And why was it caused by his biggest rivals? Did that mean Sawyer would cause the same issue for him? These questions ran through Ash's head while he sprinted down the street, every TV and radio broadcasting the last match so that he heard Clemont had won his match. It was good for the inventor, but had little importance to Ash at the moment.

Turning around a corner real fast, Ash ran right into an older man as he fell backwards and landed on his behind. Dusting himself off following the collision, Ash looked at the guy with a slight look of annoyance, not at the stranger, but at himself for everything he had done at the tournament. Not even noticing the look on the man's face or the Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash continued to sprint out of the city.

Chuckling a little, the older gentleman who looked to be in his mid-thirties by now, dusted himself off as he looked in the direction that Ash had ran off in. Letting a small smile form across his face, the man looked at the Pikachu on his shoulder before speaking. "It looks like he needs someone to talk to. Let's go see what we can do to help him out."

* * *

 **And the latest chapter came to a close. So, I'm really giving Ash a hard time am I not? But, it'll be good in the long run and the reasoning will be explained next chapter and will be all resolved next chapter. As for the battles at the beginning of the chapter, Team Strategy Vs Team Heartbreak was unimportant overall and there's no way I can do twelve battles a round without 1) making everything too long and unenjoyable and 2) tiring myself out from writing 12 battles for five rounds. So that's why it was mainly skipped over.**

 **Now, who could that man be you ask? Well, you'll get to find out next chapter when all is revealed. Though I will say he is the same person who stopped Skarmory at the park and left before anyone noticed so there's that. Of course, it should be fairly obvious.**

 **And sorry that this took so long to get out. There was a little thing called Pokemon Sun that took a lot of my free time from me. The game was just really fun overall and I'm still piling on play time.**

 **Oh and before I forget, the announcement I mentioned last chapter: So, for those of you who don't know yet, I've talked with a good friend of mine Epicocity and we've decided to work together on a collaboration which is titled "Ships, Schemes, and Other Sweet Sights" at the moment. For those of you who don't know, Epicocity is a very talented writer who just finished up his Anceinverse series with his final story** _ **Love in the Time of Tribulation.**_ **Which I have to say is a must read. Don't worry, it won't affect this story at all so expect some more news in a couple weeks or so.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	52. A Brand New Ash

**Welcome back everyone! Last time we had the first round conclude and the second begin with Team Lightning sweeping through their entire match thanks to Remo and Clemont. While they had it easy, Ash didn't as he learned that he wouldn't be battling against Paul and the others of Team Victory.**

 **Ch 52: A Brand New Ash**

* * *

"How is the test subject doing?" Giovanni asked as he looked over a stack of papers. Standing before the head of Team Rocket were a few of his top scientists who appeared a little nervous to be in his presence. "Is everything ready for our plan to be set in motion?"

One of the three scientists stepped forward, cowering just a little from the sight of Giovanni as he wiped his forehead clean of any sweat that was forming. "E-Everything is going according to plan, sir! The Symbiote brought to the lab by Sird appears to have taken a liking to the test subject just as she said it would."

"Perfect. And as for the availability of it?" Giovanni asked as he placed the clipboard down and looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. Mewtwo's confinement had been finished up roughly a couple of days ago and they were now testing his new powers out through training exercises while the rest of their plan was being completed.

"W-Well, sir, we still lack the necessary energy to fire the weapon. Otherwise everything else is a go. Fortunately, a stable power supply is available to power up the weapon. However, if you want to fire it, the necessary Mega Evolution energy still needs to be collected. At the rate those three are gathering it though, by my calculations we should be able to use the weapon in no time at all," the scientist explained as he looked over at the silent TV playing in the background. On it was a highlight of a Mega Garchomp facing off against a Mega Sceptile. Those fools at the tournament had no clue that their battles were helping fuel the end of their known world.

"Yes, those three are great at everything they do, especially following orders," Giovanni replied as he let a short laugh escape from his lips. "Jessie, James and Meowth. Not the brightest, but they are hardworking I'll give them that. They really are my three best agents, however, I'll have little use for them once I rule this entire planet. Due to their excellent work though, I'll reward them by allowing them to continue to work as my personal servants. Knowing those buffoons, they'd treat it like a promotion."

"Little do they know that they're of little use to me even now. I have no need for them since they've ran their course, they've helped build the Kalos Branch of Team Rocket and their services are no longer required. But, I've learned that they're at their best through profiting so why not have them sell some merchandise and make us some cash at the big tournament? While also collecting some Mega Evolution energy unknowingly."

"That is correct, sir. Their boxes are all equipped with Mega Evolution collection sensors that we drain the collected energy from when they resupply. Those three don't even realize what they're really doing right now," the scientist replied as he didn't appear as nervous anymore.

Giovanni smirked as he thought back to those three. A long time ago he had thoughts of firing them. They were nothing more than a waste of space due to the fact they never supplied any Pokémon to Team Rocket or paid their yearly dues. Always getting phone calls from them about money or supplies, it had driven him insane to the point where he actually ignored them and almost forgot they existed. Then they went to Hoenn and defeated Teams Aqua and Magma. Then Sinnoh and their team. The trend continued as they ousted Team Plasma and nearly helped him take over the entire region and now in Kalos they had really done their work as the base was well done and everything was ready.

Looking back at the scientists, Giovanni soon realized that they were still here just standing around. Sighing, he glared at them for a moment before speaking up. "What are you still doing here? Don't you have tests to see if the subject will work properly? It's good that the Symbiote has bonded with it, but if it doesn't listen to orders then it'll be a waste!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" The three scientists cried out before running out of Giovanni's office. There was no way they wanted to get onto his bad side.

"Still..." Giovanni muttered to himself as he thought back on his previous failures. "Even if everything is ready, that boy will try to stop me if given the chance. Attila and Hun said that they were stopped in their pursuit of him, and sending another attack this soon would look suspicious. When the time comes, I'll just have to handle him myself. He'll have no clue as to what hit him."

* * *

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball now!" Gary commanded as he pointed forward with his index finger. Charging up his attack, Umbreon reared his head backwards before swinging it forwards and launched off the sphere of energy.

"Pancham, block it with a Dark Pulse," Serena called out, using some of the ideas she picked up from Ash's battles in Kalos and a few tips she had received from Brock.

"Pancham, cham," The Fighting-Type cried out energetically as he cupped his two hands together. Tossing them out in front of his body, Pancham soon fired off the mix of purple and black beam of energy as it crashed hard into the encroaching ball of energy before the two attacks exploded and caused a gust of wind and dirt to fill the streets of the city field they were battling on.

Gary smirked as he saw his opening and despite not knowing if Serena had anything to counter with, decided to try and end the match here and now. "Umbreon, get in close and use a Quick Attack followed up with another Shadow Ball!"

"Umbre!" The Moonlight Pokémon cried out happily before breaking off and into a sprint. A white light trailed behind him as he raced across the field before landing right in front of Pancham. Pausing for a mere second as both Pancham and Serena were shocked to see the Dark-Type already before them, Umbreon rammed his head right into Pancham's abdomen as the Playful Pokémon went flying high into the air.

Continuing the attack, Umbreon then launched off a Shadow Ball straight for Pancham. Gary smirked as he could hear Serena call out another Dark Pulse as a hint of fear was found in her voice. However, with Pancham spinning around uncontrollably in the sky, the small Fighting-Type was unable to properly ready himself to fire off an attack and was struck hard by the Shadow Ball before crashing into the field below.

"Pancham is unable to battle! The winner is Umbreon and Team Mega has gained one point in today's match!" The referee called out as Ash broke his eyes away from the TV screen that was playing the match in the area where vendors were selling all sorts of goods and treats. Sighing, Ash threw his hands up behind his head before walking along the marketplace in confusion.

"Why do I do this to myself, Pikachu?" Ash asked his best friend as the Electric-Type looked on in confusion from the question. "I can't battle today and yet I torture myself by watching the other matches on TV. I can't help it, but I really want to be down on that field right now."

"Pipikachu," Pikachu agreed as a few small bolts of electricity flew from his cheeks. Ash nodded in understanding that Pikachu was just as disappointed as he was before the duo continued on. If only Ash didn't allow his ego to take advantage of himself, he wouldn't be in this mess. Still, the Pallet Town native wondered if there was even a way to keep it from happening again.

Looking up at the forest that was nearby to the Trainer's Village, Ash saw a quiet place to relax at and headed in its direction. "You know what, Pikachu, we need to get away from this entire tournament for the day and just let ourselves relax. We've had too much stress on us since winning the Kalos League," Ash decided upon as he picked up the pace, causing Pikachu to have to hold on tighter to Ash's shoulder to keep from falling.

"Pikapi," the Electric-Type cried out in agreement as they passed by a few vendors on the streets. Passing a quick glance, Pikachu felt they looked familiar, but ignored them for the time being. Making their way up past the Trainer's Village, the duo found themselves a nice comfy hill that they could lay down on.

"Wow, this is a beautiful view of the entire tournament grounds. Isn't it, Pikachu?" Ash asked as the duo leaned back against the hill to see the sight of the entire grounds below them. They could see all the vendors down below trying their best to sell their merchandise as fans bustled their way into the stadium, no doubt for the second battle of the middle match. Sighing, Ash wondered how everyone else was doing today, but figured that it was best to ignore them. Not out of spite, but to allow himself a chance to relax and start over.

"Pikachu, do you ever question what we do?" Ash asked out of the blue, causing the Electric Mouse Pokémon to look over in concern. "Think about it for a minute. Despite all the Leagues we've competed in, it always seems like we just start back over at the beginning with each new region we head off to explore. Though, Kalos was different for us, we both started out better than usual and it carried over to the Kalos League. We actually won for once and I was beyond excited. All our hard work was finally paying off, but then I became overconfident around the others. I tried to rush through Mega Evolution and that only damaged my relationship with Charizard. And now, I've gotten even worse. I'm lashing out at my friends, my commands are sloppy, I'm letting everyone down now."

"Chaaa," Pikachu cried out softly as he rubbed his face up against Ash's. The Electric-Type didn't like to see Ash in such a mood and the young trainer was grateful for the response. "Pikachu, pipikachu! Pika, pika!" There was no way either of them should regret anything they learned through their adventures together.

"Alright, I get it. I'm glad that you and I met all those years ago, Pikachu. Without you, who knows if I even would have been able to start my journey when I did. My journey would have been so much different without you," Ash said to his best friend before they both leaned back onto the hill once more.

"It's great to see you've found such a great partner; you know that?" An older voice boomed out before a light chuckle followed after it. Sitting up, Ash was soon looking at the sight of a slightly older man standing before him. Looking him over, Ash noticed how the man was a little taller than himself, possibly a few inches taller than his mother. His clothes appeared to be situated for someone who traveled constantly as his jeans were lightly worn and his jacket reminded Ash of his own, only red was the main color. He also appeared to have black messy hair and was clean shaven which surprised Ash based on the deep voice. Seeing Ash staring at him, the older man sat down next to him as his own Pikachu ran out from behind his shoulder.

"Sorry to just show up unannounced, but I saw you back near the vendors looking all bent out of shape. I figured you would need someone to talk to, Ash," the older man continued on as Ash wondered just how he knew his name. though, that question was soon answered by the man himself. "You see, Pika and myself are big fans of you, Ash. It isn't every day that someone from our hometown becomes such a good trainer as yourself."

"You're from Pallet Town?" Ash asked as the man nodded his head in agreement. For the small town that he grew up in, Ash had never seen this guy at all before. "And a huge fan of mine?"

"Right you are. I never had a chance to properly meet you since I was off on my own journey before you were old enough to remember me. Though I remember you. In fact, not only do I know you, but I've been following your journey since you first competed in the Pokémon League competition at Indigo Plateau," the man responded as he dropped his backpack and laid down on the hill. "You've come quite a long way since then. Especially with that Charizard of yours. Though to be honest, I've always been interested in your Pikachu. He's quite the powerful one."

"Yeah, Pikachu and I have been through so much together. I was actually just telling him how I couldn't even picture my journey had we never met on the day I went to get my first Pokémon," Ash explained as he sat up and watched the two Pikachu play together. "Though, your Pikachu looks really strong as well. You must be a great trainer to have such a strong Pokémon."

"You know, I used to think the same way when I was your age. Strength was always the key and it was able to be formed through hard work and bonds. Though, over time I came to realize something. Being a trainer wasn't about winning or losing or whatever your end goal was. It was spending time with your friends, your partners on this life journey you've set off on. Winning or losing wasn't important but if you have fun, then you'll always be proud of how you do no matter what outcome," the elder man explained while suddenly sitting straight up, slightly shocking Ash as he fell backwards. "Kid, you remind me of myself and I think I'll help you out of this rut of yours. How's a battle sound? Just your Pikachu against Pika here?"

"A... Battle?" Ash asked while blinking. He didn't know if now was the right time, but figured if this guy wanted one, who was he to deny it. Standing up, Ash raised his fists excitedly as Pikachu sprinted over to his trainer's side, Pika doing the same with the older man. "If you've really been following my journey, then you should know I never turn down a chance at a battle!"

Smiling at the young boy's enthusiasm, the older gentleman couldn't help but smile back at his new opponent. Fixing their caps, both of them appeared to be mirror images of the other. Only that the man was older than his opponent. "Alright, Pika, I choose you!"

"Pika!" The Electric-Type cried out in excitement as he ran onto the makeshift field while sparks flew from his cheeks.

"Okay, Pikachu, let's give them everything we've got!" Ash yelled out as his best friend jumped from his shoulder. Landing on the hill, Pikachu prepared himself to battle against one of his own kind. "Alright, start off with a Thunderbolt attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in agreement as his body began to flow with electricity. Charging himself up, the Electric mouse Pokémon soon launched off the attack with all his strength. "Pika... Chuuuuuu!"

Pika and his trainer were not fazed by the incoming attack however. Instead, the duo waited for it to come right at them before issuing a counter. "Pika, stick your tail into the ground. Have it act similar to a lightning rod. Then, once the attack is over, use Thunder!"

"Pi!" The Electric-Type cried out before ramming his tail into the earth. Electricity soon flowed through Pika's body before dispersing down into the ground, allowing the Electric Mouse Pokémon to be hardly harmed from the attack. "Pika... Chuuuu!" He then cried out in retaliation as a large bolt of lightning shot from his own body before crashing right for Pikachu.

"Quick, Pikachu, dodge it with Quick Attack and then try to get in close to land an Iron Tail!" Ash countered as he smiled from the attack. Leaping out of the way, Pikachu landed on all four paws before breaking out into a sprint. Streaking across the field, Pikachu left a white trail behind himself as his tail glowed a bright white. Ash looked confident in this attack, Pikachu was one of the fastest Pokémon he knew.

"I have a feeling as to how you canceled out our Thunderbolt attack, but this time you won't be able to stop this one! Now Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out as he jumped into the air and performed a summersault. Gaining momentum as he spun around, Pikachu slammed his tail hard onto his opponent. Both Ash and Pikachu believed they had landed a direct hit, yet were shocked beyond words once they saw the attack had been blocked by Pika's very own Iron Tail. "Pikachu," he quickly muttered to himself before pushing off from the clash and landing backwards and away from his opponent.

"Man, these two are tougher than they look," Ash muttered to himself while wiping away a drop of sweat. For some reason, he was feeling different from the other day. He wasn't out here battling to prove anything to anyone, this was just a friendly battle where no one was watching him. Where he could afford to slip up and make mistakes, and despite the thought of these two beating him, it only made him even more determined. "But, I know we can take them on, Pikachu! As long as you're by my side I know we can't lose! Now, use Thunderbolt once more!"

"Ash, you've already tried this out once before. It failed the last time and we'll cancel it out again," the older man told his opponent as he placed a hand behind his head and looked across at the boy. The sight of the smiling boy was like looking in a mirror from when he was a boy. "Get ready, Pika!"

"Pi, pikachu," the Electric-Type cried out as he threw his tail hard into the ground. Looking up, the duo weren't shocked at all as a Thunderbolt crashed hard into Pika only to be channeled into the ground. However, the look on Ash's face surprised them a little as it looked to be like the boy figured something out.

"Alright, Pikachu, keep that Thunderbolt coming and don't let up one bit!" Ash cried out excitedly as he punched forward, a sight that his older opponent couldn't help but smirk at. Pikachu followed through with the command as a large surge of electricity shot from his body before channeling right through Pika once more. However, this was exactly what he wanted as he issued an Iron Tail while Pikachu fell back towards the ground.

"Pi...ka!" The Electric-Type cried out triumphantly as he whipped his entire body around until his now glowing tail smashed hard into Pika's head. Bouncing up and off of his opponent, Pikachu then slammed his tail down once more across Pika's face as the fellow Electric-Type skidded backwards.

Landing in front of Ash, both Pikachu and his trainer shared a smile as it seemed they were finally getting going now. "You see, I finally realized how you managed to cancel out our Thunderbolt attack since it was very similar to a tactic I saw before. By having Pika use his tail as a lightning rod, you managed to have all the electricity from the Thunderbolt surge into the ground. However, when Pika's preoccupied with that it leaves him open to any other kind of attack," Ash explained while fixing his hat.

"You really are something else, you know that Ash?" The older man asked while letting out a light chuckle at the sight of Ash's enthusiasm. "Your old man would be pretty proud of you. But try to handle this one! Pika, use your Thunder attack while spinning!"

"What!?" Ash cried out in shock at the mention of his dad. Pika meanwhile began to spin in a similar manner to how Pikachu would use counter-shield. As the electricity surged from the Electric Mouse Pokémon, Ash watched as Pikachu skirted all around the grassy field in hopes of dodging the attack. _"This isn't good... Pikachu can't keep dodging forever! Come on, Ash, think!"_ He began to silently tell himself as his fists clenched around the end of his jacket, he just couldn't lose now. Not when he was so close.

"Pika!" Pikachu's sudden cry caused him to snap out of his thoughts as two strands of Thunder crashed down into Pikachu. As his best friend was shocked by the blast, Ash wondered just what they could do as he issued a Quick Attack.

"Pikachu, we have to disrupt his attack! Build up an Electro Ball while dodging and launch it at the ground in front of Pika! Make it so he can't see you coming," Ash countered as Pikachu spun in midair to dodge another strand of Thunder. Ash had to admit, this attack was pretty powerful as the grassy field was now singed from the attack. Pikachu however wasn't fazed by the strength as a large electrical orb soon formed on his tail. Running straight for his target, Pikachu watched as one of the Thunder strands began to crash down right in front of him.

"Pika, pika, pika, pika, chu pi!" Pikachu cried out in pain as he crashed right through the Thunder attack and launched off his Electro Ball. Landing back on the ground, Pikachu watched in delight as the attack caused the land around Pika to crack and force the Electric-Type to stop his spinning while also giving him an opening. Running across the field, Pikachu rammed himself right into Pika's stomach as both Electric Mouse Pokémon skidded across the field.

" _Haha, Ash, you really have grown up so much since I last saw you,"_ the older man thought to himself while removing his own hat to run a hand through his hair. _"But, I can tell there's more to what's going on with your struggles than just some ego of yours."_

"Okay, Pikachu, keep him on the run with another Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled as his best friend delivered on the command.

The man watched as the bolt crashed into Pika, but unlike before he didn't issue for Pika to cancel it out. Instead, he allowed Pika to sit in the attack and take it head on. "Alright, you've charged up enough," he said to Pika as the duo smirked. Placing his hat back onto his head, the man smiled over at Ash as he saw the boy looking on in a mix of excitement and worry. Though, there seemed to be a third emotion that the man just couldn't read from the boy and wanted to get right to the end of it. "Ash, this has been fun. You're everything I've heard about you, but I need to move this along. Maybe we can have a battle in the future again. I would really like for that to happen; you don't know how much I've wanted to battle you. Now, Pika! Volt Tackle!"

Dashing off in a blinding light, Pika was soon enveloped in electrical energy as he sprinted for Pikachu. In mere moments, the Electric-Type was already upon his target as Ash issued out an Iron Tail to no avail. Breaking through Pikachu's defense, Pika crashed right into his fellow Electric-Type as Pikachu went flying off to the side of the field.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in concern as he went to go check up on his best friend. Seeing that he was alright, Ash carefully picked Pikachu up and placed in his arms. "You did great out there, Pikachu. Those two are really something though. We'll get them next time though."

"Ash, come on over here! I'll take care of Pikachu and then we can talk," the man stated as he showed a few medicines to Ash. Nodding in agreement, the Pallet Town native brought his best friend over to this man as he sprayed on some medicine to heal those wounds. Letting out a soft cry of pain, Pikachu allowed him to continue treating him before his wounds were completely fixed. "There, that should do it, Pikachu. Your electric attacks pack quite a punch there little guy. Say, I have something I need to talk about with your friend. You mind leaving us alone for a few moments?"

"Pipikachu, chu pi," Pikachu agreed as he ran across the field to go join Pika. Watching the two Electric Mouse Pokémon play, Ash couldn't help but smile as the older man motioned for him to sit and join him on the ground.

Nodding in agreement, Ash soon found himself laying down across the hill once more as they both stared up at the sky. Sitting in silence, Ash wondered just when the man would speak, only for his question to be answered.

"Ash," he said quietly as the Pallet Town native wasn't sure if he heard him correctly. Repeating himself again, Ash knew that the man had spoken and turned to give him his attention. "There were moments just now where you seemed able to control the battle and then there were other moments where you seemed almost scared to be out there. What gives?"

"Well...you see lately I've been having this sort of ego problem. And, no matter how hard I've tried to control it at times, it just seeps out. And when that happens I just can't think straight since my thoughts get all clouded of trying to prove to everyone that I am good," Ash explained his situation to the adult next to him. For Ash, just admitting the situation to someone else seemed to help bring him some peace.

"Hmm, so you're the same way huh. Should have guessed it, runs in the family," the man muttered under his breath before sitting back up and facing Ash directly. "So, you have the old Ketchum ego huh? Well, I can help with that."

"How do you know about my family?" Ash asked, though the man just ignored the question. Ash began to assume he must have been an old family friend of his mother since he did know Ash when he was younger and decided to listen. "And, how are you going to help me?"

"Simple, listen to what I've got to say. Now, why exactly do you want to be a trainer?" The man asked as he crossed his arms, a slight smile forming on his face.

"That's easy," Ash replied while shooting up onto his feet. "I want to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master while making friends with as many Pokémon as I can. Together we'll grow together as we journey."

"Hahaha, you're quite the go-getter. Well, hear me out on this one, Ash. Being the strongest doesn't always make you the best," he explained while Ash looked on in confusion. Seeing that an example would be needed to help teach, the man thought for one before finally choosing one he really liked. "For example, sometimes in a battle even the strongest Pokémon falls. And that happens when trainer and Pokémon are united in their quest together. Strength isn't the only factor in becoming great. Like I said before, it isn't about winning or losing, but how you battle. Going out there and giving it your all, no matter what people think about the outcome is all that matters. There's no reason to rely on others' opinions as long as you're satisfied in your own Pokémon and how they did."

"Not about winning or losing," Ash repeated under his breath as his thought back to his previous battles. Ever since the Kalos League, he was in a must win mentality and it had fully shown itself in his last slip up as he figured he had that match won easily. Looking back at it, this was the same situation that occurred back in Snowbelle. He became so focused on winning that he forgot about everything else. Knowing that he had already forgotten that lesson made Ash mentally slap himself. Needing to know something, he looked up towards the man and asked him a question,

"But, how exactly can I always remember that. It sounds like another lesson I learned recently, yet...I forgot about it."

"Simple, surround yourself with your friends. Believe in them like they believe in you. Trust works both ways, Ash. Just as you and your Pokémon share an unbreakable bond, so do you and your friends. Whenever you feel yourself weak, they'll always be there for you," the older man responded with a large smile as it seemed like Ash was getting it. "Though, I'll let you just think about that for a little bit. I'll see you around."

Getting ready to leave, the man suddenly felt a tug on his jacket as Ash's hand had grasped it. In fact, the man thought it was strange for Ash to not even be looking up at him as he held tight to his jacket. Raising his head slowly, Ash seemed to be in a deep thought as he wondered if he should ask or not.

"If...if you don't mind, I have something else to ask you." Seeing the man nod in response as a sign to continue on, Ash smiled a little as he let go of his jacket. "You see, it's...it's about this feeling. It's something I've never really felt before and the fact I can't figure it out is driving me crazy."

"What exactly are you feeling?" He asked in response to Ash's question. He was hoping that he would be of help, but unless he completely understood then he would be of no help.

"Well, it's hard to explain. But...there's this person who I enjoy being around. And whenever I'm with her, I feel a lot better than when I'm not. She's really nice and sweet and is always so supportive of everyone! Yet, when I'm around her I feel really different and hide it from her but I don't know what any of this means. I was hoping you could help," Ash explained while rubbing the back of his head in confusion.

"Kid, that's simple. It's called love," the man replied while letting out a light laughter. "It's perfectly normal for someone your age to feel like that around someone your age."

Ash listened to the man with slight confusion. _"Love...that's what Brock is like. Though, I don't act like he does,"_ Ash thought to himself as he tried to think back to everything. Now that he thought on it, he did realize how he did a lot of things for her. "I don't know anything about love though. How do I know you're right?"

"Take a chance," the man responded with a shrug of his shoulders while picking up a Poké Ball. Seeing this, Pika scurried back over to his trainer before climbing up on his shoulder. "You'll never know anything until you try something, Ash. Think of it like a battle, without taking a risk in it, you'll never know if your strategy will win."

"Take a chance..." Ash repeated as the man opened his Poké Ball to reveal an Aerodactyl much to Ash's shock. Watching the man climb up onto the Flying and Rock-Type, Ash quickly called out to him. "Wait, I never got your name!"

"You can call me Red, kid," the man replied before he gripped onto Aerodactyl. "Good luck with the rest of the tournament and remember what I told you. Take a chance, don't let an opportunity pass you by because you don't know what to do. Trying something that leads to failure only helps to show you a path to success. Now, let's fly, Aero!"

With a loud screech, the Aerodactyl flew off into the sky, leaving Ash and Pikachu alone once more. Watching the Fossil Pokémon fly off into the distance, Ash let out a sigh of content as his head was finally cleared from everything that had been bothering him for a while. "Thanks dad," he muttered softly as Aerodactyl was soon out of his sight.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked while climbing up onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzling his face. Pikachu was worried for Ash as he appeared to be deep in thought over something.

Laughing from Pikachu's concern, Ash quickly scratched under Pikachu's chin as the Electric-Type let out a content sigh. "I'm alright, Pikachu. Thanks for the concern though. Say, why don't we go and cheer on the others in today's match? I'm sure they would appreciate that."

* * *

"And now, we welcome out our second battle of this second round matchup between Team Heartbreak and Team Mega as Nate and Alain take their spots across from each other on the grass field today!" Freddy O'Martian stated happily as the two trainers raised their Poké Balls up.

"Alright, time for our redemption! Go, Dewott!" Nate cried out happily as the capture device erupted open to reveal the Water-Type who stood poised and collected on the field. "You ready to win this time, Dewott?"

"Dewott, de!" The Discipline Pokémon cried out as he reached for the two scalchops attached to his thighs. He didn't seem to be the happiest about the way their match ended yesterday and Nate knew he needed to get him some battling today.

"Well, it looks like you'll have to wait for that redemption because we'll be winning today! Go!" Alain called out as he tossed his Poké Ball outwards as it opened up to reveal a Weavile. "Now, Weavile, start off with Night Slash!"

"Dewott, block it with Razor Shell!" Nate countered as he threw a fist forward. Both Pokémon raced forward across the grassy plains as their two blades seemed evenly matched.

"We seem to be at a stalemate," Alain muttered as he watched the two blades continue to collide as the two Pokémon clashed a handful of times as neither seemed to get the upper hand in this matchup. "But, there has to be a way. Weavile, use a second Night Slash with your other hand as well."

"Wea, wea," the Dark and Ice-Type cried out while smirking. Pulling a second blade from his side, Weavile began to overpower his opponent as he landed a powerful swipe across Dewott's chest, sending him flying backwards and to drop his scalchop onto the field.

"Without that scalchop, Dewott can't properly defend himself," Alain responded as he threw a fist forward in excitement. "Now, Weavile, go in with your Night Slash attack again!"

"Wait for it..." Nate muttered to his partner as a gleam in their eyes showed they had a plan. Watching Weavile sprint across the grassy plains, the duo seemed too calm for being defenseless. "Alright, Dewott, use an Ice Beam on Weavile's feet now! Then follow it up with an Aerial Ace attack!"

"Dewott!" The Water-Type cried out in agreement as he stood on one knee. Opening his mouth up real wide, Dewott formed a large blue sphere in his mouth before firing it off in the shape of a beam. The duo's timing was perfect as Weavile had no way to dodge the beam and soon had his feet frozen to the ground.

"De, dewott, wott!" Dewott then shouted out as he shot off like a rocket for the now immobilized Weavile. With his limbs glowing a bright white, Dewott reared back as he prepared his punch only for it to be blocked by a Night Slash. Not one to give up however, Dewott then kicked upwards as he grazed by Weavile's chin and gave himself an opening.

"Now, Protect!" Alain cried out quickly as a blue shield soon emerged around Weavile's body. The Aerial Ace attack just bounced off harmlessly as both Dewott and Nate were shocked by the quick reflexes of Alain to call out the command. However, the young trainer wasn't finished there as he soon continued his counter. "And now hit him back with your Night Slash and follow it up with an Ice Beam attack!"

Slashing across his body, Weavile managed to hit Dewott across the face and make the Discipline Pokémon lose his focus for just a split second. That short amount of time was all Weavile needed as he soon blasted him backwards with his Ice Beam attack before freeing himself from his restraints.

"Not bad, should have expected this from the runner-up at last year's Kalos League," Nate replied while rolling his shoulders slightly as Dewott stood back up easily. "Though, I had been hoping to face that Charizard of yours. Would have been quite the challenge."

"I'm saving Charizard for someone else," Alain commented as he looked down and across the field with a slight smirk. "Though, you're not bad yourself. It has been a fun battle, something I haven't had in a while. Too bad it'll end soon. Weavile, Night Slash!"

"Don't get excited about the end of this battle just yet, Alain," Nate replied as he and Dewott watched Weavile run right for them. Wielding his purple blade, the Sharp Claw Pokémon seemed ready to strike only for Dewott to roll right under the strike. The way that the Water-Type moved was not of any ordinary Pokémon as he had been trained specifically to counter a charging enemy.

Picking Weavile up from under his arm, Dewott tossed Weavile back across the field as he picked up his previously dropped Scalchop and rushed for Weavile. "Razor Shell, now!"

"Quick, Double Team Weavile!" Alain countered as he watched Dewott slash right through one of the many copies of his Weavile. Letting himself sigh for once, Alain knew he needed to come up with a better way to battle this guy. "Now Weavile, use your Ice Beam to freeze Dewott in place!"

"Weavile," the Dark and Ice-Type muttered in agreement as he and his copies all charged up the attack as they surrounded their opponent.

Once more, Dewott showed no worry or fear, but instead an overwhelming sense of calmness. Looking at Nate, the Discipline Pokémon watched as his trainer nodded in agreement as the multiple beams all came at him. Jumping up above the beams, Dewott managed to avoid all of them with ease as they struck all the copies by mistake. Now seeing where the real Weavile was, Dewott whipped out his scalchop as it glowed a light blue in color while also elongating.

"De...wott!" He cried out excitedly while diving right for the real Weavile. With a single slash of his shell, Dewott managed to bring Weavile down to his knees before finishing off the Sharp Claw Pokémon with an Aerial Ace roundhouse kick to the back. Falling onto his face, Weavile didn't move at all as everyone in the stadium was shocked by the finish.

"Weavile is unable to battle! The winner is Dewott and so Team Heartbreak has tied up this match at one point for each team," the referee declared as Alain recalled his defeated Pokémon.

"Ah yeah! We did it Dewott and you looked cool while doing it! That's the way, pal. Just think of all the possible ladies who were watching," Nate stated happily as Dewott could only shake his head in disbelief. How the Water-Type wished Nate had a different persona as his undercover identity.

"Amazing folks, the duo of Nate and Dewott managed to take down Alain without even having to speak to each other! Quite the deadly pair and you should watch out for how these two battle when the end of the tournament comes around," Freddy explained as the field was being changed for the third and final battle of the day. "Now, for a refresher on the rules, since both teams have one point, the two winners from today's match will battle it out in a winner take all match. So, once the field is picked, Gary and Nate will battle it out to see who's team will leave today with a victory."

"Wow, Nate, you really pulled that victory off. That was quite some battle," Brock told his teammate as the pair of Nate and Dewott stretched while waiting for their next battle to begin. "You really saved us from falling behind the other teams this early one."

"It was nothing really," Nate replied as he finished his stretching. "I couldn't let a pretty face like Serena's down again. I promised her a victory and a victory is what I'll deliver," he continued on while holding her hands in his own. "And after I win tonight, how does a wonderful dinner with just the two of us sound, my dear?"

"Um...well..." Serena began to say as sweat formed on her forehead. Looking at Nate, it seemed almost as if he was pleading with the girl based on his look and she just couldn't bring herself to hurt him or anyone. "If...if you win... If you win then we can get something to eat."

"Just the two of us? Like a date?" Nate asked excitedly as Serena just sighed at his question.

"Yeah. Just the two of us," she muttered out as the field finally arrived up towards them. How she wished it had appeared sooner.

"Perfect, now you just wait here. I'm going to go win us a match," Nate stated proudly before kissing her hand. Letting go of it, Nate ran off as both Serena and Dewott could only sigh at the boy's antics.

"Oh this will be great," Nate began to say as they looked at the field. This time it was a canyon style with a huge gap in the middle of it and the rest of it just having different rock formations sticking up around it. "One more win and then a dream date."

"De, dewott, wott, dewott," the Discipline Pokémon scolded his trainer while waving his scalchop in front of Nate's face. He was not going to allow Nate to blow this for them because of his persona.

"I know, I know, Dewott. In battle I'm much different, you don't have to worry about me," Nate reassured his friend before they looked over at Gary. "No offense, Gary Oak, but I need this victory more than you think! Don't expect me to go easy on you at all."

"I wouldn't expect anyone to go easy in a battle. Though I have to warn you, I may not train like I used to, but my Pokémon are still pretty tough," Gary shot back as he reached for Umbreon's Poké Ball. "So I wouldn't go counting this win just yet. Go, Umbreon!"

"You don't get it though, nothing will keep me from a date!" Nate shot back as he stared down his opponent. Pointing forward, Dewott ran out onto the field as he raised his scalchops in a threatening way.

"This battle shall be to decide which team will gain the victory from today's match. The side to win will also gain the victory not only for the battle but the entire match. Begin!" The referee declared as both trainers were already on the move.

"Dewott, get in there with an Aerial Ace!" Nate commanded as Dewott was off and running as his limbs all glowed white just as they had in the previous battle. Jumping across the different rocks to shorten his distance, Dewott leapt across the entire canyon as he rammed his left foot right into Umbreon's side.

"Now we've got you," Gary replied happily as a small smile crossed his face. Sweeping his right arm across his body, he issued his command. "Umbreon, stop them with your Psychic attack!

"Umbre!" The Dark-Type shouted before his eyes glowed a light blue before the aura spread from his body and surrounded Dewott, restraining him from moving.

"You see, as long as Umbreon has Dewott stuck like this you won't be able to attack," Gary explained as Umbreon caused Dewott to smash into the ground. "However, we can still attack and tire you out. This match was over before it even started."

"Like you said earlier, Gary, I wouldn't go counting this victory just yet," Nate replied as he smirked at Dewott. "Dewott, let's use our Ice Beam attack right now."

"Dewott," the Water-Type replied as he launched off the icy beam while being tossed around. As he did so, the blast would connect with different areas of the field as they would soon be covered in ice.

"I think you've forgotten that as long as we have a hold on you, Dewott can't aim his Ice Beam attack," Gary told his opponent as Umbreon continued to toss Dewott around and into different parts of the field. As he did so, the Water-Type would launch his Ice-Type attack and freeze a different portion of the field.

" _Just a little more, Dewott. Just hold on for a little more,"_ Nate thought to himself as Dewott was now panting from the constant hits and just overall exhaustion from the previous battle as well. "Now, toss your scalchop!"

"De..." Dewott groaned out as he managed to fight the Psychic attack just long enough to kick his scalchop free from his thigh. The motion seemed pointless, but soon everyone knew exactly what the point to it was. Watching as the scalchop slid around on the now icy field, the audience were shocked by the fact he planned a path for the scalchop get to Umbreon.

"Umbreon," the Dark-Type muttered to himself as he felt a slight nick hit his body. Though Gary didn't realize it, the scalchop was enough of a distraction to break free from the Psychic attack.

Dewott!" The Discipline Pokémon cried out in triumph as he broke free from his restraints. Now free, Dewott landed on the icy field and skated around it as he picked up his scalchop before facing Umbreon.

"Shadow Ball, Umbreon!" Gary commanded, but the attack was too slow. By the time Umbreon was ready to attack, Dewott was already gone and at a different section of the field. "Where could he be hiding? Umbreon, check every spot you can!"

"Please, Gary, don't act like we were hiding from you. Instead, we were hiding for the perfect chance to strike," Nate explained as Dewott rushed from inside the canyon all covered in water, an obvious sign of an Aqua Jet attack. Having no time to warn Umbreon, Gary could only watch as his Dark-Type was hit hard by the attack and smashed into a pile of rocks.

"Don't give up yet, Dewott! Get in there with Razor Shell at max power! End this battle now!" Nate yelled out as Dewott began to glow a light shade of blue. Both Serena and Brock recognized this as Torrent and watched as his Razor Shell attack grew in size.

Slicing against Umbreon, the Razor Shell cut right through its target and the rock formation he was up against as Umbreon slide backwards on the ice only to be stopped by another Razor Shell attack from behind. Watching, Gary had no counter for the speed Dewott had gained from the ice and could only watch the barrage until it ended.

"Now, Aerial Ace!" Dewott rushed off to end the fight as his limbs glowed white for what he hoped were the final time today since his body was now ready to give in to his fatigue.

"Stop them with Shadow Ball!" Opening his mouth, Umbreon readied the attack as the ball of ghostly energy was waiting to be launched off. Seeing Dewott in his sight, Umbreon fired off the attack in hopes of winning the battle.

"Block it!" Nate yelled at the last second, shocking everyone once more at sight of Dewott kicking away the Shadow Ball followed by the image of him punching Umbreon square in the face as the Moonlight Pokémon fell to the ground defeated.

"Umbreon is unable to battle! The winners are Nate and Dewott and so Team Heartbreak are the winners of this match!" The referee declared as both Nate and Dewott collapsed onto the ground from their exhaustion.

"I... I lost so easily," Gary muttered to himself as he recalled Umbreon. Yes, he admitted to not training as often as before, but the researcher at least thought he was still a highly skilled trainer. Yet, despite all of it he had just been outsmarted in a battle like it was nothing. "Well, this loss won't happen again."

"I... I won," Nate panted out while recalling Dewott into his Poké Ball. "I beat... I beat both Alain... and Gary..." he continued to pant as a wave of energy soared through him. "I won, that means we won! And if the team won, then I scored!"

Running down to his team's bench, Nate ran straight to Serena and took ahold of her hands. "Serena, I did it. I managed a victory for our love. So now, you remember the deal correct? You and I, a date just the two of us alone."

"I don't think we ever agreed on calling it a date," Serena replied weakly as she had partially hoped for Gary to win. However, she now found herself having to go out on the town with Nate.

"Well, what else do you call a night spent by two people who are alone and in love?" Nate asked in a matter-of-fact tone as he pulled her hands closer to his body, causing Serena to land in his arms.

"Aghhh… Ah!" She screeched before he caught her carefully. Blushing madly from the embarrassing situation, Serena straightened herself out as she got Nate to release her hands. "Nate, this isn't a date. We're just going to go have dinne-"

"Shhh," he quickly cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. "I know, you're nervous about going out with me but I'll let you know I'm still the same person. No need to worry about anything, Serena," he stated before quickly grabbing ahold of her wrist. "And away we go!"

"N-Nate hold up!" Serena screeched out as she was dragged away.

"Poor Serena, that guy is worse than me," Brock muttered to himself as he followed his two teammates back out into the hallway. "Heh, who knows, maybe she'll be able to sneak away somehow."

* * *

"Dawn, are you ready?" Trip asked as he made sure he had everything for their team's match today. Noticing that she seemed a little nervous, he walked over to her. "Hey, you need to get your act together. We're heading out there right now."

"I know we are," Dawn replied as she was ready for the match as Piplup happily chirped next to her. "I'm just worried about Ash. He seemed to run out of here pretty quickly and still hasn't returned. I don't know if it's best to leave him alone right now, normally he would have come back by now."

"Listen, we can't worry about Ash right now. He ran off on his own because he was upset. Right now, you and I have a job to do. We need to win two battles out there and force a six way tie for first after today," Trip explained as they both walked out the door. "Now remember, I'll be going first and then you'll battle second. We need to really give it our all out there today."

"Yeah, though do you think it's best for me to face Paul?" Dawn asked nervously. She knew she was a good battler overall, but facing someone like Paul who nearly beat Ash in their last matchup made her a little nervous. This wasn't like a Contest Battle where she could defeat her opponent through whittling down their points.

"Yes it is. We're a team and we need to trust in each other to advance on. Hopefully when Ash returns he understands that concept. And since you're the only one who didn't battle from our team yesterday, I feel as though Paul wouldn't be able to counter your battling style as easily as he would for mine. Plus, it allows me a chance to study him up close in the event you lose."

"If you say so," Dawn replied as they walked out onto the field. Sitting in their dugout, the duo knew immediately that the fans were staring at them due to Ash not being there and they decided to ignore them the best they could. "Though, don't expect to get a chance at Paul then if I'm facing him. Piplup and I will do our very best to try and win!"

"Pip piplup," the Penguin Pokémon cried out happily before pounding his chest with his flipper.

Watching from across the field, Team Victory seemed a little surprised to see no sight of Ash Ketchum at all. While Astrid seemed indifferent and Hugh was slightly excited, Paul seemed slightly annoyed.

"Where's Ash? Why isn't he with his team?" Paul asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared across the field.

"You know, we're wondering the same questions as you are, Paul. It isn't like we can read minds," Astrid teased while lightly bumping his shoulder with her hand. "Besides, I bet he's just running late for the match."

"If I had to make a guess, he got scared from his last match and decided to skip today all together. For someone who won the Kalos League he does seem to not be that good," Hugh stated as both Paul and Astrid looked at him in confusion. "Think about it, how many times has he slipped up or messed up in a battle? From all the videos I've seen of him, there's always a slip up by him in some form. He probably just got lucky."

"You're wrong," Paul replied calmly as he folded his hands in his lap now. "Ash isn't someone to run away from a conflict, I would know. He gave me the hardest fought battle I've ever taken part in and yet no matter what I threw at him he kept coming back at me. The only reason he wouldn't be here is because he isn't battling."

"Well then, Paul, who do you want to battle out of those two?" Hugh asked as he looked down at his Poké Balls. "Whoever you don't want I'll take."

"First off, it isn't your turn to battle today. It's Astrid's. Especially after how you took her turn yesterday," he stated in a tone that Hugh knew to drop the topic. "Second, if Ash isn't battling today than neither am. I came here in hopes of facing him again, not his two teammates who are hardly worth my time. I'll wait until tomorrow to face someone."

"You know, it would be much easier just to admit you care about him," Astrid teased as she sat down next to him. Despite his cold exterior, Paul seemed to be nice on the inside from what both herself and Hugh had seen of him. You just had to get used to the way he treated you to hide his caring side. "You two are way too similar to be just rivals. From the way you've talked about him before, it seems like you enjoy battling him."

"What!? Don't be ridiculous, Astrid," Paul replied all flustered. Ash was nothing more than a rival he needed to conquer in his quest to prove himself as a better trainer than is brother. "He's just another rival of mine that I plan to beat."

"Whatever you say, Paul," Astrid continued on as she patted his chest in a teasing way before getting up to join Hugh at the front of the dugout.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to our final match of the day! Taking part in this is none other than Team Champion and Team Victory. Quite ironic when you consider the fact that only one of them will walk away with a victory today!" Freddy stated as the crowd began to roar. Looking out across the field, both Astrid and Hugh could see Trip already waiting to go.

"You want to battle first?" Hugh asked as Astrid just shrugged her shoulders. At this point, it didn't matter to them as to who would battle first. "Well, tell me cause either you'll battle now and flirt after or you can flirt now and battle after."

"Knock it off with that!" Astrid hushed out as she made her way up towards the field. "I'll go first and then you'll battle next." Making her way up to the field, Astrid was surprised to see the city field being used again after what happened to the one from yesterday.

"Good luck today," Trip stated as he tossed his Poké Ball up and down in his hand. "I'm looking forward to a good battle."

"Yeah, so am I," Astrid replied happily as she grabbed her own Poké Ball and held it in her hand. "May the better trainer win!"

"And with this the last match of the second day can begin!" Freddy declared as both trainers tossed their devices towards the field.

"Go!"

* * *

 **And we come to a close on this chapter. A few different things happened between Team Rocket moving forward with their plans, Ash meeting his dad for the first time (that he can remember) despite not knowing it, someone telling Ash just what was going on with him, and Team Heartbreak actually won... Oh, and Serena won a date. Anyways, the reason behind Ash's dad being the one to break him out of his little rut and to help guide him on the path to realizing his feelings is because in an old interview where it was stated that his father would only appear to help his maturation and development. So, I planned to use him like this.**

 **And for anyone wondering where I've been...well, I've just been busy. Not the best excuse, but it's the truth. Between school exams, work, Christmas and New Year's, I just had no time to work on this story. But, here's a chapter and I'll have another one out on either Friday or Saturday.**

 **Finally, if you could go and read a collab I've been working on with the great Epicocity over on his account. The story is titled** _ **Ships, Schemes and Other Sweet Sights.**_ **It would really mean a lot to me if you could read and leave a review letting us know what you think of it. Thanks in advance for those who give it a shot!**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	53. Little Bit of Teamwork

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, Ash had a little talk with a man who turns out to be his own father and now has a clearer head. Also, the tournament continued as Team Heartbreak managed to win their first match and Team Champion and Team Victory were about to face off.**

 **Ch 53: Little Bit of Teamwork**

* * *

"And here we go, ladies and gentlemen! The final match of the day is underway as Trip of Team Champions and Astrid of Team Victory get ready to begin!" Freddy cried out to the crowd as both trainers raised their Poké Balls.

"Go, Serperior!" Trip yelled as he chose his trusty partner for the battle. Landing in the center of the town square, Serperior appeared to slither around as he waited for his opponent.

"Hmm, this should be interesting then," Astrid muttered as she gripped her Poké Ball before tossing it lightly towards the field. "Absol, let's go!" The Dark-Type soon landed across from Serperior as they eyed each other with interest. "Trip, let's have a good battle out here. Okay?"

"Sure," Trip responded as he placed one hand in his pants' pocket before pointing forward with his free hand. "Serperior let's start this off with a Dragon Tail!"

"Ser!" The Grass Snake Pokémon shouted as his tail began to glow a light green. Slithering through the town, Serperior was in front of Absol as he swept his tail against the Dark-Type's legs causing them to give out.

"That was fast," Astrid grumbled as she watched Serperior rear his tail back around and try to hit Absol on the back. Though, she wasn't going to let them get too many hits in and was already on the move. "Megahorn now! Push Serperior away from you and then jump up onto one of the houses!"

"Sol!" Absol cried in agreement as the horn on his head glowed a shade of green similar to Serperior's glowing tail before growing in size. Extending outwards, the horn quickly rammed into Serperior and caused the Grass-Type to be pushed backwards. "Absol, sol!" He quickly stated as he jumped up onto his legs before jumping up onto one of the houses.

"Now we've got the advantage. From up here Serperior won't be able to hide from us at all," Astrid noted as she watched Serperior slither around the field as he tried to get up onto one of the roofs. "Please, don't think we'll let you have an easy shot at getting up here. Absol, use Dark Pulse!"

"Serperior, climb up the side of the building to dodge and then spring off of it to get away!" Trip quickly issued as Absol launched off the black and purple beam of energy. Jumping off of the ground, Serperior wrapped his tail around a fire escape before lifting himself up onto a roof right as the blast smashed into the ground. However, the duo had no time to rest as Absol had leapt in front of them and slashed away with a Shadow Claw attack.

"Perior, ser, per," the Grass-Type hissed out while dodging the slashes. Ducking and dodging each of the attacks, both Trip and Serperior waited for a chance to attack, but none were coming.

"I guess we'll have to make do with what we have. Serperior, block the attack with Dragon Tail and then wrap your tail around this nuisance," Trip commanded as Serperior whipped his tail around just in time to block another Shadow Claw. "Heh, they're persistent I'll give them that."

Serperior then managed to overpower Absol and break through the Shadow Claw just enough to smash his tail down onto Absol. Continuing his attack, Serperior moved swiftly as he wrapped his tail around Absol and bound him with it.

"Absol!" Astrid called out in concern as her partner was unable to move as Serperior slammed him into the roof of a house. "Come on, Absol, break free! Use your Megahorn attack!" Absol managed to barely nod as his horn once more grew in size. However, unlike before, he wasn't able to move it at all and so the attack missed Serperior completely as he slammed the Disaster Pokémon back into the ground.

"Come on, there has to be a way to get out of this," Astrid muttered to herself as she gripped at the end of her outfit out of frustration. At the moment, she had no way to break Absol free from this stranglehold he was currently in and things were looking bad for her.

"Just relax," Paul's voice cut in as Astrid looked back to view her teammate. Without her realizing it, Paul had walked out of the dugout and was only a few feet behind the field now as he watched on. He appeared to have the same expression from before, though his eyes seemed a little softer for some reason. "Getting frustrated will only lead to mistakes. Look at the situation fully otherwise you can't win."

"Yeah, sure..." Astrid muttered as she nodded in agreement to Paul's statement. She had been losing her concentration and focus until he had interrupted her thoughts. Taking a deep breath to regain her focus, Astrid managed to now a better view of things as an idea came to her.

"Now, Absol, use your Megahorn attack on the ground before they try to hit you against it!" Astrid called out as Paul nodded in agreement to the idea. Grunting, Absol managed to cause his horn to extend in size right at the moment his head would have hit the ground. Only this time, instead of Absol connecting with the ground, his horn managed to create a spring-like effect as the Disaster Pokémon broke free from his restraints.

"There you go," Paul muttered as he moved back to the dugout and sat down. "Now go and win this."

"Absol!" The Dark-Type cried out as he continued the attack by ramming his horn right into Serperior. The Grass-Type seemed to have been heavily affected by the attack as he was now panting a little.

"I didn't expect you to break free from Serperior's grasp," Trip praised his opponent as he took a quick picture of the battle. "Though, I can't allow you to win. My team and I need this and we can't afford to lose at all. Serperior, use Leaf Storm!" Whipping his tail around once more, Serperior managed to summon a gust storm of wind as leaves soon flew all over the field, the sharpness of them causing parts of the buildings to be sliced.

"Absol, find some cover!" Astrid commanded as she grabbed the bottom of her outfit to keep it from flapping in the wind caused by the Leaf Storm. Jumping off of the house, Absol managed to dodge a few of the incoming leaves as they sliced right through the roof before the Dark-Type landed on the ground gracefully. Seeing nowhere to hide however, both Astrid and Absol knew they needed to do something.

"Sol," Absol grunted out as a few of the leaves soon began to strike him. As they were now, Absol was nothing more than a sitting duck as the storm only grew in strength.

"How about we show them our true strength, Absol?" Astrid asked as she reached up to touch her earring. As she did so, a bright light soon emerged from it as the same light shined from Absol's chest plate. "Absol, Mega Evolve!"

Soon, the entire stadium was filled in light as Absol began to change. Serperior stopped his attack as both he and his trainer were mesmerized by the transformation until it had completed. Now standing before them in the broken down town was Absol, only different. His horn had changed shape and the fur on his mane stood up so that it gave the impression of wings.

"So, you decided to finally use it? I've never battled a Mega Evolved Pokémon before," Trip stated in awe as he realized the battle was just beginning now. He had to be careful as Absol was tough before, but now that he Mega Evolved it only meant he had become even stronger than before.

"Serperior, stay alert. Who knows just how strong Absol has become now."

"Well, why don't we just show you now?" Astrid asked with a light smirk before throwing her left hand forward, her palm facing the ground. "Absol, Psycho Cut!" Rearing his head backwards, Absol flung it forward as a large, purple, crescent shaped blade soared from his horn and sliced through the pavement of the city square.

Now waiting for a command, Serperior slithered away from the attack as he felt the attack nick the side of his body. The attack wasn't much stronger, but the difference compared to before was still noticeable for Trip as he blocked the dust and dirt that had been thrown around the field.

"What power..." he muttered in amazement before a smirk of his own crossed over his face. "It'll just make the battle much better. Now, Serperior, Frenzy Plant!"

"Perior!" The Grass Snake Pokémon shouted out as he slammed his tail into the ground, a swarm of roots soon emerging after. Shooting right at Absol, the Dark-Type jumped up and over the roots before sliding down them and right for Serperior.

Astrid quickly called out for a Shadow Claw attack as Absol's claws became surrounded in a black aura as the Dark-Type slashed forward only to be met with Serperior's Dragon Tail attack. The two attacks clashed, but Serperior gained the upper hand by slithering backwards and causing Absol to get his claw lodged into the vines.

"Here's our opening, Serperior! Beat them up into the sky with a Dragon Tail!" Sweeping his tail underneath Absol, Serperior whipped it straight upwards as the Disaster Pokémon was sent flying high into the sky. "Now! Leaf Storm, go!"

"Ser...perior!" The Grass-Type cried out as his tail lost its glow and instead created a powerful wind tunnel filled with leaves. Instead of the previous time where the attack covered the entire field, this one was much more contained as the storm raised straight up and surrounded Absol.

"We're not going down easily!" Astrid replied as she punched forward. "Absol, use your Dark Pulse attack!" Listening to his trainer, Absol reared his head backwards as he felt multiple leaves clash against his body.

"Sol!" The Disaster Pokémon roared out as the black and purple beam erupted from his mouth as it flew all over the field, ripping up the paved street and roofs of the houses. Astrid watched on in hope that her idea would pay off, otherwise they were done for. All she needed was for just a small bit to actually land.

"Come on..." Astrid muttered to herself while biting her bottom lip. As if listening to her pleas, the Dark Pulse managed to hit right in front of Serperior and cause him to lose his concentration.

"Perfect. Now, Absol, use your Shadow Claw attack now!" Falling down towards Serperior, Absol's claws glowed with the familiar black aura from before as Trip took a defensive stance.

"Meet him head on with a Dragon Tail, Serperior! Then create some space between you two by bouncing off of the clash," Trip ordered as he swept his arm to the left of his body. Jumping straight up as if he were a spring, Serperior approached his opponent with his glowing, green tail.

"Perior!" The Grass Snake Pokémon cried out while clashing against the Shadow Claw. Sparks flew as neither side backed down from their attacks. Retracting his tail, Serperior twisted his body around before slamming his tail up underneath Absol's body as the Disaster Pokémon smashed his own claw on to Serperior's head.

Both Pokémon flailed around following the clash before falling smack into the ground. Getting up slowly, both Serperior and Absol appeared ready to give out as they stared each other down. However, as Absol let out a roar, the Dark-Type followed it up by collapsing and reverting back to his base form.

"Absol is unable to battle! The winner of this battle is Serperior and Team Champions have earned one point!" The referee declared as both trainers recalled their Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls before walking off the field.

"And Serperior manages to hold out just long enough to claim the victory!" Freddy cried out, curious as to how the next battle could even match up to this one. "Both sides matched blow for blow right up until the very end! Now that's what I call a breathtaking match!"

Placing her arms behind her back, Astrid made her way back over to her team's dugout with a neutral expression on her face. "Sorry, guys, I guess they just had a little more left in the tank than we did."

"Don't sweat it," Hugh reassured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll beat that Coordinator and then get revenge for us by beating Trip."

"Besides," Paul joined in as he seemed neutral about the entire situation. "You and Absol did everything you could to win. They just had better luck at the end. And plus, you managed to tire Serperior out so when Hugh battles them he won't be able to do much. We couldn't ask for much more," he finished as Hugh just looked on in slight confusion. He had never heard of any story of Paul where he was okay with a loss unless it was to someone leagues ahead of him.

"You two just sit back and watch. I'll be putting our record at a nice two wins and no losses," Hugh stated as he made his way to the field. Looking across it, he could have sworn that his opponent was talking to her teammate. Paying no attention to it, Hugh waited as Dawn sprinted up towards the field with a Poké Ball in her hand.

"Sorry about that," Dawn apologized quickly as she gripped the device in her hand. "Just had to go over a few things before coming out here," she explained as the field rose up to reveal a rocky terrain that filled the center of the field before it evened off into a grassy plain.

"It's fine. Unfortunately, whatever that was so important won't matter in the long run. We'll still be victorious," Hugh replied with a slight smirk. "Liepard, go!"

"We'll see about that. We've got a plan for handling Liepard," Dawn replied as she tossed her Poké Ball onto the field. "Quilava, spotlight!"

Both Pokémon landed on the field with a light thud, both fully ready for this battle to begin. With them both ready, neither side wasted any time to start as they both issued their first commands as a Flamethrower collided with a Dark Pulse as they cancelled each other out. Smoke then covered the field as visibility was practically impossible.

"Now, Quilava, use Swift!" Dawn's voice rang out as a swarm of golden stars flew out of the smoke. Catching Liepard and Hugh by surprise at first as the Swift crashed into Liepard.

"Not bad, better than I expected at least," Hugh replied as he placed his hands into his pants' pockets. Looking across the field, the Unova native watched as the smoke soon turned to a darker shade as it was no doubt a Smokescreen attack. "But, you won't be able to hide forever. Liepard, climb."

"Liepard!" The Dark-Type roared out as he leapt high onto a part of the mountain ridge and continued climbing. Once on top of the mountain, Liepard could make out a slight flame from within the Smokescreen and signaled to his trainer.

"Just like I said. Looks like Liepard has found you," Hugh stated confidently as his partner leapt from the mountain and down towards the flames. "Now, Night Slash!" The Cruel Pokémon appeared to have his claws glow purple as they became shaped like a blade before disappearing into the smoke. However, Dawn wasn't going to sit back and just let him attack.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel to defend yourself!" Dawn quickly countered as a large orange ball of flames emerged in the center of the Smokescreen. The Sinnoh native listened on in hope that her plan worked, yet instead of the sound of Liepard crying out, the sight of a beam of energy could be seen as Hugh called for a Dark Pulse.

"Quilava!" The Fire-Type exclaimed as his body shot out of his hiding place and landed on the grassy plain. Standing back up, Quilava had no time to react as Liepard slashed across his face with a powerful Night Slash attack. The strike was so strong that Quilava tumbled backwards across the grass before coming to a stop next to one of the smaller mountains.

"You're too predictable. I figured you would try to block my attack and once you did, it allowed us an easy location as to where Quilava would be hiding. I guess that's why you're a Coordinator," Hugh remarked as he appeared to be slightly bored with the battle now. Watching the field, he noted that Quilava had nowhere but the mountain to go when he would try to escape. "Honestly, you're just as bad as that Ketchum kid."

"First off, the name is Dawn," she quickly replied as Quilava's flames began to burn on his back, the Fire-Type now standing back up. "Second, what does being a Coordinator have to do with anything? And finally, Ash could beat your sorry rear end any day of the week!"

"Is that so?" Hugh asked as he moved his hands up behind his head for a moment. "If your teammate is so great why would he abandon you? I don't see him anywhere within the stadium at all yet you're praising him as this great guy. You would at least think that he would be here cheering you on. Still, perhaps he just doesn't want to see you lose in such a quick fashion. Liepard, Night Slash!"

"Lie," the Dark-Type cried out as he lunged forward with his claws glowing purple once more. Quilava had nowhere to run as Liepard slashed hard against his body once more as Dawn watched on.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel!" Dawn quickly called out as the Volcano Pokémon was covered in flames. The speed that he could cover his entire body caught Hugh by surprise as the trainer had no time to call off the attack. Liepard's claw sunk deep into the ball of flames before being yanked back, the Cruel Pokémon crying out in pain.

"You're the one who doesn't understand! Ash would never abandon anyone, no matter who they are. He's just been frustrated due to a few things recently and needed to blow off steam. And I know he's cheering us on right now even if we can't see him, because that's the kind of person Ash is. So I'll show you who'll be winning!" Dawn yelled out as she pointed forward, issuing a Flamethrower attack. Quilava launched off the stream of flames in quick succession as Liepard managed to block the majority of it with his claws.

Still, the fire burning in Quilava was too strong as the Dark-Type soon found himself being overpowered, the flames managing to get around his Night Slash and hit him. Jumping out of the way, Liepard was slightly impressed by the strength of Quilava and watched him just as a hunter watched their prey.

"So I guess there is some fight in you after all. Good, I didn't want to win this too easily. I guess we can step it up a notch now, Liepard," Hugh remarked as his partner crouched low to the ground before pouncing up onto a part of the mountain. "I guess we can still have some fun after all. Liepard, Double Team!"

"Pard," Liepard meowed as he flashed white for a split second before copies of himself surrounded the mountain ridge and Quilava who was at the base of it.

" _Come on Dawn! Remember what Trip told you before the battle started!"_ She silently yelled at herself as she remembered back to her conversation with her teammate.

" _You ready to show them what we're made of, Piplup?" Dawn asked her partner as he chirped happily, flexing one of his fins to show his attitude towards the battle._

" _I wouldn't use Piplup if I were you," Trip responded as he made it back to the dugout. Casting a glance up at the field, Trip caught the sight of Hugh out of the corner of his eye. "He won't be able to keep up with Hugh and Liepard."_

 _Dawn appeared surprised by that remark as her and Piplup stared back at the boy. "But, Piplup is my strongest Pokémon. If he can't handle it...well I doubt anyone else could."_

" _And that's because Liepard's on a whole other level than what we're used to. The only way we can beat him is by strategy," Trip explained as he placed his hands in his pockets. "You need to draw him into a false sense of security, make him drop his guard."_

" _But, how can I do that without someone like Piplup?" Dawn asked as she thought about her perhaps either Mamoswine or Togekiss._

" _Well, it's simple actually, though it'll take everything Quilava has to win this," Trip said as Dawn picked up Quilava's Poké Ball from her bag. "His speed can counter Liepard's and take that away from Hugh. He mainly relies on pulling off fast and powerful attacks so you'll have to move quick."_

" _Now, not to sound crazy, but once he's drawn into a false sense of security then you need to start going full throttle against him. Don't battle like a trainer would though, it won't help you here. You need to battle as you would in a Contest."_

" _Right. But, Trip, keep a close eye on Hugh. Since if I lose, it all comes down to you," Dawn told him as she flashed a thumbs up at the Unova native. "But no need to worry about that, Quilava and I will handle him just fine."_

"Now use Dark Pulse, Liepard!" Hugh could be heard ordering the command as Dawn snapped out of her thoughts. Looking over at the field, Liepard and his copies had all charged up their attack before firing it off at Quilava.

"Alright, Quilava, time to show them all what you're made of! Let's start off with a little trick Ash taught us, use Counter Shield!" Dawn issued as she pointed forward with her index finger. Quilava seemed to understand completely what Dawn was calling for as the flames on his back grew in size.

"Qui...Lava!" The Volcano Pokémon cried out happily as he broke into a Flame Wheel. The heat radiating off of the attack however was much hotter than usual as both Hugh and Dawn were starting to sweat from it. Hugh wondered why this would be, but looking at the field gave him the answer; flying out of the Flame Wheel were streams of fire that were counteracting his Dark Pulse. No doubt a Flamethrower attack being used while Flame Wheel was going on.

"Grrr..." Hugh growled out as he watched all the copies be destroyed before the real Liepard was struck as well. Not stopping there, Quilava now began to roll around the field as his powerful attack covered the entire area and left Liepard defenseless. For the first time in a while, Hugh was defenseless and at the complete mercy of his opponent.

"Alright, keep it up, Quilava!" Dawn cheered on as she pumped a fist up into the air. By the looks of it, the battle seemed to be finally shifting in her direction yet she couldn't take it easy with someone like Hugh. "Now head right for Liepard, let's force them to make a move on us!"

"Quilava!" The Fire-Type shouted in joy as he sped up the mountain, tearing an entire path into it from his flames. Heading right for the Dark-Type, Quilava seemed to pick up speed as his ascent up the mountain didn't tire him at all.

"Liepard, be ready for anything," Hugh warned his partner before Quilava came flying up onto the top of the mountain as flames soared all around and caused Liepard to take a step backwards. "We'll show them what happens when you mess with us! Hyper Beam, let's go!"

"Lie...Parddd!" The Cruel Pokémon screamed in exhaustion as the dark and powerful beam erupted from his mouth. Crashing into the ground before being lifted up right at Quilava, the Hyper Beam dug a trench across the top of the mountain as Quilava was struck hard.

"Lava..." the Fire-Type muttered out weakly as his flames died down. Getting back up, Quilava watched as Liepard slashed another Night Slash across his face and sent him tumbling down the mountain as the Dark-Type followed in pursuit.

" _I blew our one shot!"_ Dawn mentally yelled at herself as Quilava came to a stop at the bottom of the mountain and narrowly avoided another Night Slash attack. Things were starting to get too close and Dawn didn't enjoy it at all. However, watching Quilava spin to the side to dodge a Dark Pulse gave her an idea.

"Alright Quilava, charge Liepard with another Flame Wheel!"

"Qui!" Quilava affirmed as he spun into a ball as his back flames covered his entire body. Charging right for Liepard, both trainer and Pokémon could hear Hugh laughing at them.

"Please, you think that'll work again? I won't be fooled twice, Dawn," he stated in an almost mocking tone as he punched his left fist forward. "Hyper Beam! But aim it at the ground!"

"What!" Dawn shouted as the powerful attack was launched right in front of Quilava. Exploding upon impact, the blast that was caused sent Quilava rocketing up into the sky as he flailed around while trying to regain self-control. "Come on, Quilava, I know you can do it!"

Yet, the Fire-Type was unable to finish the attack and instead landed on the ground with a thud as he skidded across the grassy plain before coming to a stop. Biting lower lip, Dawn had no time to issue a command as another Dark Pulse crashed into Quilava as her partner was tossed skywards once more only for Liepard to be waiting with another Night Slash.

"He-He's too fast for us..." Dawn muttered out as it grew harder for her to breath. The Sight of Hugh before her seemed to grow as both the trainer and his Liepard seemed to be towering over her. Likewise, Quilava was backed into a corner once more as he was cornered between the mountain and Liepard.

"Come on, Dawn! Show him just what your made of!" The familiar sound of Ash's voice called out to her. Looking around, all members of both teams were surprised to see Ash down in the front row of the stands covered in sweat and heaving for air. "You said you were going to win, so show him just what it means to mess with you! There's no need to worry about it at all, I'm sure you'll find a way!"

"So he made it after all," Trip muttered to himself with a slight smile on his face before looking back at the field.

"Ash is right, there's no need or no time to worry right now. As long as Quilava and I stay focused we should be able to win easily," Dawn reassured herself before she gave a thumbs up in Ash's direction, signaling that she got his message fine and clear. "To think I was starting to doubt my chances right now... Alright, Quilava, time to wait it out!"

"Huh? Why would you keep yourself trapped like that? It doesn't add up, but if you're hoping to lose I'll end this swiftly for you! Liepard, Night Slash!" Hugh called out as his partner dashed forward with his glowing claws.

"Now, Quilava, Smokescreen!" Dawn called out as she could have sworn she heard Hugh cry out in confusion. As the Volcano Pokémon released his dark fumes, the entire area was impossible to see as Liepard missed his mark and struck the mountain instead.

"Don't stop there! How about a combination move!" Dawn issued as she threw an open palm forward. "Use Swift and then aim a Flamethrower at them!"

"Quilava, lava," the Fire-Type replied as the golden stars emerged from his mouth only for flames to then follow right behind them as the two attacks merged and created flaming stars. Slicing through the Smokescreen, the attack left behind a trail of light, giving Quilava a straight path to Liepard that which he could see with.

"Now, Flame Wheel!" Dawn commanded as the Fire-Type took off immediately. The duo seemed energized now as they took control of the battle as Quilava slammed hard into Liepard and sent him flying up onto the mountain.

"Come on, Liepard, I know we can take them," Hugh reassured his partner as the Cruel Pokémon got up slowly from the previous assault. Looking down the mountain, both Hugh and Liepard were surprised to see Quilava rolling right for them. "Now's our chance, Hyper Beam! Give it everything you've got, Liepard!" Charging up the powerful blast, Liepard whipped his head around before launching the attack right at the approaching Quilava.

"Stop now, Quilava! And then jump over the Hyper Beam!" Dawn countered as Quilava stopped rolling and instead stood across from his opponent as the blast soared right at him. Waiting for the blast, Quilava easily jumped over the attack before landing safely.

"Hmph...guess I got played big time. Congratulations, Dawn, you proved me wrong," Hugh muttered as he placed his hands back in his pockets and watched on as Quilava stared down Liepard.

"Alright, let's end this now! Flamethrower, Quilava!" Dawn commanded as the Fire-Type attack roared from Quilava's mouth and slammed into Liepard, knocking the Pokémon off of the mountain.

Landing on the ground, Liepard was knocked unconscious as the referee made the call. "Liepard is unable to battle! The winner is Quilava and Team Champions have earned their second point, thus awarding them this victory!"

"That does it folks, Team Champions has won their first match of this tournament and in doing so has caused a six way tie for first after two days. How the rest of the tournament will shape up is anyone's guess, but tune in tomorrow to see!" Freddy told everyone as both trainers left the field as it was lowered down below the stadium.

"Alright, you did it, guys!" Ash called out as he jumped down onto the stadium floor and ran over to Trip and Dawn. "You two managed to pull through big time today... And, Trip..." Ash began to say, pausing only to shift the weight of his backpack. "Y-You were right. I should have trusted you two to be able to pull off a win. I was just in the wrong state of mind this morning and I'm sorry, to both of you."

"Well next time you should listen to us more," Trip joked as the three of them walked away from the field section and out towards their locker room. "You're not the only one who can manage a win after all."

"I just wonder who we'll face tomorrow..." Ash muttered as he threw his hands behind his head, Pikachu nodding in agreement. "But whoever it is, I'm sure we'll do fine."

* * *

" _I-I can't believe I actually convinced her to come with me. Granted, I had to plead with her but it was worth it. I can't be seen alone by Silver, the guy would chew me out,"_ Nate thought to himself as he looked over at Serena. The girl appeared to be silent now as she walked alongside him with an ice cream in her hand. _"I mean, I had told him yesterday that we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves and then I go and win two battles. One of which was against Alain. And Silver is not someone I want to be on bad terms with."_

"So," Nate began to say out loud as they took a stroll down the street. "Are you enjoying the evening, Serena? I hope everything has been perfect for you."

"Oh, uh yes, it's been real nice tonight, Nate," Serena replied as she looked around the area they were in. A lot of vendors appeared to be set up here as she glanced at what they had. "Though, I would have preferred to watch the next battle."

"You'll be able to see plenty of battles with three days in the tournament remaining Serena. But how many times can you be treated by me?" Nate asked as he got back into character and wrapped an arm around her. "I mean, look at how much fun we're having right now."

"Yeah...fun..." Serena muttered as she drifted her eyes away from Nate. "Though, you know what would be really fun? Maybe going to find the others. I think they would enjoy all this fun as well."

"I don't think so, Serena," Nate replied as they turned a corner. Pulling her closer to himself, Nate quickly looked around the area and saw no signs of Silver at all to his pleasure. "You remember what you said. Just the two of us."

Serena sighed at that, knowing full well that Nate wasn't going to end this any time soon. However, to her luck, she noticed someone up ahead and immediately ran to them. "Shauna!" Serena cried out as the two girls clasped their hands together as the two boys stood off to the side as Nate walked up to them. "I've been looking for you since the tournament began, where have you been?"

"Well, Tierno, Trevor and myself were all placed onto the same team which we thought was pure luck and good fortune for us. Especially with Trevor's new secret trump card," Shauna began to explain as she scratched the side of her cheek. "However, we ran into a few problems."

"A few is an understatement," Tierno interrupted as Shauna glared at him for butting in on the conversation. Not picking up on her cue, Tierno continued on. "I mean, we ran into a handful of teams right from the start and it seemed like no matter where we went they were waiting."

"So, what happened exactly to knock you out of the tournament?" Nate asked as he wanted to get right to the point. He didn't like staying in one spot for too long, at least not at this point in time with him hiding from Silver.

"Well, we were attacked by this really strong trainer who appeared all by himself," Trevor joined in as Shauna glared at him as well. "We thought it would be easy since it was a three -on-one but even with all three of us battling together, he beat us easily."

"What!? One trainer took all three of you down at once?" Serena asked as she couldn't believe it. How could one trainer be able to take down two of the strongest trainers she knew and one of the best Performers she knew. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, he kind of just overwhelmed us," Shauna explained sadly as the two boys nodded in agreement. "We never got his name, but he had this red hair and was using a Feraligatr that was super strong. It was so strong, it took Ivysaur down in just one hit and soon after that, both Charizard and Blastoise were defeated. The guy was something else."

" _I think I know exactly who they're talking about..."_ Nate thought to himself while a few drops of sweat rolled down his neck. He wondered just how many more people Silver had shown some of his true strength off to.

"It was disappointing, but we all agreed it was still fun even if we hadn't advanced. But now we're all rooting for you and the others, Serena," Trevor picked up the conversation as he watched Tierno spin a little before getting on one knee.

"But of course I'll be cheering you on the most, Serena," Tierno said as he grabbed her hand and held it within his own. "I just know you've got what it takes to win this entire tournament…. Owwwww!"

"And I have what it takes to keep you under control," Shauna taunted as she dragged Tierno backwards by his ear. "How many times are we going to have to go over this? You can't approach someone like that, Tierno," Shauna playfully teased him as she let go of his ear and looked at Serena. "Say, why don't we leave the boys to their own thing. I'm sure us two girls can find something to do on our own. And if not, we can just head back to the Trainer's Village."

"Well... uh, you see," Serena began to say as Nate nudged her. Looking at the boy, she realized that he was signaling for her to go ahead. Mouthing a "thank you" to the boy, she quickly joined Shauna as the two made their way off. The three boys watched on as their two friends continued off to who knew where but they didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah...you two seem like nice guys, but I just remembered I had to be somewhere," Nate responded as he looked at a nearby clock. In his fear of Silver, the young International Policeman had forgotten to meet up with everyone to get an understanding of the entire situation. "If you'll excuse me." And with that Nate was off as he made his way back to the designated meeting spot. As he walked by the vendors and their stalls, Nate could see quite a few of the competitors as Ash seemed to be with his usual friends, though Trip had joined them for tonight and Team Victory seemed to be eating dinner in silence at a nearby restaurant. Nate had a feeling that had to do with their loss today.

"Either way Silver was going to kill me today. I just wasted Serena's time tonight...she probably would have wanted to spend it with her friends," Nate muttered to himself as he felt someone watching him. Paying no attention to the familiar stare, Nate continued on until he was at the familiar apartment he had visited a few times prior on his own.

"So, what was that all about?" Silver's voice asked as he looked at the boy standing at the front door. Both boys stared at each other as neither said a word following Silver's statement.

"Well...I... I might have been caught up in the moment," Nate answered truthfully as Silver just continued to stare. "Dewott wanted to battle and win so I went all out against them only to realize it after the first match was already over."

"And all of that after you told me to tone it back," Silver replied in an indifferent tone before he opened the door. It was at that moment the boy realized this would be the first time they would all be in the same place and wondered just how it would go. Walking inside, Silver held the door open long enough for Nate to follow in behind him before they locked it all up.

"Ah good, you two were able to make it," Looker stated as the duo sat down at the dining room table he was at. "I was unsure if you would be able to get away from your teams, but now let's get down to business. Michael won't be joining us, instead he's working on something else completely. He's busy gathering intel on a possible attack date so we mustn't blow his cover at all."

"The goof should be more than capable when it comes to that," Silver replied as he pulled out a few packets of information he had gathered during his time at Team Rocket's base. Laying it across the table, his two acquaintances looked them over with an eye for detail. "Now that we have some gathered intel, let's start talking."

* * *

"Here's to our first victories, everyone!" Ash cried out happily as he raised a glass. Following their win, Ash had decided it was a good idea for them to all go out to celebrate, but also invited others. Sitting with them right now were not only Trip and Dawn but also the likes of Bonnie, Clemont and Brock. They had also invited Sawyer and Janine, but they declined so that they could get ready for tomorrow. "Starting tomorrow, you all better watch out because we'll be coming for each and everyone one of you."

"Turn it down a notch," Trip muttered as he covered his ears. Ash had to admit, he was surprised that Trip agreed to come since he was usually by himself outside of the matches. But he was a welcomed addition to their small group. "I think the people from across the restaurant can hear you."

"Come on, Trip, lighten up a bit," Ash taunted him as he threw an arm over the Unova native's shoulder. "You deserve to celebrate a little, you're plan for Dawn helped us win. Without it we might not have stood a chance at the end."

"Well, you don't have to announce it to the whole world," Trip countered as he sat there quietly as the others chatted away. "Though, for tomorrow, I think it would be best if you and Dawn battled, Ash."

"Huh, you don't want to battle tomorrow, Trip?" Dawn asked as she felt his forehead. "Are you feeling alright, you've always been up for a battle since the tournament began."

"I understand that, but if I battle every day, then the others will find flaws in how I battle and will be able to exert them to their success. I'd rather take a seat if it means helping us in the long scheme of things."

"I just wonder who we'll face off against. There are only three teams remaining we haven't seen. The odds of facing a friend are pretty high," Dawn mused as Piplup jumped onto the table and knocked her drink over. "Oh, Piplup you need to be more careful. Look at what you've done now."

"Pippiplup," the Penguin Pokémon chirped out disappointedly as he tried to wipe the spilled drink up, only to fail at that.

"It's alright, Piplup," Dawn told her partner as she placed Piplup in her arms and stood up. "We'll just go and get some more napkins to wipe it all up. You just need to be more careful from now on. You can't go spilling everything," she explained before standing up. Making her way across the street to the vendor, Dawn noticed Gary sitting by himself in the park.

"Huh? Why's Gary all by himself? Shouldn't he be with his team right now?" She asked Piplup as the Water-Type shrugged in response. "I wonder what he's doing. You think we should go check it out?"

"Piplup, lup pip," Piplup replied in agreement as the duo made their way over towards the park. They noticed that a park of it was all torn up, but decided that it wasn't important at that point in time and instead continued towards Gary.

"Hey, Gary," Dawn said softly as the researcher turned to look at her. "How come you're all alone out here? Shouldn't you be with your team? Or at the very least over with Ash and the others?"

"I'm not really in the mood for anything like that right now. I've just got a lot on my mind," he replied while moving over on the bench so that she could sit as well. "Just a lot of questions I have about everything that's happened and where it will lead me."

Dawn seemed slightly confused by this as she looked at the researcher. "How so?"

"Well, today was just one of the things that's been having me think lately," Gary answered as he looked up at the night sky. "Just, thinking back to it, Ash and I were always equals and yet now he's surpassed me big time. He even managed to win a League now. And myself, well I'm still toying around with being a researcher. I haven't found one specific field of study and even my studies with Professor Rowan feel to be going nowhere sometimes. I guess... I guess what I'm saying is that I'm unsure if I made the right choice for my path. Seeing Nate beat me today really made me question my decision. If I had never retired from being a trainer, would I still be Ash's equal or would I now be in his shadow? It's stuff like that that has me thinking."

"I understand where you're coming from, Gary," Dawn replied as Piplup sat between the two trainers happily. "My mom is a Top Coordinator and my entire life that's all I've ever dreamed of becoming. Yet, when I first started out there was a thought in my head where I wondered if I would ever be good enough. If I could ever get out from my mom's shadow. And I did, I worked hard and put in the effort. Now...now I'm so close to my goal as I finished in the top four in the Grand Festival in Johto and now have four ribbons for Kanto. There was even a time where I thought of giving up due to my failures yet I kept going. And...and I know if you keep going at whatever you want to do, you'll reach it eventually."

"Thanks, Dawn," Gary replied quietly as he cast his eyes over towards the girl. "I may still have questions over my choice all those years ago, but I know one day it'll all pay off. Here, let me thank you with a little something," he said before clearing his throat. "Okay, I just thought of it now so hopefully it's good. Dreams. Hard and tall, just like a wall. Yet, when you reach the top, you've finally made it or so it seems..." he trailed off at the end as he rubbed the back of his head. "I usually leave the poems to gramps, but it was the least I could do."

"It was beautiful, Gary," Dawn stated as the boy now let out a nervous chuckle from the praise. "But, why don't you come back and join us? You know everyone would enjoy having you there."

"I know, but for now I just want to sit and think to myself," Gary replied as Dawn nodded in agreement before grabbing Piplup. Leaving Gary to how he was before, Dawn made her way slowly back over to her friends. She knew that she was nearby once she could hear everyone talking once more and could only smile at their antics.

"There you are, Dawn," Ash replied as he waved her over. "You missed them announcing the matchups for tomorrow."

"Wait, where's Trip?" Dawn asked as she realized the seat next to Ash was now unoccupied. "Did he leave to grab some more food?"

"He said we were getting 'too wild' for him," Bonnie answered as she let out a light yawn. "He told us he would be resting in his room if we needed him."

"And I think that's a good idea for you as well, Bonnie. It's starting to get late now so you should think about heading to bed," Clemont stated as he yawned as well. "I'm also thinking of getting ready myself."

"But I'm not tired, Clemont," Bonnie complained as the duo walked away from the table and back towards the Trainer's Village.

"Those two really care for each other," Dawn remarked as she turned back to Ash. "So, who's facing off against who tomorrow?"

"We're actually the very first match tomorrow against Brock and the other members of Team Heartbreak. Then for the second battle, Team Victory gets to battle Team Strategy and to end it all is a match between Team Lightning and Team Mega," Ash told her as his voice was filled with energy. Dawn could only imagine how in the world Ash planned to sleep tonight.

"All those battles sound like too much fun," Ash continued on as he thought about the teams and their respective members. "Just thinking about it all is getting me excited!"

"Well, perhaps you should burn it off in some way so that you'll fall asleep, Ash," Brock teased as he stood up and pushed his chair in. "I know I plan on doing some late night reading to get me ready for tomorrow. It's been a long time since we last battled."

"Yeah, and this time I won't need sprinklers to win," Ash shot back as the two longtime friends stared at each other, smiles on their faces and a fiery passion for a battle burning inside them.

"Hey, don't leave me out of this you two. Who's to say I don't battle Brock?" Dawn asked the two boys as they both shrugged their shoulders in response before Brock went back towards the Trainer's Village. "Well, Ash, I guess I'm going to call it a night as well. See you in the morning."

"Right, see you in the morning," Ash replied as he was more concentrated on other aspects. For one, how was he going to listen to his dad's advice and listen to these "feelings" that he had according to the man. All he knew was that Serena was special to him. Otherwise he wished it would be easier for him to figure it all out.

* * *

 **And the second round ends in a six way tie for first. And with Team Champions sweeping their match as well, though not without some trouble. With the tournament beginning to enter the back half soon, how it plays out will be anyone's guess. Though, hopefully you'll all enjoy what happens. Not much more happened since otherwise, Nate and Silver met up with Looker and Dawn had a slight talk with Gary.**

 **Also, for those that might have missed it, the matchups for the third round go as follows:**

 **Team Champions vs Team Heartbreak**

 **Team Victory vs Team Strategy**

 **Team Mega vs Team Lightning.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	54. Overcoming Mountains

**Welcome back everyone, last time we left off, the second round had come to a close with all six teams being tied for first. Later on, the separate groups appeared to be off doing their own things.**

 **Also, in a sports related mention... That Super Bowl! Ah! I swear, that was amazing seeing Tom Brady lead them back to victory! It is a great feeling to be a Pat's fan today. Now that that's out of the way...onto the story!**

 **Chapter 54: Overcoming Mountains**

* * *

"And you're positive about it?" Looker asked as he talked across the secure connection. Appearing on the TV in his room was none other than Michael as the man seemed a little too laid back for what was to come.

"Yeah, saw it with my own two eyes. There's this giant rock thing down in the laboratory," Michael explained as he waved his hands around to add in some flair. "It's strange though, only a few seem to know about it. It's as if Giovanni is hiding this as some sort of ace up his sleeve. I'll try to find as much about it as possible, but everyone that's working on it is tightlipped. I only managed to catch a glimpses by sneaking around."

"His big surprise is a giant rock?" Silver muttered to himself as his partner appeared to look around the area just to be safe. "And what exactly are they doing in the lab?"

Michael shrugged his shoulders in response as the other three sighed at his answer. They should have expected something close to that as a response. "I have no clue. Whenever someone tries to get close to it, we get shooed away and told the area is off-limits. Though, I can guarantee that it's no good."

"Then why sit around and wait? We know Giovanni is here so let's apprehend him before something awful can occur!" Silver called out as he slammed his hands against the table. Looker looked at him with a mix of worry and surprise at the boy's outburst, yet let it slide. "We can finish just what we started now without any chances of an attack."

"For once I have to agree with him," Nate joined in as he leaned against the kitchen wall. "Why risk any possible destruction if we can stop him now?"

"Easier said than done, boy-o," Michael responded with a sly smirk. "First off, they have so many grunts surrounding this place that it would be impossible to get you all in here undetected. Add in Giovanni's possible escape and the fact we have no clue what he's got cooking down there in his lab and it's a recipe for disaster if we just jump in there now. We need to wait for the right time. For now, Giovanni and the rest of Team Rocket don't seem interested in attacking just yet. Allow me to get more intel before we plan an attack."

"Still, we have him where we want him," Nate argued as Silver arched an eyebrow at the little outburst. The Johto native may have seen only glimpses of him, but never once was Nate so serious as he was now. "Why are we sitting here twiddling our thumbs. Even if he's protected, with everyone we have there's no reason not to strike now."

"You must really hit it off with Silver," Michael joked as he waved a hand in front of his body. "Alright, so you have all these people who'll help fight. And what happens if they get hurt, or dare say die? How would you feel being responsible for it?" Nate remained quiet from that as he thought about any repercussions that could happen. "Listen kid, not to put you down, but our actions won't only affect us, but every single person around the world. If we fail in this mission, there might be no one left to stop Giovanni. That's why we need to wait it out," he continued on, Nate just taking it all in as he continued to think it over. Silver felt slightly bad for the boy, he was just trying to finish this whole thing before anything bad happened after all. "Now, if you two don't mind, I would like a word alone with Silver. This involves a matter we've spoken of before."

"Of course," Looker replied as he signaled for Nate to leave the two alone. Silver watched on, the two International Policemen leaving him alone with his partner. "Silver, you can just end the call once you two are finished talking."

Now with it just the two of them, Michael seemed to relax, or to Silver he seemed more like himself. Sighing, a slight smirk crossed over his face. "Man, I hate having to act like that. Being so serious is annoying. Can definitely kill the mood, you know what I mean?"

"Just get to the point, Michael," Silver stated, he was not in the mood right now. "What's so important that only I can hear it?"

"My son." The sentence was short and to the point, Silver being caught off-guard by it as he took a step back. "You see, I had a chance to leave the base earlier today. While out, I swung by the stadium to watch a few of the matches and nearly ran into my son. I managed to get away before he saw me, but still...seeing him here isn't a good feeling. Especially once everything goes down," he explained, a sober look on his face. "Silver, I'm asking for a huge favor from you. Please keep an eye out for him. Make sure he's safe once everything goes down."

"He's here!?" Silver asked, shocked by the sudden realization. Michael merely nodded, Silver regaining his composure before continuing on. "But, how am I even supposed to know what he looks like! You know how many people are here?"

"Relax, you'll be able to tell who he is just by seeing him," Michael responded, a slight smirk crossing his face once more. "He sticks out like a sore thumb, I can only imagine what he's been up to recently."

Silver sighed, watching Michael from across their connection. "Alright, I'll do my best to keep him from getting hurt. To the best of my ability...because once things go down then I can't be playing baby sitter."

"Thank you," Michael said, clasping his hands together, Silver merely frowning at this action. Michael let out a light chuckle before releasing his hands, both appendixes falling to his sides. His face looked like it had moments prior when he talked with Nate. "Silver...be safe out there. I'm worried we're making a grave mistake with this plan."

"You should be worried more about yourself. Sitting in the wolf's den puts you in a worse situation," Silver replied as the duo merely nodded at each other. "Listen, we may argue at times, but, in the event we don't see each other again, it's been a pleasure being your partner. I may not say it, but I see you as a father figure, Michael."

"Likewise," the older agent replied, hearing footsteps coming from down the hallway. "Got to go, someone's coming now. But, Silver, it's been a great honor working with you. I too saw you like a son, so please, stay safe."

Silver watched the screen fade to black, the connection having been broken. Sighing, Silver placed his hands in his pockets, making his out of the room and over towards Nate and Looker. "It's over. Michael ended the call, so I'm leaving."

"I better be getting back too, people might start wondering where I've been all night," Nate replied as he tossed his bag over his shoulder and his hat on his head. "As it is, my team probably wants to know why I've been gone all night. Especially after I brought home the win for us today."

"Yeah, what was that all about?" Silver asked, a hint of anger being found on his voice. The Johto native seemed to be slightly ticked off with the mention of today. "You tried passing it off as 'getting caught in the moment'. If so, why not skip the round like I did?"

"I couldn't just not battle, Silver, come on. Besides, you owe me one for sweeping an entire team during the preliminaries. So cut me some slack," Nate stated confidently, placing his hands behind his head and hoping Silver let him go.

Sighing, Silver just shook his head in annoyance. Raising his eyes to look at Nate, Silver seemed to just not care anymore. And after his conversation with Michael, he knew it wasn't worth arguing. "Fine, you're right. I'll let it go."

Silver knew he had shocked Nate, but didn't feel like sitting around to hear his shocked babbling. Grabbing his bag, Silver slung it across his shoulder before walking out the front door. _"That was a waste of time. We didn't learn anything at all. At this rate, I could have gathered more information on my own,"_ Silver thought as he passed by the stadium. Various vendors were still out and about as many tourists seemed captivated by their stalls. Lowering his gaze, Silver didn't notice the attendant in his way, crashing hard into the boy who appeared to be selling food.

"Watch it, buddy," the boy's voice called out, Silver standing back up as he got a good view of the boy. He had unkempt hair that was all over the place, covering his scared face. On his face appeared to be broken glasses, though the eyes looked familiar to Silver. They reminded him of Michael's own eyes. "What are you staring at?"

"Michael?" Silver muttered by mistake, hoping that the boy hadn't heard his slip up. Unfortunately, it appeared to have not been the case based on his reaction.

"No, I think you have me mistaken. The name's Nick," the boy responded as he picked up the spilt goods. Silver noticed that the boy was moving a lot slower since the slip up. The name seemed to be having an effect on the boy, Silver wondering as to why. "Though, my father's name was Michael. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you? He's been away on a business trip for quite a few years now. I actually came here to try and find him, but have had no luck."

"N-No," Silver stuttered for a moment, Nick's mood seeming to have become slightly depressed by the response. Feeling bad for the boy due to knowing what it was like for growing up without a father, Silver gave Nick a hand with his last few supplies. "Though, I'll look for him when I get a chance. And if I find him, I'll be sure to let him know how much you miss him."

"You'd really do that?" Nick asked, unsure if he was being played or not. However, based on the way Silver was speaking, it didn't seem to be a lie. It was almost as if he was being genuine about the entire situation.

Silver merely nodded, fixing his jacket slightly before facing away from Nick. "I know what it's like to have father issues. So, if I see him at all, I promise I'll tell him. Though, the chances of me seeing him out of every person here are slim." Silver than began to walk away, knowing full well he had talked with the boy for far too long. He was lucky that he hadn't blown Michael's cover while he was at it, had the kid found out, then the entire operation would have been ruined. Waving behind his, Silver paid little attention to the boy, instead continuing on until he was sure that the boy couldn't hear him.

"That was close. I need to be more careful with that boy, even by just mentioning Michael's name, he was jumping at the thought it was his father," Silver muttered, walking into the entrance of the Trainer Village, the sounds of a slight argument being heard. Turning his head slightly, Silver noticed that it was being held between the Lumiose Gym Leader and his teammate. Silver couldn't remember the latter's name, hardly caring for it and continued on as he entered the dark hallway.

* * *

"You ready for tomorrow, Pikachu?" Ash asked, feeling the breeze of the wind blow through his hair. For some reason, he just couldn't sleep tonight, the thought of having to face Serena's team tomorrow and his father's words continued to keep him awake. "I mean, after everything today, it's kind of a lot to take in only to find out we have to face our friends tomorrow."

"Pipikachu. Pikapi, cha," Pikachu replied, standing up on the railing, the duo overlooking the entire city. Lumiose City looked to be stunning tonight as Prism Tower was lit up off in the distance, and the nearby vendors had their shops decorated as well. "Pipika, pikapi, pika!"

Sighing, Ash ran one hand through his hair, the other holding onto his hat as he stood in silence. Listening to his best friend talk, Ash could only smile at his words. "I know, Pikachu. But, Serena's different than when we have to face the others. There's just something about her...maybe my dad was right, but there's no way to tell really. Why do things have to be so difficult?"

"Because if they weren't you'd never grow as a person," a familiar voice spoke, Ash recognizing that it belonged to Janine. Turning around, the Pallet Town native was surprised to see the girl standing beside the entrance to the building. He could have sworn he was the only one on the roof when he first arrived. Seeing his confusion, Janine waved her hand before walking over to him. "I was up and saw you making your way up here. I figured after what happened last time, it would be better to keep an eye on you. We don't need anyone attacking you here."

"You're right about that," Ash replied with a nervous chuckle. He really didn't need anyone to attack him again. "Who would have thought all of this would happen at the tournament though. I mean, between the preliminaries and now that attack, it feels as though someone wants me gone."

"I have that same feeling," Janine answered, standing next to the boy as she leaned against the railing, scratching Pikachu behind his ear. "Whoever it is though, they want you gone for sure. Sending two different groups to dispose of you isn't something to be taken lightly... And...and I don't really like it. It feels as though this tournament has been set up with an ulterior motive behind it. Why else are so many people gathered here?"

Ash just looked on, confused by her statement. He had never thought anything about the possibility that this could just be a front for something bigger. "But, the League set it up as an anniversary event. Why would they want to get rid of me? And I know almost everyone here except a handful of guys like Wally, Hugh and Silver."

"Well, who's to say someone hasn't infiltrated the League and planted the idea of the tournament to set something up for himself? For all we know, there could be someone working with them. You can't really trust many people here since outside of your group of friends, everyone is so secretive. Like earlier today, I saw Silver sneaking off somewhere," Janine explained, turning around so her back was leaning against the railing before crossing her arms. Smirking, she let out a light chuckle at the memory. "He thought no one saw him, but you can't fool me. I'm always watching, hiding until the time to strike is right, just like a ninja."

"Silver?" Ash asked back, knowing very little about the guy other than him seeming to be quite powerful. "What could he be up to?"

"Beats me," Janine answered with a shrug. "I followed him for a little, but grew tired of it once it seemed like he was walking in circles. Something told me he knew someone was watching him, so I left before he saw me. Better to stay hidden than found," she explained before a light yawn escaped from her mouth.

"Though, you've been gone all day I just realized. Where have you been, Mr. Ketchum? Not trying working for these guys trying to kill you, are you?" she playfully teased before elbowing him playfully.

Ash just shook his head, eyes looking up at the clouds for a moment. He thought back to earlier today when he had run into his father of all people. "I just needed some time to think about a few different things. And I couldn't do it around here, I needed to get away. But, I think I finally figured out what I needed to know, for the most part anyways."

Janine merely smirked, Ash feeling slightly unsettled by her look. "Whatever it is you figured out, does it involve a certain blonde haired girl?"

"W-What!?" Ash stammered, slightly flustered by the question. He was not only surprised by Janine guessing correctly, but also his reaction. He was never nervous about anything, yet here he was, flustered by a simple question. "What do you mean by that?"

"Please," she replied, walking past the confused boy, scarf flowing in the breeze. "I said it before, Ash; I'm everywhere. I've seen and heard quite a bit here. Did you know Team Lightning is fighting amongst themselves? They seem to not get along. But, I promise that I won't tell Serena anything. I'll let you handle that one. Don't stay up too late, Ash, tomorrow might be a long day." Leaving the roof, Janine entered back through the door, leaving a confused Ash all to himself.

"Pikachu, I think it's best that we get some sleep," Ash stated, letting out a light yawn, Pikachu copying his action. Nodding in agreement, Pikachu scurried up Ash's arm before perching himself onto the trainer's shoulder. "Hopefully after a good night sleep, we'll be able to battle to our best!"

"Pika!" The Electric-Type cried in agreement, Ash sprinting through the door and down the stairs. The duo made their way through the hallway, heading right for their room.

Rounding a corner, Ash came to a quick stop, nearly running straight into Silver. The boy appeared to be waiting for someone. Standing in the hallway, Silver turned to face Ash, no emotion on his face at all. "I've been waiting for you."

"Pi!" Pikachu cried softly, his cheeks sparking slightly. Silver didn't seem too worried about all of it, quickly putting a finger to his lips, signaling them to remain silent. Nodding to Pikachu, Ash decided they would give the guy a chance to speak. It was the least they could do, though Ash remained ready, hand on his Poké Balls.

"You are not the easiest man to find, Ash Ketchum," Silver began to say, whispering so softly that Ash could barely hear him. "You're probably the most interesting guy here. Don't worry, I'm not after you or anything like that, just wanted to finally meet you in person for once. That's all, and now that I have, I'm out of here," Silver stated, leaving Ash in a confused daze. Not giving him a chance to question anything, Silver rounded the corner and was already out of sight before Ash could react.

"That was really strange, Pikachu, maybe Janine was right about Silver," Ash said to his best friend, the duo walking just a bit further until they found their room. Opening the door, Ash kicked his shoes off and tossed his hat onto the bedside cabernet before plopping down into the comfortable bed.

Falling asleep quickly, the duo knew they would need to get some sleep before morning arrived. However, thoughts of possibly facing Serena still kept him awake. How would he handle it? How would he take a chance like his dad told him to? These thoughts lingered on in his mind, ever so slowly fading away as he felt himself drifting off to sleep. The rest of the night was uneventful for Ash, the young boy actually managing to get sleep for the short amount of time that was left.

Hearing an alarm blaring in his ear, Ash quickly woke with a jump, looking over at his alarm and realized he had overslept. Looking at his best friend, Ash and Pikachu quickly got ready for today as they rushed out of their room. "No time for breakfast today, Pikachu," Ash stated sadly, running down the hallway and towards the stairs. He knew he had no time for the elevator either, the first match must have already started by now. He could only wonder what Trip would say to him for over sleeping. Jumping down the last flight of stairs, Ash quickly rounded a corner and was on his way outside of the lobby.

"Why is it today of all days I had to oversleep?" Ash moaned, pushing his way through the crowded streets, Pikachu hanging on tightly as the duo soon saw the stadium approaching. "You would think someone would have tried to wake me up! Especially if no one had seen me." Picking up the pace, Ash soon burst through the last part of the crowd before diving through the entrance to the stadium. Getting up quickly, the young boy could hear the sounds of cheering fans fill the stadium. He knew the first match was about to begin at any moment now.

"There you are!" Trip's voice could be heard, a slight pant evident in his voice. Looking over at the Unova native, Ash could tell that it seemed like he had been searching for someone. "Where have you been all morning!? Our match is going to start in any second now, come on!" Trip commanded, waving Ash along back towards the entrance to the field.

Letting out a light chuckle, Ash followed behind Trip, making sure that they were both at the field entrance. "I overslept just a little bit," he answered, the duo making their way onto the field. Looking around, Ash noticed that Dawn was already making her way up to the battlefield opposite Serena. The two had received a plain grass field, something Ash was partially surprised with due to the newer fields being used recently.

"A little?" Trip asked, a light chuckle escaping from his mouth before sitting down on the bench located in their dugout. "I thought you weren't even showing up today."

"Well, I'm here now so that's all that matters. But for now, let's cheer Dawn on," Ash joked, rubbing the back of his head while Pikachu let out a light sigh of relief. For Ash, he knew this was cutting it close and he figured he would have to make sure he was up on time for tomorrow. He didn't want a repeat of today. "Come on, Dawn! Show them what you're made of!"

Turning to face her friend, Dawn had a light smirk on her face, Ash knowing full well what she was thinking. "So, you finally decided to get out of bed?" She playfully teased, Piplup chirping along as the Penguin Pokémon stood by her side. "Well, there's no need to worry about you not showing up now. Though, maybe next time get a better alarm clock. We can talk later, Ash, right now I have a match to win."

"Right! Good luck, Dawn!" Ash cried out, before looking over at Serena. "Serena, you do your best as well! I'll be rooting for the both of you!"

"Pipika!" Pikachu joined in, his voice filled with excitement. The duo were ready for an interesting battle between two friends for sure.

Hearing Ash's words, Serena smiled softly as she gripped her own Poké Ball. She was going to do everything in her power to win for her team, though she also knew Dawn was in the same situation as she was.

"You know, rooting for just our team is also appreciated," Trip muttered, closing his eyes from Ash's latest comment. "Why would you root for the other team as well? We need every win we can get at this point."

"Well, Serena's my friend too," Ash explained, scratching behind Pikachu's ear, receiving a light cry of joy from the Electric-Type. "I can't root against a friend even if we're facing them. Besides, it's more fun rooting for both of them."

"Suit yourself," Trip muttered, shaking his head from Ash's response. Sometimes he wondered just what Ash thought, his own train of thoughts being interrupted by the match beginning. Reacting to the cheering crowd, Trip watched as Serena chose her Braixen, while Dawn went with Piplup.

"And the first match of day three begins with Dawn and Piplup taking on Serena and Braixen! Both sides seem ready to give it their all in today's opening match!" Freddy cried out, the stadium roaring to his voice as fans anticipated the first move.

"Alright, Piplup, let's start it off with a Bubble Beam attack!" Dawn commanded, pointing her left hand forward. Ash watched on with interest as to how Serena would counter and was barely surprised by her quick response.

"Braixen, cancel it out with Hidden Power and then use Flamethrower!" She called out, Braixen jumping past the first few bubbles before pointing her branch forward. Twirling it around, Braixen soon formed three rather large spheres, launching them right through the encroaching Bubble Beam attack as smoke filled the field.

With a grass field, Ash knew neither side would really be able to take advantage of the field, and so they would have to outsmart each other first. With the smoke clouding everyone's vision, Ash felt he had an idea as to what Serena was up to and was only proven correct. A stream of flames soon shot out of the smoke, Braixen's cry being heard over the crowd as Piplup barely dove out of the way of the attack. Nodding in approval, Ash couldn't help but continue rooting for Serena, it just felt right to him.

"That was a smart idea to use the smoke as coverage," Dawn praised her opponent, the smoke having now vanished from the field, allowing both of them a clear view of the other now. "Though you'll have to do better than that to beat us. Piplup, use your Ice Beam attack to create an ice slide!"

"Piplup, lup!" Piplup cried out, the icy energy forming within his beak shooting out onto the field towards Braixen's feet. Dodging the attack, Braixen jumped high into the air, watching as the Ice Beam attack ended by creating what looked to be a ramp of sorts. Both Serena and Braixen had no clue what was about to happen, but Ash had a good idea.

"Nice idea by Dawn," he silently muttered to himself, watching as Piplup broke off into a sprint towards his newest creation. "This could be bad for Serena though, let's see how she'll respond to it."

Serena stared on in confusion. For some reason, Piplup was sliding across the field on his stomach, his beak glowing white as he approached the now falling Braixen. Looking across the field, Dawn appeared to be smiling softly and Serena didn't like the look on her face. Trying to think of any command she could give, Serena's thoughts were quickly interrupted by Piplup's sudden cry of joy and Braixen's painful yelp.

"Braixen!" Serena called out, watching as Piplup rammed his beak right into Braixen's chest. Looking at the field again, Serena now understood the point of the slide. Dawn was using it to build up speed to hit Braixen even harder. "Quick, brace yourself for a quick landing, then bounce right back with a Scratch attack!"

"Brai!" The Fox Pokémon cried out in slight pain. Flipping her body around in the air, the Fire-Type landed gracefully on the ground before quickly jumping right back up at Piplup. Her claws were now glowing a bright white, the two attacks colliding and causing sparks to fly. Both Pokémon were locked in a battle, landing back on the field while still being engaged in a stalemate.

Thinking things over, even Serena knew she didn't have much of a chance when it came to winning on pure power alone. Instead, she knew she had to win by outsmarting Dawn, even if that would be near impossible. "Braixen, heat up the entire field with a Flamethrower!"

Dawn watched on in confusion, unsure of just what Serena had planned. To her, it looked odd for Braixen to be burning the entire field to a crisp, but decided it was better to wait things out instead of acting on an impulse. Watching, it seemed as though Serena was wanting to surround Piplup in flames and tire him out, though none of the flames were really approaching the Water-Type enough to hurt him. _"Just what are you up to, Serena..."_ Dawn thought to herself, watching the Fox Pokémon spray flames all over the field, burning it to a crisp.

"Enough of waiting around, Piplup, use Bubble Beam to put those flames out!" Dawn commanded, Ash smirking at the sight of the battle since it reminded him of his match against Gary. Piplup nodded in agreement, firing off a barrage of bubbles, each one putting a little bit of the fire out until only smoke covered the field. "Stay attentive now, she'll probably try to attack from anywhere now!"

"Piplup!" The Water-Type agreed before dropping to the ground and barely avoiding a Flamethrower. Something seemed off about it though to Dawn. The first strike didn't seem to be meant to land, but instead to make Piplup just dodge it.

"Alright, Braixen, let's give them two Flamethrowers! Back to back, keep making Piplup dance!" Serena called out through the smoke, a trail of flames soon following after her voice. Calling for Piplup to dodge, the Penguin Pokémon appeared to be dancing all over the field as fans struggled to see any of the action happening down below.

" _What is she trying to do? It looks like you want Piplup stuck in that general vicinity, but why? Give us a hint, Serena,"_ Ash thought to himself as he could have sworn he saw something bright shoot straight up into the air. It looked almost like a shooting star, yet he wasn't quite sure as to what it could be.

"Piplup, spin with a Bubble Beam attack! Clear all of this smoke away right now and then use Whirlpool!" Dawn commanded, throwing her fist forward, Serena appearing to remain slightly calm despite the counter.

"Pip! Lup, lup, lup, lup!" The Water-type shouted, a cylinder like wall of bubbles soon forming around him before firing off in all directions. Serena silently cursed her timing as the smoke was now fading away and the sight of Piplup caused her to bite at her bottom lip. Casting her eyes skyward, Serena watched her bright orbs (now revealed to be a Hidden Power attack) begin their descent while Piplup raised his arms over his head. She just had to stall for a little while longer.

"Braixen, don't let them get that attack off, use your Fire Blast!" Serena shouted, throwing an open palm out towards the Fox Pokémon. Nodding, Braixen soon did a little twirl to avoid the last remnants of the Bubble Beam attack before pointing her branch forward. Soon, a large, five pronged star erupted from it and shot across the now barren field. _"Come on, keep him still for a few more seconds!"_

"Piplup, I say let them have it! Launch our Whirlpool attack now!" Dawn commanded, the Water-Type nodding in agreement before tossing the large move forward. Moving slowly, water and fire clashed as steam filled the entire field. As lightly chuckled at this, the fact that Dawn would probably be complaining about her hair after, making him miss the moment this battle moved in Serena's favor.

A crashing sound soon filled the stadium, followed swiftly with Piplup's cry of pain. Looking away from the two powerful attacks, the audience could make out the Penguin Pokémon flailing in the air, having been hit by an attack of some sorts. "Wait, but how? When did you attack?" Dawn asked, Piplup being met in the sky by a newly launched Flamethrower. "I never saw you attack!"

"It was more of a hopeful try than anything else," Serena began to say, brushing a few strands of her hair out of her face. "When the original smoke happened from you putting the field out, I quickly commanded Braixen to launch a Hidden Power attack as high as she could right above Piplup. That was the reason I didn't want Piplup to move, so I made him constantly dodge and forced him to stay in that one general vicinity. Of course, when you used Whirlpool I was worried about it absorbing the attack, but our Fire Blast managed to force you into attacking and leaving yourself open."

"Where did you ever learn something like that from? I thought Showcases didn't have actual battling?" Dawn asked, watching as Piplup landed across from Braixen. Her partner was now panting heavily, worn out from the last barrage of attacks.

Serena lightly chuckled before rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, I actually saw it used in one of Ash's old battles. During the Kalos League, we watched some old clips of his past Leagues and one really stuck out to me. He used his Charizard to heat the field up and force his opponent to cool it down, allowing the steam and smoke to provide a cover for him and Charizard to attack."

Ash listened closely to all of this, surprised that she had watched his old battles that closely. Though, the thought of it made him feel excited that she paid that much attention, a light smile forming on his face before his interest was drawn back into the battle with a clash of Drill Peck and Scratch, Braixen being overpowered once more. Gritting his teeth, Ash couldn't help but feel nervous for Serena, she had been working so hard in this battle he just wanted her to win!

"You know, you're pretty good when it comes to thinking on your feet," Dawn stated, the two girls exchanging a smile. "But can you handle something like this? Piplup, let's show them what we're made of! Bubble Beam!" Getting the hint, Piplup opened his beak nice and wide as a large bubble soon formed.

Watching it float towards Braixen, Serena was unsure what it was capable of. Deciding not to think it over, she quickly called forth a Flamethrower. The fire managed to burst through the bubble, but in the process a stream of water was released. Unable to dodge, Braixen soon found herself being thrown backwards by the water before being frozen to the ground, Piplup's Ice Beam freezing the water remnants. Serena was shocked by this. What were they going to do now?

"Well, looks like this is it, Serena," Dawn replied, Piplup breaking off into a sprint, his beak growing in size. "Braixen can't move her branch anymore, so now you can't counter with any of your moves. Piplup, Drill Peck!"

"It isn't over yet!" Serena called back, shocking both Dawn and, the now airborne, Piplup. "Braixen may not be able to use her branch, but she can still fight back! Flamethrower from your mouth!"

"Braixen! Braixen, brai," the Fire-Type muttered as flames soon formed in her mouth. Ash nodded in excitement, the match was coming to a close now. The only question left to be answered was if Braixen's Flamethrower was more than enough or if Piplup would survive and finish Braixen off.

The flames erupted from Braixen's mouth and immediately consumed Piplup. However, the Penguin Pokémon continued his descent, crashing through the flames. It looked to Serena that she was done for. That Braixen was going to lose right here after everything they did. But that was when Piplup stopped and was blasted backwards. The heat had been too much for his fatigued body, losing concentration and dropping the Drill Peck. Looking over at the Water-Type, Serena stared on in shock at his defeated body.

"Piplup is unable to battle! The winner is Braixen, and so one point will be awarded to Team Heartbreak!" The referee declared, Dawn making her way out to the field. Cradling Piplup in her arms, she looked over towards Serena and softly mouthed a "congratulations" to the girl.

"We... We won?" She asked first in confusion before repeating it with excitement in her voice. Running out to the field and helping Braixen get free of her icy constraints. "You were excellent, Braixen!" Serena said, the two sharing a brief hug before getting off of the field. "We managed to pull off that timing just right today! Now to have it ready for our next Showcase and we should be ready for Aria at the Master Class."

"Braixen!" The Fire-Type agreed, the duo making their way back to their bench.

"Wow, Serena did great out there," Ash said out loud, Pikachu perking his ears up at that mention. Even Trip seemed to have heard it, looking over at Ash with curiosity on his face from the boy's previous statement. Paying no attention to him at all, Ash only continued on with his little speech. "She's improved so much since first setting off on her journey, it's great seeing her have so much fun out there. Hopefully she'll be able to use this experience to help herself at her next Showcase."

"Careful, Ash," Trip began to say, crossing his arms as he did so. Peering over towards his teammate, Trip eyed him curiously before sighing. "If I had to take a guess, there's more there than you two just being friends. I don't care or want to care about whatever is going on between you two, just don't let it interfere with you match. Because if you win here, you'll have to face her to decide the winner and I'd like to leave with a win, thank you very much."

Ash rubbed the back of his neck, standing up nice and tall while Dawn approached their dugout. "You don't have to worry about any of that, Trip. You know I'll be giving it my all out there, won't we, Pikachu?"

"Pikapi! Pi pikachu!" The Electric-Type cried out happily, sparks flying off of his cheeks, accidently hitting Ash with one of them.

Trip merely shrugged at their behavior, choosing to not get involved in any of it at all. Looking up at the duo, Trip just let out a light chuckle. No prodding would ever get him to admit it, but between them and Alder, they had changed him for the better. "Go get her, Ash," he whispered, watching Dawn sit next to him on the bench.

"Nice try out there."

"Thanks, Piplup and I were just caught off guard there with her little strategy. For not battling, Serena really proved herself to be able to throw us off balance just enough to win," Dawn replied, placing Piplup onto her lap as she did so. "Ash is definitely going to have his hands full with her, especially if she's using altered strategies of his."

"He'll be just fine," Trip replied, his sentence having two meanings to it. Yet, Dawn only picked up on the one about battling. "He's shown us all before he can handle a good challenge."

Dawn just stared in confusion, having never seen this side of Trip before while in Unova. "Are...are you alright, Trip? I mean, I've never seen you act like this. No offense, but usually you're kind of stuck up and snobby."

"I guess...I guess you could say I've had a few influences in my life since then," he merely replied, silencing himself now that the two trainers had reached their location at the field. To no one's surprise (who knew of their relations to each other) Ash and Brock were staring at each other from opposite sides). It appeared that the duo would be battling it out on a rocky terrain with a lake in the middle.

"So, I guess we finally get to battle. To tell you the truth, I was hoping you were my opponent. It's been way too long since our last one," Ash joked, fixing his cap slightly before letting a light chuckle escape his lips. "You should already know who I'll be using."

Brock laughed back for a moment before pausing. Gripping a necklace he wore underneath his green shirt, he let go before selecting a Poké Ball. "It has. To think, all these years have passed by since you came challenging me with a Pikachu. You really have grown since then, Ash, you're not the same immature, hotheaded trainer like you used to be," he stated with a smirk. Tossing the Poké Ball forward, the device erupted open as none other than a Steelix emerged from it.

"Though, even if you've grown, Ash, I still wanted to finish our very first battle. We never did get a chance to end it properly. And even then, you showed me there was more to you. A trainer who truly cared for the wellbeing of their Pokémon and not about the victory. You wouldn't accept a victory due to sprinklers," Brock stated, smirking down his opponent as Steelex grinned at his longtime friends.

Ash just stood there, staring down the large Steel and Ground-Type on the field. "This'll be interesting for sure. Alright, Brock, you better be ready for one amazing battle! Pikachu, I choose you!" He shouted, throwing a finger forward. Pikachu replied by jumping onto the field, landing on one of the few rocks scattered around the area. "I guess we'll finally see how our first battle will end."

"And here we go ladies and gentlemen! Ash vs Brock, a battle of friends will be taking place right before your very eyes! Though, the question that seems to be on everybody's mind 'can Pikachu overcome a glaring disadvantage or has Brock already won'? Well, watch closely because both trainers are no pushovers!" Freddie's voice filled the stadium, eliciting a few roars of approval. Not paying any attention to them all, the two longtime friends stared each other down, awaiting for the first move. With the sound of the buzzer, both trainers were off.

"Steelix, burrow your way underneath the field!" Brock took the initiative, issuing the first command. Letting out a might roar, Steelix rammed his down into the earth, spinning like a drill until his body completely vanished from sight, the field shaking slightly from Steelix's underground drilling.

Ash grit his teeth together slightly. He knew that with Steelix underground, it was going to be a difficult battle for sure. "Pikachu, don't stay in one spot! Keep moving around the field with Quick Attack! That way Steelix can't pinpoint you!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted in agreement, blasting off in an unprecedented speed. Rocketing around the field, Pikachu zigzagged across the stones, making sure to keep Steelix from finding his exact location.

"Ash, we've got other ways of finding you," Brock stated confidently, causing Ash to look on in confusion. Pikachu continued his constant running, yet he too seemed a little off put by Brock's words. "Steelix, use your Iron Tail attack from underneath the stadium! Shake this entire field!"

A roar soon erupted from the ground, followed up by a sudden shaking. In the midst of his transfer from one stone to another, Pikachu lost his balance and skid across the rocky terrain, his body landing next to the small lake. However, the Electric-Type had no time to react, instead feeling the ground beneath him crumble away before being lifted up into the sky, Steelix chasing right behind him.

"Keep right after him, Steelix, use Dragon Breath!" Brock commanded, the doctor throwing a fist forward. Ash watched on in worry as the Steel and Ground-Type fired off his attack. Streaks of blue flames erupted from his mouth and engulfed Pikachu, causing the Electric Mouse Pokémon to cry in pain. Steelix was being more of a problem than he had first imagined. "And now use Iron Tail!"

"Steel!" The Iron Snake Pokémon shouted out, whipping his large metallic backside around and smashing it into Pikachu. The tiny Electric-Type felt the entire force of the attack followed by a crash into the ground, the impact leaving a small indent in the field.

"Pi...ka..." Pikachu moaned, getting right back up despite Steelix landing three straight hits on him. Both Ash and Pikachu knew they couldn't back down, they had to win this match for their team.

Looking at the field, Ash knew they were at a disadvantage. Not only did Electric-Type attacks fail to have any effect on Steelix, but the Iron Snake Pokémon must have felt at home battling it out here. Not knowing what to do, Ash was quickly caught off guard by another Dragon Breath attack. Calling for a Thunderbolt, the two attacks cancelled each other out but not before Steelix burrowed back under the field.

"Pikachu, stay sharp, he'll be coming from anywhere," Ash warned his best friend once more, the duo getting into a defensive stance, anticipating an attack from anywhere. Closing their eyes, the duo listened for the noise created by Steelix tunneling about. Hearing the same rattling sound from before, they knew roughly where he was coming from and quickly grew excited. "Now, Pikachu, Iron Tail on the ground!"

Swinging his entire body around, Pikachu's tail soon stiffened up before he smashed it hard into the ground. However, just as Ash thought, the impact wasn't against the actual rocky terrain, but instead Steelix's head. The duo appeared to be locked in a stalemate only for Pikachu to bounce off of Steelix with his Iron Tail, swinging back around and smacking the Iron and Ground-Type in the side of his face.

"Keep it up! Electro Ball, Pikachu! Aim it in the lake!" Ash commanded, punching forward while Pikachu landed on the ground softly. Jumping back into the air, Pikachu focused his electrical energy all into his tail, forming a large ball of concentrated energy before flicking it forward.

Brock watched as the ball soared past Steelix. He was confused by the action, Ash knew that Steelix was unharmed by Electric-Type attacks, yet here he was trying something different. "What are you doing, Ash?" He asked himself, only breaking his eye contact to watch the Electro Ball strike the lake. Water exploded outwards, causing it look like it was now raining. Still unsure of the situation, Brock wasn't going to wait around and see what Ash had in mind. "Steelix, use Dig once more!"

"Pikachu, Electro Ball on the lake, once more!" Ash countered, Pikachu launching off another sphere while Steelix burrowed under the field. Water splashed all over the field, causing mud to form and the field to take on a spongey feel to it. "Alright, Pikachu, now use Iron Tail on the ground before he can attack!"

"Pika!" The Electric-Type shouted joyfully, his tail glowing a metallic color before striking it against the soft earth. The attack seemed to have little effect (if any at all), only causing a slight shake of the entire field. Steelix seemed unaffected by the attack and soon came barreling up out of the ground, smashing into Pikachu and sending the Electric Mouse Pokémon flying skywards once more.

"Not this time, Brock! Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash countered, Pikachu firing off the attack despite flailing all around in the air. The streams of electricity soared through the air, striking Steelix despite having no effect on the Iron Snake Pokémon. The remnants of the attack continued on, striking not only the lake but also the muddy field, hardening and solidifying the field. Brock watched on, waiting for Pikachu to land before continuing with his attack.

"You know, Ash, Steelix was my first Pokémon given to me by my father," Brock began to say, playing with his necklace once more. "I started my journey with him and so my family figured it would be best to start this new journey with him as well. So they surprised me with his Poké Ball before I left for Kalos, but there was something else with it," he explained, touching down on the necklace, a small sphere sitting on it. Light soon shined from it before a familiar light came from Steelix himself. Soon, his entire body changed shape and size. His body became longer, he looked twice as long to Ash now. Even his jaw seemed different with it looking rounder, more armored so to speak.

"They gifted me with a Mega Stone and Key Stone before leaving. You see, my father managed to find one of them while out looking for rocks to sell and stumbled upon a Steelixite laying undiscovered and first offered it to Forrest since he was taking care of Steelix at the time. However, after they found a Key Stone, the duo decided to surprise me with it. It was a gift to remember how far I've come on this journey, a new chapter for myself. And now we'll just have to see how well Pikachu can handle us," Brock stated before Steelix launched off a Dragon Breath attack.

Rolling to his right, Pikachu narrowly avoided the blast before smashing into one of the nearby rocks. Looking at the field, Ash watched on with interest, the field now cracking from the attack just as he had hoped so. Mega Evolution or not, Steelix had taken a few hits earlier in the match and to Ash, Brock had timed it all wrong. He should have Mega Evolved earlier in the match, especially since he assumed they were still fairly new to it. The process had to have taken a bit out of the Steel and Ground-Type.

"Pikachu, slide down one of Steelix's holes! Use it as a chute to get behind Steelix and use iron Tail!" Ash yelled out, Pikachu leaping over an incoming Iron Tail and into a hole. Sliding along the trail created, Pikachu leapt up out of a different hole and landed right on top of Steelix's head.

"Get him off of you!" Brock shouted, fully aware that Steelix couldn't reach that he couldn't reach that one location at all. Smashing into the nearby rocks and ground, Steelix tried everything he could, but was unable to get Pikachu off of his body. About to try one more idea, Steelix was soon smashed into the ground, Pikachu having used Iron Tail in that split second to knock him down, the ground breaking a bit more from the impact.

"Okay, Pikachu, Quick Attack and get across the lake!" Ash commanded, swinging his arm across his body.

"Pikachu!" The Electric-Type shouted before breaking into a sprint. Reaching the body of water, Pikachu picked up his speed, running straight through it and causing a wave to splash over the entire field and head right for Steelix. Seeing this, the Iron Snake Pokémon grumbled in fear before the liquid crashed over his body.

Gritting his teeth, Brock knew Ash was using the field to _his_ advantage now, making full use of the water and Steelix's fear of it. Needing time to think, Brock felt it was best to draw back for now. "Steelix, hide underground, get away from the water!"

"Steeellll," Steelix moaned, slithering under the field once more. Only this time, Ash wanted that to happen, let a light chuckle out.

"Brock, this looks to be just about wrapping up now," Ash explained, rubbing underneath his nose. Brock seemed slightly confused by this news, instinctively taking a step back before looking at the field. "I hope you realize it now, but the constant cooling and heating of this entire field has left it very unstable. And with all the tunnels you've created from digging under the field, the whole place is ready to capsize in on itself. It just takes one hit," Ash explained, Pikachu nodding in agreement with his statement.

Pikachu leapt high into the air once Ash called for an iron Tail. Whipping his body around seamlessly, the Electric-Type smashed it hard against the ground, a seismic activity taking place as the entire field shook from its weakened. Soon, the entire field collapsed in on itself, just as Ash had said it would, unable to withstand the force of the attack and buried Steelix along with it.

"Steelix, no!" Brock shouted, rocks, mud and water falling down into the hole where his first partner laid. There was no way around it, Brock knew it was over now, but he held out hope, hearing a burrowing sound approach the surface. Seeing something sticking out of the pile of rocks, Brock held hope for Steelix. But it was crushed once he saw the Steel and Ground-Type's defeated figure.

"Steelix is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu and so Team Champions has one point! The match is now tied and after a field change, the final battle of this match will begin!" The referee declared, the scoreboard being updated to show the latest results.

"That was a close one, Pikachu," Ash replied, scratching his best friend behind his ear. "Luckily we were able to cause that cave-in, otherwise I don't know what else we could have done."

"Ash," Brock's voice interrupted his own conversation. "I'd like to know; how did you know the field was structurally unsafe? At least to the point to cause the cave-in."

Rubbing the back of his head, Ash just chuckled lightly. "Well, the fact you used Dig so many times alone gave me a feeling that it was weakened than normal. Also, when you used Iron Tail from under the field to shake everything, it gave me a thought of causing a similar action but from above. Only I thought to weaken the field first, causing a huge collapse to finish you off. Though, had you Mega Evolved sooner, that collapse might not have worked. Honestly, you waited way too long into the battle to use it. By then, Steelix was already starting to get tired."

"So with Mega Evolution you need to time it just right..." Brock muttered, receiving a nod of assurance from Ash himself. "But, Ash, you've really grown. I mean, I saw how you handled the Kalos League, but here...it's still amazing to see how far you've changed from when I first met you."

"Brock, I'm still the same guy. Heck, I still feel like I'm just starting my journey for the first time whenever I enter a new region. It's just...after Unova I'm more focused now. I made a promise to win it all to my mom and I did that. Now's to go all the way and beat Diantha!" Ash explained, pumping his fists in excitement, Brock letting out a light chuckle.

"I see you're still as excitable, Ash," Brock joked before the sound of a new field filled the area. "Well, looks like it's time for me to head back to my team. Good luck facing Serena." Brock then left, only to be replaced with a slightly nervous Serena.

Ash didn't know why she would be nervous, not after how she did against Dawn earlier in the match. But whatever was causing her nervousness, he felt was causing his too. It was time to face Serena in more ways than just a Pokémon battle.

"Time to figure this all out," Ash spoke, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead. "Whatever is going on with me and Serena...and maybe my dad's right."

* * *

 **Hey, I'm back. Sorry for the long wait, just been busy. But, we're back with another chapter where Team Champions are making their way back into the round. And Brock, that sneak having a Mega…granted his use of it was to show off how not everyone with a Mega is powerful and how timing is needed for it to be used at the most opportune time. Anyways, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter, but the next one is where the fun will be at. Expect that one to be released either Wednesday night or Thursday morning.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	55. A Royal Rumble

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, the third round had just begun with Team Champions and Team Heartbreak trading victories. Not much else to say, so let's just get right into the chapter...**

 **Ch 55: A Royal Rumble**

* * *

"Here we go, Pikachu, one more match and then we'll walk away with the victory," Ash spoke, rubbing behind his best friend's ears. Looking out across the new field, a plain field like the ones used in preliminaries at the League, Ash smiled at the sight of Serena standing there. He wanted to just say something now, but he knew he had to wait. It was for the better that way. Plus, he could see just how everything played out before saying anything.

" _Here goes,"_ Serena thought to herself, casting a slight smile over towards Braixen. The duo both knew that Ash would be a hard battle for sure, but she knew they had to win. "Ash, good luck out there!"

"Thanks! You too," he quickly replied, scratching underneath his nose while doing so. He couldn't help it, something about Serena right now made him slightly nervous. But, it wasn't the kind of nervousness he had at times before; this one was much different and it was being caused by perhaps his questioning feelings. Shaking them away, Ash got ready to battle, Pikachu running onto the field with determination in his steps. "Let's give it out all out there, Serena. I want to see everything you've learned on this journey."

Nodding, Serena took a step forward, Braixen leaping out onto the field. "Well, we'll try to keep up, Ash. No matter what happens though, you know it won't be an easy fight against us."

"And let's get this battle going! The final battle of the first match is about to get underway here folks!" Freddy shouted out, the referee signaling for the duo to begin battling. "We'll see which team has the most left in the tank to claim victory and move into first place for the time being!"

"Pikachu, let's start things off with a Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, punching his left fist forward in the process. Bouncing off immediately, Pikachu approached his opponent in no time at all, ramming himself right into Braixen, pushing the Fox Pokémon backwards along the field.

"Let's keep it going!" Ash shouted, Pikachu having jumped off of Braixen and was now airborne. "Thunderbolt, let's go! Give it all you've got!"

"Not this time, Ash!" Serena called out, confidence filling her voice, the tone making Ash smile with happiness. "Braixen, Flamethrower and Fire Blast at the same time!"

The command had caught Ash off guard for a second, he wasn't expecting two attacks at once. However, that was exactly what he received. Braixen, opening her mouth, fired off a stream of flames at the same moment Pikachu fired off his Thunderbolt, the two attacks colliding and exploding upon impact. Then, right through the smoke was none other than the powerful Fire-Type attack, crashing right into Pikachu and sending him falling to the ground.

"Pi..." Pikachu muttered out, landing on all fours and quickly rolling away from an incoming Hidden Power attack.

" _They're moving fast and attacking often,"_ Ash thought to himself, realizing that they were trying to trick him into some sort of battle. From the looks of it, they wanted to keep things long range and that would be their advantage with moves like Flamethrower and Fire Blast. _"If they keep at this pace though, they'll tire out. She must really want to move this along, knowing full well that the longer we go at it the less likely she is to win,"_ he thought once more, quickly issuing a Thunderbolt attack.

"Pika!" the Electric-Type shouted happily before sparks flew from his body. The attack grew off of his body, spreading across the entire field and cutting off any chance of escaping the blast. Or so Ash believed.

"Braixen, Fire Blast out of the ground!" Serena called out, shocking both Ash and Pikachu. Nodding in agreement, Braixen's branch began to burn, flames being present on the tip of it. But before launching off the attack, the Fire-Type instead rammed the branch into the ground. Fire burst out in the shape of a normal Fire Blast, but this time the field burst upwards, chunks of rock and dirt being merged with the Fire Blast and creating what looked to be a giant shield as Braixen was enclosed by the creation.

Not sitting back, Ash quickly issued another Quick Attack, Pikachu bounding off after Braixen and her strange enclosure. "Once you get in close, use an Iron Tail attack and shatter their enclosure!"

"Pikapi! Pika!" Pikachu shouted joyfully, the white light trailing behind his body soon transitioning to his tail, his speed dropping along with it. Jumping into the air, Pikachu spun his body around so that his tail met the shield head on. Cracks began to form all around the enclosure, yet to Ash, Serena didn't seem to worried.

Breaking through the enclosure, Ash could now see why; Braixen was awaiting them with a Scratch attack. Or so it seemed. However, once the two attacks looked to be colliding, Braixen instead dodged out of the way; dropping onto her back. Smirking, Serena seemed ready to take full control. "Time to take a page from your book, Ash! Braixen, Flamethrower! Do it from both your mouth and from your branch!"

"W-What!?" Ash shouted, completely taken aback by the combo. From the looks of it, the move looked similar to his own counter shield style used in Sinnoh. The two different Flamethrowers merging together, their separate flames spiraling off of each other and trapping Pikachu within the blaze. _"She's been using my old ideas, but why? Why go to the length of imitating my old styles?"_

" _Just a little more, Braixen. We have him right where we want him. I knew using his old strategies might work, he wouldn't expect someone to pay so close attention to older ideas,"_ Serena thought, pointing forward as if issuing a command. "Alright, Braixen, get in with a Scratch attack!"

"Pikachu, heads up!" Ash called out, but was too late, Braixen running through the dispersing flames, claws up and ready to fight. Slicing away at Pikachu, the Fox Pokémon scratched Pikachu's cheek, causing the Electric-Type to roll across the field. "You alright, Pikachu?" Ash asked, his best friend getting right back up.

"Great! We're not ready to give up just yet! Get in close with Iron Tail!"

"Block it with your branch!"

Pikachu bounded forward, tail glowing a bright white once more. Only this time, as he swung it around, it was met with an equally sturdy branch to clash against. Trapped in a close quarters combat, Ash now got ready to call his next attack only to be cut off by Serena.

"Ash, you think we would purposefully let you drag us into a close quarters battle?" she asked, a smile across her face. She had to admit, despite this being the first real time she had ever battled him, it was the greatest feeling she had ever felt when it came to a battle. "Need I remind you that I watched every previous League battle of yours while waiting for the Kalos League to begin?"

"Wait, you don't mean..." Ash began to say, getting his answer from Serena's next sentence.

"Just like in Sinnoh, when you thought drawing your opponent into a close quarters combat would work out, it didn't..." she answered, Ash smiling back at her trick. Quickly issuing a Flamethrower, Braixen launched one from her mouth, sending Pikachu airborne once more.

Staying on the go, Ash quickly issued an Electro Ball, the move crashing down into the ground around Braixen. The attack had kicked dust up, making visibility impossible and the two girls unable to counter Ash's next attack. "Now, Pikachu! Iron Tail!" Within seconds, Braixen felt the metallic appendix clash against her stomach, causing her to skid backwards and land on all four paws.

"Keep them guessing, Pikachu! Thunderbolt go!"

"Not this time," Serena answered, Braixen getting back up, her legs shaking a bit and her breathing heavy. Serena likewise looked exhausted from the match and Ash knew there were clear differences in stamina between all of them. "Jam your branch into the ground, Braixen!"

"Creating another shield?" Ash asked in utter confusion, unsure if Serena thought that the same idea would work twice on him. However, as Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck there was no Fire Blast, no shield, nothing. In fact, Braixen didn't even seem in pain, but instead the electricity all surged right through her body and into her branch, escaping into the ground. "A lightning rod..."

"I told you, I've watched _every_ match," Serena repeated, Ash now getting the thought. It was a mix of her own style of Braixen's branch mixed with Tierno's Hitmontop. Ash couldn't help but feel proud that she watched everything so closely. It only helped with what he already thought. Though, to have the chance to ask, he would have to end this soon. "Now, Flamethrower once more!"

"Brai...brai..." Braixen panted, know reaching her limits. Serena knew this, yet neither herself or Braixen wanted to give up just yet. They wanted to push Ash, they needed to push Ash.

" _She's trying so hard for me. Yet, she knows they're at their limits and they won't stop. They just keep going. She really has grown so much since first leaving home and meeting up with us in Santalune. I couldn't picture Kalos without her or the others, but she definitely made it better. I guess it's time to end this and see how the rest goes,"_ Ash thought to himself, watching as the torrent of flames approached Pikachu.

"Pikachu, slice right through them with an Iron Tail!" Ash called out, the Electric Mouse Pokémon following through with the order, his tail stiffening up as it met the hot flames. Spinning in a somersault formation, Pikachu sliced right through the flames and managed to knock Braixen's branch out of her hand, making it skid across the entire field. "And time to end this! Thunderbolt!"

"Pika...chuuuuuu!" the Electric-Type shouted, sparks forming on his cheeks before erupting into large bolts of electricity. The energy surged outwards and enveloped Braixen, shocking the Fire-Type until she collapsed from exhaustion.

"Braixen! Are you alright?" Serena asked, only to receive no response from her defeated partner. "Thank you, Braixen, gave it everything you had and then some," she then stated while recalling Braixen, not waiting for the referee's call.

"Braixen is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu and so Team Champions has won this match!" the referee declared, the crowd cheering out as the standings were updated to show Ash's team on top.

"And that does it folks! Team Champions has won the match and for the time being are in the lead with a two wins, one loss record! Though by the end of the day, we'll have two other teams joining them in first place!" Freddy's voice crying out, Ash and Serena making their way off to the side to talk for a moment.

"You two gave us a good run," Ash called out from across the field, pausing to only bend over for Pikachu to get on his shoulder. "The fact you also could memorize our old battles and use some of our techniques easily was so amazing. I've never seen anyone use so many of them like you did against myself and Dawn."

"Ahh...well...I guess I just really like your battles. You're an amazing trainer, Ash, your battles are always full of suspense," Serena replied, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly from Ash's words. "Though, even when we tried doing this, we were still a few steps behind you and Pikachu."

Ash shrugged his shoulders at this, feeling his own face heat up slightly. "You two were still amazing. We just have a lot of practice behind us, otherwise you may have beaten us. Though, there is something I would like to ask you. Maybe after we go back to our separate locker rooms, I can ask you a question?"

Serena just stared in confusion, unsure of what exactly Ash could be wanting to ask her. Though, by the way he was letting out a nervous chuckle and rubbing underneath his nose, whatever it was, was making him nervous. Nodding lightly, Serena placed her hands behind her back, smiling at Ash. "Sure, I would love to hear whatever it is you have to say, Ash. How about meeting up in about twenty minutes outside the stadium entrance?"

"That should be more than enough time," Ash replied, making his way back to his team with a nervous step in his walk. He didn't know what it was, but since talking with his father, he was a lot more nervous than normally around Serena. Though, after tonight, he knew he would have his answer to all of it.

Making it back to his dugout, Ash didn't even seem to wait for the others, instead, picking up his backpack he made an immediate exit towards the hallway. Both Trip and Dawn were surprised by this action, looking on in slight confusion as to why Ash would be in such a rush.

"Hmph...guess he's got more important things to get to," Trip muttered, throwing his hands into his sweatshirt's pocket before walking off. "Probably has to do with that Serena girl as well... No reason to make him wait any longer," he finished, walking out the door with Dawn right behind him.

* * *

"So, Serena, what exactly did Ash ask you at the end of the battle?" Brock asked, having a good understanding of the entire situation. Especially since Serena seemed extremely nervous by whatever was said.

Placing the last of her belongings back into her backpack, Serena placed it on her back before facing Brock. "He really only mentioned how fun the match was...and that he wanted to ask me something alone."

Raising an eyebrow, Brock seemed slightly interested in this news. Usually whatever Ash had to say, he was fine saying it with everyone else around. So this had to be rather big for him to want this to be kept private. "Well, whatever he wants to say must be rather important for him. And the fact he only wants you to know is big. So, just relax and have fun."

"Have fun?" Serena asked back, though the doctor had already walked out the door. She was confused by that last statement; was there something Brock knew that she didn't? Or was it because he knew Ash so well that he could predict something he would do? It confused Serena slightly, but those thoughts soon left her mind as the TV roared in the background, the crowd sounding like it was in surround sound since she heard them from both the TV and live in the stadium.

"And that does it folks!" Freddy's voice echoed throughout the stadium's hallway, Alexa and Malva appearing on the TV instead. The two female's appeared to be drowned out by Freddy and so Serena muted the TV to get a better understanding of the situation. "Team Victory's Paul has just easily won the first battle of this second match of the day! His Electivire being too much for Janine and her Forretress, defeating the duo in a matter of blows from the ultra-powerful Electric-Type. Honestly, we shouldn't have expected anything less than this from such a powerful trainer like Paul."

"But, it's only been a few minutes since we got off the field...how is he that strong?" Serena muttered to herself, realizing that she was now the only one in the locker room. It appeared to her that Nate must have left some time ago. "No wonder Ash sees him as his toughest rival. I wonder if anyone in this tournament can beat him."

"Serena?" Ash's voice called out, causing her to lightly jump from the shock. Hearing a knocking noise, Serena turned to the door, opening it lightly to see Ash's face standing there. "There you are. I know we agreed to meet in front of the stadium, but I figured it would be better to say it now and get it out of the way," he answered truthfully, Serena noticing that not even Pikachu was with him.

Seeing her confusion, Ash just let out a light laugh, pointing to his shoulder. "Pikachu wanted to stay with Dawn and Piplup for today. Once he's reunited with that little guy, it's hard to separate them. I thought it would be fine if he stayed with them, at least that way he could play with Piplup."

"Oh," Serena replied, sitting down on one of the benches in the locker room, casting a quick glance up at the TV to see Paul saying something to Hugh, the former having a look of slight annoyance on his face from whatever Paul had just told him. Motioning for Ash to sit down, the two trainers found themselves in an awkward silence, only broken by the cheers of the crowd from within the stadium. Finding the silence unbearable, Serena soon turned her head to look at Ash.

"Ummm...what exactly did you want to ask me?" she asked nicely, albeit a bit hesitantly due to her nerves. She couldn't get Brock's last words out of her mind, _"have fun,"_ ringing through her mind as she looked at Ash.

Realizing that he hadn't even brought up the reason for talking with her right now, Ash mentally slapped himself. How could he forget to mention it? Though, for him this was something new and slightly strange for him. "Hehe...right, I almost forgot," he answered truthfully, wiping a drop of sweet off of his forehead before swallowing a lump in his throat. "Well, you see...tonight there's going to be something going on at the tournament grounds to celebrate the halfway point of the tournament... And...and well, I wanted to know if you wanted to go do something during it. Just the two of us..." he explained, trailing off at the end so that it was hard for Serena to hear it clearly.

She was slightly confused by Ash's behavior; he was never nervous. Except for that short amount of time before the Kalos League, she had never seen him like this. So to her, she knew this must have meant something important to him. Gripping at her blue ribbon, Serena smiled softly at him. "That would be great, Ash. It sounds like a lot of fun."

Relaxing a little because of her response, Ash let out a silent sigh before letting out his trademark laugh. "That's great to hear. I figured it could be like at the League where we spent time alone. It was really fun then, so I figured it would be fun again now. Glad to know you think so too."

"Of course I would, Ash, I always enjoy spending time with you," she replied, Ash picking up on her words for the first time, feeling slightly happy by them. "Say, why don't we watch the rest of the battles from within the stadium and then after that we'll head back to the Trainer's Village and get ready for tonight. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah! I just know these battles are going to be amazing, Paul already won with only a few moves. I can already tell that he and Electivire got really strong since we last faced them. But so have I! My Pokémon and I are going to give him a real battle in the finals!" Ash stated proudly, getting a slight laugh out of Serena due to his positive attitude.

"You'll have to get there first. There are four other teams besides your and Paul's teams. Each of us are fighting to earn a spot as well," Serena replied before standing up and stretching lightly. Placing her backpack onto her body, Serena reached down and grabbed ahold of Ash's hand. The sudden sensation felt warm to both of them, yet neither complained. It felt right to them, like it was something missing for the both of them. "Come on, we don't want to miss any more of the battles. Do we?" she playfully asked, dragging Ash behind with her, the duo able to hear cheers from all over the stadium. It seemed as if Hugh's match was heating up now.

* * *

"Clemont!" Remo's voice echoed across the locker room as the burly man watched his teammate sit there silently. "You better be bringing everything you have today, this team doesn't only have Alain on it, but they also beat that Ketchum kid on the first day of the tournament. There's no way you'll win, just let myself and Chicken Boy over there fight them."

Clemont paid no attention, instead choosing to watch the match before him. Hugh and his Eelektross were facing off against Silver and his powerful Feraligatr. To Clemont, it seemed like no matter what Hugh tried, Silver was always one step ahead of him. _"We never had to face Silver, but just how strong is he? He's making Hugh look like a beginner out there,"_ Clemont thought to himself as Eelektross fired off a Thunderbolt attack, but it was blocked by Feraligatr using an Ice Punch on the field and knocking water all around him, causing the electricity to surge through it and go around him.

" _He's something else, that's for sure. We were lucky to only have to face Janine and Sawyer, both of them pushed us to our limits...though Remo will never admit it. But still, with Alain, Gary and that Wally kid...today is going to take everything we have just to try and force a third battle."_

"Hey! You listening to me!" Remo's voice shook Clemont, knocking him out of his concentration. Turning away from the TV right as Feraligatr landed a powerful Superpower attack, Clemont realized he was now face to face with Remo, the burly man having his nose practically pushed up against Clemont's.

"Huh? What?" Clemont replied sheepishly. He had no idea that Remo was even talking to him at all.

"Why don't you get your head in the game, Brains? This is the kind of reason we're only one and one instead of having two wins. It's these little things of you not focusing enough," Remo recalled, a smug look crossing his face. "I bet you'd never make it deep into the Kalos League until you start acting like me a little."

"Please, you're too barbaric in your battle style to actually have a chance to win," Clemont responded without even thinking of what he had said. "If you actually listened to others and worked as a team then maybe you could win, but as you are now, you'll never win anything."

Finally realizing what he was saying, Clemont looked up at Remo, the man looking ready to explode with rage from Clemont's words. "Why you! Who do you think you are!? All you ever do is sit around and tinker with your stupid machines! You're never helping us out!"

"That's because you don't take my advice!" Clemont shouted back, Blaziken Mask merely sighing at the sight before him. "It's always 'rahhh! I'm the greatest, stay out of my way puny boy!'! Even when I try to help you don't want any since you don't know how to work with others!"

" _I'm seriously starting to question why I agreed to help Sycamore by enlisting in this tournament..."_ Blaziken Mask thought to himself, a few drops of sweet forming on his face from the usual interaction between his two teammates. _"I mean, come on, these two never get along at all. I don't know what Augustine thought by convincing me to come and compete under the guise of it being in the event something happened. So far, the only worry I've seen is that these two might try to kill each other. Kind of funny though, Brain vs Brawn..."_ Blaziken Mask continued to think as his two teammates continued to go at it. Turning towards the TV to keep himself sane, Blaziken Mask noticed that the trainers had swapped out; Paul was now battling with Electivire against Silver and his Feraligatr. And this time, things seemed to be playing out better with the two being on what appeared to be equal levels.

"Why can't you two act like one of these guys?" Blaziken Mask asked, slightly annoyed by their childish behavior after putting up with three days of it now. "I mean, neither of them seem to get along too well with their teams, yet you don't hear them fighting all the time. At least try to be respectful."

"Well, if Remo actually learned how to do anything other than boast then maybe we could work together!" Clemont explained turning back towards the TV for a split second as Electivire's Thunder Punch connected and sent Feraligatr flying backwards.

"Hey! Don't try to play it off like I'm the only one with problems here!" Remo shot back at his "teammate" as the duo traded stares at each other. Blaziken Mask merely shook his head, the duo not understanding a single word of what he was hinting at.

Standing up, the older man made his way to the door. "Listen, I can't put up with any more of your petty fighting. I'll be outside the field waiting for our match there." Making his way out of the room, the only sound he heard for once was his own shoes clasping against the ground, the silence bringing a smile to his face. "Maybe now they'll at least stay quiet for a few minutes from shock if nothing else," he muttered with a slight laughter.

Making his way around the corner, Blaziken Mask was shocked to see Alain of all people standing by himself in the hallway. "Alain, what are you doing here?"

Looking up, Alain was caught by surprise, he hadn't expected to see anyone else coming by this way. "Oh, Meyer...it's nothing. Just some team issues, but I bet you wouldn't know anything like that. Not with being on the same team as your son."

"Ha! Give me a break, three straight days of nothing but arguments between those two. It seems like they won't give it a rest either. It got so bad I just walked out on them during their latest little spat," Meyer replied, leaning against the wall opposite Alain. "Sometimes I wish Augustine didn't ask me to compete."

"I know how you feel, if it wasn't for him and the possibility of facing Ash again, then I wouldn't be here. My time would be better served searching for Lysandre. Who knows what he's up to right now," Alain replied, folding his arms against his chest out of annoyance. "It doesn't help that my team is filled with people who are going through self-esteem issues right now. You can't say two words to Wally without him growing quiet from his nerves and Gary seems shaken up from his last loss to Nate. Makes me wonder how I would have been had Ash never helped show me the error of my way when Team Flare attacked."

"You know what, I'd take the quietness over those two and their ineptitude for working together," Meyer replied, the two guys sharing a laugh together only for it to be drowned out by the crowd's cheering. "Hmm, something tells me that out match is about to start soon. Good luck out there and with your team issues."

"Yeah, same," Alain replied, walking away from the masked hero, a thought in his head as to what they could do to help their teammates. Watching the young trainer walk away, Blaziken Mask continued on his own way to his team's entrance. It wasn't too far from his current location, yet he was surprised to see the remaining members of his team already waiting for him.

"My, what a surprise, you two haven't killed each other yet," Blaziken Mask teased, the trio entering into the stadium to the sound of thunderous applause. Though they knew it was for the exiting teams. Looking up at the standings, the three could tell that Team Victory had won the final bout, Paul being able to overcome Silver. Though by the looks of it, said trainer wasn't too pleased with Hugh, the duo exchanging some words as they walked by.

"Why do you only seem to give me a hard time and not Astrid?" Hugh could be heard saying as the two teams passed by each other. "You weren't upset when she lost, instead you told her it was fine. Then I lose and you tell me how I should have won. Why the double standards?" his voice trailed off, the members of Team Victory exiting the battlefield.

"They seem to have something going on with them as well," Blaziken Mask muttered, paying no attention to the rest of the situation. Reaching their team's dugout, Blaziken Mask took a seat immediately, watching as the new field rose up out of the ground.

"Now this one looks interesting," Clemont mused, taking a closer look at the field. It seemed to be based off of an old martial arts stadium, the definite giveaway being by the square ring being in the center of the entire field and a bleacher design surrounding the outside while grass and rocks filled in the area between the stands and ring. "I wonder if they'll use a ring out as a way of winning as well."

"Who cares," Remo spat out, watching as Alain made his way up to the ring. "It's all about being the strongest. It doesn't matter how you win just as long as you beat your opponent."

Making his way up to the field, Remo was stopped by Blaziken Mask, the masked hero making his way up to the field. "I think I'll handle this one. You two decide on who battles next."

Seeing his opponent, Alain smiled at the sight before him, yet he also knew what he had planned. "Blaziken Mask, I wasn't expecting you to be my opponent. How about we show them all what a true battle is like?" Alain asked, receiving a nod from his opponent. "Glad you agree, since I have a little request for the League."

"What's this!? It appears Alain is calling for Mr. Goodshow's attention!" Freddy explained to everyone in attendance. Whatever he wanted, it seemed important as neither trainer called out their Pokémon. "Though I wonder if he knows about the little rule with this field. Let's listen in closely to see just what he's asking for."

"Mr. Goodshow!" Alain called out, the League President standing up as he was called out. "I would like to request a special match today. A three-on-three with all members of each team battling at once. It'll help both teams out by improving our trust in each other."

Listening over the idea, Mr. Goodshow appeared to be hesitant to agree to such a match. It would be the first of its kind, yes, but would it work? "Well, I'll approve of your match, as long as your opponents agree to it as well."

"No need to overcomplicate things there, Mr. President," Blaziken Mask spoke up, giving a thumbs up to the man in charge. "We accept, though no teams. Every person for themselves and the one last standing wins it for their original team. Should make things interesting."

"What are you doing!?" Remo shouted out, clearly frustrated by the turn of events. "Why would you be willing to go into a battle with three of them at once!"

"Because there's three of us as well," Clemont responded, fixing his glasses for a second before gripping a Poké Ball. Making his way up towards the field, the young inventor cast a gaze towards Blaziken Mask asking if this was really a good idea. Receiving a smile as a response, Clemont knew it would be alright. "Or there should be, if you choose to battle with us that is."

"Don't give me an attitude," Remo shot back, standing on the opposite side of Blaziken Mask, Poké Ball in hand. "Otherwise I'll beat you too. All we need is just one of us left standing after all."

Freddy appeared to be speechless for the first time all tournament. Even he had never thought of something this large to happen at the tournament, but here they were, about to start a six-person rumble. "A-Alright, everyone, are you ready for this battle to commence!? Because for the first time ever you're about to be treated to a six-way battle! Never before has this happened and who knows if it'll ever occur again!"

Each of the trainers threw their Poké Balls forward, the capture device opening and releasing their chosen Pokémon for this match. To no one's surprise, Blaziken Mask had gone with his Blaziken while Remo chose his Garchoo. On the opposite side, Wally went with his Gallade once more while Alain was finally bringing out his Charizard for this battle. Clemont had Chespin while Gary had chosen Blastoise. It seemed like this match was going to be quite the battle.

"Really? We're trying to win and you choose a Chespin to do battle against the likes of Alain's Charizard?" Remo asked, laughing a little at the Grass-Type, Chespin shouting back at him in annoyance. "At least Chicken Boy and myself can try to win this today."

"Laugh while you can, Remo," Clemont responded, shifting his backpack so that it was more comfortable on his back. "Chespin here isn't someone to take lightly. And we'll just have to show you once it gets started."

As the members of Team Lightning argued back and forth, it seemed as though Team Mega were having their own problems. "Wally, Gary," Alain spoke up, getting their attention. "Don't worry about attacking me, we might be on a team but for today it's every trainer for themselves. Don't hold back either of you."

"Y-Y-Y... Sure," Wally replied, his body language giving off the idea that he didn't want to be battling right now, causing Alain to shake his head in annoyance. It was fun, it wasn't like the world depended on this battle. "T-Though...you know I won't win against the likes of you or Remo..."

"He's got a point, Alain, you're on the same level as Ash when he's at his best and Paul. You three are leagues above us so there isn't much to worry about," Gary replied, getting a glare from Alain.

"I don't know what is wrong with you two, but it isn't about being strong when it comes to being the best. I learned that the hard way and if it means you two have to as well, so be it. One loss doesn't discredit everything else you've accomplished during your travels," Alain spoke out, finally having enough with his two teammates and their confidence issues. "Charizard, fly up high and use Flamethrower!"

"Chespin, Vine Whip on Charizard's legs! Use it to avoid the incoming flames!" Clemont quickly issued a counter, the Grass-Type shooting off his vines as they wrapped around the Fire and Flying-Type's legs. Being picked up, Chespin managed to avoid the deadly flames now that he was airborne.

The others were just as quick to counter, Blaziken Mask issuing his own Flamethrower attack to block the incoming one while Gary and Blastoise used Rapid Spin to block the encroaching flames from striking them. Wally however was too hesitant to counter, Gallade being struck with the attack head on.

"Ha! You think these flames can hurt us!?" Remo shouted triumphantly, letting an arrogant laugh leave his mouth. "Garchoo, slice right through them with a Dragon Claw and then hit him back with a Dragon Rush!"

"Garch!" Garchoo shouted, his claws glowing a bright green, slashing right through the approaching Flamethrower with ease. The attack didn't seem too difficult to handle before the Dragon and Ground-Type jumped into the sky and covered himself in a blue aura.

"Intercept with a Flare Blitz!"

"G-Gallade, join in with a P-Psycho Cut!"

The two commands appeared to be in quick succession, Blaziken jumping skyward while flames burst around his entire body. Catching Garchoo in his hands, the Fire and Fighting-Type grabbed ahold of his opponent before they both were struck by Gallade's powerful blast.

"A-Alright! Keep at it, Gallade, another Psycho Blast!" Wally cried out, starting to shake off his usual shyness. It seemed to be working, the purple and pink crescent blade shooting off from Gallade's point on his head and aiming right for the two interlocked Pokémon.

"Not this time!" Clemont's voice echoed out through the crowd cheering. "Chespin, hang onto Charizard's legs and use Pin Missile on the others!"

"Clemont, hang on for a second," Alain joined in, a smile crossing the duo's faces. "Charizard, spin in midair, give Chespin a good aim!"

As Chespin's spikes stiffened up, the Flame Pokémon soared down towards the ring, his body spinning in a similar way to how Talonflame would for Ash. Giving Chespin a different way to attack, the Pin Missile shot out through the opening from the spin, all of the attacks intercepting with the Psycho Cut and bringing an end to the threat.

"Now Chespin! Vine Whip on Charizard!" Clemont called out, Alain caught off-guard by the sudden command as the Grass-Type slapped his former partner with his vines. The shocking attack caused Charizard to cry out softly, not hurt too much, but the surprise still worked in Clemont's favor. With Chespin now falling towards the ground, he continued with his attack. "Pin Missile, but try to hit everyone!"

"Ches, pin pin!" Chespin cried out, the familiar streaks of white and green trailing through the sky, shooting off in multiple directions as a few struck Gallade, while others hit Blaziken and Garchoo.

Growling out of frustration, Remo bit back a roar of anger, instead he decided to twirl his umbrella around a little before throwing an open palm out towards the field. "Garchoo, enough games, give these guys a true battle! Dual Chop on Blaziken and then send Chespin reeling with another Dual Chop! Hit them with everything you have! Remo shouted out, anger apparent in his voice.

"Chomp!" the Mach Pokémon agreed, managing to break his arms free from Blaziken's hold. Now glowing green, Garchoo smashed them down hard onto Blaziken's head before shooting off straight for Chespin.

"Pin Missile!"

"It won't work on us, Brains! Slice through them, Garchoo!"

Clemont watched as his latest attack was diced into tiny pieces, having failed for the time being. Hearing Chespin cry out in pain, Clemont bit his lower lip, wondering just what he could do for the time being. "We'll try something else then, Chespin, Vine Whip on his claws!"

"And Charizard, use Dragon Claw on the both of them!" Alain's voice called out, shocking both Clemont and Remo. Before either could react, Chespin's vines tied themselves around Garchoo's claws making it impossible for either to properly defend from Charizard. With a swift slash downwards, Charizard's claws smashed hard against Garchoo and Chespin, sending them hurtling into the ring. The duo got right back up, neither ready to give up just yet, their trainers looking the same way.

" _Come on, Gary, get a move on. Why am I just sitting here!?"_ the researcher thought to himself, clearly frustrated at his inability to get into the battle. Looking to his left, it appeared that Wally was getting into it slightly, Mega Evolving Gallade and having him go after the now Mega Evolved Blaziken. The duo appeared to be in a stalemate of sorts while Chespin used his vines to be an acrobat, swinging from Garchoo to Charizard to avoid their attacks and land his own. Yet here he was unable to issue one command at all.

"Now, Charizard, Flamethrower!" Gary heard Alain command, the flames covering the entire ring once more, Chespin and Garchoo having been caught in it the worst. Likewise, Blastoise was caught in the attack, being pushed slightly back in the ring and towards the edge of it.

"Gary Oak get a hold of yourself, who cares if you are not as strong as the others anymore, that has never held you back before! Time to get back into this battle," Gary told himself, Alain smiling as he overheard the researcher getting into it. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump on Blaziken and Gallade! Now!"

The attack was so sudden that neither Pokémon had a chance to get ready. Instead, they were both blasted with the torrent of water, pushed back to the edge of the ring. The attack didn't stop there however, Gary continued on, issuing a Rapid Spin to get Blastoise up into the sky and attack the three up there. Ramming his spinning shell into the three Pokémon, Blastoise landed softly on the ground, cannons raised and ready to go at it.

"Blaziken, Flamethrower!"

"Charizard, you too!"

"Garchoo, show them all what it means to be strong! Draco Meteor!"

"Gallade watch out!"

"Chespin, we'll have to use Remo's attack for ourselves! Jump on top of each Draco Meteor to dodge the other attacks!"

The commands had come quick and in rapid fire succession. All sides were getting into it now as fire sprayed all around the field, meteors fell from the sky and the crowd was entertained. Gary however wasn't ready to back down despite the overwhelming odds.

"Blastoise, get in close and use Skull Bash!"

"Blastoise!" the Water-Type shouted out in joy. Lowering his head, Blastoise readied his body before shooting forward in a blaze of speed. Catching the others by surprise, Blastoise managed to ram himself right through the multiple Flamethrowers and strike Blaziken, sending the Fire and Fighting-Type backwards and onto the grass outside of the ring.

"Ring out! Blaziken has touched the grass and so is disqualified!" the referee declared, only managing to confirm Clemont's suspicions from before. It seemed that if you landed on the grass or outside of the ring, then you would lose.

"Quick, Chespin, use your Vine Whip to toss Gallade! Do it while they're still shocked!" Clemont issued on the fly, wanting to take advantage of this unique rule. Shooting out his vines, Chespin tied them around Gallade's lower body and dragged the Psychic and Fighting-Type across the ring. Tossing him forward, Chespin managed to on the grass and out of the ring.

"Ring out! Gallade is disqualified from the match!"

" _So, looks like there's more than one way to win this,"_ Gary thought to himself, Blastoise landing right in front of him, the duo getting into a defensive stance as a precautionary measure. "Blastoise," Gary whispered to his partner, the Shellfish Pokémon listening with intent. "Play defensively for now and when our time to strike comes I'll let you know. Right now, there's no way we can take on either Remo or Alain."

"Alain!" Remo shouted, pointing his umbrella out towards the field. "Let's stop this warmup and get serious! Garchoo, Mega Evolve!" he finished, twirling the umbrella over his head before bringing it down in front of his face and touching the Key Stone embedded in the front of it.

"Alright," Alain replied, raising his own Keystone up to his face. "Charizard, evolve beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!"

Both Pokémon cried out, their bodies changing shapes, light filling the entire stadium making it impossible to see. However, both Clemont and Gary knew that it was going to be even tougher than before with two more Mega Evolutions out on the field. It seemed like the battle was just getting started now that they knew the rules of how this field worked.

"Charizard, start off with a Flamethrower!"

"Don't let him get the attack off, Chespin! Use your Vine Whip to shut his mouth and keep it nice and tight!" Clemont countered, his partner launching his vines as fast as he could. The two small vines shot forward, reaching Charizard's mouth, a few flames having already formed within. Wrapping tight, the Fire-Type found himself unable to launch his attack, the fire instead building up inside of him.

"Great work, Brains!" Remo stated, obviously pleased with Clemont's quick thinking on the matter of the battle. "Now get in there, Garchoo, hit him hard with your Dragon Rush!"

"Gar," the Mach Pokémon replied, jumping up into the sky before being covered in blue aura. Rocketing right for Charizard, the Dragon and Ground-Type was shocked to see his fellow Mega Evolution be thrown right at him, a trail of Pin Missile following right behind Charizard.

"Brains!" Remo spit out, clutching his fists in front of his body in frustration, Garchoo being slammed into by the now falling Charizard and then the trail of Pin Missile. "Why are you attacking us!?"

"No teams," Clemont replied quickly, issuing another Vine Whip, Chespin using it to swing across the field and Tackle Garchoo in the stomach. "And because of that, it's every trainer for themselves."

"I agree!" Gary's voice shot out, the three other trainers being caught by surprise. "That's why I allowed each of you to tire you all out. Now, Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!"

"What!?" the three other trainers cried out in unison, completely caught off-guard. The trio had no time to react at all, Blastoise aiming his large cannons right at their Pokémon before two large blasts of water shot outwards towards his opponents.

"Garchoo block it!"

"Charizard use Blast Burn!"

"Chespin, use your Vine Whip to dodge it!"

The three commands were quick and in succession of each other, all three Pokémon managing to operate within a moment's notice to dodge or block the attack in their own manner. Chespin jumping up over it, Garchoo blocking it head on, and Charizard cancelling it out with Blast Burn, a steam covering the field due to this.

"Heh, nice idea there, Oak," Remo praised, placing his umbrella on the ground behind him to crack his knuckles. "You finally ready to start fighting? Garchoo, Dual Chop on Blastoise!"

"Chespin, trip him with Vine Whip!" Clemont countered, the pesky vines shooting out once more, tripping Garchoo up to the point he slammed into the ground, shaking the entire ring. Slow to get up, Gary took this as his chance.

"Skull Bash, go!"

"Blastoise," the Shellfish Pokémon muttered before ramming forward, his head meeting dead center on Garchoo's midsection, the Dragon and Ground-Type needing to stumble backwards for a section before getting back under control.

"Rarrrwwww!" Charizard's familiar cry came about, Blastoise soon being met with a powerful Thunder Punch attack to his face. Being slightly dazed by the move, the Water-Type stumbled backwards only to be met with a face full of Pin Missile, Chespin being able to scurry around the ring without being noticed thanks to his small size.

"Enough fun and games!" Remo shouted, growing tired of how things were going. Yet, despite how it all seemed, he was smiling and laughing from this battle. As was Clemont. And Gary. And Alain. All of them seemed to be having a fun time down there despite having no clear allies on their sides at all. "Garchoo, Draco Meteor!"

"Well, looks like we'll go all out as well! Charizard, Blast Burn!" Alain shouted as well, pretending to slam his own fist into the ground, Charizard performing the same motion as he did.

"No holding back anymore, Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!" Gary joined in, his familiar confidence back with him. If there was anything he learned from his short moment of weaknesses, it was he had never made a mistake in his path to become a researcher. It was his dream and no amount of second guessing would ever make him change that. He would one day become a well-known researcher, perhaps even a professor of a region one day.

"Chespin, we're not going to sit back and watch! Pin Missile!" Clemont called out, adjusting his glasses, the sun shining off them just perfectly to cover the lenses with its reflection, masking Clemont's eyes.

The four attacks were launched off at the same exact time, their paths all marked for the center of the ring, the perimeter having been broken from their constant fighting as none of the four remaining trainers were ready to back down. Hydro Cannon clashed against Pin Missile as Blast Burn erupted from the center of the ring, exploding upon contact with the crashing Draco Meteor. The four moves appeared to merge together for a moment, creating a white light before expelling outwards in a massive explosion. No one could dodge it in time, instead, the four Pokémon were all shot skywards from the blast.

"It looks like this is it folks!" Freddy's voice called out, everyone keeping their eyes peered on the battle, wondering just who won this match. "That last attack completely took out the ring, that means the last one to touch the ground will be the winner! Let's see who has luck on their side today!"

"Blastoise, slow yourself with a Rapid Spin and Hydro Pump combination!" Gary issued, the Water-Type grunting in agreement before pulling himself into his shell. Starting his rotation, Blastoise managed to slow his descent slightly, but it wasn't enough to beat out the others due to his heavier body. That is, until Hydro Pump kicked in. Creating a typhoon out of water, Blastoise managed to bring himself to a similar pace to that of Garchoo, but it was still falling too fast for Gary's comfort.

"Chespin, time to get your vines working again! Vine Whip on Garchoo, throw him onto the ground!" Clemont stated happily.

"Chespin, pin," the Spiny Nut Pokémon cried out happily, his vines shooting out once more much to everyone's annoyance and amusement. It was kind of a funny sight for those watching, this little Chespin was able to hang in there with the likes of two Mega Evolutions.

Wrapping his vines around Garchoo's wrists, Chespin slammed downward, pulling Garchoo down as he shot upwards and right into Blastoise's torrent of water. While Garchoo slammed hard into the ground, Chespin was thrown across the field, smashing hard into the descending Charizard causing the duo to increase their acceleration.

"Hold on, Charizard! Dragon Claw on Chespin!" Alain issued, Charizard managing to straighten himself out to the point that he could raise his claw. As his draconic features glowed green, the Fire and Dragon-Type smashed them downwards and into Chespin, sending the energetic and pesky Grass-Type hurdling into the ground, defeated. However, Charizard himself had no time to stop himself, instead slamming into the ground before Blastoise who landed softly.

"And that does it! With Chespin and Garchoo landing out of bounds first, Team Mega are the official last trainers standing!" Freddy cried out, not needing the referee's call for this match at all. "And to top it off, it's none other than Gary Oak who is the last remaining trainer in the fight, the others having landed outside of the ring before Blastoise did. Despite two of them being able to fly! Talk about strategy, folks!"

"We won..." Gary muttered, Blastoise being energetic about the outcome. Running a hand through his hair, Gary thanked his partner before returning him to his Poké Ball, both of them fully excited yet hiding it the best they could. "I guess with the right circumstances I can hang with them in battle. Granted we needed a little extra rule to win, we managed to wait it out until an opening emerged."

"We were so close!" Remo could be heard crying out, the burly man having already jumped onto the field to help Garchoo out. "Man, that battle was so good! If not for Clemont at the end, Garchoo could have won for sure!" he cried out before laughing. For someone who usually only cared about winning, Remo seemed pretty laid back.

"No hard feelings, Remo? At the time we weren't teammates after all," Clemont stated nervously. Calling Chespin back into his Poké Ball, Clemont wasn't sure just how Remo would react.

"None at all, Brains," the burly man stated happily, clasping Clemont on the back. "Of course, now that just means we'll need to work even harder for the rest of the tournament to catch back up. We're behind the others and there's only two days left! But...if you battle like this, I'm sure we'll be just fine."

"Sure, let's get going then," Clemont responded, the duo leaving the field with large smiles. Likewise, Blaziken Mask watched on from their dugout, glad that for the time being the duo were done fighting. If only for a few hours.

"Looks like today worked out better than I thought. For the most part," Blaziken Mask muttered to himself, casting a glance over towards Wally, the young boy still hiding away in his shell. Though, there were glimpses of him ready to break out, he just needed a push. "Guess we just need to bring it all tomorrow." With that, the last few members of each team left the battlefield to get ready for tonight. Whatever may await them.

* * *

 **Alright, here we are...only one day late. My reason: snow. Lot's and lot's of snow. Not an excuse, just saying that a lot of my time meant for the chapter to be typed on Thursday went to shoveling. Instead, I had to finish it up today. So, sorry.**

 **Anyways, this chapter finally brought an end to the third day of the tournament. Hopefully the battles were fine. Wanted to do something different with a six person free for all at the end there, even if a few were knocked out early due to a special rule for this specific field. And now we get to continue on to the next day. Oh, and before anyone asks, Team Victory Vs Team Strategy was skipped over for the most part since it was unimportant overall. I mean, how many battles do you all expect to be in one chapter? And so, someone had to be cut out and it was the least influential to the overall story.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review telling me what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	56. A New Kind of Battle

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, the third round came to a conclusion with a six-way battle between the members of Team Lightning and Team Mega.**

 **Ch 56: A New Kind of Battle**

* * *

"You do remember what you're doing tonight, right?" Janine asked, laughing at Ash's antics to get ready. It really was a fun sight watching him struggle so much with just putting a tie on. "Or do you need me to run through it one more time?"

"I think I'm pretty sure. I mean, Serena and I are just going to enjoy ourselves on the town. Not that much to worry about," Ash replied, continuing to struggle with his tie. The fabric just wouldn't work with him, or it may have been his nervous hands making it difficult, but he wasn't quite sure. "There isn't much else to talk about. Just like we went over earlier today. Everything will be just the same as what was said then. Only, I still don't know where to take her."

"Fine, but two things real quick," Janine responded, removing Ash's hat from his head and tossing it off to the side, the article of clothing landing on his bed. "First, lose the hat for tonight. Second, why am _I_ the one being dragged along into this? Why aren't you asking anyone else?"

Chuckling, Ash ran a hair through his messy hair, knowing full well that it wasn't worth the aggravation to try and get it nice and neat. "Well, it's because the others would probably give me a hard time about it. I know Gary would for sure, and Dawn would probably go along with it but I know she would have some fun. And Brock...well, Brock might go overboard with helping me. Everyone else just had plans," Ash explained, giving up on the tie for the moment, letting the silky fabric hang around his neck. "At least I know you'll be helpful without any wise remarks or the such."

Nodding to that answer, the young ninja faced the mirror directly in front of Ash to get a better look. "Lose the tie, it doesn't work with the rest of your outfit," she explained, pulling the loose hanging fabric away from his neck, tossing it onto the bed.

"You really think this looks good enough?" Ash asked, tugging at the collar on his shirt. He definitely wasn't used to anything other than his usual free fitting clothes. "I mean, how do I know I'm not overdressing or worse, underdressing?" About to pull at the collar of his plain, blue, collared shirt, his hand was slapped away.

"It's fine, trust me. Serena will like anything you're wearing. Just...Just be yourself and everything should turn out just fine for tonight," Janine replied, a slight smirk on her face. Sighing, she leaned up against the wall. "You really seem to like Serena quite a bit. She does seem to be a special girl."

Ash merely nodded, looking over himself in the mirror before deciding that he was fine. A blue, collared shirt, brown pants and his usual sneakers. He figured it would be best to leave his hat behind despite how much he wanted to wear it. It just wouldn't go well with the rest of his clothes. "She really is. I can't explain, but when I'm around her everything seems so much better. I've never told anyone this, but at one point I was worried that she would leave that I didn't know what to do. That's why I want to make tonight perfect. She deserves it."

"Pika," Pikachu agreed, nodding his head while thinking back to that day. Ash definitely seemed to have been rather worried over the prospect of Serena training under Palermo. The Electric-Type had rejoined Ash once everyone returned to the Trainer's village, wanting to help him get ready before running off with Piplup once more.

Janine just stood in silence. She could tell there was something between them, but she never thought it was like that. "Well, the only advice I have for you is just be yourself. That's the Ash she's seen this entire time. Don't be someone you're not when it comes to all of this stuff." Pushing off of the wall, Janine walked over to Ash and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, a playful laugh leaving her mouth in the process. "Serena is going to enjoy just being alone with you for the entire night. Now, it's almost time to go meet her. So don't make her wait any longer."

Putting her hands on Ash's back, Janine began to push the trainer over towards the door. Opening it, Ash slowly stepped outside, Pikachu and Janine trailing behind him. The small group made their way down the hallway and towards the stairs that would lead them to the lobby. "And don't forget, Ash, I'll be watching from afar. Nothing is going to ruin this for you."

"Right, thanks again for doing this, Janine," Ash replied rubbing the back of his head, letting a light chuckle out. "I really appreciate this. It means a lot, really."

"I won't lie; it did catch me off-guard when you asked. It isn't every day someone asks me to watch them on a date. Especially right after I lose a battle," Janine laughed, the duo getting ready to split off to separate hallways. "But, with those two attacking you earlier this week I don't blame you. You can't be too safe, not right now anyways. Now get going, I'll be watching from afar. It'll be like I'm not even there."

With that, Janine merely nodded her head, casting a light smile as if to say "it'll be fine" before walking down a separate hallway.

Gulping, Ash now realized he was mere moments away from his date with Serena. But was it really a date for him? He had never used the term earlier in the day, but it definitely seemed like something Brock used to fantasize about; just two people, doing things together without anyone else hanging out with them. "Well, it's just about time. I bet Serena is waiting down in the lobby right now..." he muttered to himself, feeling equal parts excited and nervous from all of this.

"I have no clue what to say or even do...is it just like at the League or do I treat this differently? I wish things like this could be just as easy as a Pokémon battle. Those are really simple," Ash continued to mutter, Pikachu shaking his head in annoyance with Ash and his current attitude.

"Pikapi..." the Electric-Type muttered to himself, cheeks sparking with electricity due to his annoyance. "Pi! Pi pikachu, chupi!"

Hearing his best friend's words, Ash couldn't help but laugh slightly. "You're right, Pikachu, I'm getting all nervous for no reason. Serena and I are going to have a fun time even if I don't have much of an idea for what to do. I'm just going to have to treat this like an actual battle and figure it out as things happen! Nothing has stopped me before and I won't let it now!" he cried out softly, pumping his fists in front of his body.

Sighing, a small smile crossed over Pikachu's face. He knew Ash wasn't the best with a lot of stuff, but romance was especially tough for him due to his denseness. "Pikapi! Pipikachu!" Pikachu cried cheerfully, Ash scratching his partner behind his ear. Hearing Piplup's voice coming from the dining room, Pikachu let out on final cry of enjoyment before making his way towards his best friend's voice.

"Thanks, Pikachu. I needed that little pep talk from you," Ash replied, the nerves from before having temporarily left him. Making his way towards the lobby, Ash stole a quick glance from the clock on the nearby wall. Seeing what time it read, Ash decided to pick up his pace a little. _"Now I just need to figure out something to do for tonight. I know there's a lot of different events going on, but I need to find something Serena really likes. Hehe...maybe I should have figured that all out sooner,"_ he thought to himself, rounding the corner into the lobby.

Catching sight of Serena, Ash momentarily stopped in his tracks. Sitting in the lobby, Serena was dressed in a light pink sundress that ran down to her knees. She appeared to be sitting there humming to herself, unaware that Ash was standing there. The setting sun painted a beautiful background for where she sat and to Ash it looked perfect. Feeling his mouth dry up, he tried to swallow what little saliva he had left. Unsure of what was happening, he could feel his heart speeding up and whatever nerves he had lost before were now back and in full force.

Taking a deep breath to try and calm himself, Ash made his way over to the girl. "Serena," he called out softly, unable to raise his voice much to his surprise. Seeing her turn to look at him, he was captivated by her beauty. _"Wait, since when did I think that?"_ he quickly thought before smiling at Serena.

"You...you look really beautiful, Serena," he complimented, unable to find the right word until using that same word again. _"There it is again. Only this time I said it out loud."_

Blushing from the compliment, it looked as if she was taken aback by the compliment. Letting out a light squeak from the surprise, Serena managed to get herself under control. "T-Thank you, Ash. Y-You look...very...handsome yourself."

Letting out a light chuckle, Ash felt his heart beating at a mile a minute, or so it felt to him. He had never felt anything like this before, even his match with Alain hadn't elicited a reaction like this. Feeling his hands sweeting, he lightly wiped them on his pants, hoping Serena wouldn't notice. "So, how about we get going?"

"That sounds good," Serena replied, placing her hands behind her back. Smiling at Ash, the duo made their way out of the lobby. "There seems to be a lot of different activities going on tonight. What did you have in mind?"

"I kind of just figured we could do whatever seemed interesting," Ash replied honestly, shrugging his shoulders, a feeling of slight embarrassment filling him. "I wasn't exactly sure what you would like to do. Though, I heard there was a fashion show going on in a little. I know how much you like that."

"A fashion show?" Serena responded, slightly confused as to why Ash would want to spend his time there. "We don't have to do that. Why not something a little more exciting?"

Scratching his cheek, Ash let out a light chuckle. "I just assumed you would really like the fashion show. I know how much you like stuff like that and I want you to just enjoy yourself tonight."

"I think I have a better idea, Ash," Serena said, nodding to herself. Grabbing his hand (Ash slightly jumping in the process), Serena pulled Ash along besides her. "Instead of doing something only one of us likes, why don't we just go take a walk around the town. I'm sure we'll find something to do. If not, just a nice relaxing walk is nice too."

"If you want to, a walk sounds nice," Ash responded, keeping pace with Serena, grabbing ahold of her hand as well.

" _He's hopeless..."_ Janine silently thought, watching the duo from a nearby tree. _"He likes her. She likes him. Yet, neither knows how to say it."_ Janine's thoughts were immediately broken by the duo leaving their current location. _"Better not lose sight of them,"_ she thought to herself, listening to the duo as they walked away.

"You battled really well out there today, Serena," Ash stated happily. Something about seeing Serena keep up with him despite the vast difference in experience had made him proud for the girl. "The way you and Braixen battled together showed just how much you two have grown together. Though, I never realized you watched all my matches that closely. The fact you used a lot of older ideas really surprised me."

The young girl let off what sounded like a nervous chuckle to Ash, a light blush forming on her face. He knew she was always a modest one, so the compliment must have embarrassed her slightly. "T-Thank you, Ash. I'm glad we were able to give you a fun battle. Braixen and I just wanted to have a lot of fun. And the two of us figured the only way we could do so is by surprising you like we did. I figured you would have fun seeing some of your old ideas and your rivals' ideas while we added our own little touch to it."

"And I really do watch all your battles with great interest. The way you and your Pokémon work together, it just amazes me to no end. I really admire how much work and effort you put into every battle with your Pokémon. The least I can do to help support you all is by watching with great interest."

Rubbing under his nose, Ash felt a mix of emotions swell up inside of him from Serena's words. The fact she thought so highly of him made him proud, even excited by the thought. "I'm glad you enjoy them. Though, you give just as much effort with your Showcases, if not more. I could never be a Performer. Between the need to be coordinated for the final performances and not to mention skilled in so many vast fields for the theme round. It's a lot of hard work for you. The crowd loves it when you perform, and I know I can't take my eyes off of you when you're up on stage."

Neither trainer knew how to continue from there. The fact that they just complimented each other like that made both of them nervous as to how they would each react. And so, the duo continued on their walk, hand in hand, through the town in silence. Making their way though, the duo caught sight of the other teams out and about. It seemed as if they were doing their own things to celebrate their accomplishments in this tournament so far.

"Look at that..." Serena muttered, pointing over towards one of the cafés. Sitting out there were Team Victory, or at least two-thirds of them were. "From what you've told me about Paul, I never would have pictured him out with his team. And where's Hugh? Why isn't he with Paul and Astrid?"

Nodding, Ash looked over at the café. To his surprise, Paul was sitting there, arms crossed and looking slightly bored while Astrid seemed to be talking about something. "I wonder why Paul would be out like this? I would expect him to be back at his room all alone, thinking about whoever he's facing tomorrow."

"Maybe he wanted to get out for once?" Serena asked with a shrug, Ash responding in the same motion as she was. Neither knew just what exactly he was doing out, but figured there was no reason to push the issue. "He does seem to be having somewhat of a good time," the performer pointed out, noticing a slight smirk cross over Paul's face before it vanished immediately.

"Huh, who knew Paul could have a good time," Ash joked before the duo continued on their walk, passing by what seemed to be a reluctantly celebrating Team Mega. As they passed by the team, Ash could have sworn he heard Gary telling them that the tournament has only just started. Taking a quick glance at the members of that team, Ash caught them all sitting there seriously except Wally (who appeared to be nervous of his teammates for some reason). Though what really caught his eye was four chairs surrounding their table despite there being only three members to a team.

"I have an idea," Serena stated suddenly, causing Ash to look at her in a surprised manner. "Since we're near Professor Sycamore's laboratory why don't we visit him? Gurkinn did say that he might know something else about Greninja's transformation."

Smiling, Ash could only agree with Serena despite not wanting to. He didn't want to be selfish, but he would rather not see Professor Sycamore tonight. Not while he was on his...date, if he could call it that. He still wasn't entirely sure about the concept of what consisted of a date and what didn't. Either way, he would rather do something Serena would enjoy instead of sitting in a lab with Professor Sycamore talking.

"S-Sure, Serena...if you want to. Though...isn't there anything else you would like to do?" Ash replied slowly, hoping that she would change her mind. However, it didn't seem likely, as (hand in hand) the two trainers continued on their way, Serena leading them to Professor Sycamore's laboratory.

Making their way through the packed streets, Ash continued to see the other teams around, or some of their members were. Passing by another café, Ash noticed Sawyer writing something down in his notebook before taking a sip of his beverage. On the other side of the street, Ash could make out one of Remo's mighty laughs and wondered if Clemont was with him or not. He didn't have time to look however, Serena leading him down another side street.

"We should be almost...there," she stated, walking out of the street only to see the sight of Professor Sycamore's laboratory staring at them from across the street. "It didn't really take us that long. I guess memorizing that map for the preliminaries helped me learn a lot of the streets and a few shortcuts through Lumiose."

"Ash? Serena?" the Professor's voice called out from across the street, the man slightly confused by their appearance there. "It's not like I don't enjoy company, but why are you two here? And why are you dressed up? I would have thought you'd be with Clemont and the others getting ready for tonight. After all, with all the buzz this tournament has created, you should all enjoy yourselves tonight."

"We were actually just walking around the town when we thought it would be nice to drop by for tonight," Ash explained, his voice lacking the usual excitedness. "And while here, we were wondering if you knew anything about a thing called 'Bond Phenomenon'."

"I-Is Mairin here?" Serena asked, peering around the Professor only to notice that she wasn't anywhere nearby. "Alain said that she was staying with you until he found Lysandre. Is she elsewhere right now?"

Letting out a light laugh, Sycamore shook his head. "Mairin said she just _had_ to go celebrate with Alain and he relented. The two of them just left here not too long ago," he explained, his face becoming serious as he continued. "Though I can help with your other question. Come with me inside, we can talk there." Making their way inside, the group of three made their way into the main room of his laboratory.

"Please, sit down. Make yourselves comfortable, you must both be tired after that battle of yours," Sycamore offered, motioning for them to sit down on the couch. Doing so, the two trainers sat on one couch while the Professor himself sat on the one opposite them. "The tournament really has lived up to its name. Everyone in town seems to be talking about it. The matches today were just marvelous. Especially the final match of today, a six-way battle...or, a 'Battle Royal' as I'll call it. That was breathtaking, seeing six trainers go all out, no allies fighting alongside them."

Ash merely nodded his head in agreement. The usual amazement for battles just wasn't with him to talk about that crazy match between Lighting and Mega. "Yeah," he replied, Sycamore being slightly surprised by his lack of enthusiasm. "I wish I could have battled in it. That was something I had never seen before."

"Yes, and they all gave quite a show down there. Especially Clemont. Despite losing, he managed to have Chespin stay out of harm's way and inflict quite a bit of damage on both Alain's Charizard and Remo's Garchomp. Though, did you two see the match-ups for tomorrow?" Sycamore asked, getting a simply head shake from the duo. Ash realized that amidst getting ready for tonight, he never looked over the match-ups tomorrow. "Well, in the first match, Team Victory is facing off against Team Mega. Ash, your team is facing off against Team Strategy and that leaves Team Lighting for Serena's team. It'll be interesting to see how you and Clemont face off, Serena." Standing up, Sycamore left the room briefly, returning with a tray holding a tea pot and cups. Setting the tray down on the table, the Professor carefully poured a cup of tea for each of his guest.

"It should be interesting. Though, I think tomorrow, it's Brock and Nate going to battle, we really haven't decided who will sit tomorrow," Serena explained, taking a sip out of her tea before placing it down. "I think I'm more interested in seeing Ash face off against Silver. He seems so mysterious. I wonder if he's as strong as people say."

This piqued Ash's attention. Janine had mentioned that she thought something was up about Silver, and the boy even seemed strange at times, but now that Serena was mentioning it, it got him thinking. "What do you mean by that? Have others faced him before?"

"Well, I ran in Shauna, Trevor and Tierno last night and they mentioned how Silver beat them all single handedly. He made it seem easy, at least from how they explained it," Serena explained, Ash nodding in understanding. This Silver had more going for him than any of them knew about.

Sycamore raised a hand to his chin, knowing full well what was happening. He may not have met them, but from what Diantha told him about the true meaning of this tournament, he could only assume that Silver was one of the G-Men sent in to stop Team Rocket. Deciding to change the topic, the Professor place his cup down onto the table. "Now, you two mentioned something known as Bond Phenomenon, so why don't we get back to it. I'd hate to waste your night by spending it here. I may not know much about it, but ever since I saw Ash's Greninja transform during the events with Team Flare and at the League, I began to look into old legends of such a transformation. With some help from Alexa of the Lumiose Press and Gurkinn, I found out of one previous encounter."

"The Greninja from Ninja Village..." Ash muttered, placing his hand under his chin. It looked as if he was in deep thought based on his expressions. "Sanpei mentioned that long ago there was a Greninja who transformed just like my Greninja does. Though no one has ever seen one do it since."

"Yes, that's because of a rare occurrence known as what we now call, Bond Phenomenon," Sycamore continued on, pulling a tablet out of his lab coat and showing some ancient text. "You see; it's believed that certain Pokémon have an untouched wealth of hidden potential just waiting to be brought out. Though, it takes a certain trainer to be able to, hence why Greninja when he was a Froakie always left his trainers. He might have known about his hidden potential and wanted a trainer who would be able to pull it out of him. And so, when he saw how you treated him while injured and what lengths you were willing to go to for your Pikachu, he must have felt you were capable of doing so."

"So you could say that in a sense, Ash and Greninja were destined to be together?" Serena asked, hands placed across the end of her dress. "But, if Ash is good enough to bring out a Pokémon's hidden potential...how come it's never happened for him before?"

Waving his hand slightly, Sycamore scrolled to the next picture he had on his tablet. "This section of text explains how very few Pokémon have this amount of potential that Greninja has. So yes, I would say fate brought these two together. And I can only see great things in both of your futures. Ash, one more Elite Four win from challenging Diantha. And, Serena, one more Princess Key from competing in the Masterclass again. I'll be rooting for the both of you on the rest of your journeys."

"Sadly, that's all my information I have for now. Most of it was received from Gurkinn, so it might have been a refresher for the two of you. I hope it was what you were expecting though," the Professor stated, running a hand through his hair, placing the tablet away with his free hand. "I would love to keep you both here longer, but I think it's best that you two get going before you miss all the excitement tonight."

"Excitement?" Ash asked, unsure of what he exactly meant. Yeah, there were booths and shows going on tonight because of the tournament, but he wouldn't call it "excitement". "Is there something happening tonight?"

Pretending to shush Ash, Sycamore placed a singer finger up to his lips and smiled. "It's a surprise, Ash. You'll find out soon enough. Just enjoy this marvelous night. Alright?"

"We will, Professor Sycamore," Serena replied, grabbing Ash's hand immediately. "Thank you for all your help tonight. I think we may have learned a little bit more about Greninja and his transformation because of this."

"Glad I could help," he responded truthfully, lazily waving goodbye to the duo. Watching Ash and Serena exit, Sycamore couldn't help but smile. "Those two look marvelous together. Hopefully something happens between them soon," the Professor muttered to himself before Garchomp walked in. Letting out a light cry, Sycamore rubbed his partner on the top of her head. "I know, Garchomp, it's time to feed you. Come on, I'll see if Sophie has the food ready for all the Pokémon."

* * *

"Now, if I were a secret weapon, where would I be hidden?" Michael muttered to himself, exploring through the many different hallways of Team Rocket's base. "I've been down every single hallway at least three times and I can't find anything. Not even a trace of a weapon. The only thing I've seen was that Megalith and right now it's just being studied...there's no way it can be that important."

Turning down another hallway, Michael wondered if this was the right thing. Perhaps Silver was right and they should have just attacked once they knew Giovanni was in Kalos. If they had all five Champions, then maybe Team Rocket wouldn't stand a chance. "Sometimes I don't give that boy enough credit..." Michael muttered, quickly covering his mouth as heard someone talking.

"Xerosic, are you sure about all of this?" a voice asked out, Michael immediately recognizing it as Lysandre's. He was surprised by this revelation. Lysandre had been hidden right underneath his nose the entire time. "Are you really willing to risk it all to turn on them?"

"Of course," a second voice, which must have belonged to Xerosic, replied back before letting out a cackled laugh. "Those three buffoons will never see it coming. And once it happens they'll be powerless to stop me. Once I pull it on the entire organization, we'll be left in charge and we'll rule the world."

"You can count me out," Lysandre retorted, a slight gasp escaping Xerosic's mouth. Turning to face the confused scientist, the former Team Flare leader looked confused. "I've explained myself before, Xerosic. I have no intention of doing this again. We, the leaders of Flare, lost their way from our original goal of helping the people of this Earth. We became too misguided by power and I will not allow the same mistakes to be made."

"So you're fine being a lap dog for these Team Rocket fools!?" Xerosic shouted, anger filling his entire body due to Lysandre. "We were so close to our end goal, Lysandre. Are you really willing to throw away a better world?"

Walking away, Lysandre crossed his arms across his chest before pausing. "I am no one's lap dog, remember that Xerosic. As for my willingness to help Rocket...I have no say in the matter. Either do this and be free or sulk in jail. The two options aren't exactly pleasing either way."

Biting his lower lip, Xerosic removed his gloves and gripped them tightly. "You're making a mistake, Lysandre. We should be planning to overthrow these Team Rocket members, not work with them! Imagine the possibilities if we ran this organization! Think of everything that could be ours!"

"And what would that accomplish?" Lysandre asked, sounding disappointed in his friend's current thought process. "Leading a criminal organization is not what I wanted to do in the first place. I wanted to create a better world, and in the process created a terrorist organization that brought the entire safety of this planet to question. We are not helping anyone by causing widespread chaos and damage. Once this entire situation ends, I will be gone. I need time to think things over, to become a better person. To truly help this planet."

"Man...for two friends, they definitely don't get along all too well," Michael muttered, peering around the corner to get a better look at the two men. What he saw shocked him. Not only were the two men in a small computer room, there appeared to be some sort of machine sitting in the center, hooked up to the computer. "Is...is that the machine we've been looking for!?"

Stepping backwards, Michael covered his mouth, making full well that he didn't say anything too loudly. "I...I can't believe it's been here the entire time. To think, I stumbled upon this by accident because those two were arguing with the door open! This...this is a really lucky break. I could probably stop the machine once those two leave!" he declared, listening to the two men go back at it.

"You really have changed, Lysandre. You've lost yourself since being placed in jail. We need to help this world by building it up from the bottom up!" Xerosic cried out, the sounds of wrenches clanking against metal echoing through the room. "There are too many corrupt individuals to keep them all and create a better planet!"

"I think you're the one who has changed, Xerosic," Lysandre replied with a gruff "hmph". "It's been so long since we were following our own plans. We diverged way too far from our desired outcome. And now, you still are obsessed with our wrong goal. Perhaps if I had remained clear headed and not allow the evils of this world to corrupt me...maybe then we would have succeeded without becoming the scum we did," he stated, his voice sounding just as strong and forceful as when he was the leader of Team Flare. "And please explain; why must you continue to tinker with that machine?"

Laughing, Xerosic wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead before sitting back up. "Because, I just added my own final touches to this machine. Now, thanks to them, I have complete control of it without any of these bumbling Team Rocket members knowing so. And, I made it that the machine cannot be shut down without my specific input coding once activated. That way, only I can use this machine."

"Drats," Michael muttered, snapping his fingers lightly in frustration. Gritting his teeth together, the older agent seemed conflicted. _"I could probably take them on right now. They would be too surprised to counter myself in time. I then destroy the machine and make a break to get out of here...but it could also backfire! Aghhh! Silver makes it seem so easy with going against our commands!"_ Michael thought to himself, grabbing at his head, running his large hands through his hair.

Stopping his actions, Michael decided to not attack for the time being. Standing up, he placed his hands into his pockets and took one last glance at the room. "No. Now isn't the time to do anything. Now that I know where it is, I can return anytime I need to. Best to let the others know and then try something. Just as long as that machine doesn't get activated anytime soon, I should be all set."

* * *

"So where to now?" Ash asked nicely. At this point, any ideas he had for tonight were now ruined that most of the events were over for the night. It was now getting dark out, with a lot of the stores leaving their lights off for some odd reason. "Anything specific you want to do?"

Pondering for a moment, Serena tapped her index finger against her chin, Ash watching with interest on his face. For some reason, he could just stare at Serena for the rest of the night and he would be fine with it. He would be fine with just sitting there with her the rest of the night. As long as they were together right now, he felt they would be content. As he continued to stare, his father's words rang through his head once more, helping him understand exactly why. _"Kid, that's love."_

Seeing a hand wave in front of his face, Ash was forced into blinking, instinctively taking a step backwards. "Ash?" Serena asked, a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright? You were kind of spacing out for a moment and didn't respond to my question at all. It was almost like you were in your own little world."

"Huh? What?" he quickly replied, throwing his free hand over and behind his head. Letting out a laugh, he immediately changed his posture to that of his usual self. "I'm perfectly fine, Serena. I was just thinking about something important. Now, what was your idea?"

"Oh, well, as long as you're alright that's good," she answered, smiling sweetly towards Ash, his heart beginning to race once more. Part of him enjoyed this, while another part wished for Team Rocket to show up. His nerves were practically killing him at this point. Shaking those thoughts out of his mind for the time being, Ash listened on while Serena continued.

"I overheard some people talking about fireworks tonight over near the Trainer's Village. I think that might be something fun to go and see."

"Fireworks?" Ash asked, wanting to make sure he had heard correctly, especially with how he was spacing out recently. Serena merely nodded in response, a large smile on her face from the thought of such an event. Thinking over his dad's words, Ash figured now would be the best chance to see if he was right. "That sounds like it could be a great time! And I even know of the perfect spot to watch them, somewhere that nobody else would even think to head to. That way we can see them all with no distractions. Let's get going, we don't want to miss them!"

Now it was his turn to drag Serena along, the two trainers running through the streets happily as Ash led them to his spot. There was only one spot he felt was good enough for tonight and it was going to be where he had his talk with his father. He felt that they would have a great view of the entire fireworks. Racing through the remains of the crowds (or rather those who hadn't went to go find a viewing location for the fireworks), the duo managed to see the park that was attached to the Trainer's Village.

"Ash, where are we heading?" Serena couldn't help but ask, laughing in the process. Hearing her laugh, it filled Ash with joy and energy. It was a sweet sound to his ears and he couldn't believe it had taken him this long to realize why Kalos had been such an unforgettable experience. Why it was just so much fun for him. It was because of Serena and her smile, her laugh. Even her encouragement meant a lot to him.

Turning his head over his shoulder, Ash playfully winked at her. "It's a secret. You'll see soon enough." Then, picking up his pace, Ash made the last push through the Trainer's Village and over towards the park. Passing other trainers and ordinary citizens, Ash continued on his way, Serena now walking right alongside him. Turning to face her, a smile crossed over his face, hardly able to contain it anymore.

"You see that hill over there? We'll be able to see the entire show clearly from there," Ash explained, Serena's eyes following his index finger pointing over towards a hill further in the distance. It wasn't that far from them, but it made her wonder just why he would pick that spot out of everything else. "I spent some time up there yesterday and it was a wonderful view."

Making their way up there, the duo noticed a blanket was already set up, Ash receiving a look of confusion from Serena. Hearing a rustling noise from a nearby tree, Ash silently thanked Janine, knowing full well that she had just left it here for them. "Here, let's just sit and wait for the fireworks to start," Ash stated, offering a hand to the young girl. Taking his hand, Serena allowed Ash to help her sit comfortably on the blanket, Ash himself soon joining her on the blanket.

"Serena..." Ash began to say, the duo now laying down on the blanket, watching the stars up above them twinkle in the night sky. It was relaxing, almost like those nights they spent during the League...back when these feelings first started bubbling upwards in him. "I...I just wanted to thank you for everything."

Ash could tell Serena was slightly caught off-guard by his words by the way he felt her body move slightly. Wanting to relax her, subconsciously he reached for her right hand, gripping it within his left. Feeling her body become less rigid, a slight smile crossed over his face. Letting out a light sigh, Ash knew he had to keep going, otherwise he may never know. The battle gave him a good understanding, but he still wasn't completely sure yet.

"I mean it, Serena. Thank you for everything. The treats, the never ending support, the wonderful adventure through Kalos. I just need to thank you for everything, you definitely made it special for me," Ash stated, his usual confidence beginning to waver. He was in a completely unknown territory for himself. He had never done anything like this before. "And especially with our time in Snowbelle City...without you waking me out of my depressive state, I don't think I would have even made it to the League. And you, and Clemont, and Bonnie, you all gave me that needed push to keep going in the League. When things looked bad, I always thought back to our fun times and how...how I didn't want them to end. I didn't want any of our adventures to end. And I still don't. Not right now anyways," he explained, letting everything off of his chest. For a moment, he swore he could have felt Serena's hand burning up and wondered what it was for, but a quick glance at Serena and he saw that she was slightly red. Ash was about to ask if she was alright, only to be cut off by the girl.

"Ash, I should be the one thanking you. Despite just starting out on a journey to just meet you, I managed to find a dream that I can partake in. Find the greatest friends in the world. And find my partners for the rest of my life. And yet, without your guidance, I don't know if I could have done it. You, Clemont, Bonnie, everyone. You all pushed me along and when it was time to return the favor, I just couldn't sit back. Seeing you depressed in Snowbelle after losing to Wulfric, it hurt me to see you in that state. I had to do something to help," Serena explained, sitting up slightly, Ash copying the motion. The duo were both looking at each other now, Ash feeling himself being lost in Serena's blue eyes. Shaking his head slightly to not lose his concentration, Ash began again.

"No, Serena, you don't get just how much _you_ helped me. During my first gym battle with Viola, you helped me reignite my fire after that crushing defeat. I was at a weak point there, coming off of that devastating loss in the Unova League only to lose at my first Gym Battle in Kalos. You helped me get back my confidence. Then with the Shalor City Gym, you spent all day trying to help me get my rhythm strategy perfected even if I wasn't the greatest student. You took time out of your day to help me out. And your teaching helped me learn that the rhythm strategy wouldn't help me win, especially since I have my own unique rhythm. Those two Gyms, you helped me more than you even realize."

"Well...it was the least I could do," Serena replied slowly, Ash wondering if she was getting flustered from the compliments or if it was something more. "Like I said, you helped me more than even you know. If I never met you again, I would probably still be at home practicing Rhyhorn Racing. You helped me out in more ways than I could explain. Your presence alone helped me out when I was questioning myself. Every time I wondered if I could handle it, your confidence and spirit raised me up and helped me move on."

Silence fell between them. Ash knew he was important to her; he had figured it out completely after the match. He was able to realize it through how she admitted to use old ideas from his previous battles across every region he traversed. Yet, to hear that he was part of her inspiration, that helped him figure it all out. Fireworks soon erupted in the background, catching their attention.

"The fireworks have finally begun, they look so beautiful," Serena spoke, Ash merely nodding in agreement, words unable to escape his mouth now. Whatever he was building up to was gone, his momentum gone and so was his confidence. He couldn't figure the words out now, the very sentence he was forming in his mind now gone.

"They really do," he replied, his eyes instead focusing on Serena, her body glowing in the light of the fireworks. Sitting there, Ash let out a light sigh, upset over the fact he lost his chance. However, his dad's words echoed through his mind once more, the fireworks exploding in the background. _"Take a chance. You'll never know anything until you try something, Ash. Think of it like a battle, without taking a risk in it, you'll never know if your strategy will win."_ Nodding slightly to himself, Ash knew he couldn't wait any longer. He had to do something.

"Serena?" he asked, catching her attention, the honey blonde turning her head to face him.

"What, Ash?" She asked, no answer coming from him. Instead, the duo felt a warm sensation running through both of them, Ash finally taking a chance. A warm sensation starting at their mouths and ran through their entire bodies.

Pulling back, Ash was smiling, knowing full well what he had done. Knowing that the feeling was right, he couldn't help but be happy. Looking across from him, Serena looked shocked from the event. But none of that mattered right now. He knew he kissed Serena and he knew one thing from that kiss. One thing that he had been piecing together ever since the League.

He loved Serena. His dad had been right.

* * *

 **Well, there it is guys. I finally did it; the moment you have all been wondering when it would happen. They finally went to Professor Sycamore and talked about the Bond Phenomenon...wait, that wasn't the moment? Oh, right. Ash finally made his move and pieced everything together. Can't say it was my best way of doing it since, well, I am very bad with romance. So, hopefully it turned out alright. And the reason this chapter is shorter than the others? Well, it was a decent point to cut off here. Especially with how much longer it would have continued if I hadn't.**

 **Anyway, sorry for taking a while with this chapter, school has just been hectic (how many times have I used this as an excuse?), but expect the next chapter out for either late Friday night or sometime Saturday.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	57. Flying High

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, it finally happened. The one thing many of you have been waiting for, for over 56 chapters finally happened. Ash finally came to realization with his feelings. I mean, it doesn't really change much since he's Ash, but at least now he realizes something...**

 **Ch 57: Flying High**

* * *

Serena sat there with a mix of emotions. Shock. Joy. Confusion. These were just a few of them, the young girl trying to piece everything together and try to figure out what had just happened to her. One moment, she was having a nice talk with Ash and then the next, he was kissing her! She wasn't quite sure if it was real or not, since Ash had never shown any interest in her. Or from what she could tell. She always believed that Ash was just oblivious to all of her advances and that whenever he was doing something nice, she just considered it just Ash being himself. But now...now she wasn't so sure if she could consider it anymore. Breaking out of her stupor, the Kalos native looked over at Ash, the Kanto native looking a little surprised at his own action.

"A...A-Ash..." Serena began to say, unable to properly formulate a sentence. She could feel her entire body heating up immensely from her embarrassment. About to try again, she was caught by surprise when Ash spoke up.

"Serena, I'm sorry for that," Ash began to say, rubbing behind his head, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of his face. Serena could see just how nervous he was getting from her reaction. She hoped that he hadn't taken it the wrong way. She was overjoyed with what happened, yet she just couldn't find the right words to use. Biting her lower lip, Serena silently cursed herself as Ash continued on. "I never meant to embarrass you or anything of the sort. I just needed to figure something out. And, well...you know me; not the best with words. I work best by acting first and thinking after. So, I hope you don't ha-."

Ash's words were suddenly cut off by the feel of something soft pressing against his lips. Serena had decided that perhaps it was best to be like Ash in this situation; if she couldn't find the words, then perhaps it was best to just take action. As the duo pulled away, both trainers couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Though, Serena still couldn't believe what tonight had turned into. She had thought that it was just going to be a normal night out on the town with Ash. Something similar to the League and, yet, here she was. First Ash kissed her, and now she returned it.

Brushing a stray brand of hair out of her face, Serena smiled at Ash, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly from the entire situation. The sound of fireworks filled the background, children cheering loudly as the grand finale began, but that didn't matter to Serena. She felt too excited by the situation before her to pay attention to anything else.

"Ash, you don't need to apologize for anything," she began to say, a light laugh escaping her lips. She could barely contain her excitement from this. "When I mentioned that you were a big inspiration for me, Ash, I really meant it. And you have been, ever since the summer camp when we were kids. Yet, the more time I spent around you while we traveled, the more I admired you. The more...the more I fell in love with you. Everything about you. Your enthusiasm, your spirit, your go-getter attitude. Just everything made me wish to be like you. You could say in a sense, that you were my goal. I wanted to find a way to tell you how I felt and I wanted to be just like you. I wanted to be able to look any problem facing me and smile right back at it, a feeling of confidence flowing through me."

"Love..." Ash muttered, Serena worrying that she had said too much or possibly scared him at that moment. She could hear a slight gasp escape from his mouth, her fears only growing as she bit on her lower lip. Her worries were soon averted, a laugh escaping from Ash's mouth, his hands gripping her own. "I guess it was love after all," he muttered to himself silently, Serena straining to hear just what he was trying to say, but managed to pick up on the tail end of it.

Releasing one hand, Ash used it to rub underneath his nose, Serena having picked the motion up as a way Ash expressed his nervousness in situations. "Love...I may not fully understand what love is or how best to express it, but I can clearly say without any sliver of doubt in my mind that I feel the same Serena. I may not be the best when it comes to any of this stuff, but I want you to know that I love you, Serena."

Serena couldn't believe it. She felt as light as a feather at the moment, her dreams becoming a reality in the sense that Ash reciprocated her feelings. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Ash being the one who took the first move, no, it was usually her with a lot of pushing from her friends. Yet this...this was _much_ better than anything she could have dreamt up.

"But..." Ash began to say, tapping his chin with his index finger, the action making him appear to be in a deep thought. Or at least to Serena it made him look it. Opening his mouth, Ash's small action caught Serena's attention, the Performer listening with intent. "What exactly does that make us now? Is this like one of those boyfriend and girlfriend things I hear people like Brock talk about all the time? But, I don't want to lose you as a friend. You're one of my best friends."

Serena had a feeling this was coming; it _was_ Ash after all. Letting a light chuckle escape from her lips, Serena quickly got herself under control before looking over at Ash. "It doesn't change anything between us, Ash. We're still going to remain great friends, there's just...just something different between us now," she explained, taking her time to choose the correct words to help explain the situation. "Nothing is ever going to change between us, except now we know how we feel about each other. It's a big step to head into a relationship, so I understand if you want to wait a little for it," she continued, trying her best to not sound disappointed in any way. She wanted to be more than friends with Ash, but if he wasn't ready yet, knowing how he felt about her was the next best thing. She didn't want to stop him from achieving his dream and she knew he would never want to come between her dream either.

"That isn't it, Serena," Ash spoke up, shocking the Kalos native slightly. Letting a light gasp escape from her mouth, Serena continued to watch on, Ash beginning to speak again. "I want to try this...this...this relationship," he explained, Serena hearing how hard it was for him to use that word. It sounded foreign coming from his mouth, yet despite how strange it sounded, it was music to her ears. "I just don't know what to do. I want to treat you right...you're special to me," he muttered the last part, unsure how to properly express it.

"Well, how about this," Serena stated, watching the end of the fireworks before standing and stretching. She had grown slightly stiff from the position the two of them had been in for a while now. "We don't start any real relationship until after the tournament. And even then, it might be best to wait until after your match with Diantha and my Master Class competition."

She could tell her words surprised Ash slightly, especially after her telling him just how much he meant to her. "How come then?" he asked, Serena knowing he wanted some information regarding her decision.

"Because, we shouldn't let a relationship blind us from our goals. Not with us so close to them. Had this night happened sooner, maybe then we could have begun a relationship. Though, it isn't like we don't already have our own special relationship happening now," Serena joyfully explained, winking at Ash, the trainer now standing next to her. "I don't want to distract you from your matches against, Paul, Malva and hopefully Diantha. I've waited a long time for this Ash, and you don't know how much I want to be your girlfriend right now, but it wouldn't be right to our Pokémon and ourselves. I can wait a little longer, don't worry about me."

She was determined in her thought. She wasn't going to just drop everything she was doing because of Ash. Yes, she would love to be able to do it, but like she explained, she knew it wasn't fair to everyone else. Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon and even Pichu had worked so hard to get this far. She couldn't just push that dream off to the side because a new one was happening. At best, they would start after the tournament. It wasn't that far away, just two days remained for it anyways. They could make it that long.

"I understand completely, Serena," Ash explained, smiling brightly at her. "It takes a lot of willpower to make that decision, but, strange enough, I feel the same. I can't just forget about all the work I put into my challenge right now. And after the tournament, maybe then we can start something. But, either way, I want to take you somewhere nice to eat before the Master Class. In a sense, you could say that it would be a way to pay you back for taking me out before my match in the League. I want you to always know I'm your biggest supporter."

"I'll always know that, Ash," Serena replied, blushing from his words. Even if she knew how he felt, it was still no less embarrassing for her. Leaning in towards him, Serena felt her body heat up slightly from what she was about to do. "And, Ash," she began to say, pecking the side of his check with her lips. Pulling away, she could see he was blushing slightly from the surprise. "Thank you for tonight. It was wonderful."

"I mean, I didn't really know what I was doing tonight, but I'm glad you enjoyed it," Ash replied sheepishly, placing his hand against the cheek Serena had kissed, smiling from the sign of affection. "Maybe after the tournament we can do it again."

"It's a date," Serena responded happily, Ash nodding in agreement to not only her response, but the thought of an actual date with Serena. "I think I should head back to meet up with the others. Nate and Brock probably want to come up with an idea to beat Clemont's team. Goodnight, Ash," she said, laughing while running down the hill.

Listening to her laughter grow lighter, Ash sighed in content before laying back on the blanket. "I finally know..." he muttered, immediately startled by a rustling noise.

"I think it went well," Janine's voice filled the area, appearing next to Ash, standing over his body. "She seemed to take everything really well. Though, is waiting until after the tournament, or longer, a good idea before starting a relationship with Serena? Why not now?"

Sitting up, Ash shrugged his shoulders before letting out a light chuckle. "Well, I guess it's just an idea we had. That way, we won't lose sight of our dreams because of each other. Besides, she's strong. Serena can handle a few days. I mean, in a sense, she did wait years to tell me all of that. That's what's so great about her; her inner strength. She never lets anything keep her down, she can never be held back. Serena is always pushing forward no matter what."

"From the sounds of, you seem more bummed over her choosing to wait until after the tournament than she is," Janine joked, sitting down next to Ash, playfully ribbing him with her elbow. "You think she can make it, but a better question is: can you make it?"

Letting out a laugh, Ash quickly sighed before facing. "Honestly? No. A majority of myself just wanted to start something with her tonight. I've never felt this way about someone before. It's special to me and I just want it to last. But, I knew that it's best to wait."

Standing up, Ash helped Janine up off of the blanket, picking up the cloth and folding it nicely (or as nicely as _he_ could) before handing it back to her. "And, Janine, thank you...for everything. You really helped make tonight great. With no thoughts of anyone attacking me, it helped me relax and that blanket was a nice addition."

"Hey, I'm just glad it all worked out for you," she replied, the wind blowing her scarf around. "But, don't think my team will go easy on you tomorrow. We are still fighting for one of the top two spots."

"I wouldn't want anything else," Ash replied playfully, the two friends clasping hands before separating, Janine disappearing immediately. "I'll never understand how she can do that," he joked, placing his hands into his pockets, making his way back towards the Trainer's Village slowly. Too many thoughts were running through his mind. His upcoming match, his future matches and of course Serena. They may not have started a new relationship, but he knew that things were different between them, dating or not. He couldn't help but think of how things were now different and how he could do something special for her.

"But first, I need to win this tournament! Then I'll do something real nice for Serena!" Ash exclaimed softly, not wanting her to possibly overhear him. Seeing the Trainer's Village approaching in the distance, Ash picked up his pace, sprinting towards the buildings that served as housing for those at the tournament this week.

* * *

"And the fourth day of this tournament seems just about ready to begin!" Freddy's voice echoing through the stadium, roars of approval coming from the many fans packed into their seats. "With three teams tied for first place, today's battles could be the deciding factor for who still has a shot to move into the finals portion of this thrill fest! The first matchup today pits Team Victory up against Team Mega in a match that is sure to rock the house!"

"Both teams so far have supplied nothing but fascinating victories. With Victory and Mega led by the likes of Paul and Alain respectively, you can bet these two teams will be battling right until the end! Now as the field raises up from the bottom of the stadium, let's see who'll be the first trainers up from each team!"

Paul grunted as he listened to Freddy get the crowd going. He did _not_ care for any of this festivity they added in, the young trainer just wanted the match to get started. However, today had been a rather annoying experience for him. He just couldn't understand what the big deal was, but for some reason Astrid had been wanting to do a tag-battle ever since the large group battle that happened yesterday.

"So, how about it then?" her voice rang out, causing Paul to slowly open one eye, staring at her with an aloof look on his face. "A tag-battle could be interesting for sure. Plus, the other side wouldn't be expecting it at all. I've battled Alain before and he isn't someone you can take lightly; we'll need everything we have to win today."

Shrugging his shoulders and letting out a light "hmph", Paul turned his body to face the field. He knew that he wasn't winning this argument, but he would not go down without a fight. "I've been studying him the entire battle. I know I could take his Charizard on and beat him with the strategy I came up with."

"Then why not try something different and have some fun?" Astrid asked, sitting down next to him and smirking. Paul didn't like the look on her face, from the short time they had been on a team together, both Hugh and himself had learned that Astrid was very convincing when she wanted to. Heck, he was still confused over how (or why) he agreed to go out and eat with her.

"Or are you scared he'll win?"

There it was, Paul knew it. Sighing, he knew Astrid would somehow play a card that would get him to agree with her. "Fine, we'll do the tag-battle if the other team agrees to it. Are you happy now? You got what you wanted."

Keeping her smirk, Astrid crossed her legs and let out a light laugh. "Yes, I am. This is going to be a blast, no reason for you to stay serious all the time. Lighten up a little," she joked, thumping him on the shoulder.

" _Why do I give in so easily?"_ Paul thought to himself, watching the field finally arrive. It looked to be a rock field of sorts. A plain, barren wasteland looked to be the main portion to him, with a few plateaus surrounding the sides. It wasn't a complicated field to use, and depending on who the other team used, he knew that his strategy for Alain's Charizard could work.

"If both sides could send their first trainer now, the match may begin," the referee called out, snapping Paul out of his attentive state and back to his surroundings. Watching Astrid walk up to the field, Paul had a mix of a smile and frown on his face, a reaction he couldn't understand.

"You're worse than that Ketchum boy when it comes to this stuff," Hugh muttered, leaning against one of the walls in the dugout. Turning his head towards his blue-haired teammate, Paul merely stared at him, a blank expression on his face. "Please, it's easy to see and yet you of all people don't even see it."

Paul just grunted in reply, he _did not_ need any of this right now. It was bad enough that Astrid talked him into a tag-battle, now Hugh was getting on him about something completely different? "Why don't you focus more on your battling skills and less on everything else going on? There was no reason for you to lose to Silver yesterday."

Shaking his head, Hugh merely laughed at Paul's response, the Sinnoh native not thrilled by it. However, before he could respond, the trainer's attention was pulled towards the referee.

"It appears that Team Victory is desiring to take part in a tag-battle with Team Mega. Of course, it requires the opposing team's affirmative decision," the referee declared, Paul folding his arms across his chest, waiting on in interest.

Keeping his eyes on Alain, Paul could tell that the older boy was confused by the decision to take part in a tag-battle and he quickly wondered if that had been part of the reason Astrid wanted to propose it; to throw Alain off his game. _"No, Alain was the one who called for it yesterday after all, he shouldn't be confused over a simple request."_ Instead, Paul noticed (upon closer inspection) that it wasn't confusion, but more so annoyance. Looking at the trainer standing next to him, Paul unable to remember his name, he noticed that the boy seemed nervous. Or better yet, scared of battling. Almost like he wasn't expecting to take part today.

"So, I think we've found the weak link on Mega," Hugh muttered, Paul nodding in agreement. "Kind of strange since Wally did good in the Hoenn League, or at least from what the tapes showed at least. Might be a case of nerves."

"There's more," Paul joined in, catching Hugh's attention. "Look at him, he isn't scared or weak, he's nervous of letting his team down. Look at the facts, a trainer who made it into the top eight of the Ever Grande Conference has only battled once. Yesterday he was forced into it, otherwise he had no intention to do so. And based on how he is now, had no intention to battle today either. He figures that if he doesn't battle, then he can't lose. And if he can't lose then he can't let anyone down."

Paul watched on, his assumption seeming to be correct based on Alain's reaction to whatever Wally had said to him. Though, whatever it was seemed to have annoyed Alain to the point of agreeing to a tag-battle, Paul honestly shocked at the decision from Team Mega.

"Well then, you've all heard it! Today's first match will now be held as a tag-battle! Just like yesterday's free-for-all, the last trainer standing on either side will be declared the victor for the entire round!" Freddy explained, partially confused over the teams' decision and partially excited for it.

" _Well, guess there's no turning back now,"_ Paul mentally stated to himself, standing up from his seat and walking up to the field. Standing next to Astrid, he noticed she seemed excited about the battle while he couldn't care less about it. This was just another battle they had to win. Nothing more, nothing less. Looking across the field, Paul noticed that Alain didn't seem has glad as yesterday, but instead appeared annoyed at that Wally boy.

"And here we go ladies and gentlemen! All the trainers seem ready to begin this battle! So let them hear your excitement!" Freddy cheered out, causing Paul to shake his head in annoyance. Could they finally get this battle started?

With a swift toss, the four trainers all threw forward their respective Poké Balls. The devices soon opened up, revealing little surprise as Electivire and Absol took the field for Team Victory. Opposite them were Charizard and Gallade, both seemingly ready to get this match going as well. With a quick cry from the referee, the four trainers knew this battle was started, calling out their first commands.

"Electivire, start off with Thunder Punch!"

"Block it with Dragon Claw, Charizard!"

Both Pokémon were locked a clash early, Electivire having his first attack blocked by Charizard's Dragon Claw, the green claws forming the perfect barrier to block the attack. As both seemed to be locked in combat, Astrid decided to use this chance to attack Charizard.

"Absol, use your Psycho Cut attack on Charizard now!" the Dark-Type grunted in acceptance, leaping off of one of the rock plateaus to gain a better view. Whipping his head around, Absol's horn soon glowed a shade of purple, a crescent blade shooting out of it. Soaring right over Electivire, the attack crashed in Charizard, causing him to skid backwards and allow an opening for Electivire. Swinging upwards, the Electric-Type landed a powerful uppercut with his Thunder Punch. The blow appeared to catch Charizard by surprise, the Fire and Flying-Type being knocked backwards even more from it.

"See, told you it would work out better," Astrid teased, winking at him. "Now, Absol, stay on the offensive with a Dark Pulse at Gallade!"

"Sol!" The Disaster Pokémon cried out, a wave of black and purple beams shooting from his mouth. Despite falling through the air, Absol had a decent enough view of Gallade and managed to land the blow easily, knocking the Psychic and Fighting-Type onto his back.

"I wouldn't get too carried away yet," Paul carefully replied, eyes focused on Alain and for good measure. The older trainer immediately issued a Flamethrower at the defenseless Absol, stuck in the air and now an easy target. "Electivire, intercept with a Protect!"

"Vire! Electivire," the Electric-Type replied, leaping in front of the incoming blast, his entire body being surrounded in a green shield. The Flamethrower attack crashed hard into Electivire's Protect, bouncing off of it and flying around it. Absol seemed to be protected from any of the flames, landing safely on his four paws, Absol awaited a command.

"You know, they don't seem to be working together very well," Astrid pointed out, folding her arms across her chest. Following her words, Paul looked over at their opponents. Alain looked to be growing upset at Wally, while the young boy merely cowered.

"Then all the more perfect to attack," Paul answered, quickly issuing a Thunder attack. Electivire quickly sparked with electricity, the energy surging through his entire body before firing it high up into the sky. The sound of crackling thunder soon filled the stadium, catching Alain and Wally's attention.

"Quick, Charizard get out of there!" Alain called out, the Flame Pokémon barely having time to dive out of the way. Gallade however seemed to have no chance, being struck directly by the blast. Seeing this, Alain grit his teeth and Paul was curious to see what was about to happen.

"Wally, why aren't you doing anything! Gallade has only been standing there the entire battle! Charizard and I could use some help you do realize that right!?" Alain called out, getting no response from Wally. Instead, the boy seemed to shake slightly from the words. "This is a tag-battle; I need help Wally! Don't just stand there doing nothing! Get involved in the battle!"

Paul smirked at this, it seemed like they weren't going to be taking this serious. And so, he could just end this easily. Heck, he hadn't even given Alain a chance to Mega Evolve Charizard yet. And with them having kept Charizard on the run, Mega Evolving now might not be helpful for them. Throwing a hand forward, Paul issued his next command, "Electivire, Thunder Punch once more! Show them just what happens when they ignore us!"

"Absol, get in close with a Shadow Claw as well!" Astrid joined in, throwing out her right hand. The two Pokémon dashed forward, their appendixes glowing with their different attacks.

Sighing, Wally listened to Alain's words. Timidly throwing a hand forward, he called for his first command. "St-Stop them with a Close Combat!"

"Lade!" Gallade acknowledged accordingly, vanishing for a split second before appearing in front of Electivire. With searing speed and precision, Gallade rammed his fists into Electivire so many times Paul lost count. Then, with one swift kick, the Psychic and Fighting-Type knocked Electivire backwards and into Absol. Both Pokémon rolled on the ground defenseless.

"N-Now, Alain," Wally said to his partner, a few beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "T-There's your opening!"

"Took long enough to get you going," Alain muttered, throwing his fist forward, a powerful Flamethrower being called for next. The flames formed within Charizard's bowels, moving upwards through his body until exiting through his mouth. The fire spread across the barren, rocky, field until crashing hard into Electivire and Absol. Both Pokémon cried out in pain from the attack, but they stood back up regardless.

"So, they're finally getting serious," Paul muttered, watching as Alain and Wally Mega Evolved their Charizard and Gallade respectively. The light died down, revealing the two new forms to Paul and he didn't seem that impressed from them. "Looks like playtime is over for us as well."

Nodding in agreement, Astrid touched the Keystone that was used as an earring, the familiar bright light filling up the arena once more, blinding the spectators. Dying down, no one was surprised to see Absol standing there transformed into Mega Absol. The battle seemed to just be starting up right now, and everyone were on the edge of their seats. "So, what's the plan, Paul?"

"Simple. Take out Alain first," Paul said, Astrid swearing she heard him joking for the first time ever. Paying no attention to it, the duo quickly went back onto the offensive, issuing the same attacks as before, both Pokémon racing forward with their glowing appendixes.

Gallade was already on the offensive as well, throwing his own Psycho Cut right at the duo. Stopping in place, Electivire quickly erected a Protect, saving them from the blast. Charizard however wasn't going to wait, instead, slashing right through the weakened barrier with his Dragon Claw.

"Electivire!" Paul called out, the Electric-Type grunting in light pain. They both knew this wasn't enough to take him out, and there was little surprise by either side when he got back up. "Now, get in close and use Brick Break!"

"Charizard, block it with your Thunder Punch!" Alain countered, Wally right behind him with a command.

"Psycho Cut!"

"Now, Absol, block it with your Dark Pulse!" Astrid joined in, smirking at what both herself and Paul felt was a mistake by Wally.

"Sol!"

"Gallade!"

The two Pokémon cried out at the same time, their two attacks colliding at midfield and creating a cloud of smoke that surrounded Electivire and Charizard. No one could see anything besides Charizard's electrically charged claws at the moment, but from the looks of it, the damage Charizard had sustained earlier was slowing him down. Electivire was landing a few hits based Charizard's grunts.

"Electivire, slow down," Paul called out, confusing Astrid most of all. No one could understand why he would allow Electivire to get hit, but Paul already knew what he had planned. It was a simple idea that he knew Alain had no clue of. A quick smash across the face knocked Electivire out of the smoke cloud, Charizard using this time to clear it away.

"Hmph, you shouldn't have let Electivire get hit, even if it was an Electric-Type attack," Alain stated, throwing a fist forward. "Now! Blast Burn let's go!"

Paul let out a light chuckle for a moment, worrying his opponents while Charizard slammed his fist into the field, causing the rocks to explode and fly upwards. "You don't get it. Electivire's ability is Motor Drive. And so, every time he's hit with an electric attack, his speed increases," Paul finished saying right at Electivire vanished from sight before reappearing next to Absol.

"Now, let's end this," Paul grunted, nodding towards Electivire, the duo agreeing on the same thought. Wrapping an arm around Absol, the Electric-Type leapt up into the sky, avoiding the Blast Burn as it destroyed a good portion of the field in the process. "Now, Thunder!"

"Elec," Electivire muttered before placing Absol down on one of the flying rocks. Whirling his arms around, the Electric-Type seemed to be panting heavily. "Elec, elec, elec, electivire!" Firing off the attack, both Charizard and Gallade dodged the incoming blast easily, yet that wasn't Paul's target. Instead, all of the falling rocks were now electrically charged, making it easy to hit them.

"Now, Electivire, get in close with Brick Break!"

"Absol, you use Shadow Claw!"

The two Pokémon bounded forward, using the falling stones to advance forward and towards their opponents, both of whom were too busy avoiding the falling rocks. With swift movements, Electivire slammed his arm down onto Charizard's head, causing the Fire and Dragon-Type to lose and focus and become buried under the large amount of rubble.

Absol however was much more graceful, sneaking around the rocks, making Gallade look around for his opponent. Yet, despite finding Absol right before the attack, Gallade had no time to raise a guard before Absol slashed across his chest. Skidding backwards, the Psychic and Fighting-Type was soon battered by the falling rocks as well, reverting back to his base form defeated.

"Gallade is unable to battle!" the referee declared, Wally quickly calling his partner back into his Poké Ball. "If Charizard cannot continue to battle, then Team Victory will be the winners!"

"So, was that your big plan to win?" Astrid joked, placing her hands behind her back. Turning towards Paul, the girl seemed to have had a fun time, or at least it seemed to Paul. "Because it still worked out even with two of us battling."

"No, that wasn't my original plan," Paul replied, Astrid's smile dropping from his words. "The one I had was much better than this, it only worked right now since those two weren't working well together. While we were able to work in sync with each other today, those two couldn't get on the same page, leading to their downfall."

"It isn't over yet!" Alain called out, Charizard letting out a roar as the pile of rocks that buried him were thrown off. Standing back up, Charizard was covered in scrapes and cuts, but was still standing. "Now, Flamethrower!"

"Rawwwrrrr!" the Flame Pokémon cried, the large set of flames once more erupting from his mouth. This time, Electivire wasn't prepared and couldn't form his Protect like before, instead being slammed backwards from the attack. Getting back up, both Pokémon glared at each other, excited for the continuation of this battle.

Instead, a swift strike occurred followed by a sharp cry from Charizard. Looking around, everyone was surprised to see Absol slashing across Charizard's back with a Shadow Claw attack. "Sorry, boys, but you can't have all the fun," Astrid retorted, watching as Charizard collapsed onto the ground and reverted back into his base form.

"You move fast," Paul said, watching Absol revert back to his base form before crying out happily for the victory. "I didn't even notice Absol go in for that hit. You trained him well, that's for sure."

"Well you know how it is," she replied playfully, recalling Absol to his Poké Ball while Paul did the same for Electivire. "I wasn't going to sit back and just let you two have all the fun. Besides, we are a team, aren't we?" Astrid teased once more, tapping Paul on the shoulder, the young boy nodding in agreement.

"That does it folks! Team Victory are the official winners of the first match of day four! With that win, they move into sole possession of first place with a record of three wins and one loss. With a win tomorrow, they will have secured their place in the finals!" Freddy explained to the crowd, the gathered group growing excited for the next battle. "After a short break, the next teams to compete will be Team Champions going up against Team Strategy! This is sure to be an interesting match that's for sure!"

"So, Ash is battling next," Paul muttered, sitting down at his team's dugout, joining Hugh in taking a look at the standings.

"You going to stay and watch?" Hugh asked, looking interested in the next match. Paul didn't know why, but ever since their loss to Team Champions, Hugh had a slight interest in them.

Shaking his head, Paul picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "There's no need to. I'd rather be surprised when we face off in the finals. Besides, if I know Ash, he's improved quite a bit."

"You know, sometimes I just can't understand that guy," Hugh muttered, looking over at Astrid. "He acts like he doesn't like Ash, but it's obvious he's looking forward to his battle. Then when it's time to watch him, he chooses not to. I swear, he's one confusing guy."

"You could say their relationship is kind of a confusing one," Astrid replied, the duo making their way out of the field. "He mentioned something about them being practically two sides of the same coin despite their differences. I guess their rivalry was important to both of them."

"I'm not surprised. Just watch their last match in the Sinnoh League. By the way they battled, there was definitely something between them there," Hugh stated in response, pausing a moment to smirk at Astrid. "So, you two talk a lot?"

Seeing just what Hugh was hinting at, Astrid glared at him before continuing on. "That isn't important," she quickly replied, picking up the pace. "It's better than staying off by yourself like you do."

"No, I'm always training to grow stronger," Hugh retorted back, about to say more only to be cut off.

"You two finished arguing?" Paul asked, having waited for them in the hallway this time. "I could hear you two from down the hall." Hearing no response from either of them, he let out a light chuckle before signaling them to continue on.

* * *

"Okay, Paul won again today, Pikachu," Ash said to his best friend, sitting down in his team's locker room as they all got ready. "We'll have to win today to keep pace with them, though Sawyer and the rest of his team aren't going to be easy."

"Picha," Pikachu cried out in agreement, paws raised in front of his body. The Electric-Type was ready, even if he wasn't going to battle today.

"You still remember the plan for today?" Trip asked, polishing off his Poké Ball in hand, the light shining off of it. "Ash, we need to give it our all today no matter what."

Putting his hands behind his head, Ash let out a light chuckle. "I know, I know. Like I said to Pikachu, since Paul won, we need to win to stay tied for first place."

"And that's why you're battling first, Ash," Dawn joined in, Piplup letting out a light chirp of agreement with his trainer. "We all believe that Trip can take on Sawyer or Janine, but we don't know what Silver is like. So, Trip will weaken him."

"And do you know just who you'll use?" Trip asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Ash merely placed his hands in front of his body defensively, letting off another light chuckle at Trip's question. He had to admit, Trip could be pretty push at times, not that it was a bad thing with their current situation.

"That's going to depend on who I end up facing. If it's Sawyer, then Greninja is going to be used for sure. Otherwise, I'm not sure who I'll use against Janine," Ash answered truthfully, Trip and Dawn looking at him in confusion. He knew immediately that they were wondering why he wouldn't just use Greninja either way, but he had his reasons. "I don't want to tire Greninja out too early on. Unless it's Sceptile or Charizard, I don't want to use him right now. Let the others get a little more training."

"Whatever you say," Trip muttered, going back to his own functions. Polishing his Poké Ball, the Unova native could hear a knock at the door.

Hearing it as well, Dawn turned to her two teammates. "It's time," she simply stated, the two boys nodding in approval. Together, they made their way out the door and went straight to the field.

"So, do you two stand a chance against Silver?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Trip turned to look at Dawn. "We'll see. Outside of Feraligatr he hasn't used any other Pokémon. Who knows what he's capable of, though, considering how he made it far in a Regional Conference says a lot about his skill. He won't be easy either way."

"And based on what Serena told me last night, that Feraligatr is tough. He managed to take out all three of our friends' Pokémon on his own. Talk about having a lot of stamina," Ash pointed out, the three nodding in agreement. "He's going to be the toughest part of this team, though I know Sawyer must have been improving since the Kalos League. He left to return to Hoenn and train back then, so I just know he's even tougher now."

"Pikapi! Pi pikachu!" the Electric-Type cried from his perch on Ash's shoulder. He was confident in their team and so was Ash. Ash just knew they were going to do well out there today.

"And Janine is also a Gym Leader," Dawn pointed out, gaining Ash and Pikachu's attention back. "She won't be easy either, having to go through a lot of training just to be named a Gym Leader and then all the training she does daily to not only grow stronger but to improve as a ninja. I wouldn't think lightly of her either."

"We know," Trip answered, the door to the field opening. "But, out of the three, we have to admit she's the weakest on her team. Not one to take lightly, but also not to worry as much about. We'll just have to worry about their lineup once this starts."

Upon stepping into the arena, Ash felt the stares of the crowd and heard Freddy O'Martian's voice blaring out around the area, "and here they are! The two teams are here and we should be getting underway any moment now!"

Nodding to himself, Ash readjusted his gloves before stepping forward. "Alright, it's go time. We'll just have to try our hardest out there. Hopefully it goes our way."

"Just get up there," Trip muttered, a slight smirk on his face. "Standing around here talking to yourself won't win us this match."

"I know that," Ash shot back playfully, raising a fist up to his eye level. "I was just getting myself in the mood. Well, at least now we can figure out who'll they'll be sending out first."

"Shouldn't take long, she's already waiting," Dawn pointed out, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "She's been waiting up there for a few minutes now."

Noticing that Janine was already waiting, if not growing impatient by now, Ash quickly ran up the stairs and made his way to the field. Taking notice of it, Ash immediately noticed that the field was slightly different this time. There was no traditional floor, instead, pillars of stone made up the entirety of the field; a perfect field for an aerial fight.

"So, you finally made it up to the field. I was wondering which one of you three I would be facing today," Janine spoke, a Poké Ball being gripped in her hand. Ash couldn't help but wonder just how long she had been waiting for, but figured that it wouldn't be of any use trying to figure it out. "Though, I am excited to see how you are as a trainer. It's one thing to study an opponent, it's another to actually face off against them."

Gripping one of his own Poké Balls, Ash couldn't help but laugh. The thought of another battle was just too much fun for him, especially after what happened the previous night with Serena. He was hoping that she was watching, only to realize he had never thought like that when it came to people watching his battles. Shaking his head, Ash managed to get his game face back on, ready to take on Janine and whatever she threw at him. "Sorry. I guess I just lost track of time while thinking over our strategy for today. We do plan on winning today after all, and to win we need a plan. Now, Noivern, I choose you!"

Tossing the capture device outwards, the Poké Ball erupted open, revealing the shape of Ash's Flying and Dragon-Type to not only his opponent but also the crowd. Circling the field, Noivern gave off a light cry of joy before landing on one of the pillars.

"So, you, have a Noivern," Janine muttered, tapping her chin, making it seem as though she didn't have a clue who to choose. Though Ash knew better, he already had an idea as to whom Janine was going to go with, it was just a matter of patience to see if he was correct. Letting out a pretend sigh, Janine crossed her arms over her chest before staring at the Poké Ball in her hand. "I wonder who I can use to counter that thing...I guess I'll just have to go with Crobat."

Appearing to have approved her decision (or so it looked to Ash), Janine quickly tossed out the capture device, releasing Crobat from it and allowing the Poison and Flying-Type to soar freely. "So, it's going to be a battle between two fliers today, Ash."

"I guess it is," Ash replied, adjusting his hat slightly, a determined look crossing over his face. Friend or not, there was no way he could hold back against Janine. And so, he decided to start things off fast. "Noivern, use your Boomburst attack!"

"Dodge it, Crobat and then get in there with a Wing Attack!" Janine's counter was quick and to the point. Something Ash had expected from her to begin with.

Rearing his head backwards, Noivern tossed it forwards as a blast of soundwaves erupted from his ears. Shooting across the open field, the soundwaves missed their target, Crobat instead fluttering around them and making a direct movement towards Noivern. With her wings now glowing a bright white, Crobat slashed right across Noivern's chest, sending the Flying and Dragon-Type down towards the bottom of the field.

"Noivern, you have to straighten yourself out!" Ash called out, cupping his hands around his mouth so that his youngest Pokémon could hear him. Hearing what sounded to be a light grunt, Ash pumped his fist triumphantly, the sight of Noivern flying upwards only to land on a pillar filling his view. Watching as the Sound Wave Pokémon rested on top of one of the stone pillars, Ash wondered how they would strike Crobat.

However, his moment of peace was soon interrupted, the sound of Janine calling for another Wing Attack filling the stadium, Crobat likewise soaring right for Noivern. With a swift slash of her wings, Crobat managed to land another blow to Noivern, eliciting a cry of pain.

"Noivern, get in close with a Dragon Claw attack! Don't let Crobat just attack you so easily. We need to go on the offensive, it's been too easy for Crobat so far," Ash explained, Noivern spreading his wings nice and wide before taking to the air once more.

"Vern!" the Sound Wave Pokémon happily cried, gliding across the field, his claws now glowing a light green in shade. Once within striking distance, Noivern attacked mightily, his claws ripping right through one of the stone pillars due to Crobat's speedy escape.

"Ah! We were so close that time," Ash muttered, snapping his fingers in annoyance at Crobat's quick escape. Looking around, Ash was too late to notice an incoming Venoshock, the purple goop striking Noivern right on the back. "They're so fast..."

"You didn't think this was going to be easy, did you?" Janine joked, calling out for another Wing Attack to be used on Noivern. Ash had to admit, those two were not only fast in battle, but also fast on their feet. It seemed to him that they were always one step ahead of him.

"Cro!" the Flying and Poison-Type shouted, her wings glowing bright white once more. Screeching in joy, Crobat slammed her top wings into Noivern, ramming him right into one of the stone pillars once more.

Gritting his teeth, Ash watched on, Noivern getting back up and into the sky with ease, though they both knew that in such a confined space, Crobat had the advantage due to her superior speed and flying abilities. "Noivern, I want you to close your eyes! We're focusing too much on something we can't pick up on until it's too late!" Noivern merely looked at his trainer in confusion. Ash knew it sounded crazy, but it was all they had at the moment. They couldn't keep taking hit after hit, not at the rate they were coming in at.

Doing as he was told, Noivern merely closed his eyes, Ash copying the motion. Together, the duo were now focusing on the sounds caused by Crobat and breezes in the wind from her wings fluttering. Picking up on one difference, Noivern managed to duck underneath a Venoshock attack. The next movement was a lot more noticeable, the fluttering of wings filling the area and allowing Noivern to parry it with his own Dragon Claw attack before sending Crobat flying with another Boomburst attack.

"I think we've figured out your vanishing act, Janine," Ash joked, Noivern dodging underneath another Wing Attack, this time barrel rolling out of the way before striking hard with an Acrobatics attack. "You see, Crobat may move fast enough to vanish from our sight, but because of her speed, we can hear her wings flapping. All we have to do is follow the sound and attack! Now, Boomburst!" He hadn't issued any specifics, just to attack. Right now, Ash knew he had to just trust his gut.

"Vern!" Noivern cried out, blasting a powerful soundwave out towards an empty space. Smashing into one of the stone pillars, the structure collapsed, sending rocks flying everywhere just as Crobat appeared there. Smirking, Ash had a feeling that Noivern would be able to find where Crobat was heading and that trust paid off in a big way.

"Cro! Crobat!" the Poison and Flying-Type shouted out, dodging multiple falling rocks, a few striking her nice and hard. The Bat Pokémon fluttered around as best she could, making her way right to Noivern before slashing upwards with her wings. Gritting his teeth, Ash silently cursed at Crobat's aerial maneuverability. Even when he felt a step ahead, Crobat just flew out of any danger.

Laughing, Janine placed her hands on her hips, staring Ash down with a joyful grin. "Please, a simple trick like locating our movements won't stop us, Ash. Crobat and I have trained too hard to be stopped due to one flaw. Now, Crobat, circle back around and use Venoshock!"

Nodding, the Poison and Flying-Type flew skywards, up and over the stone pillars before vanishing from Ash's sight once more. The Pallet Town native bit his lower lip, Janine was proving to be a harder challenge than he first expected, though he enjoyed it. It was the perfect time to get Noivern a good workout.

"Noivern, don't stay in one place! Lose them through the field!" Ash shouted, the Flying and Dragon-Type agreeing to the command, flying off from his hovering position. Circling the different stone pillars, the duo listened closely for any sounds that could give Crobat away, using it to the best of their disposal. Right now, they had to stay on the defensive, they couldn't risk striking too soon. Hearing a liquid sound, Ash looked to the side of Noivern, a spray of purple liquid coming right for him.

"Duck now! And when you elevate yourself, Boomburst to your left!" He knew the command would be late, but if they could keep Crobat on a semi-alert status, perhaps they could pull off the win. Nodding, Noivern tucked his wings in, dropping into a nose dive, the Venoshock attack sailing right over his head. Spinning his entire body quickly, Noivern changed directions before spreading his wings nice and wide, maintaining his current elevation before launching off the Boomburst attack.

The soundwaves collided hard into a few stone pillars, the structures being destroyed upon impact. Yet, just as Ash assumed, there was no Crobat there. She had left shortly after the Venoshock attack had been launched. Listening once more, Ash heard a fluttering sound coming from below.

"Noivern, Dragon Claw! Block from below your body! She's attack from beneath us!"

Sure enough, the Poison and Flying-Type emerged from the depths of the field, no signs of fatigue or wear and tear at all. Wings glowing a bright white, she slashed upwards, only for the attack to be blocked by Noivern's powerful Dragon Claw attack. Neither side looked able to win this stalemate, yet Ash had a bad feeling about it. Soon, his feeling was proven correct much to his disappointment, the laughter from Janine proving his suspicion that something was up.

"You thought you had us all figured out didn't you?" she asked, the duo staring each other down again. "Yet, you never once figured out why we would pull you into a locked fight like this despite our superior flying skills," she said, Ash silently cursing himself for falling into a trap this easily. Seeing the look on Janine's face, Ash could tell that this wouldn't end well. "Venoshock!"

"Quick, block with Boomburst!" Ash shouted out desperately, his right arm shooting outwards, acting as if it could punch through the Venoshock. Noivern tried his best to block the attack, Ash knew he had, but it was no use. By the time the Sound Wave Pokémon prepared itself to block, the Venoshock had splashed into Noivern's face, covering his eyes.

"Noi! Noivern!" he shouted, dropping his guard to claw at the poison seeping into his eyes. Ash felt bad, he could only imagine what the feeling was like, if anything, he had to assume it burned for Noivern. Taking their chance now, Crobat slashed upwards, smacking the reeling Noivern with her powerful Wing Attack.

"Ash, you can't win like that, you have to do better," Janine taunted, making a ninja symbol with her hands, her scarf flowing behind her from the wind. "Crobat and I are ninjas, we're masters of stealth. You can't win this, not on a field like this; it's perfect for the two of us! Now, Double Team, Crobat!"

"Cro!" the Bat Pokémon cried, flashing white, multiple copies appearing all throughout the field. Ash tried to count all of them, but there were just too many, coupled with their constant movement, it was too hard to count. And to Ash, it seemed as though Noivern was still having difficulty due to the poison from Venoshock seeping into his eyes. Unable to do anything, Noivern took multiple blows from Crobat, the Poison and Flying-Type slamming her wings into the Sound Wave Pokémon.

"Noivern!" Ash shouted, his partner starting to grow weary from the constant hits. Being struck once more, it seemed to be the breaking point, Noivern beginning his descent towards the depths of this field. Watching, Ash knew Noivern had more left in him, he had watched him grow from a little baby to become one of his strongest Pokémon. He knew he could handle it. "I know you can do this! Think of all your training! I need you to pull through! We all need you to pull through!"

"Pika!" Pikachu joined in, shouting from the team's dugout. It seemed to Ash that their cries reached him, since Noivern appeared to be struggling to open his eyes. Moving slightly, the Sound Wave Pokémon whipped his wings outward, gliding across the bottom of the field, narrowly avoiding a crash with either the ground or some stone pillars.

Feeling the wind created from Noivern's flapping wings, Ash smiled greatly, he just knew Noivern had it in him. Bursting back onto the scene, the Sound Wave Pokémon landed atop of the stone pillars, letting off a might roar before rubbing at the poison in his eyes.

"That's not going to be a problem any longer Noivern!" Ash proudly claimed, Janine looking at him in shock. Ash knew it sounded crazy, yet he also knew a little trick about Noivern's species. Using their Supersonic attack, they could use it as echolocation. And with all the stone pillars around, he would just bounce the attack from those to know when to fly in a different direction.

"Take flight...now!" Ash shouted, the Flying and Dragon-Type lifting up into the air, narrowly avoiding another Venoshock from Crobat. Now in flight, Ash knew Noivern was going to have to get a little crazy if they had any chance of winning. It was time to use their strategy. "Use your Supersonic attack, Noivern! Try to locate where the real Crobat is hiding amongst her copies! And then attack!"

"Noivern..." the Sound Wave Pokémon grunted, his body growing fatigued from the barrage of attacks caused by Crobat. Shooting off across the field, Noivern used his Supersonic attack, finding his way through the multiple copies, slashing them with Dragon Claw or flying through them with Acrobatics. All while avoiding the stone pillars and incoming attacks.

Ash couldn't be prouder of Noivern. To think, the little baby he had raised, the one who couldn't even fly, was now out maneuvering an aerial master like Crobat. Going into a tailspin, Noivern dodged an incoming wave of Venoshock before flipping his body around and destroying the last copies with a Boomburst. Ash nodded in joy, Noivern was going to pull this off. He was taking full control of this battle. It was just Noivern and Crobat again.

"Crobat, get in close and use our top attack! Brave Bird!" Janine called out, shocking Ash slightly, the Pallet Town native letting out a shocked gasp. He hadn't been expecting such a powerful attack at this point in the battle, gritting his teeth, Ash watched on, Crobat being enveloped in a bright light that was soon replaced with blue flames.

It looked to be all over for Noivern, Crobat was right above him and was on her way down for a finishing blow. Ash felt a few drops of sweat running down his neck, but knew this was Noivern's call to make. Whatever the decision was, Ash was going to approve of it. Watching as Crobat came right for Noivern, Ash was shocked to see Noivern spin his body around, the Soundwave Pokémon gliding on his back, his entire front now facing upwards towards Crobat.

"Noivern!" he shouted victoriously, a large Boomburst shooting outwards from his ears, enveloping Crobat and sending her flying. Ash grinned at Noivern, he knew all along just where Crobat was coming from, having bounced a Supersonic at the stone Pillar in front of him, but aimed it to bounce upwards, getting the location of the incoming Crobat. The Boomburst exploded as it made complete contact with Crobat, the Bat Pokémon now in a state of disbelief.

"Crobat! You have to shake this off, Noivern's coming right for you!" Janine cried out, Ash hearing some worry in her voice. Yet, it was too late, Noivern was already at Crobat's falling body, slashing upwards with a Dragon Claw, before chasing the skywards body with an Acrobatics. With one swift strike, Noivern's head collided with Crobat's body, the Poison and Flying-Type crying in pain from the final barrage.

"Oh well, I guess we'll just have to do better next time..." she muttered, knowing full well this battle was now over. And she was right, seeing Crobat having fainted, Noivern grasped her with his claws, placing her down gently on one of the remaining stone pillars for the referee to see.

"Crobat is unable to battle! The winner is Noivern and Team Champions are awarded one point in this match!" the referee declared, the scoreboard being updated to show the result.

Flying back down to his trainer, Noivern was greeted with a hug from Ash, the young trainer pleased beyond words with his young flier. "Noivern, you were amazing!" Ash cried out, nearly being crushed by the exhausted Noivern collapsing onto him. "The way you timed Boomburst at the end was great! I just knew you could handle this battle!"

"Noi! Vern, noivern," the Sound Wave Pokémon cried happily, Ash returning him to his Poké Ball for the time being. He wanted Noivern to get a good rest.

Looking across the field, Ash noticed that Janine had jumped onto one of the stone pillars, cradling Crobat in her arms before recalling the defeated Pokémon. Waving over to her, Ash began to speak, "Janine! You were great out there, I honestly felt you could have beaten us if it wasn't for Noivern using his Supersonic as a sonar."

"So that's what you two did at the end...I should have expected that coming from you," Janine replied, jumping off of the field and landing on her team's side. Smiling at Ash, the two trainers shared a laugh, the field lowering down into the basement of the stadium, the next one being prepped for the next match. "But, next time we face each other, you won't be so lucky! Crobat and I plan to train and grow much stronger!"

"I hope so!" Ash replied, raising a fist up in front of his body. "You know it's a fact that Noivern and I will grow. And so, the next time we have a chance to battle, we definitely have to! But...I think we need to get out of the way for now. I think they want to start the next match..." Ash said, rubbing the back of his head, the sound of Trip tapping his foot appearing from behind him.

"Yes, I would like to have my match," Trip spoke, Janine and Ash letting out a light chuckle about the current situation. "But...that was a nice match between you two. Noivern and Crobat have both been trained well. Though, he better be well rested, I don't know if I can take Silver all by myself," Trip admitted, the two guys noticing Silver making his way up to the field.

"Go get him, Trip! Give that guy everything you have!" Ash proudly exclaimed, slapping his rival on the back before making his way towards the dugout. Sitting down, Ash wondered if Trip had what it took to take Silver on. It was going to be a hard fought battle, but the Pallet Town native felt his rival could win this match.

"And the second battle of the second match today is about to begin! Battling for Team Champions is the ever resourceful, Trip! And his opponent, representing Team Strategy is the calm yet serious, the silent but deadly, Silver! Who'll end up as the victor is anyone's guess, but we'll find out soon enough!" Freddy cried out to the crowd, the fans appearing to be split on who they felt would win (though Silver had a slight advantage).

"So...you're Silver," Trip muttered, staring down his opponent, Poké Ball in hand. _"I'll have to be careful with him, from what I've seen, his Feraligatr is nearly unstoppable. No doubt he'll choose his strongest Pokémon, what with his team already down this round. Hopefully Serperior can take him."_

"Yes. Now, let's get this battle moving," Silver replied, Ash noticing how he didn't want to talk much. He wondered just what Silver had up his sleeve for this battle. Whether he used Feraligatr or not, Ash knew Trip was going to have quite the battle. "Go, Alakazam!"

" _Alakazam!? Why not Feraligatr?"_ Trip thought to himself, unsure of this decision by Silver. Ash thought the same exact thing, wondering if this change in their original thoughts would make Trip to alter his plan. "So, you do have other Pokémon besides Feraligatr. You know, I've been relying on him the entire tournament, but sometimes switching things up isn't the best thing. Go! Serperior!"

Serperior landed on the field, an abandoned ship surrounded by water, before eyeing his opponent. Alakazam looked indifferent about the entire situation, instead waiting on his trainer's command to begin the match.

Even without Feraligatr, Ash knew Trip was going to have his hands full. Muttering to himself, Ash silently spoke to his teammate, "good luck, Trip."

* * *

 **And here we are once more. An end of another chapter. Not much to say, other than things are starting to move along with the tournament. We're reaching the end here, with things about to go down. Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you all again at some point this week (hopefully).**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	58. A Hidden Message

**Welcome back, everyone! Last time we left off, the fourth day had just gotten started with Team Victory defeating Team Mega. That was soon followed up by Ash defeating Janine in the first battle of the match between Team Champions and Team Strategy. Now though, Trip faces off against Silver.**

 **Ch 58: A Hidden Message**

* * *

"Serperior, start off with Dragon Tail!" Trip issued, Serperior slithering across the deck of the ship in a hasty manner, his tail glowing green while doing so.

"Perior," the Grass-Type cried out, swinging his tail around once in range of his opponent. Alakazam didn't seem bothered at all by the incoming attack, a notion that left Trip worried. The Unova native wondered why Silver wouldn't call for a counter or even dodging, but as Serperior's tail connected with his target, Alakazam didn't seem fazed at all.

" _What!?"_ Trip mentally shouted, Alakazam looking to be perfectly fine despite just taking an attack head on. In fact, to Trip, it looked like Serperior was struggling to push his tail forward. Almost like...almost like Alakazam was barely fighting back. "Come on, Serperior, give it everything you've got right now! Show them just what we can do!"

"Psychic," Silver commanded, waving his hand off to the side. Trip didn't appreciate the fact that Silver seemed less than interested in their battle, it almost seemed to be something he didn't even want to be involved with. Or at least it looked like that to Trip. Soon, Alakazam's eyes glowed a light blue, the light extending outwards and enveloping Serperior to the point the Grass Snake Pokémon couldn't move a muscle of his body. Effortlessly, Alakazam tossed his opponent across the deck, slamming Serperior into a smoke stack before callously floating after him.

"This is going to be so tedious," Silver muttered to himself, Trip overhearing him and clenching his fists in anger at those words. He _was_ worth Silver's time and he was going to prove it! "Alakazam, end this quickly, we have more important things to handle. Use Shadow Ball!"

Gritting his teeth, Trip watched on, Serperior still getting up following the last attack. Watching on in anxiety, Trip couldn't help but sweat at the sight of the Shadow Ball forming on Alakazam's spoons. _"Come on, Trip! Do something!"_ he mentally cried, seeing a chance at an attack.

"Frenzy Plant, go!" Trip's voice rang out, Serperior slamming his tail deep into the deck. Soon, the ship began to shake, vines erupting out of the floor boards and striking Alakazam, forcing the Psychic-Type to drop his focus. Soon, the now dropped, Shadow Ball plunged into the ship's deck, causing water to splash all over the field. Smirking, Trip knew he had to stay on the offensive, he couldn't give them a moment's notice at all. "Keep going, Serperior! Dragon Tail once more!"

"Perior!" the Grass-Type shouted, sliding his tail around the deck of the ship, knocking Alakazam off his feet. Trip felt good about that, however, he was shocked to see the Psychic-Type now floating. It seemed to the Unova native as though it didn't matter if Alakazam was on his feet or not, his psychic powers would keep him safe from extra harm. Floating slowly onto the ground, Alakazam took a quick look down at the location of Serperior's hit, noticing a slight scratch left from the Dragon Tail attack.

"Listen, I really don't have time for this," Silver muttered, causing Trip to grit his teeth. Who was _he_ to say this wasn't important? Trip wondered just what was so important to Silver but had little time to think, his opponent going on the offensive again.

"Alakazam, end this with a Psybeam attack! We must end this soon!"

"Kazam!" the Psychic type raised his spoons, crossing them in the process as they glowed a mix of blue, yellow, green and purple. Aiming right for Serperior, the Grass Snake Pokémon had no time to dodge, the blast colliding right into him, pushing him backwards and into the edge of the ship.

Slowly, Serperior began to rise up once more. Trip knew he wasn't going to back down from this fight. They had to grow stronger together, no matter what. They made a pact to become stronger than Alder one day, so if they couldn't beat Silver, how would they ever stack up to Alder? Clenching his fists together, Trip punched them forward with determination. "Serperior, time to take control of this battle. Use Leaf Storm and then transition into Frenzy Plant! Don't give them an inch of breathing space!"

Nodding, Serperior slowly moved his tail around, the pain from before starting to slow his movements slightly. "Ser...Serperior!" the Grass-Type shouted, a barrage of leaves flying out of his tail. Silver and Alakazam didn't seem worried however, instead taking the blast head on. The Psychic-Type was soon lifted off the ground, caught in the cyclone of leaves while they slashed away at his body.

"Now!" Trip shouted, Serperior slamming his tail hard into the deck of the ship. Soon, a rattling noise could be heard, the entire ship exploding moments later as a surge of vines that even caught Silver by surprise erupted outwards and ensnared Alakazam in its grasp. Smirking, Trip felt good about this attack. If even Silver was surprised by it, then there had to have been some damage done.

"Keep up the offensive, Serperior! Go right in with another Dragon Tail attack!"

Sighing, Silver ran a hand through his hair, his blank expression turning into a smirk. "You're stronger than I first thought...but I'm stronger," he stated, making Trip take an instinctive step backwards. How could he still be so calm despite the attack that just occurred!? It had to be a bluff! It just had to! There was no way anyone could take Serperior's strongest move without getting slightly hurt.

"The combo you pulled off definitely hurt Alakazam, but we've gone through a lot more training than anyone could ever imagine. Now! Psychic!" Silver commanded, the vines ensnaring Alakazam suddenly glowing blue before flying from his body. Trip was speechless. His best attack was just thrown off to the side like it was nothing at all. Before he knew it, Alakazam was already blasting a Psybeam right at Serperior, crashing hard into his partner and smashing him down into water.

"S-Serperior! Please, Serperior, you have to get up! Everyone is depending on us!" Trip cried, but to no avail. It didn't seem likely for Serperior to stand back up, but to everyone's surprise (and Trip's amazement), Serperior got back up weakly. Panting, Trip could see that his partner didn't have much left, while Alakazam seemed fine. Things were not looking good for them, that was for sure.

"Please just forfeit at this point," Silver spoke out, Trip casting his gaze over towards the red-haired boy. Was he crazy? Trip knew he would never forfeit, so why tell him to? "You're nowhere close to us in strength. I don't want to hurt your Serperior any more than I have to. I am here on strictly business, not for pleasure like the rest of you."

"Grrr..." Trip growled out, fists clenched and risen to his chest level. "We'll show you what a forfeit is! Serperior and I don't know the meaning of forfeit! Go! Under the water right now, hide from Alakazam and then use Leaf Storm."

"It's pointless," Silver responded, placing his hands in his pockets. Trip however continued on, watching as his partner dove under the water and out of sight from everyone. Soon, before anyone could pinpoint his location, leaves flew out of the water and slammed into Alakazam, the Psychic-Type bracing for the next hit from a Frenzy Plant. However, it didn't come. Instead, Serperior himself lunged out of the water, tail glowing green before smashing the Psi Pokémon over the head with the appendix.

"Ala! Alakazam," the Psychic-Type muttered, standing up in the water. Looking skywards, Serperior was now falling fast, Trip continuing their offensive barrage. If they couldn't win, then the next best thing was weakening Alakazam for Ash. They may lose this battle, but Trip knew he had to battle to win the match.

"Perior!" the Grass Snake Pokémon shouted, spinning around with his glowing, green tail. About to make contact with Alakazam again, Trip felt good about their chances of weakening them, but they were all thrown away in a moment's notice, Silver's voice being heard over the crowd.

"Psychic, toss him upwards and then end this with a Shadow Ball." The commands were simple, yet they still sent a shiver running down Trip's spine. They almost didn't seem like a battle, the tone Silver used was more for far more serious events. Watching on, Trip could only flinch as Serperior was launched skywards once more, this time a Shadow Ball following right behind him. As the Psychic attack was released, Serperior began his descent only to smash into the other incoming attack.

"Serperior!" Trip shouted, concern filling his voice. The Grass-Type didn't reply in any form, instead, he merely fell towards the ground. His speed continued to increase without any form of struggle until the moment came; crashing into the pool of water and causing a splash that soaked both Trip and Silver, Serperior's body floated to the surface. He knew immediately that his partner was defeated, there was no hiding that fact that Serperior lost here.

"Serperior is unable to battle! The winner is Alakazam and so Team Strategy has tied this match up! The final match between Ash of Team Champions and Silver of Team Strategy will begin shortly!" the referee declared, Silver having paid little attention to him while walking back to his team's dugout. Likewise, Trip had paid just as little, if not less attention. Making his way back to the dugout, the Unova native passed by Ash, the boy getting ready for his battle.

"Ash," Trip spoke up, causing the Pallet Town native to fix his attention on his rival. "Don't take Silver lightly at all. There's something strange about him, almost like he's here for something other than a tournament. Don't let anyone else know, but I have a bad feeling about him. Almost like he's got some ulterior motive for being here."

"You don't have to worry about me, Trip," Ash replied, fixing his gloves slightly, the two rivals sharing a gaze at each other. "Noivern and I will be just fine. Though, I've had the same feeling about Silver. There's something he's hiding from everyone, though what?"

"Don't worry about it now, just go out there and win," Trip joked, shaking his head at the thought of Ash trying to figure something like this out during a battle. "We need this victory to keep even with Victory! So don't get distracted out there!"

Laughing slightly, Ash rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his hair as he did so. "Don't worry so much, Trip. We'll win. And even if we don't, we'll just win tomorrow," Ash stated confidently, making his way back towards the field, a new one having risen out from the depths of the stadium. It was a grass field. Kind of plain in Ash's eyes, but he didn't mind at all.

"You ready for this, Noivern? We're all counting on you right now," Ash whispered to the Poké Ball grasped in his hand. Tossing it forward, the device exploded open, Noivern flying around the field before landing calmly on his side. It didn't even seem like Silver waited a moment (or at least to Ash it seemed like that), having already tossed his Poké Ball. Alakazam stood there, waiting for the battle to begin.

"Alakazam, start off with Psybeam," Silver commanded, the colorful beams shooting out immediately. Having little time, Noivern blasted off into the sky, barrel rolling out of the way of the first blast. Narrowly avoiding the first, Noivern dipped underneath the second beam only to have to twirl straight upwards as the two beams followed him.

Continuing to stay on the defensive, Ash could only wonder how long Noivern would last before fatigue would set in. However, the Sound Wave Pokémon managed to avoid the beams, choosing to soar straight for the ground and having them follow him. Once it looked like he was going to hit the ground, the Flying and Dragon-Type pulled up, causing the blast to explode against the grassy field.

Letting out an excited laugh, Ash quickly praised Noivern before the duo decided to try and go on the offensive now. "Perfect flying, Noivern! Now, let's hit them hard! Dragon Claw, let's go!"

"Vern!" Noivern cried out energetically, appearing to pick up speed while rocketing for Alakazam. With his now glowing claws, Noivern slashed across the Psychic-Type's chest, sending him rolling backwards across the field only to get back up easily.

"Is that all? Enough games, time to get serious," Silver stated, pulling out what looked to be a marble. Upon closer inspection, Ash realized just what the object really was. He couldn't believe that Silver had one as well. This revelation only made things harder for him now. Shielding his eyes, Ash was blinded by the bright light eradiating off of Alakazam's wrist and from Silver's hand. As the light died down, Alakazam looked different, he now had a beard and his two spoons were replaced with seven. "Shadow Ball!"

The command came fast. Faster than Ash was expecting and had no time to warn Noivern. Shooting out from all the spoons, four rounds of Shadow Ball sailed across the field and crashed right into Noivern's retreating figure. Exploding on impact, the blast knocked Noivern out of the sky, causing him to skid across the field, ripping up the grass.

"Listen, I didn't come here to battle you," Silver said, causing Ash to look at him in confusion. Without even waiting for a response, Silver issued a Psychic attack. Only for (to Ash's surprise), a large barrier be created around the entire field, trapping themselves and their Pokémon inside of it.

"W-What just happened? Why is there a large barrier around us? What are you planning?" Ash asked, his mind running a million miles a minute. The words from all his friends about how Silver seemed different began to replay in his head, the thought of being trapped in here with him becoming unsettling.

"Knock it off, Alakazam doesn't have much time to hold this barrier," Silver shot back, casting a slight glance at Ash. Looking at Alakazam, Ash could tell that this was placing a ton of strain on the Psychic-Type, even as a Mega Evolved Pokémon. Nodding for Silver to continue, Ash decided to hold off on the questions for now. It was best to let him talk.

"So you listen, good. I had Alakazam rectify this barrier so that no one can hear us." Ash thought that was odd, why in the world would Silver need to make sure no one heard them? "Now, this is _extremely_ important so listen closely because I _will not_ have time to repeat it. This tournament...it's...it's more than meets the eye. There's more to it than you could even imagine or possibly know. There isn't much I _can_ tell you because of reasons, but I'm here to warn you."

"Warn me?" Ash asked, receiving a head nod from Silver, the boy not giving him a chance to speak again. "Warn me of what?"

"Something is about to go down. Something that could be dangerous for everyone here, not just you and me. You see, there's a group here within the tournament that has been watching. Waiting for another organization to strike. To protect their identities, I can't reveal who they are, where they are. But, they're here to help. To keep everyone safe. And when the time comes, they'll be needing your help, Ash Ketchum. Use this time to grow stronger. To be prepared for anything...and...and everything."

"But _don't_ tell anyone this! For their safety and for the safety of everyone in this stadium, do not tell anyone what I told you of!" Silver demanded, Ash still trying to follow everything going on. It seemed like way too much for him to understand within a mere few minutes. However, before he could even think to ask any questions, the barrier began to descend, much to his disappointment.

"Hold on just a second, I still have questions," Ash responded, hoping to receive something out of his opponent. Silence. It appeared to Ash that Silver wasn't going to say anything else to him. "Why me? What's about to happen!? Just answer the question!"

"Psybeam!" Silver responded with, the barrier completely dissolved now, allowing for Alakazam to attack once more. With his spoons all glowing, seven beams shot out of them, on a direct path right for Noivern.

Gritting his teeth, Ash clenched his fists before going on the defensive. "Noivern, take to the air, dodge all those blasts and then try to land a hit!"

"Vern," the Sound Wave Pokémon agreed, spreading his wings before flying into the sky. One of the blasts exploding into the ground, the others following after the Flying and Dragon-Type. Soaring through the air, Noivern did his utmost best to avoid the engaging beams. Dipping, diving, ducking, rising upwards. Whatever Ash called for, Noivern was able to repeat the action on the spot, avoiding each of the blasts, showing off his enhanced flying abilities.

"Noivern, circle back around! We need to lose these beams, see if you can shake them from your trail!" Ash commanded, cupping his hands around his mouth, making his voice loud enough for Noivern to hear him. Grunting, Noivern flew low to the ground (so low that he was nearly sliding across the grass) while the beams followed closely behind. Taking a fast dart upwards, Noivern managed to give himself just enough distance between himself and the blasts for an attack to occur.

"Now, Boomburst on all of them!"

Whipping his entire body around, Noivern fired off the powerful blast, soundwaves erupting against the multiple beams as an explosion of dirt and smoke filled the stadium. Using the lack of visibility, the duo now went onto the offensive, Noivern using his Supersonic attack to pinpoint Alakazam's exact location.

Listening for Noivern's wings, Ash smiled once he heard the Flying and Dragon-type rush forwards. It appeared to the trainer that his partner found their target. Calling for another Dragon Claw, Ash cried out in happiness once the sound of Alakazam crying out in pain could be heard.

The smoke was blown away, Noivern's powerful wing flaps being the cause, and showed Alakazam standing weakly, the combined fatigue of holding up the barrier along with Noivern's attack just now having made him weak. Seeing this, Ash knew they had this match just about wrapped up. About to call for the finishing command, both boy and Pokémon were shocked to see Alakazam healing himself.

"Good, you knew to use Recover," Silver commented, all the wear and tear from the battle vanishing from Alakazam's body, Ash looking for a way to win now. "I guess all that training really paid off then. Now that we're back at full strength, let's bring this match to an end."

Ash readied himself for anything, he had no idea just what Silver would be coming at him with. Noivern likewise readied himself into a defensive stance, prepared to take flight in case of emergency maneuvers.

"Noivern, we'll finish this all up with one blow! Use Boomburst on the patch of grass right in front of Alakazam and then go in with a Dragon Claw!"

Shaking his head, Silver seemed displeased based on the facial reaction Ash could see. Not liking the look, Ash was about to call off the attack only for Silver to beat him to it.

"Did you forget? Alakazam is at full strength again. And now, he can use Psychic to its full power!" He called out, throwing a fist upwards for the first time all battle. Ash grit his teeth once more (if he could grit them any further), Alakazam's eyes glowing blue.

"Kazam! Alakazam!" the Psi Pokémon shouted, the blue hue soon erupting from his body and capturing not only the Boomburst in its grasp, but Noivern from across the entire field. To Ash, it looked like Silver and Alakazam were playing with them in a sense. Though, it also seemed like he didn't want to be here, almost like this tournament was an unwanted burden on him.

" _Something is about to go down,"_ Silver's words echoed through Ash's head, the Pallet Town native realizing just what this battle with Silver was about. _"Grow stronger. Be prepared for anything...and...and everything."_ That was what Silver was doing here! He was testing Ash...or that's what he assumed. Watching, the battle again, the Boomburst was now coming straight for Noivern, Ash and his partner unable to do anything... That is until a thought came to him.

"Boomburst! And quick!" Without any recognition of the command, Noivern launched the attack off, causing both to blasts of soundwaves to explode on contact. The explosion knocked both Pokémon backwards, Ash even losing his hat in the process as the accessory flew off his head. Looking out at the field, both Pokémon were still in the Psychic attack much to Ash's disappointment. And before he could even try to issue another command, Silver was on the move.

"End this."

With the swift command, Alakazam darkened the shade of blue eradiating from his eyes, Noivern letting out a cry of struggle as he did so. Soon, without any notification, Alakazam let his Psychic attack end, almost like he sensed the battle was over. Ash questioned why he would do such a thing, especially with how Noivern was still capable of battling.

"Okay, Noivern, time to get back into this! Dragon Claw, let's go!" Ash commanded, yet Noivern was motionless. From Ash's view, the Sound Wave Pokémon seemed fine, but soon, Noivern collapsed forwards, letting out a slight cry as he did so. To Ash's shock, Alakazam had not only defeated Noivern, but managed to have him stand in a position that made him look able to continue battling!"

"N-Noivern is unable to battle!" the referee began to call out, Ash realizing he was _just_ as shocked if not _more_ than Ash was. "And so, the winner of not only battle, but the entire match are Silver and Team Strategy!"

"Amazing! Folks, I didn't even see Noivern be defeated that's how powerful Alakazam's Psychic attack had been! No wonder Team Strategy seems to save their ace for only the most important battles!" Freddy O'Martian cried out, his excitement getting the better of himself. "With that victory, Team Strategy moves into a tie with Team Mega for first place! Right behind them however are the others, so neither of them should be thinking about the finals just yet!"

Ash chuckled lightly, looking at the current standings. He couldn't be upset, not with Noivern, the big guy had done extremely well in the match today. Recalling the defeated Pokémon, Ash let a smile pass over his face, turning across the field as Silver recalled Alakazam.

"Silver!" he called out, the other boy turning to face him. Ash recognized the serious complexion on his latest opponent's face. It was one he had seen countless times before. "I'll be ready. For whatever you were testing me for."

"Good," he muttered in response, casting a quick smile at Ash, turning away before the Kanto native could say anything else.

* * *

"I can't believe Ash lost," Clemont muttered out loud, Remo shutting the TV off in their locker room. "I honestly felt Noivern would overcome Alakazam at the end there."

"He went soft at the end, that's why," Remo remarked, twirling his umbrella around in his hand. "If he didn't try to be all fancy at the end with using Boomburst as a distraction on Alakazam, they never would have countered with Psychic. That's why in a battle you need to just go in there with all your might!" Remo exclaimed, a hearty laugh escaping from his lips.

Clemont merely sighed at this, Remo noticing this much to his annoyance. Even after yesterday, it seemed like Clemont still thought differently of him, not like he _actually cared_ about what the Gym Leader thought. If there was anything Remo knew, it was that _he_ was the only one who's opinion mattered! He thought back to the years of training that Garchoo and himself went through. There was no way he could stop now! They had to push onwards and win!

"Where's Chicken Man?" Remo asked, acting disinterested in his missing teammate, though it did make him curious. He had been here earlier in the day, so why disappear now of all times?

" _Blaziken Mask_ mentioned that he was being called away on duty, if you listened when he spoke, you would know that," Clemont mentioned, Remo not hearing the tone the blond had used when referring to the superhero by name. "It's just the two of us today. We need to go out there and give it everything we have!"

"You know I'll be doing that, Brains, no need to worry about my battle," Remo spoke, posing slightly with his umbrella, noticing that Clemont shook his head at this. "Just stay out of my way and I'll be able to win this easily for the both of us! Yeahhh!"

Clemont sighed once more, Remo wondering just why he was doing this all of a sudden. "Remo, and I'm being dead serious here, why is it so hard for you to work with us as a team?"

The burly man was taken aback by the question. He had never expected Clemont of all people to question anything he did. Clearing his throat, Remo answered, "it isn't that I don't work with you all as a team, it's that I know I work better alone. You only hold me back, Brains. It's nothing personal."

Feeling he answered the question fully, Remo grunted in approval of his response, making his way to the door. _"I'll show, Brains, I'll show him how I don't need anyone to help me out!"_ he thought to himself, the sound of Clemont's shoes against the tiles of the stadium filling the empty hall. _"This is my time! I may have lost in the quarter-finals of the League to Alain, but no more! Garchoo and I vowed to never lose again! And we plan to keep that vow going on forever! All this time, it was just Garchoo and myself. The two of us against the world and we've always had each other's backs, taking on whatever challenge is before us. This scrawny runt will only hold us back,"_ Remo continued on in his thoughts, barely recognizing that they had entered the field. Seeing their current location, Remo boasted loudly, the crowd appearing to enjoy it.

"I'll go first today, Brains! This way, it'll relieve some of the pressure off of you. Though, I'll clean up any mistakes you make," Remo spoke to his teammate, making his way up to the field. To his enjoyment, it looked to be a rocky field with mountains. _"Just like in training,"_ he thought, smile plastered on his face and umbrella twirling on his shoulder.

"You really don't know about true strength do you?" a new voice asked. It sounded slightly familiar to Remo, though probably only because he was competing in the tournament. Looking at his opponent, Remo recognized him as that doctor. "Thinking brute strength is the only way to win, well, there's more to it than that. A lot goes into it; friendship, compassion, brains, heart, teamwork. And from what I've seen of you in this tournament, you lack all of those when it comes to your team."

"Please, Doc, don't preach to me. From what I heard, you were a Gym Leader but quit. Probably couldn't handle losing all the time," Remo replied, Poké Ball glistening in his hand. "In a battle, it isn't about anything else other than being the stronger trainer and Pokémon. All that other stuff is useless in battle if you can't match up to pure strength! Garchoo, go!"

Brock shook his head, something that caught Remo's attention. It was like with Clemont. _"I'll show him!"_ Remo thought, his Poké Ball erupting open to show the Dragon and Ground-Type emerge on the field with a mighty roar.

"You don't get it, do you. In a team tournament, you need the help of everyone on your team to win. This isn't something you can just run through on your own! And I plan to show you it! Sudowoodo, go!" With a quick toss, the Poké Ball opened, revealing the Rock-Type for all to see.

"Sudo! Sudowoodo," the Imitation Pokémon cried out, saluting his trainer in the process. Nodding, the duo seemed ready, though to Remo, they were nothing.

"Garchoo, start off with Dual Chop!"

"Block it with a Mimic!"

Garchoo ran forward, his claws glowing a shade of green immediately. However, to Remo's shock, Sudowoodo appeared to be copying the exact same motion. The Rock-Type's arms were now glowing green themselves, the two Pokémon colliding at the center of the field, the two attacks colliding.

"That won't hold us back!" Remo shouted, pointing his umbrella forward a little, smiling at his opponent. They were too good to be stopped by an imitation of their own move. "Now! Dragon Rush on him!"

"What?!" Brock cried out, Remo able to tell the doctor was surprised by the sudden command change. Without even lowering his guard, Garchoo broke out in a blue aura, the strength of it managing to push Sudowoodo back on its own. "Hold on, Sudowoodo!"

But it wasn't enough. Even with Sudowoodo standing his ground, the Rock-Type was nothing for the strength of the Mach Pokémon. Losing the clash, Sudowoodo skidded backwards along the rocky terrain, using one of his arms to slow himself down. Looking up, both trainer and Pokémon were surprised to see Garchoo running straight for them, the Dragon Rush still active.

"Quick, meet them head on with a Double-Edge! Push him back with it!" Brock commanded, Remo hearing what he assumed to be worry in his tone. Garchoo was just too tough for anyone to handle on their own! There was no way a has-been Gym Leader could beat him!

Laughing, Remo drew the attention of his opponent and quickly smiled at him playfully. "Give it up, Doc. Your puny Pokémon can't stand up against Garchoo! We've trained forever just to become the strongest! No one is going to come between our dreams, especially not some retired Gym Leader! Full Power, Garchoo!"

"Sudo!" Sudowoodo cried out, running forward while his body glowed white. A thin trail of light followed behind his body, the two Pokémon colliding once more in the center of the field. Sparks flew from their bodies, neither side backing down much to Remo's surprise. Though, once Garchoo powered up fully, he looked to be pushing Sudowoodo backwards.

Remo seemed excited over the way things were going. Brock and Sudowoodo were no match for them, no matter what they tried to do, Garchoo was just too strong. Hearing his partner cry out triumphantly, Remo cheered on once Sudowoodo was pushed backwards. Flying across the field, Sudowoodo skidded to a stop in front of Brock, the Rock-Type appearing to be banged up pretty badly from the last attack.

"You don't know much about true strength, Remo," Brock spoke, his partner standing back up easily despite the fatigue from the fight setting in. "Yes, I stopped being a Gym Leader, but it wasn't for being weak. I had a true passion in life, I wanted to be a Breeder. I wanted to help Pokémon become strong and healthy through love and training. Have them be able to reach their true potential while being nurtured correctly. And thanks to a trainer who knew true strength, I was able to grow as a Breeder to the point of becoming a Doctor. The trainer I'm talking about knew what it meant to be strong. It wasn't about power. It was so many other factors you don't seem to understand."

"You talk too much!" Remo shouted, Garchoo's claws glowing green once more. "Garchoo, Dragon Claw!"

" _Dragon Claw, Dragon Rush and Dual Chop?"_ Brock asked himself, wondering why he would have three Dragon-Type moves for Garchoo with nothing else. Before he could continue his thoughts, Sudowoodo's cry of pain broke through, the Imitation Pokémon being shot backwards once more, only to stand back up from the attack.

"Can you just forfeit?" Remo asked kindly, his umbrella resting on his shoulder. "I want to win, but I don't want to harm your Pokémon. I may want to be the strongest, but I'm still a fairly nice guy."

"Sudowoodo..." Brock muttered, the Rock-Type giving him a thumbs up to continue, causing a smile to form on Brock's face. "Sorry, Remo, but we won't forfeit. Sudowoodo may not look it, but he's stronger than any of your Pokémon. The amount of strength it takes for him to get back up and fight against the insurmountable odds just says how willing he is to fight for me. This...this is true strength. We won't give up. We'll never give up, not as long as Sudowoodo wishes to continue fighting.! Hammer Arm!"

Shaking his head in frustration, Remo watched on, the Imitation Pokémon running across the field, his arms glowing white. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Doc. Looks like you'll be having a new patient. Dragon Claw!"

"Gar!" Garchoo cried out, racing forward once more, his claws glowing a shade of green before colliding with Sudowoodo's arms. The two attacks clashed, thought right from the start Garchoo had the advantage, managing to overpower Sudowoodo and knock his attack away. Then, with a swift blow, Garchoo slashed up across Sudowoodo's body, sending the Rock-Type flying backwards.

"Now end it! Draco Meteor!"

" _Draco Meteor! Four Dragon-Type moves!?"_ Brock thought, the large orange sphere shooting out of Garchoo's mouth and exploding. Soon, it erupted and hundreds of smaller spheres rained down, crashing hard into Sudowoodo. Brock flinched at the sounds of his partner's cries of pain. Each one growing louder than the rest. However, soon the cries stopped completely, as did the Draco Meteor attack.

Looking at the field, Remo wasn't surprised at all by the sight before him. And based on how Brock looked to him, Remo knew his opponent had a feeling it was over as well. Waiting for the referee to make the call, Remo walked over to his partner and rubbed Garchoo behind the head.

"You were great, Garchoo. Really showed him who's strong."

"Sudowoodo is unable to battle! The battle goes to Garchoo and Team Lightning now has one point in today's match!" the referee declared, the crowd not as excited as usual. It seemed like they weren't impressed with Remo's overdoing it at the end with Draco Meteor. He didn't care. It didn't matter to him if the crowd loved his strength or not, all that mattered was being the best.

Making his way back to the dugout, Remo strode towards Clemont victoriously, the young inventor not caring about what had just occurred. Instead, Remo noticed he merely stood up, Poké Ball in hand. "He could have congratulated me at least. I did win the first battle like I said I would," he muttered, watching his teammate make it up to the field. Noting that their opponent was that Nate guy, Remo felt that Clemont had a decent chance to win. And if he didn't, well, Remo knew he would be cleaning up the trash at the end of the match anyways.

" _Brains, you better win here."_ Remo thought to himself, both trainers being ready. To him, the field appeared to look like a forest to him, something that Clemont should be able to use to his advantage, especially if it was someone nimble and not that irritating Chespin of his. Remo shuddered for a second, remembering the Grass-Type that stole his breakfast the other day. Watching the inventor, Remo was mixed with emotions. On one hand, he wanted Clemont to win, securing their team the victory but on the other, Remo wanted the Gym Leader to lose. He didn't care how they won, just that they did.

Leaning back against the dugout wall, Remo watched on, both trainers prepared to begin their battle. Poké Balls tossed, the two objects exploded in a bright light before fading away to reveal the forms of Luxray and Dewott. Gaining a slight interest, Remo leaned forward, hoping to catch a better view of the action. Not that he cared how Clemont did, he just wanted to see how Nate battled so he could get a better view of it all. Or at least that was what he had to remind himself of.

"With Luxray battling, Brains should win this easily. Not only does he have a type advantage, but that oversized cat should be able to move around easily," Remo assumed, folding his arms out of enjoyment. Watching on, Remo waited for the first move to be issued. Neither side seemed ready to begin, almost like they were reading their opponent for a possible opening.

"Alright Luxray, if they won't make the first move we will! Let's make this field a little more suitable to us. Electric Terrain!" Clemont called out, Remo arching an eyebrow at the sudden command. With a loud howl, Luxray's body became engrossed in an electrical current, sparks radiating from his bristling fur before spreading out across the entire forest. The field now had a yellow glow to its green scenery, sparks of electricity bouncing about as Luxray seemed ready to pounce.

"Good call, Brains. Doing this will definitely power up Luxray for the rest of the fight," Remo muttered to himself, quickly shaking his head once he realized what he said. "But it won't matter if he doesn't take advantage of it all. Brains is still a weakling when it comes to finishing a battle, and it has shown throughout the entire tournament."

Nodding in agreement to his assessment, Remo was surprised to hear both trainers already going on the offensive as an Ice Beam attack collided with Luxray's Swift. Remo could only shake his head at the sight. Why use Electric Terrain if he wasn't going to take advantage of it? His question was soon answered, as Luxray streaked through the dust cloud created from the previous impact. The Electric-Type's fur bristled with electricity, his body consumed by the ever-expanding power of the attack now fully charged by the Electric Terrain. To Remo, it almost looked like a complete image of Luxray was created by the electrical charge.

"Quick, Dewott, meet him head on with a Razor Shell!" Nate called out, the two attacks colliding once more. To Remo, it looked like an easy win for Clemont, but as the attacks collided it became increasingly obvious that Luxray was losing.

"Lux! Luxray!" The Gleam Eyes Pokémon shouted, his claws digging into the ground as he tried to push back Dewott. The Discipline Pokémon was proving to be just as equally, if not more, stubborn. His own two feet were digging into the ground, the earth beneath the two creatures now beginning to crack from their collision.

Starting to grow worried, Remo assured himself it would be fine, Clemont was a Gym Leader after all, only to once more question his thought process. Hearing Nate laugh, he dropped his inner fight and looked back at the field.

"Luxray sure knows how to put up a struggle there, Clemont, but can he handle our second Scalchop?" This caught everyone by surprise, especially Remo as he had forgotten about Dewott's other Scalchop. With a swift movement, Dewott swung upwards with his weapon and sent Luxray skywards.

Not stopping there, Dewott placed his Scalchops onto his thighs before leaping after Luxray, his appendixes glowing a shade of white. Remo deduced that it had to be an Aerial Ace attack and was proven correct as a barrage of punches soon met Luxray's stomach, the Electric-Type crying out in pain.

" _Do something, Brains!"_ Remo mentally yelled at his partner, growing frustrated at the lack of counters from Clemont.

"So," Clemont finally spoke, causing Remo to arch an eyebrow towards his teammate. "It appears you like to blitz your opponent with Dewott's fantastic speed. By doing so, it makes it hard for Luxray and myself to form a proper counter. But, can he keep it up?"

"And you figured it out. I must applaud you for it, Lumiose Gym Leader. Despite how much Dewott has battled here, no one has really picked up on how he battles. Until now of course. But, I'll have you know that Dewott can keep going for a while. Now, Razor Shell!" Nate commanded, throwing his right fist forward.

Fixing his glasses, Clemont let out a light chuckle, Remo confused by the reaction though interested in Clemont's thoughts. "Please, perhaps if I can't keep Dewott down, the best I can do is tire him to the point it's nearly impossible for Dewott to handle Garchoo! Swift, let's go! And follow it up with Wild Charge!"

"Why care for your teammate?" Nate asked honestly, and to Remo it sounded more like a test than anything else. "He doesn't care for you or Blaziken Mask, so why should you do the same for him?"

"He may not be the best of teammates," Clemont began, causing Remo to subconsciously huff out in annoyance. "But he's still my teammate. We may not get along, but if we have any plans of winning this tournament, we'll have to put our differences aside to win!"

"Lux!" the Gleam Eyes Pokémon grunted, whipping his tail across his body and towards the encroaching Dewott. A swarm of golden stars soon shot outwards, either being sliced in half by the Water-Type or exploding upon contact with his body. Luxray wasn't finished though, charging forward his body was soon covered in electricity once more. Remo was unable to look away, amazed at the fact that Clemont wasn't going for the win, but rather setting them up for victory through Remo and Garchoo.

Crashing through the last of the Swift, Luxray met Dewott head on once more. The two forces appeared evenly matched again, though everyone watching (especially Remo) knew it wasn't the case. Using Wild Charge twice in such a short amount of time weakened Luxray and it showed. Remo could see the Electric-Type struggling to keep his footing.

"Come on, just a little bit more," Clemont muttered out, fixing his glasses once more. Remo wondered just how much effort the boy had put into the match, he looked almost at his limit. "Keep going! Thunder Fang, now!"

"There you go!" Remo found himself shouting out in enjoyment, his body acting on its own and jumping out of his seat.

Without any sound of acknowledgment, Luxray's Wild Charge soon changed shape, the design now resembling the aura of large fangs. The attack soon clambered down onto Dewott's Scalchops, shocking the Water-Type with the sudden surge of electricity.

"Smart thinking there, Clemont," Nate praised, Dewott standing back up with a slight smirk on his face. Remo wondered just what they were going for, but he didn't like it one bit at all. "But it won't be enough. Dewott, end this match now! Ice Beam and then Razor Shell!" he yelled out, pointing an index finger forward.

"Wott!" the response was simple, but before Clemont or Luxray knew it, the Discipline Pokémon had already frozen Luxray's feet to the ground. It was so fast, even Remo rubbed his own eyes, unsure if he was seeing things. To the burly man, it looked like Dewott was still just as fast as ever. It seemed like nothing Clemont and Luxray had done even mattered in the end.

Watching with deep interest, Remo was now able to track Dewott's movements. The speedy Water-Type appeared to run in a similar motion every time before striking, something that he knew would definitely come in handy for his next match. With one final movement, Dewott slashed across, the now frozen, Luxray's chest, sending the large Electric-Type flying backwards and right into Clemont. The duo continued to fall backwards, though, instead of falling onto the hard ground they landed into Remo's muscular chest.

"Luxray is unable to battle! That makes Dewott the winner, awarding Team Heartbreak one point and forcing a tie-breaker match!" the referee declared, both Clemont and Remo paying no attention to him at all.

"R-Remo?" Clemont asked, unsure if it was really his partner.

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, I heard what you said about being teammates and I figured if you gave up the chance to win just to weaken him for me, I figured the least I could do is make sure you didn't hit the floor," he explained, placing Clemont and Luxray down onto the ground. "But don't think this changes anything! I'm still here to show everyone who the strongest is! So don't even try to get in my way!"

Making his way over to the newly selected field, Remo could hear Clemont wishing him luck. Giving a thumbs up to his partner, Remo stepped up to look at the field. It wasn't anything special, just a plain dirt field.

"So, your partner lost for you," Nate muttered, Dewott already out on the field meditating. "Must mean something to you, especially based on how you've acted all tournament."

There it was, a question that seemed more like a test than anything else. Remo wondered just what the boy had in store for him and figured it would be best to get right into the battle. "None of that is important to you. What you should be worrying about though is how badly I'll be winning! Because once I'm done with you, your team will be eliminated from contention for the finals!"

Tossing his Poké Ball outwards, Remo watched on as Garchoo emerged from the capture device, landing on the field with a loud thud. Roaring in eagerness, the Dragon and Ground-Type knocked his claws together, gaining Dewott's attention.

"I guess you don't like to talk much," Nate muttered to himself, seeing that Remo just wanted to get the match moving and over with.

Nodding, Remo let a grin cross his face once more. "It's a battle, not a community get together. If you wanted to talk, should have gone to somewhere else. To me, the battlefield is for battling it out only," he explained, folding his arms across his chest. He was starting to not trust this Nate character, almost like he had an ulterior motive for being here and it rubbed the burly man the wrong way. "So instead of all this small talk, how about we get down to business? Garchoo get us started with a Dragon Claw!"

"Garrrr!" Garchoo roared out, his claws glowing a shade of green as the Mach Pokémon rushed forward. Slicing downwards, Garchoo's arms were stopped by Dewott's two Scalchops. Each of the shells were glowing a light blue, an obvious display of Razor Shell. Despite their deadlock, Dewott managed to kick upwards, the force of the attack pushing Garchoo backwards enough to give them some distance.

"If you think blitzing us will do you any good, try again! Garchoo, to your left! Roll out of the way and then strike with Dragon Claw!" Remo demanded, the command catching Nate by surprise. Doing just as Remo issued, Garchoo rolled to his left, a stream of Ice shooting right at his previous location.

"Chomp!" Garchoo roared out once more, slicing in the direction of the Ice Beam. With a loud moan, Remo knew they had landed a blow on Dewott, the Water-Type rolling into the center of the field, Remo smiling happily.

"Ha! Your little speed attacks won't do us any good! Not after how we saw Dewott run in a similar pattern every single time against Luxray. He starts with a rush to his right, or our left and after the first attack sprints right at us before retreating and then copying the motion from in front, to the right and then back to the left. If you have any hopes of winning, you'll have to switch it up!"

"Well, I guess even an idiot can learn new tricks," Nate joked, running a hand through his hair. "Well, perhaps we'll try something different then. Do try to keep up."

"Go ahead and try it!" Remo shot back, watching as Dewott broke off into another sprint without any issued command. Instead of trying to hide himself though, the Discipline Pokémon came right at Garchoo, appendixes glowing white once more. "Garchoo can handle anything!"

With a quick slash, Garchoo parried the attack with a Dragon Claw, the two fists sparking as they met seconds later. Despite being in battle just moments prior, Dewott didn't seem tired at all. If anything, it seemed to be just getting started now as the two Pokémon continued to trade blows. A punch to the face was met with a claw to the stomach. Neither side was willing to back down and they both looked ready to continue their little toughness bout for a long while. Nate however wasn't ready to let this go on for much longer.

"Now, Dewott!"

"Wott," the Water-Type responded, his mouth now glowing a light blue, the icy stream from before now forming once more as the temperature around the two Pokémon dropped. With no time to try anything, it looked like Dewott was going to have a direct hit on Garchoo. However, right as the blast was launched, the Mach Pokémon blocked the attack, raising his claws in front of his body.

Feeling the icy cold feeling seep across his arms, Garchoo roared out in annoyance, his two appendixes now frozen solid. Slicing them forward, the two frozen claws managed to slash through the remainder of the ice Beam, striking Dewott across the face and sending him back slightly. The Water-Type was quick to get back up however, running right into another sprint as his body soon seemed to vanish from sight before reappearing with a powerful Aerial Ace to Garchoo's face.

"This again," Remo muttered, closing his eyes for a moment to focus. The sounds of tiny footsteps filled his mind as he tried to listen for their exact location. However, the sound of Garchoo crying out proved that Dewott had already attacked again, but it was in a different motion than before. Not opening his eyes for even a moment, Remo listened to the sound of the footsteps.

" _Right, drop back and to the right again. Then a sprint to the left and he circles around to hit from the back or front,"_ Remo managed to figure out, vividly imagining the motion through his thoughts as Garchoo cried out once more.

"We've got it! Garchoo, turn around now! And block your face with your frozen claws!"

"Chomppp," Garchoo muttered, slightly exhausted by the barrage of hits he had taken. But, despite the fatigue, turned his body around right in time for Dewott's glowing foot connected Garchoo's icy restraints, shattering them completely. Not needing an order, the Mach Pokémon roared out in joy, his claws glowing green once more before slashing across Dewott's face. The Water-Type skidded across the dirt field, standing up easily and wiping away at the mark left on his face.

"You two are good," Nate muttered under his breath, himself and Dewott both agreeing with the notion. To Remo, it seemed weird that they had stopped their constant barrage, yet he couldn't hear what they were saying at all due to Nate's whispering. "Remo seems to have grown about working with others. This match is pointless for us now, Dewott. No need to continue it, take the next attack and throw the match."

"Wott, dewott, wott," the Discipline Pokémon agreed, raising his Scalchops to sell the thought of continuing to fight.

"If you two are finished, I would like to continue now!" Remo's voice boomed out, Garchoo already lowered into a fighting stance. "Enough chit chat and time for more action! Garchoo, Dragon Rush!" Within seconds, Garchoo was outlined with the glowing blue aura of a dragon. His speed increased as did his overall strength thanks to the attack. Moving at incredible speeds, Garchoo slammed hard into Dewott, his opponent unable to get his guard up in time.

" _What? There's no reason for Dewott to not dodge or block that attack. He shouldn't be that tired yet, especially since Garchoo has been the one getting hurt during this match,"_ Remo thought as he watched his opponent's partner slowly try to stand, only to drop to the ground. _"Something is going on here and I don't like it. No one throws a match against Remo!"_

"That does it! Dewott is unable to battle and so Garchoo is the winner! This victory has secured Team Lighting the win for the round, moving them to two wins and two losses heading into the final day!" the referee declared, the scoreboard being updated.

"You did it, Remo!" Clemont called out from behind him, yet the burly man didn't care for this victory. It wasn't real, it was thrown to him and made him question if winning really was everything. The match was going so well for him before that final moment too. This victory only left a sour taste in his mouth, almost as if Nate knew that Remo wouldn't be able to win and threw him the victory out of pity.

"Yeah, I did, Brains..." Remo muttered to himself, recalling Garchoo into his Poké Ball. "But did I really?" he muttered to himself before glancing at the scoreboard.

The standings seemed too close for his liking, especially going into the final day. It was anyone's tournament still and he needed to know if the last two spots should have been reversed. The scoreboard read:

Team Victory: 3-1

Team Mega: 2-2

Team Strategy: 2-2

Team Champions: 2-2

Team Lightning: 2-2

Team Heartbreak: 1-3

"What a tournament so far, folks!" Freddy O'Martian's voice rang out, snapping Remo from his thoughts. The announcer seemed surprised himself that Remo had won, though the burly man figured it was best to confront Nate on his own when the crowds weren't around. "It's still anyone's guess as to what two teams will clinch those spots into the finals! With a four-way tie for second place, we could end up seeing tie-breaker rules being used to determine the final spot! We'll be seeing all of you back here tomorrow for the final day of the tournament! Especially since not only is the final round being completed, but the finals themselves will be taking place tomorrow afternoon following the end of the fifth round!"

"Well, I'll just have to beat Team Champions to make up for this," Remo muttered, walking out of the stadium and back towards the locker rooms, Clemont trailing behind him. "And then no one will ever question how strong I am ever again."

* * *

 **Well, this chapter had a few different fights. And Ash now knows something is going to be occurring soon, but still doesn't know what. Though Remo, is catching onto things happening...and poor Nate trying to just cover his own rear end by throwing a match. Guess he should learn that you never throw a match to Remo. Anyways, the tournament is starting to come to an end, and then things will continue to get going into something else... Though, a lot of the battles may seem short, well, they weren't really the important part. More so how the characters are reacting to these little tidbits: Ash learning about something to happen, Remo starting to trust his teammates.**

 **And if anyone is wondering where I have been the past few weeks...well it's March. For those of you who don't know, I am a huge basketball fan and March is, well, March Madness and I have to say these games have been outstanding for the most part. Otherwise, I had horrible writer's block for this chapter. I just couldn't get it to work how I wanted it to.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	59. Strategic Styled Showdown

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, the fourth round concluded as Team Victory finished the day with sole possession of first place while a four-way tie occurred for second place. Also, Ash learned that something would be happening soon.**

 **Ch 59: Strategic Styled Showdown**

* * *

"All able bodies must report immediately to the briefing room per the orders of Giovanni!" a monotonous voice rang out, capturing Michael's attention. It was odd to him. Why in the world would they be having a meeting? Whatever was happening though, Michael didn't have a good feeling for all of it.

"Just what are you planning now..." Michael muttered to himself, quietly getting back into his Grunt uniform before proceeding back into the hallways. Looking around, it appeared to him that every single member of the organization was on the move, the hallways filled with men and women dressed in their black Team Rocket uniforms. The occasional white lab coats catching his attention whenever they would appear in the hallways. _"Whatever this is, I do not like it. Every single member here looks to be heading for this announcement. And if Giovanni is going to be there...well, it isn't a good thing."_

"Come on! Single file line, no pushing! Make sure you all fill in as much space as possible, we need to fit everyone into this room!" one of the higher-ranking grunts shouted. They were obviously placed on duty to help make sure everything went smoothly for tonight.

"Move it! We have a lot to cover and little time to do so! You don't want to make the Boss angry, you all have heard the stories of how he can get!"

Pulling his hat down further to cover his face, Michael passed right by the two grunts manning the door and filed into the building with his fellow grunts, the others all feeling excited for what was to come. Listening to their conversations, Michael had to keep himself from laughing, some of them were just plain crazy.

" _No, this isn't for a drawing to see who wins a vacation and it is definitely not for a movie night. I swear, did those three running this place even properly interview anyone? Or did they just take whoever applied?"_ Michael continued to think to himself, watching as the doors to the room shut firmly, the sound of them slamming making a few of the nearby grunts jump from the sound. Soon, murmurs were filling the packed room as the lights dimmed and a small projection of Lumiose City appeared up on the screen.

"Quiet down! All of you!" a commanding voice cried out, Michael barely making out the form of a woman dressed in a white outfit, a "R" being emblazed on the left side, right near her heart. Her hair looked to be red, parting down by her neck as it curved to the sides. Otherwise, it was too dark to see more of her features or who the other three standing next to her were. They all looked familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Before he could try figuring it out, the lady began to speak once more, her tone sounding playful, almost like this was all just a game to her.

"We've been building up to this moment so don't mess this up! As all of you know, Team Rocket has been planning on ruling the world and our first step to our leader's masterful goal is happening right here in Lumiose City, the largest city of the Kalos Region," she explained, the slide on the screen switching from the city to that of the entire region. "Once their greatest city falls, the rest of the region will see how we do business and should swiftly surrender or risk punishment upon their defeat."

The grunts appeared to begin celebrating, something Michael couldn't understand why; they hadn't even stated their plan yet. Shrugging off the thoughts caused by their idiotic behavior, Michael continued to listen on, wanting to hear any and all information they would be disclosing tonight.

"And so, that means we'll be attacking tomorrow following the final round of the tournament. Upon completion, we will lead a full-scale assault on the entire city, bringing it to its knees with a blitzkrieg starting in multiple sections. Each of you were assigned to divisions upon joining our glorious team and so once the attack begins, it is imperative to follow the plan through to the end," the red-haired woman spoke, causing the group to silence once more, their murmurs stopping as soon as the slide switched to show pinpoints across all of Lumiose City.

"Red division will strike here at the exact moment the tournament concludes," the woman continued, pointing to the portion of the map where the stadium was located in. "Your group is critical to our success, as most the city's population will be watching the tournament conclude. It is your job to crush any chance of an uprising amongst them and keep them confined to the stadium. Blue division, you're to head to the Lumiose generator station. Relocate all the power in the city over to Prism Tower once you've captured the outpost. It is imperative that we can generate enough power for the machine to work. Green division, patrol a fifty-mile radius from around the tournament, no need to risk any stragglers escaping all of this. Yellow division, you have the wonderful task of guarding the base. As for the others, cause pandemonium in the streets. Show the region of Kalos just what Team Rocket is made of."

"For the glory of Team Rocket!" the room burst out, Michael copying the motion that every member appeared to be making. Knowing exactly what was going down tomorrow, the man wondered if he would even be able to warn the others. Could he though? Knowing Giovanni, he probably took measures to keep any transmissions from leaving the base. And there was no way he would be able to leave tonight without looking suspicious. Shrugging his shoulders, Michael figured he would have to at least try to warn Silver and the others, especially if Team Rocket were attacking tomorrow.

" _They're more prepared than I expected. Just what is Giovanni planning,"_ Michael thought, the sudden brightness occurring from the now on lights making him feel light headed for a moment. Shaking the feeling off of him, the agent made his way out of the room (avoiding much of the pushing that was now occurring in the back) and took a left down one of the many hallways that lined the insides of the base. Having spent what felt like years exploring the innards, Michael had them all memorized despite how those who were stationed here longer than him still got lost trying to maneuver them.

"Alright...so..." Michael muttered, scratching his chin in confusion. How exactly was he going to warn the others? The base was crawling with more grunts than he remembered and it was also probably alarmed to warn of any outgoing calls by now. "This base is probably rigged at this point, any call I make will just cause me to give away my position within the organization. But...what happens if I make the call from a different sector? One that the others don't know about."

Agreeing with his thought process, Michael decided to continue through his search, making his way down to a certain area that few people knew of. Entering, Michael quickly peered around before activating his line. Watching the signal gain strength, the man knew he only had one shot at contacting the outside. Watching the device try to make contact with the outside, he knew something was up. It was taking too long to connect, longer than usual and Michael decided to cut the connection just in case something was going on.

"That was a waste of time," the agent stated, tossing the small cube back into his pocket, the machine powering down as he did so. "Based on how long it was taking, they may have jammed the signal after my last transmission. They may have even been trying to track the call or listen in on it if I continued. Looks like I won't be getting to warn them of anything. Hopefully Silver will be able to realize something is up if he doesn't hear from me tonight."

Throwing his hands back into his pockets, Michael figured it was best to just get back to his room. If he didn't draw any attention to him, that would be best. Especially since he still needed to try and stop Team Rocket. Making his way around the corner, he heard the familiar sound of three voices. Their conversation, capturing his attention, caused him to stop walking and listen in.

"And that's why I want you to stay at the base, understand, Xerosic," Giovanni's calculating voice rang softly through Michael's ears. The agent moving closer to his target, wanting to hear every second of their conversation. "Meanwhile, while he stays here and monitors everything, I want you, Lysandre, to accompany me to Prism Tower. I'll need someone of your caliber to take over the entire building Regardless if you were defeated by children or not, you're still a valuable asset to have around. We'll begin the takeover of Prism Tower during the climax of the fifth round, revealing ourselves not until after the final match."

"Are you sure that's such a brilliant idea? Shouldn't you announce yourself when the others are at their weakest? Why allow them to regain their strength? These kids showed their ingenuity when they took me on, they will not just sit back and let you do as you please," Lysandre spoke, arms folded across his chest. Leaning backwards against the wall, the former leader of Flare appeared to be disinterested in all of this. "I'd recommend announcing your takeover at the most opportune time, timing is everything for this plan to succeed."

"Well, color me surprised. I never thought that you, Lysandre, would help me in this plan. Here I was, assuming you were practically useless and now you're helping supply me with information," Giovanni stated, a smirk that made Michael shiver on the inside crossing his face. "Though, them being tired is of little concern. If they manage to make it through the grunts roaming the streets of Lumiose, they'll then have to take care of my little surprise. Those pests will never be expecting it for them either."

Sighing, Lysandre waved one hand in front of his face. To Michael, it seemed like the man had little intentions of being of any use to the Rocket leader. "Don't mistake this for anything other than my wish to see this travesty end quickly. Lumiose City and the entire region of Kalos has struggled enough in the past few months, if this can all end quickly it'll be for the better."

"Or perhaps you're just trying to play me," Giovanni replied, the man now pacing around the room, his shoes clasping against the tiled floor. "You used to be one of Kalos' greatest minds, Lysandre, and I, myself, am no slouch in the business world, knowing plenty of it. This organization has been run through my family, my mother starting it years ago. Using a casino for a front with our real organization worked in the background. It's no secret that you're manipulating as seen by what you did to that boy...Alain was it? So, it's hard not to believe what you say, Lysandre."

Gritting his teeth, Lysandre seemed ready to attack, or at least to Michael he did. Counting to ten, the former Flare leader appeared to calm down slightly, his breathing evening out to what it was before the conversation had escalated. "I've said time and time again; I regret my actions in the past and just want to help make this world better in any way I can. If it means helping you as part of our agreement so be it."

"Smart man," Giovanni quickly remarked, folding his arms behind his back. Seeing him move towards the door, Michael quickly hid from view, not wanting to be seen by the leader. Pausing for a moment, Giovanni turned to look at the duo. "Be prepared, for we move out first thing in the morning and if you're not prepared then it's only your fault. I don't plan on waiting for anyone."

With those as his final words, Giovanni left the room, leaving the two men inside speechless. Even Michael was left speechless, unsure how to rationalize what he had heard these last few moments. It seemed as though Giovanni was overly confident about whatever he had planned and wasn't worried about any interference from anyone. It almost seemed like he had something planned up for any intruders. Hearing Xerosic speak up after moments of silence, Michael quickly wavered his attention towards the duo, as so not to miss out on any information.

"Those fools know nothing at all! To think, they're perfectly fine with leaving myself here at the base. Who knows just what troubles I could cause for them!" the scientist went off, rubbing his hands together at what Michael could only assume were thoughts about betraying Giovanni and the other members of Team Rocket. "They're giving me the perfect opportunity to take control of this operation, handing over the control of this world to us!"

"You never learn, Xerosic," Lysandre muttered, now pacing back and forth across the room. Casting his glance over towards the machine that those three idiots had them fix up, Lysandre wondered if it would ever be used now. "Even after seeing how we went wrong, you still plan for world domination. Why must the goals of your mind involve violence and anger? We nearly destroyed this world and yet you wish to bring that destruction back onto these people? The lives we've ruined, the unnecessary destruction we caused. All of it for a misguided goal and yet you still can't get that through your thick skull. Do as you please, Xerosic, but keep me out of it. From here on out, I have no intention of helping you in whatever dastardly plans you have set."

"L-Lysandre!" the scientist cried out, shocked over the response. Unable to get the correct words out, the man could only watch as Lysandre walked out of the room, possibly heading elsewhere. Michael could only watch in surprise, were those involved here fighting amongst themselves? Or was this just going on with Lysandre and Xerosic? Either way, Michael knew he outstayed his welcome and decided it was best to leave before he was caught.

" _What is going on around here,"_ he thought to himself, playing back the conversations through his head, trying to figure any possible clues. _"Well, whatever it is, I'll find it eventually. Though, the time isn't in my favor. Twelve hours to the final round beginning and I can't contact Silver. Hopefully they'll be alright."_

* * *

"Just what is going on around here!?" Remo asked, his hands griping onto Nate's jacket, the burly man lifting him up from his seat. The sudden action caused stares to fill the area, the other teams unaware of just what had gotten into loud man. "Why did you throw that match!? Come on already, tell me why! Garchoo and I both knew that last attack wasn't enough to win, we had it planned to be the first in our three-hit barrage!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Nate replied, obviously having a hard time talking due to his current situation. In his pocket, he could feel his communication device buzzing, a sign that Michael was trying to contact him. "Dewott was merely tired due to our previous encounter with your teammate Clemont and his Luxray. And so it was simply your Garchoo being of a much higher stamina level than we were. You two are truly gifted."

Gritting his teeth, Remo smashed Nate up against the nearby wall, the undercover agent grunting from the sudden impact. "Don't go there with the smarty talk! Ever since the tournament began you were Mr. Flirty but now you're different! I kind of noticed it during our teams' match today. Talking all polite and formal, almost as if one of the two ways you act is a front! Now tell me why you threw our match! And you better hurry, unless you want to end up in a pile of spaghetti!"

"Remo!"

"Knock it off, Remo!"

Within seconds, both remaining members from Team Lightning were grabbing at their burly teammate, trying to restrain him. It didn't work, however, as Remo easily shook them off of his body. Both landing in some of the spilt food.

"I'm not looking to start any trouble here, Faker, so just tell me why you threw the match! It isn't that hard to say unless you're hiding something," he continued on, a few of the other teams now gathering to try and help get Remo off of Nate. Yet every time it was the same outcome as even Ash, Gary and Alain ended up crashing into the table spread of food. Spaghetti and salad flew all around, landing on top of the others, many crying out in annoyance at the scene.

"My, Remo, you sure are quite the brash individual, aren't you? It seems like nothing would be able to take you out, evident by the way you've beaten almost everyone here," Nate responded, a light smirk appearing on his face. The look made Remo seem unsettled by it, his grip loosening slightly due to his shock. Lowering his voice to nearly a whisper, the agent leaned in close to Remo's ear. "But I'm not like everyone else. You may not realize this, but everything has been happening for a reason and that reason will occur soon enough. But for now, I think it may be best for you to rest. No need to be exhausted before your big day."

"Wait...wha-" Remo began to say, only to be cut off by a pressing sensation on his pressure points. Within a moment's notice he found himself fading in and out of consciousness, only able to make out a part of Nate's words. _"No need to worry yourself over what's to come."_ Those were the last words heard by Remo, Nate's voice echoing through his head before hitting the ground.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, let's get back to dinner," Nate stated, patting down his jacket as if nothing had occurred. The stares from the others proved the opposite, the entire group shocked by Nate's sudden attack on Remo and how the burly man was now unconscious.

"W-where did you learn to do that, Nate?" Brock asked, moving quickly to make sure Remo was alright. Seeing that his vitals were fine, the doctor let out a sigh of relief. "I could barely see your movements, but you seemed to strike all of his pressure points with quite the precision. Not to mention you hit him hard enough to cause him to black out."

Letting out a light chuckle, Nate rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well, you see, I once attended with Pokémon school and was forced to board with these two older guys. They would always pick on me, so I trained in self-defense and learned how to knock someone out with the right jabs to their pressure points," he made up on the spot, not wanting them to know he had been trained by the International Police. Nearby, the agent could hear Silver scoff at the entire situation, a drop of sweat now rolling down Nate's neck.

"I figured it would be best to let Remo rest before his big match tomorrow and the fact that when I struck him, his muscles seemed tense proved my point. The man was too stressed out for his own good, I guess he just didn't know his own strength when it came to battling and assumed I threw the match for him. Now, why would I want to do that? Because of that loss, my team can't qualify for the final round. It makes no sense."

"Wow, to think you could get him to shut up by doing this," Blaziken Mask joked, lifting Remo up onto his shoulder, the others gathered laughing slightly at his words. "By the way he's out, Remo won't be waking up until right before our match it seems. Hopefully he'll be ready to face off, we're going to need him if we plan to beat Team Champions."

"That's right, Clemont, our teams get to finally face each other in the tournament. It only took until the last day, but we'll finally get to face each other," Ash stated, being helped out of a pile of salad by Dawn and Trip.

"Yeah, and I've been waiting to show you just how much I've improved. Think of this like a rematch from our last battle. It'll be exciting to finally face you again, hopefully I'm up to the challenge," the inventor responded, adjusting his glasses slowly.

"Of course you'll do fine!" Ash responded, throwing his arm around Clemont's shoulder once up on his feet. "You've been training for this tournament, I'm sure that you'll be more than up to the challenge. It should be myself who's worried, you have been watching me battle non-stop since the League."

"Yeah! Clemont can win for sure! Especially if he gives it his all," Bonnie cried out, removing a few strands of spaghetti from her hair. Ash almost didn't realize she was there, the girl having spent most of the week with Professor Sycamore due to the tournament. "Clemont's been training very hard for this tournament! There's no way he'll lose at all!"

"B-Bonnie, I wouldn't go that far. I've already lost before during the tournament, so it isn't impossible for me to lose," Clemont stated truthfully. To Ash, it seemed like the boy was slightly nervous to be facing off against him again. Though there shouldn't have been any reason to be nervous.

"But, Clemont, I'll never be able to find a keeper who'll stay with you unless you gain some confidence. A girl won't like you if you're always so pessimistic about everything," his sister continued on, Clemont merely sighing at her words.

Waving goodbye to everyone, Clemont led Bonnie and Blaziken Mask out of the dining hall. It would be best to start getting ready, especially since they were facing Ash tomorrow. Anyone who knew Ash knew it wouldn't be easy to beat him in a match.

"I think I'll call it a night as well," Nate muttered, taking a few salad leaves off of his head. "I've caused enough problems for the day, I'm just going to go call it a night," turning to face Brock and Serena, the undercover agent winked at the duo and Ash wondered just what that could have meant. "Meet up here in the morning so we can prepare for our last match as a team," he stated, waving bye to the others while on his way out.

"We'll need a good night's rest," Brock muttered to himself, Ash overhearing one of his oldest friends. "We're facing off against Team Victory tomorrow, that's no easy feat at all. They've only lost once this entire tournament."

"And that leaves us taking on Team Strategy," Gary joined in, clasping Brock's shoulder, Ash assuming the researcher has overheard Brock's muttering. "A win could clinch us a spot into the final round, though how they would use a tie-breaker is the whole question to it all"

"Well, Pikachu and I plan on making it into the finals no matter what. If we both give it our all against Clemont, I'm sure we'll be just fine!" he stated to his two friends. Though Ash still felt that tonight's altercation between Nate and Remo was off putting, pushing the thought of the tournament into the back of his mind. Could the loud mouth have actually been onto something? Especially after what Silver had told him earlier in their own match, it wouldn't have been out of the question for Nate to have thrown the match to try and set something else up. Leaving those thoughts in his head for the time being, Ash let out a light yawn, the exhaustion from today beginning to kick in.

"Pikapi?" the Electric-Type asked, scampering up onto his best friend's shoulder before nibbling on a few of the strands of spaghetti that landed on him.

"Just a little tired after today. I guess that match tired me out more than I thought," Ash answered, stretching a little as spaghetti fell from his shoulders and splattered against the floor. "Though, the matches tomorrow have me excited. They're sure to be interesting."

"They'll decide who'll advance into the finals, that's for sure. And with no set tie-breakers it'll be interesting to see what happens based on the outcomes of the entire round," Trip added in, making his way over to Ash while taking a few strands of spaghetti off of himself. "Though none of it matters if we end up losing."

"Then we'll just have to win tomorrow and worry about the rest later," Dawn joined in, clapping her hand against each of their backs. "There's no need to worry though, as long as we give it our best shot, there's no way we'll lose."

"Sure, but I'd rather win than lose. But that's just me," Trip stated, Ash believing that the Unova native may have just joked with them. Looking around the area to see if anyone thought the same thing, Ash however didn't see any reaction from anyone. "Listen, we'll figure out everything tomorrow but for now I'm going to sleep."

Moving forward, Serena stood next to Ash, the trainer realizing this and was unsure of how they were going to be now. Ash knew he never was the best with romance or anything of the sort, and Serena had agreed to wait until after the tournament to start anything serious, but he wasn't sure if that was the best choice. Looking at her now, with different thoughts in his head, he had to admit she looked beautiful. Even with strands of spaghetti splashed on her clothes, there was no denying it.

"Good luck tomorrow, Ash," Serena's voice cut into his thoughts, the Kanto native looking at the girl, noticing that she was speaking to him. Feeling slightly embarrassed by the situation, and the confused looks from the others, Ash rubbed the back of his neck, hoping to avoid any questions though noticed Brock arching his eyebrow as if to ask if something was up. However, before he could, Serena continued to speak.

"I know you'll do just fine tomorrow in your match. I'll be rooting for you tomorrow. Though we may not have won often, I had a lot of fun taking part in this tournament. Though, if it wasn't for you, I may not have even decided to compete."

"I didn't do anything but give you a light push. You're a great battler even if you don't take part in them often," Ash responded, noticing the others staring at him. Wondering why, he just shrugged his shoulders, unaware of the fact they may have been catching on to everything between him and Serena. "But, Serena, good luck tomorrow in your final match. I'll be rooting for you with all of my energy! But for now... I have to catch some sleep, I'm exhausted," Ash stated, stretching his arms while yawning. His action seemed contagious as a few others in the room began to yawn, no doubt exhausted from the day's events. Making their way out of the dining hall, Ash and Serena trailed behind everyone else, hands intertwined without realizing what they had done.

* * *

"That does it folks! With that victory for Hugh and Flygon, Team Victory has clinched not only their fourth win but also a trip to the final round!" Freddy O'Martian cried out, the scoreboard showing that Team Victory's image was now highlighted by a shade of gold, representing their status. "Who they'll face off against is another matter but it'll take the rest of today to figure it all out!"

As the enthusiastic announcer continued on, the teams had already switched out, the League wanting to get through this final day due to the amount of battles they had to complete in one day. Not only was this the fifth round, but the two teams advancing into the finals would also have to face off later tonight. Standing on two sides were members from Team Mega and Team Strategy, both sides looking ready for a battle.

"And here we go! Both sides are already going at it just based on those stares alone! Neither side is ready to head home just yet, though only one will advance! Who it is though will be the question looming over all mind's watching this spectacular event! The tension is rising down there and it looks to be heating up! Both sides will be sending out their first trainers at any second now, the wait is killing me," he continued on, one foot pressed against the top of his desk, the other pressed on his chair as he grew excited.

"I'll go first, we need to have a good start especially with both Silver and Sawyer over there," Alain stated, adjusting his Mega Ring while saying so. "From what we've seen so far, Silver is mysterious but his strength does make for an interesting match. It may make me sound selfish, but I want him, it's been a while since I've been this excited for a match. I know Gary can handle Sawyer since I watched a few of his matches during the Kalos League."

"From what I've seen of the guy, he seems to preplan his entire battle and isn't the best with improvising as seen when he fought Remo during the second round. The way he turned the match seemed to shock him," Gary agreed, running a hand through his hair before staring across the battlefield, a wasteland of sand and rocks, to see Silver heading out first. "Well, looks like you get your wish, Alain. Silver is heading up first."

Nodding, Alain took his first strides, the crowd surprised to see both teams' best trainers heading up right away. Paying no attention to any of it, Alain continued to keep his eyes on Silver. The trainer seemed so calm, yet his body gave off the sense of nervousness and tenseness to a degree. It reminded the older boy of when he was used by Lysandre to a degree.

"So, Alain, was it?" Silver spoke, Poké Ball resting comfortably in his hand. Alain had to admit, the boy seemed interested in him based on what looked like a sly grin on his face. Were the nerves Alain sensed coming from this boy just from having to face him? Or was something worse the source of them? His body language didn't give off any signs of this unless someone had been in a similar situation like Alain, himself, had been. Alain continued to think through possible reasons for Silver's behavior, yet before he could finalize his thoughts, the boy spoke once more.

"I've been waiting to face you all tournament, especially after seeing how powerful your Charizard has been. To think he almost single handedly carried you to the finals of the Kalos League. He's quite the impressive Pokémon, it isn't every day that you have the chance to face one of that caliber."

Alain listened to the words, and thinking that this had to be the most Silver had spoken since arriving for the tournament, wondering just what he was up to. With everything that happened with Silver's match against Ash yesterday and then Remo confronting Nate, it was starting to become clear to the older boy that something was going on.

"Yes, Charizard and I used to train to become the very strongest. Days turned to weeks and those weeks eventually changed to months as we pushed towards being the strongest. We held a belief that being the strongest would allow us to protect everyone, that nothing bad would ever come to our loved ones. And so, it pushed us to heights we never thought imaginable, only we learned that strength wasn't everything. We failed to protect those close to us and had to learn the hard way that working as a team, working with those close to you is better than any strength one could amount to on their own," he explained, thoughts of his actions with Flare and then his inability to protect everyone once Lysandre attacked Lumiose. Clenching his fist, Alain dug his nails deep into his skin to the point it produced blood.

"Though, are you strong enough to protect everyone now? If something were to happen, could you stop harm from afflicting them?" Silver asked, his question striking a nerve in Alain, the older boy taking a defensive step forward. "Would you make atonement for your previous actions or would your body react in the same manner? Shutting down into a hopeless being, showing how weak you truly are by relying on everyone else to bring you out of your stupor."

"I don't see what this has to do with a battle," Alain spoke through grit teeth, his temper beginning to rise, his anger beginning to take over and cloud his judgement. Images of himself kneeling there, unable to make his body respond to the destruction occurring to Lumiose City. Instead being forced to watch as everyone else struggled against Lysandre, need for Ash's words to bring him back to himself.

"And besides, you wouldn't understand what occurred back then."

"Do show me then. Show me that I'm wrong," Silver replied, his voice showing no signs of emotion at all. Alain felt that it was strange, but figured there was nothing he could do about it, especially since Silver seemed interested in facing him yet at the same time seemed almost...bored. Without another word spoken between the two older trainers, they tossed their Poké Balls onto the field, their partners appearing ready to get down to business.

Not waiting around any longer, Alain took the initiative to get this battle going, issuing a Flamethrower. The searing flames erupting from his partner's mouth, soaring across the entire field as the flames scorched the ground leaving a slight trail of embers in the sand. The flames were large in volume, engulfing Feraligatr in mere seconds, the attack continued, the heat forcing Silver to block his face. Yet, even with that attack, Alain could tell Silver wasn't impressed or that Feraligatr was even hurt by the Flamethrower.

"Now, go in with Thunder Punch while he's distracted with the flames!" Alain ordered, throwing a punch forward as Charizard slammed his maw shut before shooting off like a rocket. Rearing his arm backwards, Charizard readied his blow, sparks of electricity flowing through his arm as he soared through the remnants of his Flamethrower, slamming his fist right into Feraligatr's face.

It looked to be a direct hit, Charizard causing Feraligatr's head to tilt backwards before snapping back down with a wide grin. Even Silver seemed slightly interested much to Alain's discomfort. The older boy had only seen Silver battle twice, but even then, it showed how into it he could get. Especially since he had froze Dewott onto the field during his first match. Grinning slightly, Silver locked eyes with Alain, the action causing the hair on Alain's neck to stand.

"Our turn." he spoke out, the words appearing way too calm for a battle. Alain was about to issue a command, though his voice was drowned out by Silver's, Charizard unable to hear the order clearly. "Feraligatr, Ice Punch!" Silver commanded, swinging his fist downwards as his trusty Water-Type emulated the action, Charizard's head being pounded downward into the sandy surface, ice spreading outwards and onto the sand.

"Rawrrr..." Charizard muttered, struggling to break free from the pressure Feraligatr's frozen fist piled onto his head. Thrashing his body around Charizard appeared to only be causing more problems for himself, digging himself deeper into the sand. Watching the movements of Charizard and their effects on the field, Alain imagined an idea.

"Charizard!" Alain called out, raising his right hand in front of his face, slowly closing the fingers into a fist. "Blast Burt on the field! Use the explosion to break free and then go in with a Dragon Claw attack!" he finished, slamming his fist down onto the stadium platform. He wasn't quite sure how this would work, or if it would at all, but it was worth a try. It wasn't as if he had any other ideas as to how Charizard could get loose and both trainers knew it.

Grunting in approval, Charizard's body began to heat up, energy storing deep inside of him as he prepared his attack. With one swift movement, Charizard forced his fists down into the sandy ground as the energy built up inside of him exploded downwards. Sand and rocks flew everywhere, obstructing the sight of everyone as flames erupted up out of the ground, the heat of them pushing Feraligatr backwards and allowing Charizard a chance at escape. Moving in rhythm of Alain's orders, Charizard flew upwards, hiding in the scattered sand cloud before going on the offensive.

"Keep an eye out for him, Feraligatr!" Silver commented, but it was too late. As soon as they noticed a light green image soaring through the sand cloud, Charizard had already slammed his claw right across Feraligatr's stomach. The impact seemed powerful, as the Big Jaw Pokémon hunched over in pain before being smacked away with Charizard's second strike.

"Good, he's really good," Silver muttered, Feraligatr shaking off the last two blows while standing. Running a hand through his hair, Silver watched as Charizard appeared to be lunging forward with another round of Dragon Claw. This time, however, they were ready. Throwing his hand out to the side, Silver issued the command.

"Catch him now! Plant your feet firmly into the ground and be ready for him!"

"Gatr!" the Water-Type shouted, his feet slamming into the soft surface, Alain realizing that Silver planned to use it as a cushion to weaken the blow. However, it was too late and they were already caught. Swinging his claws forward, Charizard was soon grappled by Feraligatr, his claws being stopped from making the point of impact. Instead, the Flame Pokémon was tossed across the field, smashing into a few of the rocks scattered about.

"And Hydro Cannon!" Silver commanded, intensity entering his voice, Alain noticing how he was now getting into the match. Turning his view from Silver to his partner, Alain could only watch as the concentrated blast of water crashed into Charizard, the blow of it being powerful enough to throw his best friend through the rock pile and clear away the sand that was caught in the blast, leaving just the concreate base for that small section.

" _Hydro Cannon makes them have to recharge due to the amount of energy it uses. Now's our chance!"_ Alain thought to himself before reaching down to his reach. "Charizard, it's time! Evolve beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!" he shouted out, the crowd cheering in excitement while he raised his Mega Ring up in front of his face and touched the Key Stone lightly. Soon, a bright and powerful light flooded out of the stone, a similar light emerging from around Charizard's neck. The Fire and Flying-Type let out a loud roar, his voice echoing throughout the building as his body changed shape and color. His wings became more rigid, his flames turned blue and his skin was now a mix of a deep black and a light blue.

As the light died down, Silver stood there with a smirk on his face, Alain could only help to believe that this was what the trainer wanted; a battle with his Mega Charizard X. Not taking any chances, Alain quickly went on the offensive once more, issuing another Thunder Punch. Charizard's fists crackled with electricity once more, the actual skin now being hidden due to the surge in electricity. Spreading his wings, Charizard shot off and in no time at all was slamming his fist right into Feraligatr's stomach, the Big Jaw Pokémon moaning slightly as he skidded backwards from the punch.

"Ferali...feraligatr," the Water-Type muttered, a few beads of sweat now rolling down the side of his face, Charizard likewise panting a little heavier now. Though, despite the fatigue now setting in, neither Pokémon looked ready to battle, as evident by them both raising their claws up, both trainers calling for a Dragon Claw attack.

"Raaawwwwrrr!"

"Gattrrrrrr!"

The two Pokémon cried out, trading blows as their now green colored claws smashed against each other in what was now a showdown of wills. It seemed as though neither side was wanting to back down and neither Pokémon appeared willing to dodge, this fact evident as Charizard and Feraligatr traded hits with their Flamethrower and Hydro Cannon attacks respectively. At this point, Alain knew Charizard was running on fumes, especially after being hit twice by a Hydro Cannon and Feraligatr looked to be doing just fine as well. To the older trainer, this match was starting to turn into a standoff and whoever could take the most hits without falling first.

" _He's much calmer now. He didn't allow his emotions to get the better of him,"_ Silver muttered in his mind, watching on as Feraligatr managed to dodge a Thunder Punch before having his own ice Punch parried by a Dragon Claw attack. Silver had to admit, despite the situation that was surely to come, he was having fun with this match, not that he would ever admit to it though. But, perhaps being forced to enter wasn't that bad after all. _"If his emotions are kept in check if they attack, he'll be able to help up out immensely, especially if he appears during all of this. I wasn't quite sure how Alain would react if he came face to face with Lysandre again, but if he can cool his temper like he has today, he should be fine."_

"Now, Charizard! Blast Burn!" Alain shouted, having felt that Charizard had enough time to fight himself, and wanting to end the match before Feraligatr could launch another Hydro Cannon. Nodding, Charizard ducked underneath Feraligatr's incoming Dragon Claw before grabbing the Water-Type's arm and throwing him over his shoulder. With a quick turn of his body, Charizard slammed his fist down into the sand, fire immediately emerging upwards from it.

"Rawwwwrrrr," he muttered in exhaustion, sweat rolling down his face now from trading blows with Feraligatr. Crying out with all his strength, the flames erupted from the ground and roared towards Feraligatr, the Big Jaw Pokémon being caught in the explosion.

Waiting in anticipation, Alain balled his fists, unsure if that last attack was enough. He was hoping it was. As evident by Charizard panting on his knees, the Fire-Type wouldn't be able to continue much longer if it wasn't. And as the smoke cleared, the older trainer could breathe a sigh of relief, as Feraligatr laid spread across the sand defeated.

"Feraligatr is unable to battle! The winner is Charizard and so Team Mega has earned one point. If they are to win the next match, they will win the round," the referee declared, the crowd cheering out in amazement at the ending of that match.

"Rawrr," Charizard panted, Alain rubbing his maw while they stood at the edge of the platform, both of them exhausted from that match. Looking across the field, Alain couldn't help but remain uneased by Silver's smirk. It was almost as if he wanted to lose, as if this match wasn't about winning...but to test Alain. Test him for what though? And why? Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Alain and Charizard strolled back to their team's dugout, wanting to use this time to rest.

"Well, looks like you managed to win after all," Gary jokingly remarked, crossing his arms across his chest before sighing. "And here I thought that I would have to win both of our matches today."

"I wouldn't get so excited just yet. Sawyer will be a tougher opponent than you think he will be," Alain stated, taking a drink of water before spitting it out into a bucket. "From what I remember in the Kalos League, the boy relies on strategical research he's completed on his opponents. No doubt he's done so with you as well. It would be wise to not underestimate him."

"Relax," Gary replied, moving his hands behind his head before sighing. "I saw him battle Ashy-Boy back in the Kalos League, and if he's been training since then he'll be a tough opponent for sure. Not sure if I'll win though, so you and Charizard just rest up for later," he remarked, bringing his arms back in front of his body before walking away. Gripping at his necklace, Gary played around with it for a moment before letting it drop against his shirt, the objects rattling against each other as they clashed with the soft fabric.

"And it appears that it'll be Gary vs Sawyer in this second matchup. Both trainers are well versed when it comes to strategizing though the question remains; who'll be able to outsmart their opponent first?" Freddy asked, trying to start a buzz amongst the crowd. Gary however paid little attention to it, he had no clue as to where they thought he was some great strategist came from. The only thing he was good at was using type matchups and planning for those. And yes, Gary knew he planned for smaller strategies, but this Sawyer kid, he was something else.

"I've got to be careful, I saw how he was ready for whatever Ash threw at him during the Kalos League, so it won't be easy at all," Gary muttered to himself, making sure to replay the images of Ash's semi-final match against the Hoenn native in his head. Though, if there was one thing he truly had to worry about, it was Sceptile. The Grass-Type was Sawyer's ace and there was no doubt in his mind that would be the Pokémon he would be facing.

"Well, looks like I'll have to try this out a lot sooner than I wanted to," Gary muttered before throwing his hands in his pockets, making it up to the field just as it rose out from the bellows of the stadium. It wasn't that different than the last one, or so it looked to Gary, just replace the sand with water and it was almost the same. Plenty of rocks and platforms for non-Water-Types to stand on and use while there was plenty of space in the water to swim if needed.

"So, you're, Gary Oak," Sawyer spoke up, catching the researcher by surprise. Looking across the field, Gary noticed that the younger trainer held a Poké Ball (no doubt Sceptile's) in one hand and a notebook of sorts in the other. Not putting too much thought into the notebook (though he felt he had a good idea as to what it was for) Gary raised his hands from his pockets, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Ash has told me so much about you. I can't believe that I'm actually facing off against his first ever rival. The fact you two are rivals must make you a strong trainer. I'll have to use everything I've learned if I want to beat you."

"Not to burst your bubble, Sawyer, but I'm not exactly on the same level as Ash anymore. As much as it pains me to admit it, Ash is much stronger than me," Gary explained, pulling out his own Poké Ball and holding it at an angle where the sun would shine off of it. "Though that doesn't mean I'm an easy opponent. Just because Ash is stronger than me doesn't mean I'm weaker than you. I'll be winning this battle and the match for my team."

"We'll just see about that. Sceptile, go!" Sawyer called out, tossing his capture device onto the field, the Grass-Type emerging on one of the platforms just as Gary predicted. Water swooshed around, the platform shaking for a moment before the waters calmed down, allowing Sceptile to gain a proper balance. "Sceptile and I have been training hard these past few months. We planned on using this tournament to enhance ourselves before taking the next step towards our dreams. And that next step will begin by beating you."

"That's cute," Gary remarked with a slightly sarcastic tone. Now he could see why Sawyer looked up to Ash so much, the boy seemed to be trying to emulate him and for good reasons. He would never tell Ash this to his face, but the researcher felt that Ash had grown to become an excellent trainer, one that a rookie like Sawyer could look to for advice and ways to properly grow himself. Tossing his own Poké Ball, the device opened up as Blastoise splashed into the water, waves rocking the platforms around, Sceptile losing his balance for a moment before standing up.

" _Gary Oak. Grandson of Professor Oak and the first rival to Ash. From what I've learned, his strongest Pokémon is Blastoise so even with a type advantage, Sceptile, needs to be careful. We can't just rush in, we need to come up with a plan,"_ Sawyer thought to himself, watching the water stir while Blastoise floated in it. Likewise, Gary kept a close eye on Sceptile, expecting him to make the first move.

Neither trainer issued a command, instead, they both waited it out. The match was quickly turning into a stare down, neither side willing to make the first move or risk falling into a trap that the other had set up. Sticking his hands in his pockets, Gary let out a light sigh before squinting at the field. There had to be a way to use the field right now. Unable to figure a plan out at the moment, Gary caved, ordering the first command with no prior notice.

"Blastoise, start off with Rapid Spin! Make the water become choppy, making it hard for Sceptile to keep his balance!"

"Blas," the Water-Type mumbled while retracting into his shell. Soon, the water began to rock back and forth, splashing up and hitting the two trainers in their faces. Powerful, choppy waves formed, the field's platforms tossing around endlessly as the strength only picked up. Gary watched on, a smirk appearing as Sceptile jumped from the different platforms, unable to keep a proper footing on any of them, the rocking water making him lose his balance almost immediately.

"So that's your plan, make it so Sceptile and I can't plan any attacks," Sawyer responded, placing his notebook back into his pocket for the time being. "Well, we'll just have to take Ash's advice and become unpredictable! Sceptile, jump into the water! Go right for Blastoise with a Leaf Blade!"

"Tile!" the Grass-Type responded before diving headfirst into the swirling water. It appeared to be almost like that of a whirlpool now, the water circling in a pattern to the point that the platforms moved around the field like clockwork. Splashing the liquid up, Sceptile was now fully submerged under the water, the glow of his extended blades giving the trainers a way to see Sceptile's current location.

"Blastoise, be ready for him!" Gary warned, sweeping his right arm across his body. At this point, he would have to wait it out and see just what Sceptile could do, the Grass-Type moving through the water at a fast pace. As Blastoise readied his body for the incoming blow, Sceptile faked the duo out, pretending to strike with his left arm but instead upper cutting with his right. Blastoise soared through the water, landing up onto a dry platform as Sceptile followed in pursuit, Sawyer already issuing a Dragon Claw attack.

"Block it with Skull bash!" Gary ordered, the Shellfish Pokémon rearing back into his shell once more. This time however, Blastoise waited. His body was ready, stiffened up and awaiting the incoming strike. As soon as the Dragon Claw landed on his outer shell, Blastoise was on the move, head ramming forward and right into Sceptile's abdomen.

The Forest Pokémon gasped out in pain, bending over for a moment before being blasted backwards by a Hydro Pump attack. Skidding across the water, Sceptile's limp body came to a stop (miraculously) on one of the platforms, the Grass-Type shakily getting back up, his breathing back to normal after those last two strikes.

"Sceptile, are you alright?" Sawyer asked out in concern, his hands shaking a little due to the field disadvantage and his team's current predicament. Receiving a knowing head nod, Sceptile then followed it up by showing Sawyer he was more than capable to continue, letting out a wild roar. Nodding back to his partner, Sawyer reached into his pocket, gripping at his notebook once more. Noticing this, Gary took an interest in the material, unsure of just what Sawyer kept in there and how he planned to use it. Instead, the researcher was surprised to see just _how_ he used it.

Pulling what looked to be a bookmark out of the notebook, Sawyer tossed the pad of paper off to the side of the field, a sign that he was getting serious. Gary subconsciously flinched at the expression on Sawyer's face, one of pure determination. One that reminded him of Ash. One that made Gary realize the match was just starting.

"Sceptile, let's show them all just how far our training has taken us!" he called out, touching the end of the bookmark, a circular object lighting up and extending towards Sceptile, a similar light shining from the bandana on the Grass-Type. Gary was well aware of what was to come, gripping at his necklace in preparation. The sounds of Sceptile calling out during the transformation made Gary take another step back, the boy was determined to win and Gary knew he couldn't let him! As the light died down, Gary wasn't surprised one bit to see Sceptile having Mega Evolved.

"So the fun starts now," Gary joked, running a hand through his hair, Blastoise looking slightly nervous at the Mega Evolution before wiping the look from his face. Gritting his teeth, Gary knew they would have to move quick, otherwise risk losing. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump and then dive under the water!"

"Toise! Blastoise!" Blastoise shouted, lowering his cannons and aiming right for Sceptile, the jet streams shooting off with intense speed and precision. The two blasts flew across the field, Sceptile and Sawyer not looking worried at all by their incoming presence. Using this attack as a means to his next step, Blastoise orderly jumped into the water, swimming through the field.

"Just as I thought," Sawyer muttered, Sceptile grinning slightly at the current situation before them. Calling for his next command, Sawyer quickly issued a Dragon Claw, slicing through the two blasts of water with little effort only to feel the water begin to rock again. Looking down, both trainer and Pokémon noticed that Gary had ordered another Rapid Spin attack during their last command. "Nice attempt, Gary, but the same trick won't work twice on us. Sceptile, I think it's time we make this an even playing field!"

"Scep, sceptile!" the Forest Pokémon commented, swinging his tail around as he did so. Without any notice, the tree on the end of his tail became dislodged, firing right for the depths of the water where Blastoise was spinning rapidly. The attack struck hard, forcing Blastoise to stop spinning once more, but the Water-Type shook off the attack, launching a powerful stream of water right into Sceptile's current platform. The impact from below flipped the structure over, sending Sceptile into the water below to be met with a bear hug from Blastoise.

The Shellfish Pokémon grabbed ahold of Sceptile with everything he had, not willing to let go or else risk a powerful strike from the Grass-Type. Thrashing around, both Pokémon were now going at it, Sceptile slapping Blastoise with his tail while the Water-Type only tightened his grip with every hit. Seeing the tree grow back on Sceptile's tail, Sawyer took the chance to begin his plan.

"Sceptile, use a Leaf Storm to get you two out of the water!"

Nodding, leaves soon emerged all around Sceptile's tail, the powerful winds culminating in pushing the two Pokémon forward towards the surface before the Grass-Type's tail shot off, giving them a boost in speed while also crashing into the floor of the field. Flying out of the water like a rocket, Sceptile and Blastoise both landed on separate platforms, neither of them looking ready to give up. Before Gary could react, Sawyer was already on the offensive, calling for another Dragon Claw attack, causing Gary to act on his feet.

"Blastoise, retreat into your shell to lessen the blow! Then counter his attack with Hydro Pump!" the researcher commanded, clinching his fists, a drop of sweat forming on his face. Sceptile and Sawyer were just moving too fast for them at this point, however, as the Grass-Type slashed against Blastoise before he could even retract into his shell. The Water-Type launched backwards into the water, causing Gary to be on the receiving end of the splash.

"Toise...Blastoise," the Shellfish Pokémon muttered before slowly launching off a Hydro Pump from the water. The two streams seemed to move slower than the last time, an obvious sign of Blastoise weakening, for Sceptile had more than ample time to dodge with ease. Jumping into the water after Blastoise, Sceptile turned his tail around, smacking the Water-Type in the face with it.

"Guess we'll have to use it after all..." Gary muttered, reaching for the necklace that dangled around his neck. Pulling it off, the researcher quickly reached for the second object, a multicolored stone that Sawyer (and everyone watching) recognized immediately.

"Who would have thought this would come in handy here. To think I found it while excavating an old set of ruins too," he remarked before touching down on the object, light spraying forth as Blastoise's left cannon glowed as well, the Mega Stone no doubt being embed with an object there. "Blastoise, let's give this a shot! Mega Evolve!"

"Blastoise," the Water-Type replied, his body covered in the glowing light, slowly changing shape and size. Right in front of their eyes, the Shellfish Pokémon appeared to grow a third cannon on the top of his shell, the previous two moving down onto his arms as his shell grew in size. As the light died down, everyone saw the now Mega Evolved Blastoise sitting in the water ready to go on.

"So... This is Mega Evolution," Gary remarked with a smirk. It was almost as if he could feel the power radiating off of Blastoise, the stadium shaking from the Water-Type's first roar upon the finished transformation. "I guess Gramps and Ash are going to be really surprised by this news. Though, I guess if I couldn't use it first against him, then the one who emulates him will be just as good of a first opponent." Pointing his finger forward, Gary's entire demeanor changed, his body giving off a more offensive stance than his previously defensive one from moments ago. Calling out for a Hydro Pump, the researcher was curious as to how powerful Blastoise would be now.

"Quick, Sceptile, dodge them!" Sawyer commanded, but due to being under the water, the Forest Pokémon was moving too slow to dodge the blasts. Being hit by all three of them, Sceptile was flung from the water and into the air. Performing a quick backflip, the Grass-Type landed comfortably on his feet. Gary looked across the field for a moment, wondering just what Sawyer would do to counter him, yet the boy seemed way too confident for Gary's liking.

" _I don't like that smirk on his face,"_ Gary thought to himself, getting a little unnerved from the thought of Sawyer cooking up some ultimate plan. Instead of waiting around, Gary continued on the offensive, Blastoise using Skull Bash onto the platform Sceptile stood on, launching his opponent into the air.

"Now's our chance, Sceptile! Leaf Storm!" Sawyer commanded, punching forward through the air, the action giving Gary a quick thought that he was battling Ash. However, he wouldn't allow anything to distract him from his victory and so they quickly switched plans.

"Dodge it, Blastoise, and then let's use Hydro Cannon! Show them just how strong we can get!"

"Tile!" Sceptile's voice could be heard over Gary's, the Grass-Type shooting off the giant tree from his tail. Leaves swarmed around the tree while also trailing it, the attack looking like a battle ender to Gary and so Blastoise had to avoid it. Merely grunting at the action, Blastoise swam out of the way and easily dodging the tree and subsequent leaves that followed before aiming his cannons.

"Toise, toise...Blastoise!" he shouted out, three powerful jets of water shot out of the three cannons on his body. Each of them looked powerful enough to shoot right through a steel a beam to Gary, yet he knew better than to expect anything to come easily. Though, with Sceptile stuck in midair, he couldn't help but feel good about their chances.

Calling for a Leaf Blade, Sawyer was already on the defensive. Though, his eyes weren't on Sceptile, but instead the area where the Leaf Storm had hit. Gary seemed unaware of the now larger crack and the fact water was flowing through it now. Instead, his eyes remained focused on Sceptile, the Grass-Type managing to slice through the first two blasts of water before being slammed in the chest with the third. The impact of the attack must have done some damage, or so Gary thought based on the way Sceptile fell through the air before slamming into a platform. He appeared to be getting up slowly, the toll of this battle having started to take effect on his body, just as Blastoise was now panting heavily.

" _This Mega Evolution must take a lot of energy to use. Blastoise must be reaching his limits by now, but so should Sceptile,"_ Gary thought, looking down at Blastoise only to notice something was different about the field; the platforms were lower than usual. Not only that, but the water was disappearing!

"Huh!? What gives!" Gary called out, finally noticing that the water was now below Blastoise's waist, that second Leaf Storm having drained the field much faster now. Biting his tongue, Gary was ready to hit himself for stupidly ignoring the draining water. Sawyer had played him right into his distraction and now Blastoise was much slower, Sceptile the obviously superior Pokémon when it came to mobility.

"Now you see," Sawyer replied, Gary's eyes darting right to the Hoenn native with interest, the smirk on the boy's face only proving Gary correct in his thoughts. "I knew that as long as this field was covered in water, Blastoise would be able to control it easily. From using his Rapid Spin to affect the current, to using Skull Bash on the platforms to keep Sceptile on the defensive, and even just using the water as a quick escape. All of that would have been too difficult to overcome, so when I launched a Leaf Storm attack, they weren't aimed for you but for the floor of the field. By cracking the field, water leaked out through it, slowly emptying out until we have what's left."

"That was smart of you. Especially since Blastoise is slower than Sceptile, though don't expect that to mean anything. We won't let Sceptile get close enough to Blastoise to even land a hit! Retract into your shell and use Rapid Spin! Transition into Hydro Pump!" Gary explained, a smug look on his face. The odds were definitely against him, yet that wouldn't stop him from winning this match, not at all.

"Who said we were going to attack from close range?" Sawyer asked, wiping a few slashes of water from his face. Watching Blastoise spin around freely, Sawyer narrowed his eyes before smiling at the scene. "We just need to attack once and we win, Blastoise is running on fumes just as Sceptile is. Both of them have reached their limits, yet Sceptile has one move we haven't shown off yet. Now, Frenzy Plant!" Sawyer cried out, cupping his hands together before slamming them into the ground, Sceptile emulating the action as well, the ground appearing to puff up in reaction to it before dropping.

"Tile!" Sceptile appeared to cry out, the ground looking as if something was running underneath it, a bulge moving right for under Blastoise before it exploded upwards. Vines shot out in every direction, launching Blastoise high into the air, flailing his body around in a panic, unable to control his motion as vines slapped him around endlessly. Gary could only watch on, Sceptile jumping up after the now falling Blastoise and slamming him down hard with a Leaf Blade attack.

Blastoise crashed into the floor of the field, a crater forming as the Water-Type moaned out in defeat, reverting back into his normal form. The crowd cheered on in excitement as Sceptile likewise reverted to his base form, panting heavily while Sawyer helped support him.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! The winner is Sceptile and thus, a tie-breaker match will be held between Alain and Sawyer to determine the winner of this match!" the referee declared, Gary thanking Blastoise for the wonderful battle before returning him.

Looking across the field, Gary locked eyes with Sawyer. The boy appeared to be ecstatic from the battle, he had managed to win the battle against someone like Gary. Merely nodding his head towards Sawyer, Gary recognized the boy for his victory, the similar traits that he shared with Ash were noticeable for sure now. Gary had no doubt in his mind that the boy would go places one day, but for now it was time to finish this match. Turning away from the field, Gary flicked a thumbs up to Sawyer for the good match before walking back towards his team's dugout.

"That was a...a g-good match, Gary," Wally stated, stuttering over his words. The boy unsure if Gary was upset, merely kept to himself, watching as the researcher sat down while Alain stood up, the dup exchanging positions.

"It was," Gary replied, folding his arms while shutting his eyes for a moment. Thinking back to that match, Gary had to admit, it was one of the best battles he had been involved in for a long time. Though he wanted the win, he couldn't be disappointed in the loss at all. They had done everything they could to win, yet Sawyer and Sceptile did more.

"Now all we can do is hope Alain can win."

"H-He can..." Wally replied softly, folding his hands over his lap. Gary wondered just why this boy would even enter this tournament, if he had little desire to even battle at times. Two of his three matches he was forced to battle in and in the third he did almost nothing. Shrugging the thought off, Gary turned back to notice the field was just a plain grass field with nothing to it.

* * *

"Alright, Charizard, one more win and then we'll be all set," Alain told his best friend, rubbing underneath his maw as he did so. Both of them were tired from the match with Silver, but so was Sawyer. It seemed as though this match would come down to which trainer and Pokémon had the most willpower to continue on.

"I guess this match will decide everything," Sawyer spoke up, Sceptile already on the field. Charizard quickly joined his opponent, the duo looking at each other with the intent to win in their eyes. "That only means Sceptile and I will have to try harder than we've ever done before."

"Hmm, how about we don't hold back at all," Alain proposed, raising his Mega Ring to eye level, touching the Mega Stone immediately. "Let's show each other our true strength right from the beginning! Charizard, evolve beyond evolution, Mega Evolve!"

"Right, Sceptile, let's get ready! Mega Evolve!" Sawyer cried in agreement, both Pokémon covered in the familiar glow of Mega Evolution before it died down, showing that the two were ready to go at it.

With a combined roar, the two Pokémon dashed forward as their trainers both issued a Dragon Claw attack. Their hands began to glow green, their claws extending in size as they clashed against each other. Sparks flew as their attacks dug in deeper, both sides looking to land the first blow to gain momentum in the battle. However, their fatigue was obvious, both Pokémon panting despite this being just the first strike in the battle.

"Now, Flamethrower!" Alain called, using Charizard's open mouth to their advantage. Muttering in agreement, Charizard opened his mouth, firing off the large flames right into Sceptile. However, even Alain could realize that Charizard was tired, the flames not up to their usual potent. Yet, despite the fatigue, the flames managed to push Sceptile backwards just enough to allow Charizard to land a Dragon Claw right across the face sending Sceptile spiraling.

"Keep at it, Charizard, Dragon Claw once more!"

"Sceptile, dodge by jumping over Charizard! Then go in with a Leaf Blade!" Sawyer countered, the Grass-Type nodding in agreement as he crouched low to the ground awaiting the move. Within moments, Charizard soared to right in front of the Forest Pokémon, swinging his claws forward.

"Scept!" Sceptile cried out, leaping up above Charizard with all his might, arms now glowing green as the leaves extended in length for a moment before he slashed at the backside of Charizard, causing the Flame Pokémon to cry out for a moment.

However, Charizard wasn't going to sit back. The Fire and Dragon-Type swung his tail around, whacking Sceptile with it and causing the Grass and Dragon-Type to flail in the air for a moment. Taking advantage of this, Alain went on the offensive.

"Charizard, Flamethrower now! And charge right through your attack with Dragon Claw!"

Taking these few seconds to look over at Sawyer, Alain could see a mix of worry and joy on the boy's face. It made him feel a little uneasy by it, yet continued with the attack. However, as the streak of flames roared towards its target, they sliced right though by Sceptile using a Leaf Storm, the large tree cutting right through the fire much to Alain's shock.

"Now Dragon Claw!" Sawyer's voice could be heard as Sceptile emerged from the leaves that trailed behind the Leaf Storm. To Charizard's shock, the two Pokémon exchanged blows, smashing their faces in with the Dragon Claw attacks before both landed on the field with a loud thud.

"Alain, we may have never battled before, but that doesn't mean I haven't watched much of your battles," Sawyer spoke up, tapping his notebook with one hand. The object was still in the boy's pocket (with him having picked it up following his win over Gary) yet he didn't even look like he needed it.

"I saw your match with Ash during the Kalos League and took notes to see how I could ever beat you if we were to battle. Well, now's the time to test out that theory! Sceptile, get in close with Leaf Blade!"

"Don't let him, Charizard! Flamethrower now, let's go!" Alain countered, feeling a drop of sweat on his forehead. Sawyer was now bringing it and Alain knew he needed to turn up the intensity as well if he had any hopes of winning.

"Raaawwwr," Charizard stated, launching the flames with all his might. However, Sceptile managed to move just a little faster, slicing right through the flames as they emerged from the Flame Pokémon's mouth.

An explosion soon occurred as the Flamethrower was rendered useless by Sceptile, the excellently trained Grass-Type slicing upwards on Charizard's mouth with his Leaf Blade, snapping it shut before slamming down on his head with a Dragon Claw attack. Grunting, Charizard quickly countered with his own Dragon Claw attack to Sceptile's stomach, causing the Forest Pokémon to double over in pain.

"Even if the match just started, we're already running on fumes. Silver took a lot out of us with those Hydro Cannons," Alain muttered, locking eyes with Charizard. They both knew they had to end this soon otherwise it wouldn't end well for them. Despite his excellent Stamina, Alain didn't know if they could take on both Silver and Sawyer back to back. Not to mention they had to worry about Paul if they advanced.

"Blast Burn, full power, Charizard!"

"Just like I expected. Blast Burn is Charizard's big finisher as I noticed during the Kalos League, Alain. You always call it out to finish a battle," Sawyer stated truthfully as he wiped a drop of sweat away from the front of his forehead. Nodding a little, the boy already had a counter ready.

"Time to bring out our finisher! Sceptile, Frenzy Plant now! Show them the fruits of our training!"

Both Pokémon nodded, slamming their respective fists into the ground as the entire stadium shook from the impact. All those in attendance rose to their feet, expecting an impressive finish for these two trainers and they weren't disappointed. Within moments, Sceptile's vines emerged from the ground racing towards Charizard at the exact same second that the field began to sprout flames, the fire flowing around freely. The two attacks collided with each other, exploding on contact as a large cloud of smoke filled the field making visibility impossible.

"Dragon Claw!" both trainers screamed out, their voices ringing through the stadium as their determination could be heard by everyone. They were both leaving everything they had on the field. They both looked exhausted from the day's events, neither ready to back down but they both looked ready to pass out.

Muttered cries could be heard from Charizard and Sceptile respectively as they both raced through the smoke. Within seconds, the sight of a greenish glow could be seen in the smoke, both Pokémon on the move once more. Soon, a loud cracking noise was heard throughout the entire stadium as the smoke cleared out to show them a stunning sight. Right before all of them, Sceptile and Charizard stood opposite each other, their glowing claws firmly embedded into the other's face. Neither were budging, they were both trying to thrust their claw deeper into their opponent and win the match.

And then it happened.

The claws descended until they were their usual color and size, leaving just the normal appendages pushing up against their faces. Both Alain and Sawyer were about to call out the next command, but before they could both Charizard and Sceptile fell. They were both down. Defeated. The match was over.

"Both Sceptile and Charizard are unable to battle! That means the match is a tie and so neither team will earn a win or a loss, bringing their records to two wins, two losses and a tie each!" the referee declared, Alain and Sawyer both dropping to their knees from exhaustion, the latter laughing from enjoyment of the match.

* * *

"Wow, did you see that match, buddy?" Ash asked, rubbing Pikachu behind his ear while watching Sceptile and Charizard both collapsing on the ground defeated. Ash had been beyond excited watching his two latest rivals duking it out for a possible trip to the final round on the line. Even if the match was shorter than the previous ones, Ash couldn't help but be enthralled by their match.

"Pika! Pikapi, pikachu!" Pikachu cried out happily, arms raised in preparation for battle. He was just as fired up as his trainer, neither of them able to sit still while anticipating their own match with Clemont.

"Sawyer's grown so much since we last faced him! I just know Greninja would love another round with Sceptile. Maybe after the tournament we can have a match with him, though I don't know if I can wait that long!"

"Worry about the match that's before us now before you start making plans," Trip muttered, walking over to shut the television off. "Remember, Remo and Clemont aren't ones we can take lightly. They're both really strong."

"But, that's why we've got you, Trip," Ash remarked, throwing an arm around the Unova native, causing him to cough out of annoyance. "You've already came up with a plan to lead us to victory! And besides, even if we don't advance to the final round that doesn't mean this entire tournament will be a waste! It' been a ton of fun!"

Trip was about to respond to that, lifting Ash's arm off of his shoulders, but before he could, Dawn poked her head through the door into the team's locker (having left moments prior unknown to Ash). "Are you two ready yet? At this rate, you'll make us late for the match and who knows what'll happen then."

"Pip, piplup lup," the Penguin Pokémon chirped in agreement, flailing his arms around wildly as he did so. Ash couldn't help but laugh at the notice, Pikachu joining in as he did so, the duo receiving a glare from Dawn.

"Sorry, Dawn, it's just funny how you say we'll make us late when it was always your fault we were late to anything in Sinnoh. What with you taking forever while getting ready every morning," Ash replied, placing his hat onto his head before smacking a fist into his opened palm.

"But, now isn't the time for that. Let's go win our match!"

"Pipikachu!" Pikachu cried in agreement, the group of five (if counting Pikachu and Piplup) making their way down the hall. It was now or never for them, the last match of the day and of the round, and with a win here, they would clinch a spot into the finals.

" _Clemont, I only expect your best out of this,"_ Ash thought to himself, a smile forming across his face.

* * *

 **Well, this was rather long, wasn't it? But, joking aside, here it is, the next chapter is finished and who would have thought that it would have Team Mega and Team Strategy end in a tie? Well, no need to think much about that since the next chapter focuses on Ash vs Clemont, something that I'm hoping you'll enjoy.**

 **As for Team Rocket, it's almost time for them to strike. Won't say when they will, but it won't be much longer so hoping you'll all enjoy that as well once it happens.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	60. Pushing Past Your Limits

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Team Rocket revealed a little more of what was going to happen while elsewhere Remo got into more than he could handle. Also, Teams Mega and Strategy battled to a draw, opening the chance for the winner of the final match to advance on to the finals.**

 **Also, can't believe that it's already been one year since this story started. I would just like to thank everyone who has stuck around this long for the story. It means a lot to me and I hope you all enjoy where it's headed.**

 **Ch 60: Pushing Past your Limits**

* * *

"Here we go," Remo stated, crossing his arms triumphantly while walking down the hallway towards the stadium. This match was arguably the most important for them, especially after the previous match of the day ended in a tie. Letting out a deep sigh, Remo closed his eyes for a moment, almost as if he was in a meditative state while he thought things over. Perhaps Clemont had been right about working together, perhaps that would be their best option to winning. Yet, something about that felt off to Remo; having been taught all his life that only one could be the strongest, the new concept of teamwork felt off to him. Shaking his head of the thoughts, the burly man turned his attention back to the approaching field.

" _A tie during the last match means this is winner takes all. A straight trip to the final round. Which means we have to win this no matter what,"_ Remo thought, looking over at Clemont and Blaziken Mask, the former a little nervous from what Remo presumed was their matchup against that Ketchum boy.

"Clemont!" Remo shouted out, shocking the blond inventor for using his actual name instead of the one he had been using. Raising a fist upwards and shaking it, Remo closed his eyes slightly, posing as if he were trying to instill a mix of fear and determination into his partner. "What's with this indecisiveness? You look to be shaking worse than a Magikarp out of water! If we even hope to win this and go to the finals, you can't be having second thoughts about facing Ash. I know he's your friend and all, but for now there aren't no friends until after the final round! It's everyone for themselves, just like I've been raised and I won't let you blow this for me. We've all come too far to lose because of your self-confidence issues."

"R-Remo?" Clemont stuttered back at the burly man, not receiving a reply as he marched up to the field. Swallowing, Clemont watched at Remo's back, the man carrying the poise of not just a trainer, but that of a warrior. One crafted through years of hard work, determination and a countless amount of battles.

Stopping, Remo turned back around once more to look at the inventor, casting him a rare smile. "Listen, I need you to come through on your end, Brains. I can only do so much, got it?" he asked, twirling his umbrella over his shoulder, smirking slightly at the Gym Leader before continuing on, the sounds of Freddy O'Martian and the fans filling his ear drums. Looking down at the field, Remo seemed impressed by the design, it was a colosseum, a fitting place to have their final battle taken place in.

"And here it goes folks! Both sides seem to be ready to get this battle underway! How will Remo, the brawn of Team Lightning be able to come up for his team once again today!? Or will the talented Dawn pull an upset over one of the tournament's strongest competitors? We'll just have to watch to find out," Freddy cried out as both trainers reached their respective sides, Remo shocked to see the Coordinator from Team Champions as his opponent. There had to be a reason for it, but it didn't matter to Remo, the man was only focused on winning.

"So, they sent a girl to do a man's job. Figures, they were too afraid to lose to me," Remo muttered, folding his arms as he did so, Umbrella leaning against his shoulder.

"And just what does that mean?!" Dawn cried out, the sudden outburst causing Remo to take a defensive step back, umbrella falling onto the ground and a drop of sweat forming on his forehead. "I'll have you know we all agreed for me to battle! And I'll have you know that a girl can be just as good of a battler as anyone else!"

"Save the speech for someone who cares; I just want to battle it out!" Remo stated, picking up his umbrella before twirling it in front of Dawn. "If you give me a good battle that's all I care about! Now, go! Garchoo, show this girl that we aren't to be taken lightly!" he screamed, tossing out the Poké Ball that belonged to his beloved partner. Opening, the device revealed none other than the Dragon and Ground-Type, roaring out in agreement with Remo's statement.

"This guy..." Dawn muttered slightly, placing a hand on her face out of embarrassment from his actions. Seeing the action, Remo silently scowled at the action, deciding to quickly ignore it instead. Watching his opponent, Remo suddenly noticed that her Piplup wasn't with her, a sign that she would use something else, his interest suddenly peaking.

"Alright, never mind him. Let's just do what Trip figured would be best and get us one step closer to the final round. Mamoswine, spotlight!" she cried out, the large Ice and Ground-Type landing with a massive thud. The grin on Remo's face growing as he saw the humongous Pokémon stomp his feet into the ground, the action reminding Remo of the time he was chased by a heard of Tauros and Bouffalant.

"Now we're talking; this is a challenge I want to see!" he cried happily, stomping his right foot into the ground and throwing his right fist forward. "Garchoo, start us off with a powerful Dragon Rush attack! Show them who they're messing with!"

"Gar!" the Mach Pokémon cried in agreement, roaring out towards the sky. The familiar blue aura soon surrounded Garchoo, the light taking the shape of another dragon before he raced right for Mamoswine with ease. Kicking up the dirt as he ran, Garchoo looked to be just as strong as ever, ramming right into Mamoswine with ease.

"Hold your ground, Mamoswine, don't let him push you anywhere!" Dawn called out, the Twin Tusk Pokémon huffed in agreement, slamming his front hooves into the ground, shaking the stadium slightly before making it impossible for Garchoo to push him any further. The Dragon and Ground-Type appeared to struggle from the massive weight coming from Mamoswine, yet (just like his trainer) wasn't giving up, straining as he pushed forward, sweat forming on his body due to the amount of work it was taking just to stay even.

"Let's show them something else now, Take Down!" Snorting in agreement once more, the Ice and Ground-Type roared out, his body being covered in a light-yellow glow before he pushed forward. Sparks flew from the two Pokémon, both now in what looked to be a push and shove contest. Neither side looked to be gaining any ground on the other, and in fact were just tiring themselves out.

"Please, you don't even try to pretend that your Mamoswine could last with Garchoo! We haven't even started to try just yet, we're still getting warmed up," Remo called out, flexing his right arm upwards, fist shaking in excitement. "Garchoo, keep it up! Push that wool ball right into the colosseum walls!"

"Gar, garchomp," the Dragon and Ground-Type muttered, the already intense weight of Mamoswine becoming unbearable to him. However, listening to Remo, Garchoo dug deeper into himself and managed to find that hidden well of energy inside him. Pushing Mamoswine backwards, both Dawn and her partner were shocked, watching as Mamoswine landed on his side, the Twin Tusk Pokémon slow to get back up.

"You mess with the Tauros, you get the horns, hun!" Remo shouted, using his fingers as horns, the action causing both himself and Garchoo to laugh, the rest of his team not that impressed.

"Is he going to get serious now?" Blaziken Mask could be heard saying, the words getting Remo slightly frustrated at his teammate for questioning how he was handling this match. If he remembered correctly, the superhero didn't want to battle at all, even when they offered him the chance to do so today.

"That's just how he is, he gets into the matches so much that he just wants to have fun. He's really energetic about it," Clemont replied, causing Remo to wonder just why the brainiac would do such a thing for him. However, his thoughts were cut off, Garchoo being smashed in the chest from an Ice Shard attack causing his attention to come right back to the battle.

"Nice going, Dawn! A direct hit on Garchoo!" Ash's voice could be heard calling out, Pikachu joining in on the cheering as Garchoo wondered just why they would do such an act. It wasn't their battle, yet here he was, cheering on this girl.

"Don't get distracted, Remo! Mamoswine, Take Down and turn it into an Ice Fang attack!" Dawn commanded, pointing forward towards the burly man, Remo himself being forced to take a step back out of surprise.

"Mamo," the Ice and Ground-Type muttered, his body glowing a shade of yellow once more before racing for Garchoo. The Mach Pokémon was still recovering from the previous attack and was unable to block the Take Down, flailing across the field, his body taking a beating before coming to a stop in front of a wall.

"Come on, Garchoo! Get up and block that Ice Fang with your Dragon Claw!" Remo commanded, his voice growing frustrated from the sudden barrage of attacks and the fact that a girl was pushing him into such a corner.

Jumping up, Garchoo flipped in the air while his arms glowed the usual shade of green that the audience was used to seeing from the many different times he issued the command. Letting out a mighty roar, Garchoo landed right in front of the rampaging beast, crossing his arms right in front of him and bringing him to a stop. Soon, Mamoswine's body began to change however, the yellow glow changing into a blue aura, the shape of fangs forming out of it much like Remo expected. The two fangs closed down onto Garchoo's glowing arms, causing the green to slowly fade into an icy restraint before the Mach Pokémon was tossed backwards.

"Guess I should give you some credit then. Managing to make me Mega Evolve, Garchoo...never expected it from you toots," Remo spoke, stomping his left foot forward before twirling his umbrella around, the top of it facing Dawn. Swinging it around towards himself, Remo touched the tip of his umbrella, the Key Stone embedded in it now glowing.

"Garchoo, let's give them all we've got! Mega Evolve!"

"Mamoswine, we need to be careful now. Who knows just how much stronger they've gotten!" Dawn called out while covering her eyes, the bright light radiating from the two stones making it nearly impossible to see anything right now. Snorting in agreement, Mamoswine stomped his feet into the ground, allowing Dawn to know he was ready for anything. Though, the Coordinator had an idea as to how Mamoswine could keep up slightly.

"Great, Mamoswine! Well, we shouldn't let them just do all this and leave ourselves at a disadvantage. Mamoswine, swallow an Ice Shard!"

Doing just as he was told, the Twin Tusk Pokémon opened his mouth nice and wide, the spherical orb of ice quickly forming between his two tusks. With a mighty roar, Mamoswine forced the object down into his stomach, the sudden surge of energy causing him to cry out as spikes of ice formed on his back, the light from the Mega Evolution finally fading away to reveal Mega Garchomp standing there triumphantly.

"What gives! What'd you do to your Mamoswine!?" Remo called out, both himself and Garchoo pointing at the sudden change in their opponent's Pokémon appearance. Last he checked, there was no Mega Evolution for Mamoswine, and he would know, especially since people paid him to search for Mega Stones. "That has to be cheating in some way! Clemont! Isn't that cheating!?" he continued to cry out, pointing his finger over towards the large Pokémon in annoyance.

"Strategy isn't cheating," Dawn replied with a smirk, both hands placed on her hip while glaring down the man. "You see, it's an old trick I learned a while back. When Mamoswine swallows an Ice Shard he gains a sudden boost in strength. It isn't permanent, but it should be enough to handle Garchoo. Now, Take Down!"

"So, she's playing her hand now, good timing, Dawn," Trip could be heard, Remo noticing the smug look on the boy's face. He probably wanted Dawn to go up just because of this one idea, they all knew none of them could rival Garchoo alone so they needed a power boast.

"Yeah! Show Remo just how strong your Ice Shield really is, Dawn! Win it!" Ash cried out happily, Remo gritting his teeth even more than previously. He was getting fed up with all this cheering from teammates; this was a Pokémon battle, not a sporting event, the cheering should be left up to the crowd!

"Grrrrr! We'll show you power! Garchoo, Dragon Rush!"

The two broke off into a sprint, their bodies glowing yellow and blue once more as they both collided, this time however the collision led to dirt and rocks from the floor being kicked up. Mamoswine was showing why swallowing that Ice Shard was a great idea from Dawn, now able to push back even the Mega Evolved Garchoo, though they were both tiring out faster than before now that they were going all in.

Clinching his fists, Remo dropped his umbrella, the object clanking to the floor as he grew frustrated in Team Champions' constant cheering, the idea of it being just plain stupid to him. Still, a part of him wished that the roles were reversed, that perhaps Clemont and Blaziken Mask were rooting for him instead of just sitting there silently.

"He's losing it all," Blaziken Mask muttered once more, Remo hearing it clearly and his resulting action being to curse at the superhero under his breath. He couldn't believe it! His own team had no faith in him, even after how he carried them this far into the tournament they were ready to turn their backs on him!

"He let his emotions get to him and it distracted him. If he could have focused better than he might have won."

"You're wrong, Blaziken Mask," Clemont spoke up, causing Remo to silently gasp from his spot, the fire inside of him burning slightly more, allowing him to step forward, Garchoo repeating the action as if the two were connected by thoughts. "That's where Remo's true strength comes from. Though he may be annoying and quite the loud mouth, he cares deeply for each and every match he fights in, pushing himself to the limits just to win. And it's because of his emotions that allow him to push so deep, without them, he may not be half the trainer he is."

Using Clemont's words as fuel for his fire (even if he didn't realize it) Remo continued to fight back, Garchoo's aura beginning to grow larger, Mamoswine being swallowed by the sudden increase in size. An explosion soon followed, the duo still both standing in the smoke as both trainers issued their next commands.

"Ice Shard!"

"Block with Dual Chop and then slash that Mammoth!"

As the two Pokémon exchanged blows, Remo couldn't help but listen in on his teammates, their voices sounding different than before. No longer were their voices questioning him or sounding disappointed, instead they were filled with excitement, a sense of urgency, a sense of...pride. Shaking his head, Remo wondered just why they were now cheering for him, the new sounds causing a slight distraction (a welcomed distraction) to his thoughts.

"Come on, Remo! You can do this!" Clemont's voice called out, the inventor obviously having faith in his partner despite all their arguments throughout the tournament. The action caused Remo to look back slightly, seeing the look of confidence on the boy's face. At that moment, Remo began to realize just what he was feeling: friendship. Something that had been lacking his entire life due to his reclusive nature was now becoming familiar to him, the thoughts of Clemont and Blaziken Mask backing him only strengthened his resolve to win.

"Now! Dragon Rush once more, Garchoo! End it all here!"

"Mamoswine, counter with Take Down!"

Both trainers were on a collision course, their fists both extended, sweat dripping down their faces, their Pokémon both panting as well. All four were exhausted to the point of collapsing, yet they were going to win this match. That was the similar thought running through all four of their different minds.

Letting out mighty roars, the two Pokémon stampeded forward, their bodies being surrounded by the familiar glows for the third time today as the stadium shook from their heavy footsteps. Remo likewise was getting into it, stomping his feet in unison to Garchoo's rush forward, wanting to be one with his partner. Soon, the duo met in the center of the colosseum and collided, an explosion of greater magnitude than the previous one occurring. Both Pokémon were flown backwards by the sudden blast, neither moving a muscle as they both laid there defeated.

"Garchoo!" Remo called out in shock, jumping down into the field to stand next to his best friend, Dawn likewise climbing down to check up on Mamoswine. Both trainers knew right then that the match was a draw, especially since they both noticed their respective Pokémon had reverted to their normal forms.

"T-The match is officially a draw!" the referee declared, raising both of his flags up into the air, the crowd surprised by the sudden announcement. "Both Garchoo and Mamoswine are unable to battle, thus meaning this match is a double knockout leaving the final battle of the day to decide the entirety of this round!"

"Amazing! Folks, due to the draw between the two sides right here, the second battle will decide the entire round for both teams. So, whoever wins out of the two trainers battling next will secure a place into the final round for their team!" Freddy explained to the entire crowd.

Recalling Garchoo into his Poké Ball, Remo looked across the field to see Dawn caring for Mamoswine, the Twin Tusk Pokémon looking slightly down on himself for losing the match. Making his way over to her, the burly man let out a hearty laugh, shocking Dawn to the point of her jumping backwards.

"You did good, girly," he stated, extending a hand forward towards her, an act that shocked everyone in the entire stadium. Even Remo was surprised by his actions, but, he felt it was needed after that match. Nodding, Dawn took his hand, shaking it in agreement.

"You weren't that bad either, Remo. Too bad this wasn't a double battle, then I would have won easily with a few different combinations," she replied playfully, teasing Remo as the burly man took a step back in confusion, eliciting a laugh out of the Sinnoh native.

"Listen, anytime you want to prove that statement wrong, you know where I'll be," the man joked back, releasing his hand from the shake and making his way back to his team. Picking up his umbrella, Remo began to twirl it over his shoulder, feeling slightly exhausted from the entire match before plopping down onto his team's dugout.

"I lost, so let me have it," Remo stated, crossing his arms over his chest, ready for the duo to be shooting insults and statements of disappointment at him. However, what they did instead surprised him.

Placing a hand onto Remo's shoulder, Clemont appeared to be smiling at the older man, an act that caused Remo to flinch slightly from it. "We're a team, that means if one of us loses we'll pick him right up. Remo, I'll make sure we get to the finals and get a rematch with Team Victory. Your battle inspired me to give it my all against Ash."

"Listen, Clemont, don't go trying anything stupid out there. You are the brains of this team, I'm the brawn," Remo joked, getting a laugh out of the inventor before Clemont gave him a thumbs up.

"You just be ready to face Paul next round," Clemont assured his partners, turning towards the field, the colosseum being the same field for his and Ash's match.

" _Ash, here it is...the rematch I've been waiting for, but is it the right time? I don't feel ready yet, despite the training I've been through, I know you've been training just as much...if not more than myself. All I can wish for is to keep even with you today,"_ Clemont thought to himself, inching forward towards the field, the sight of Ash and his smile across from him becoming contagious.

* * *

"Sorry, guys, I guess we just mistimed that last attack," Dawn apologized, picking Piplup up into her arms before sitting down on the bench. "I'm just glad we hung around for as long as we did. If we didn't get that Ice Shard into Mamoswine, I don't think we could have lasted with someone like Remo."

"And Serperior on his own wouldn't have either, hence why I said only you and Mamoswine could take him on," Trip replied, looking over at the field, the burly man talking with his own teammates. "And to think, Clemont may be even stronger than him. Ash, are you ready to face him?"

"Clemont? For sure! Pikachu and I have been waiting all tournament for a chance to face him, we've been training just to face him since I know firsthand that's what he was doing prior to the tournament," Ash answered, raising a fist up in front of his face, shaking it enthusiastically. "Knowing Clemont, he probably has some strategy made up to counter us, don't you think so, Pikachu?"

"Pi, pikapi, cha..." Pikachu responded, nodding his head in agreement sagely. Ash could only chuckle at this; despite the tense atmosphere of the match, he was just looking for a fun match with Clemont. Though, this still wasn't the match he promised Clemont, whether the inventor knew that or not, Ash figured they were both going to see something amazing right here and now.

"Alright, here we go then," Ash stated, adjusting his hat before Pikachu leapt from his shoulder, the Electric Mouse Pokémon pumped for this match. The duo turned towards their teammates, casting a simultaneous thumbs up to them before walking towards the colosseum field.

" _Clemont, I know you've been waiting for this. So show me just how much you've improved as a trainer. I want to see all of your strength thrown at me, give me an even more thrilling experience than I had back during our Gym battle. Don't look at me as a friend, but just as another opponent blocking you from the finals,"_ Ash thought to himself, the crowd cheering as both trainers reached the field.

"Here it is, ladies and gentlemen! The final battle that'll decide everything! The winner of this will advance onto the final round thanks to the tie between Teams Mega and Strategy! This time, we have the reigning Kalos League Regional champion, Ash Ketchum! And his opponent, Clemont! If Remo was the brawn of Team Lightning, then Clemont is surely the brains, coming up with some quick strategies during his battles. Though Ash is no slouch when it comes to strategizing either, with some impressive matches under their belts this is shaping up to be an interesting final showdown!" Freddy cried out once more, both Ash and Clemont doing their best to drown out his voice and the crowds subsequent cheering.

"Well, Ash, here we are," Clemont stated, Ash thinking that the inventor was slightly nervous for this match. "It only took the entire tournament, but we're finally facing off against each other here. May the best trainer win."

"Clemont, I'm beyond excited for this battle, I've been looking forward to it all tournament. I can't wait to see just how much you've grown," Ash stated, Pikachu running out onto the field in a hurry. "But, just because we're friends doesn't mean I'll go easy on you at all. I still want to advance to the finals just as much as you do!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Ash! As far as I see it, you're not just my friend, but my toughest adversary in getting to the finals. It's going to take everything I know just to make it past you!" Clemont stated, pulling a Poké Ball out of his jumpsuit, the device glistening in the sunlight thanks to the retractable roof being opened today. "Bunnelby, I need your assistance!"

Tossing the device outward, Clemont waited until it opened, allowing his trusty partner to emerge on the field, the Normal-Type flexing his ears out of excitement. Looking first at Ash and Pikachu, Bunnelby appeared ready to get going, but first turned towards Clemont in anticipation.

"Bunnelby, this is going to be our hardest challenge yet. Let's put everything we've learned to the test and win this!" Clemont stated, Ash nodding at his friend's resolve to grow stronger, the thought of facing his friend making him antsy to start the match.

He didn't have to wait long however, as Clemont was already off and running, issuing Bunnelby to start off with a Dig attack, the Normal-Type drilling his way deep underground and forcing both Ash and Pikachu into an early defensive stance. The ground appeared to shake as Bunnelby excavated the entire area, making Ash unsure of just where he would strike, so instead of sitting back and waiting, he figured they would go on the offensive instead.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the ground, let's not give Bunnelby any time to plan for an attack!" Ash issued, swinging his left arm across his body before punching forward with his right fist.

"Pi chu!" the Electric-Type cried in agreement, his tail glowing white before hardening up. Jumping into the air, Pikachu strengthened his momentum and output of power by spinning in midair, his tail now the closest to the ground out of his entire body. Slamming the hardened tail into the ground, Pikachu and Ash watched as Bunnelby shot through the weakened surface, caught amongst the broken rubble before Pikachu leapt after his opponent.

"Hehehe, just as I expected of you, Ash," Clemont spoke, pushing his glasses up in a manner similar to the first time these two battled. Ash wondered just where Clemont was going with all of this, but he was soon answered when the Digging Pokémon caught Pikachu with his ears, the Iron Tail attack now useless.

"I knew if we used Dig to start the battle, then you would most likely counter with an Iron Tail just like in the Gym Battle, Ash, so I had to have a way to make you try and get in close with Bunnelby just for this to all work out."

"Nice try, Clemont, but this is just like the last two times we've faced off. Bunnelby now can't use his ears, he's practically defenseless to Pikachu! Use Electro Ball!" Ash quickly ordered, the electrical sphere glowing in his best friend's tail within moments.

"Are we?" Clemont asked, pointing his right index finger forward, a smirk crossing his face. "Bunnelby, toss him now! Up into the air and then use Mud-Shot!"

"Bunnel!" the Normal-Type muttered, flinging Pikachu high into the air before his ears stiffened up, muddy, circular balls forming within the gap between them. Within moments, the Mud-Shot was launched upwards towards the flailing Pikachu, giving him no time to react at all except for throwing his Electro Ball at the incoming attack.

The two long ranged attacks collided in midair, an explosion occurring as a wind gust kicked up from the two blasts meeting. A smoke cloud soon obscured Pikachu from sight, the Electric-Type now hidden in the smoke, but Clemont didn't worry and the fact it hadn't made Ash excited.

"Now, Bunnelby, get in there with Double Slap!" he quickly ordered, the Normal-Type rushing upwards into the sky, disappearing into the cloud of smoke just as Pikachu had. Within moments, the sudden sound of Pikachu crying out while a slapping noise could be heard surprised everyone in attendance only for the cheers to louden as Bunnelby and Pikachu emerged from the smoke, the former riding the latter down towards the ground.

With a quick landing, Bunnelby jumped off of Pikachu, landing back in front of Clemont before flexing his ears once more. Ash was impressed, the duo were much better than before, though it was going to take more than a quick striking strategy to take Pikachu down. Watching as his partner stood back up, Ash rubbed underneath his nose before chuckling.

"I see you've really studied us then," Ash responded, punching forward with his right fist, beginning his attack command right away. "Pikachu, Quick Attack and go right into a Thunderbolt attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out, sprinting right for Bunnelby as his body glowed white. The familiar trail of white light followed behind him, Pikachu's speed having increased since the last time Clemont faced them and it showed, Pikachu ramming into Bunnelby within moments of the command being issued before charging up the electrical current for his attack.

The Digging Pokémon skidded across the field, his body flailing about before using his ears to stop his momentum, slamming them into the ground and kicking up dirt, the perfect combo to stop the incoming Thunderbolt and give himself a moment to rest. The dust cloud soon dispersed, showing Pikachu charging right for him once more, a Quick Attack having been waiting for an opening to strike. Being rammed a second time, Bunnelby flew through the air this time, on a trajectory to strike one of the walls of the colosseum.

"Bunnelby, push off the all with your feet and go into a Dig attack!" Clemont issued, the Normal-Type nodding to the command. Using his powerful feet, Bunnelby landed against the wall before pushing off, using his new momentum to strengthen his drilling prowess and strike Pikachu on the return.

Pikachu was now the one skidding backwards before Bunnelby hid underground, using the time to recover his breath following the fast pace of their battle up to now. Breathing for what felt like the first time in minutes, Ash let out a light sigh, wiping a few drops of sweat from his forehead, Clemont doing the same.

Jabbing his tail into the ground, Pikachu slowed his skidding, bringing his entire body to a stop until finally he was standing still on all four legs, listening for Bunnelby's tunneling. The entire stadium sounded silent for the Electric-Type, Pikachu standing defensively as the ground shook lightly, a sign that Bunnelby was on the move once more.

"Now, Bunnelby, Wild Charge!" Clemont called out, first readjusting his glasses and then using the same hand to point forward at Ash and Pikachu. Ash's eyes began to dart around the field, Pikachu beginning to sprint around, hoping to confuse Bunnelby and make it difficult to land a blow. However, the thought didn't work, Bunnelby rocketing through the ground. His body covered in electricity proved to pack a slightly stronger punch, ramming Pikachu in the stomach and sending the little Electric Mouse Pokémon spiraling in the air before Bunnelby drilled his way back underground.

" _There has to be a way to stop Bunnelby's digging...yet, Clemont is expecting us to do that. But what if..."_ Ash thought to himself, Pikachu landing back onto the ground with a light thump, the Electric-Type getting right back up.

"Pi...pikapi," Pikachu muttered out loud, sweat forming on his forehead. Ash could tell that the constant attacks from Clemont and Bunnelby were tiring Pikachu out and he felt that sooner or later Pikachu would reach his limit if they didn't get the match under control.

"Pikachu, let's try something different," Ash whispered to his best friend, the Electric-Type nodding in agreement. Ash wasn't sure if this would work or not, but it was better than sitting back and waiting for Clemont to attack them. "Alright! Iron Tail on the ground, let's go!"

"Pi...ka!" Pikachu enthusiastically shouted out, the metallic tail forming once more and slamming into the rock floor, the colosseum shaking slightly from the impact. The ground cracked even more while Bunnelby shot out of the ground, slightly injured from the shockwaves. Rocks flew around the field, Pikachu shielding his eyes from the debris while trying to pay attention to Bunnelby. Watching the Digging Pokémon land across the field, Pikachu broke into a spring, Ash ordering the next command.

"Now get in close with a Quick Attack, but use Thunderbolt at the same time!"

Sprinting, the usual white glow from Pikachu's attack was replaced. In its place was a now golden glow, the effect of mixing Quick Attack with Thunderbolt being obvious, sparks bouncing off of him as he approached his target.

"Hehehe," Clemont began to laugh, the inventor tossing his arms to the side, a smile on his face. "Ash, I know what you have planned and I won't let you get close enough to Bunnelby to manage it. Creating an electrical imbalance between the rocks and Pikachu has caused them to now follow Pikachu and then be used against Bunnelby. But, I won't let that happen! Bunnelby, Mud-Shot on Pikachu!"

"Bunnel!" the Normal-Type shouted, his ears standing at attention before the familiar globs of dirt began to form. Launching them like a turret, Bunnelby appeared to have Pikachu retreating from the attack, the Electric-Type skidding to a stop before diving to his left, barely able to dodge the incoming attack. Ash however was deterred by the incoming barrage, pointing forward and issuing the next attack.

"Thunderbolt, now! Give it everything you've got Pikachu!"

Nodding, Pikachu stood still, focusing his electrical current up into his cheeks before jumping into the air, a few of the electrically charged rocks following him. "Pika...chuuuuu!" the Electric-Type soon cried out, his electrical overcharge spilling out onto the field, the large bolts of lightning shooting straight for Bunnelby. It wasn't the only thing heading for Bunnelby however, the rocks were now following the Thunderbolt, attracted to its electric current.

"Now close the distance with a Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Ash commanded, his best friend seeing just what he wanted to do. Landing on the nearest rock, Pikachu dashed across each of the falling pieces of debris, his body gaining a slight electrical charge as he did so. Crossing each rock, Pikachu's body seemed to change glow from white to a shade of yellow once more, a sight that shocked Clemont.

"Bunnelby, dodge the Thunderbolt and then be prepared for Pikachu!" Clemont called out, a slight sound of nervousness creeping into his voice. Leaping into the air, Bunnelby managed to dodge the electrical bolt easily, however, to his and Clemont's shock, Pikachu was already upon them, ramming his electrically charged body right into Bunnelby. The duo soon careened downwards, smashing into the field before both stood back up.

"Bunby," Bunnelby muttered, the Normal-Type flinching slightly as electricity circulated around his body, Pikachu using this time to slam an Iron Tail into him. Bunnelby skidded backwards a few feet before coming to a rest, the same electrical waves covering his body.

"Y-You're paralyzed, Bunnelby," Clemont muttered in shock, looking across the field to see Ash readjusting his hat, a light smile on his face. "But, when did they do that? I never saw them use Thunderbolt at all after their first one missed."

"It was the rocks," Ash stated, pointing towards first Pikachu and then the newly fallen rocks, freshly scattered around the field. "We knew that Bunnelby was too fast for us right now, so we needed a way to slow him down. Unfortunately, I knew that it would be near impossible to strike him with a Thunderbolt so by having Pikachu run at him with a Quick Attack while charging up his Thunderbolt, it would lead to the rocks being similarly charged as well."

"So the Thunderbolt was a distraction to draw us into a close quarters fight!" Clemont shouted, realizing that the Thunderbolt was never the intent of the attack, but to charge up Pikachu's body so that Static had a better chance of activating was. "And once Bunnelby was in the air, you saw an opening and struck with Pikachu's enhanced speed."

"Yep," Ash responded before tossing his right arm across his body and pointing it forward, the action causing a grin to form on Clemont's face. "And now, Pikachu, get in close with another Iron Tail!"

"Block it with Double Slap!" Clemont quickly issued, the Electric-Type bounding forward before Bunnelby could raise his ears into a defensive stance. Barely having any time at all, Bunnelby managed to block the first strike before getting slapped across the face with Pikachu's follow through and flew backwards, skidding for a bit before landing next to a rock. Both Bunnelby and the debris let off a spark of electricity, the sight of it giving Clemont an idea.

"You know, Ash. You're not the only trainer who can use an electrical current to their advantage," the young inventor explained, fixing his glasses for a moment, the sun shining off them once more. "There is a reason I'm an Electric-Type Gym Leader. Now allow me to show you! Bunnelby, use Wild Charge!"

Sprinting forward, Bunnelby passed by the remaining debris, sparks jumping from the rocks and onto Bunnelby's body as he moved. Soon, his entire body was encased in the electrical current, his Wild Charge growing larger than usual before ramming right through a few rocks, carrying their now small chunks in front of his body before slamming everything into Pikachu. Leaping backwards, Bunnelby soon felt pain from the attack, the recoil damage taking a toll on his fatigued body.

" _Clemont really is something else, able to use a paralysis to his advantage by having that small amount of electrical energy along with that stored in the rocks to power up his Wild Charge. I don't want this match to end, but the longer this goes on for, the more likely Clemont can come up with a plan. Better end it now,"_ Ash thought, letting out a laugh from his enjoyment. Clemont must have been thinking the same, for the inventor soon started to chuckle at the battle as well. Ash found it funny how they always had great battles, especially when it got down to the end, but he wasn't complaining, this was what he wanted. A full force battle with no holding back.

" _Clemont, only one of us can win and advance... So, no matter who wins here, no hard feelings between us. Let's give everything we have in these final moments and end this match in a way no one will ever forget"_

"Here we come, Clemont! You better be ready for this! Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash commanded, punching forward towards his opponents, his smile growing larger as he did so. Sweat ran down the side of his face, knowing full well that this next strike was going to decide the winner, both Ash and Pikachu were going to have to put everything they had left in them into this strike.

"Pika, pika, pika, pika, chu pi!" Pikachu shouted out, the familiar orb of electricity forming on his tail, the orb growing to a size Clemont had never seen it at before. With one quick flick of his tail, Pikachu launched the powerful orb forward, the attack ripping up the floor of the field, the rocks and debris being destroyed upon touch. Using this time, Pikachu scurried off and into one of Bunnelby's holes from his previous Dig attacks.

"Well, we're not going down without a fight, Ash! You should know that by now and we'll show you by taking a play from your book! Bunnelby, Mud-Shot on yourself! Cover your entire body with it!" Clemont called out, his breaths now heavily as fatigue began to set in on him. Pushing an open palm forward, Clemont let out a light laugh, Ash realizing that his friend was enjoying every second of this match.

Raising his ears, Bunnelby was quick to fire off the globs of dirt in rapid fire of each one, each and every drop of the mud landing on the Normal-Type, his body covered in the glistening glow of his attack. And it couldn't have come any sooner, for as soon as Bunnelby was finished, the Electro Ball smashed right into him, exploding.

Smoke covered the area for a moment, the crowd speechless as they awaited the outcome of the battle. And were they not disappointed. Standing triumphantly was Bunnelby, looking unharmed thanks to covering his body in mud before the strike. However, Pikachu was also missing leading everyone to wonder just where he went off to. Before anyone could even try to formulate an answer to Pikachu's whereabouts, the ground began to crack beneath Bunnelby's feet.

"Huh!? Wha-What's happening!?" Clemont cried out in confusion, Bunnelby just as confused as his trainer, both of them wondering just what was happening. However, Clemont was soon able to realize it, but at too late a time.

"Bunnelby, prepare yourself, it's Pikachu!"

"Now! Give him a nice Iron Tail, Pikachu!" Ash shouted, punching his fist forward once more, the wind from his punch casting a light breeze through the field, Clemont feeling it hit his face.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out happily, his tail erupting through the ground and striking Bunnelby across his face. The strike caused a loud smacking noise to ring through the stadium, Bunnelby rocketing up towards the sky. Pikachu leapt after the Digging Pokémon, a grin on his face as his tail remained metallic. Once even with his opponent, Pikachu spun around quickly, generating enough energy before slamming his tail down onto Bunnelby's head, the Normal-Type careening down into the field.

Landing hard on the ground, Bunnelby created a small crater, everyone shocked to see the match finally coming to an end, the Normal-Type laying there motionless. Pikachu soon landed on the ground softly, waiting for the call to be made or for Bunnelby to stand back up, whichever was first. Though Ash would prefer for the match to end, both himself and Pikachu were physically and mentally drained from the battle.

"Bunnelby is unable to battle! And that means Pikachu is the winner, giving the round to Team Champions and clinching the final spot in the championship round to them! After a short intervention, we will have the final round prepared, so all please stay!" the referee declared, the standings being updated to show Teams Victory and Champions at the top, ready to face off against each other.

"W-We did it, Pikachu," Ash huffed out, dropping onto his rear end before Pikachu ran over to him, jumping onto him in celebration. After everything this tournament had sent them through, the duo were finally having their chance against Paul once again. And just like last time, they were ready to win.

"Congratulations, Ash," Clemont spoke to his friend from across the field, quickly calling Bunnelby back into his Poké Ball for a well deserved rest. "I honestly wasn't expecting that Iron Tail from under the ground since Pikachu put so much energy into the Electro Ball."

"Hehehe, yeah, I figured that attacking you head on wouldn't work out well so it was more of a distraction than anything else. Pikachu and I just know each other so well that we didn't even need to speak to get the message across," Ash replied, smiling while standing back up. His legs almost gave out on him, but he managed to keep his balance before rubbing the back of his head. "Though, there were a few times I didn't think we had much of a chance. Especially when you first used Dig to draw us into a fight."

"Oh, that...th-that was nothing really," Clemont spoke, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. Ash had to admit, Clemont was a great battler, but it almost seemed like he was someone different while in battle, much more confident and calmer. "I just figured that it was your most likely reaction to a Dig attack and used it as a basis for my plan. Which, luckily it worked out."

"Though, Ash," Clemont spoke once more, a slight frown on his face. Ash was worried that perhaps his friend was disappointed in losing, especially with how close he had been to not only winning, but advancing onto the final round. Though those thoughts were immediately wiped from his mind once the frown turned into a full on smile.

"Go win the finals! Show everyone here just why you won the Kalos League's Conference."

"Right," Ash responded, turning back towards his team's dugout, ready to relax for a few moments before they planned anything else for the final round.

"All right everyone! You better be excited for this next round because it'll be starting in no time at all!" Freddy cried out happily, the crowd roaring in approval. "The two teams will be battling in a best of three matchup with the first side to win two matches will win the entire tournament."

"Actually, I would like a request before that gets started," a new voice spoke, gaining everyone's attention. Turning their heads up to the booth, everyone (Freddy O'Martian included) were surprised to see a second individual up in the booth.

* * *

"Everything is ready to go sir," a voice spoke over a communication device, Giovanni nodding in agreement as he placed it away. Looking up at the stadium before him, Giovanni smirked as he heard the crowd's loud roars at whatever was happening inside. All of them were unaware of what was to happen next.

"Hmph...these foolish people, unaware of the fact they're about to be enslaved by Team Rocket. The weapon has been set up on Prism Tower, easy with no one there to guard it and we're wired right into the city's power supply, allowing us as much energy as we need," Giovanni spoke, looking back towards the tower, the small shape of their weapon barely visible off in the distance.

"Though, we can't begin the festivities without our special guest. I wouldn't want him to crash the party before we begin," the leader spoke once more, fixing his suit before entering the stadium. To think, that he could walk through the streets of a region unknown to its citizens, but this tournament allowed him to do everything in the shadows. Whoever came up with the idea of such a ridiculous concept would have to be thanked by the leader himself.

Making his way to the announcer's booth to make his grand appearance, Giovanni watched as the annoyance's Pikachu managed to take out the city's Gym Leader's Bunnelby (or so he was told that's what it was). Grunting, he assumed that the Ketchum boy would win, but the struggle he went through annoyed the Team Rocket leader, how could a boy who bested him in Unova struggle with a common Gym Leader? The thought made him angered at just how lucky Ketchum had gotten back then. Oh, how he would have been destroyed if Giovanni himself wasn't possessed by the Reveal Glass. And that was why he was here now.

"Best to pick up the rubbish early before it becomes a nuisance," he muttered, placing his hands into his suit's pockets, Giovanni strolled on, walking up a set of stairs once more, catching a glimpse of Jessie, James and Meowth selling items to unaware fans. However, that wasn't his desire here, it was to dispose of Ash Ketchum before the boy could cause him any more annoyance than he had. The fact that Attila and Hun were unable to bring him in just added to the reason that the boy had to be disposed of prior to the events of their takeover.

"All right everyone! You better be excited for this next round because it'll be starting in no time at all!" Freddy cried out happily, the crowd roaring in approval. Giovanni merely smirked at the announcement, the fact no one noticed as he made his way to the booth made the situation even more promising. "The two teams will be battling in a best of three matchup with the first side to win two matches will win the entire tournament."

Opening the door, Giovanni slowly made his way over to one of the microphones and lifted it to his mouth. A slight static sound filled the stadium for less than a second before his voice rang through the area. "Actually, I would like a request before that gets started," he spoke up, grinning at the shocked audience, all of them to absorbed in the previous match to see the man enter the booth.

"It isn't much of a request, just a battle. I would like to see your true strength in person, Ash Ketchum," the Team Rocket leader continued on, letting out an intimidating chuckle as he watched Ash clinch his fists in anger. How he wanted to see the boy squirm beneath him before succumbing to a painful and drawn out demise.

"And what if I choose to deny the request?" Ash called out, using the referee microphone so that he could be heard up in the booth. Giovanni raised an eyeball at the reply, almost hoping that the question would be asked for he touched his ear and muttered a few words into his sleeve.

"Why, just this," he spoke, the entire area shaking before what felt like an earthquake struck the area. Pulling out a slight remote, Giovanni pressed a button on it, changing the screens in the stadium to show images from outside, only...it looked different to everyone.

Buildings appeared damaged, roads were ripped up and it appeared as if some parts of Lumiose City had been struck by a laser of some sorts. Noticing the shock in everyone, Giovanni smirked, raising his sleeve back up and speaking into the tiny communicator. Within a few seconds, a bright red and orange light filled the screen as a laser aimed from the top of Prism Tower launched off, ripping up the ground and destroying buildings; completely decimating them upon impact. Rubble fell around the town as citizens in the area broke into sprints, hoping to avoid whatever was occurring.

"That is what would happen Mr. Ketchum. I hold this city at gunpoint thanks to this little tournament of yours. With it, I was able to take over Prism Tower while also installing an upgrade. I believe the history books refer to it as 'The Ultimate Weapon' if I'm not mistaken. It isn't the same one, but with the best Rocket Scientists we were able to recreate a model that was just as powerful and destructive," Giovanni explained, changing the camera to one stationed outside of Prism Tower. Just as he stated, there stood the large weapon perched on top of the tower. It appeared to be cooling down now, a sign that it wouldn't fire for a little while, but only Giovanni himself knew for sure what its capabilities were.

"Do you still deny my request? If so, destruction will rain down upon not just this city, but the entire region of Kalos. And the next target will be this stadium," the leader spoke with nothing but truth in his voice. Looking down at the boy who had caused him so much annoyance in the past few years, Giovanni smirked. For once, he was the one in command, the one calling the shots. Ash Ketchum had no choice but to agree to the demands since Giovanni knew he would never bring harm to his friends.

Watching for a reaction, Giovanni's grin grew larger upon seeing Ketchum shake his head in agreement. It was an easy call for both of them and he was glad they were so cooperating with his demands. It wasn't much, he just wanted a simple battle. Pressing a button on his sleeve collar, a helicopter began to descend into the stadium, flying right through the roof and landing where the field had been moments prior.

"Please, get into the helicopter, it'll be your ride to our battle. Though, to make sure no one leaves until we're finished, I've brought some much needed security," he spoke, dozens of Team Rocket Grunts jumping out of the stands or just rappelling down into the stadium, the actions shocking the fans and the newly gathered trainers down on the field.

"Ash..." Clemont spoke, looking over towards the young boy, a look of determination setting in on Ash's face.

"I'll be just fine, Clemont, just protect everyone else," he replied a smile on his face while moving towards the helicopter, Pikachu panting on his shoulder. Giovanni could tell he was exhausted from the previous fight and so that allowed him the greatest chance to defeat him now. Stepping into the helicopter, the breeze created from the whirling blades was felt throughout the entire stadium, every single person in attendance holding their breath out of fear.

"I'll be back in no time at all. After we beat him for the last time, then we can finish the tournament," Ash reassured his friend, catching a glimpse of the other competing trainers who had gathered down on the field. Flashing a quick thumbs up to reassure them, Ash was flown out of the stadium without another word, the helicopter only stopping to pick Giovanni up from the announcer's booth; the leader jumping into the helicopter with ease, his smile giving Ash an unwelcomed feeling.

"I'm glad you agreed to this battle, Mr. Ketchum. It would be a shame what would have happened to your friends if you didn't agree. Especially to a certain girl, my cameras have picked up on what may be a budding relationship between you two."

"Don't even think about touching Serena. Or anyone for that matter," the Kanto native responded, the tone in his voice making even a Seviper seem harmless by comparison. Giovanni seemed to notice this as well, smiling at the sight before him.

"So it appears your major weakness is the girl. Or perhaps just your friends in general. Either way, I've been looking forward to this battle. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well, it should be a blast," Giovanni spoke, the helicopter approaching Prism Tower in the distance, Ash able to see the weapon clearly now and the destruction it caused. He was shocked to see just how worse the situation seemed. What the cameras didn't pick up was the entire scene. Rocket Grunts roamed the streets, herding up any citizens while the laser had decimated everything. Not even the concrete base for the buildings were left.

"Yes, use your anger to fuel yourself. Honestly, you could make a great member of Team Rocket if you ever changed your values in life," Giovanni spoke once more, smiling at the anger on the boy's face. The way his eyes looked ready to pierce through Giovanni, the way his hands clinched into a ball so that it seemed they were now bleeding. Just the boy's body language alone showed his anger and the Rocket leader loved every last bit of it.

"I have no intention of joining you. Your entire organization is a disgrace, using Pokémon as tools for world domination," Ash spoke, the helicopter landing down onto the platform. Getting out slowly, Giovanni waited for his "companion" to get out after him before leading him to the edge of the tower, the duo standing next to Giovanni's prized weapon.

"I think it's time to get this match started. I'll allow you to use all Pokémon in your possession while I, myself, stick to just one," Giovanni explained, smirking at his opponent the moment Ash called out all five of his Pokémon. Standing across from Giovanni were four Pokémon he had never heard of and the boy's Pikachu. Smiling, he spoke once more.

"You can come out now."

"Yes, master," a familiar voice spoke, Ash unsure of just why he seemed to know it. Listening to metallic steps, the boy soon found out as he witnessed just who he would be battling. Shocked at seeing a friend in such a condition.

"M-Mewtwo!?"

* * *

 **And here we are with another chapter. And now the whole situation with Rocket begins to play out. Before anyone asks "you said that the tournament would be finished completely" I have this to say: I had to say that since the one thing I didn't want to mention anything about was this whole Rocket situation. So, hopefully you all understand.**

 **Not much else to say, but hopefully you all enjoyed the battles and Giovanni's surprise entrance there. I mean, destroying a portion of the city is kind of a flashy entrance for the man.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	61. Raid On the City

**Welcome back everyone! Last chapter saw the tournament move into its final match of the event, or would have if not for Giovanni and the rest of Team Rocket intervening to have Ash come with them.**

 **I don't really have anything else to mention so let's just get into the chapter**

 **Ch 61: Raid On the City**

* * *

"Is that the boss?" Jessie asked, hiding the hotdog she was currently eating instead of selling. She had her reasons for it; they had been hard at work all day and she deserved a nice break, though she didn't want to explain it to Giovanni. "Why would he be here of all places? Shouldn't he be getting our weapon ready to control all the Pokémon from this tournament?"

"Seems as if he has his own personal priorities right now," James replied, selling two sodas to a couple of kids. He was too preoccupied with his own doings at the time to really notice what was happening, a fact that Jessie wanted to smack him for.

"Well, if you worried less about selling food and more about the mission then maybe you would care about setting a good image for the boss!" Jessie shouted, practically ready to jump James and beat some sense into him.

"This comin' from you is a shocker, Jess," Meowth teased, letting out a light laughter at the sight of his two friends arguing. "You's usually da last one to be worryin' bout anythin'. Usually you's worry bout yourself more than anythin' else."

"Shut it, Meowth!" she chimed in, redirecting her fist right for the Normal-Type. With a quick smack to the face, Meowth shut right up, not willing to invoke Jessie's rage onto himself, especially while the boss was in attendance.

The three continued to argue slightly over why Giovanni would be there, ideas ranging from him wanting to reward them to possibly overthrowing the League ran through their minds, all of them to conceited with the thought of a raise to listen to anything their leader was saying.

"I can already see it, Giovanni is going to congratulate me for my wonderful leadership skills by making an announcement to the entire viewing audience," Jessie fantasized, picturing Giovanni calling her down to the field and having a grand ceremony, it even including her being named Kalos Queen.

However, the others were not as conceited as she was, feeling the shaking of the stadium caused by an unknown force. The after effect of the shaking, the feeling that the entire stadium was going to collapse causing James and Meowth to cower in fear.

"What is that obnoxious shaking? Meowth get it to stop immediately, it's ruining my daydream," she commanded at once, her two partners just looking at each other in confusion. She did know it was impossible to stop this? Right? Either way, the duo exchanged glances before hiding under the seats of the stadium.

"Jess, we can't stop somethin' we knows nothin' about," Meowth replied, the shaking appearing to stop as Jessie took another bite of her hotdog. "Or better yet, it's just cause your big stomach is hungry," he joked, getting out from under the seats, only to be met with a tray full of food to his face.

"Make one more joke, Meowth, and your mouth won't be the only part of you cracking!" Jessie cried out angrily, raising a fist in front of her friend, shaking it in a rage. Her temper was going now and there was only one suitable way to extinguish it. Placing Meowth in a headlock, Jessie began to torment the Scratch Cat Pokémon while James tried to break them up, the three landing on the ground from what appeared to be an aftershock, Meowth's claws slipping and scratching Jessie across the face.

"Look what you did this time, Meowth! You ruined my gorgeous face! Now you're going to pay with your ninth life!"

"It ain't my fault your stomach is a rumblin'! Go chow down on all ours grub again why don't ya!

Sighing, James turned to look towards the screen, an image having caught his eye; an image they were not expecting at all. Sitting on top of Prism Tower was a weapon being manned by Team Rocket, but it wasn't _his_ weapon. It was something different and it caused the shaking and subsequent damage to the city that James was just noticing now. Ripping his two teammates apart, James managed to get the duo to look at the screen.

"I believe we found our dastardly device that's causing those seismic shakes," he explained, the duo just as confused as he was at the sight. It was supposed to be the weapon _they_ built (or rather James built and they watched), yet their machine didn't shoot lasers or destroy anything (to their knowledge) so this sight definitely confused them.

"Hey, what's wit da power packed particle gun? Da machine shouldn't be able to do dat. Just mind control da city's Pokémon population was da plan," Meowth stated scratching at his chin, worried that something may have gone wrong during the movement of the weapon and thus, Team Rocket had to go to a different plan.

"Well, whatever that hunk of junk is, where's our weapon! I spent a lot of hard time making sure it worked properly!" Jessie shouted, causing James to just look at her with a disappointed look on his face.

"You kicked it a few times and ate chocolate, Jessie. I spent all the time working on it," James moaned, only to be pulled by the straps on his outfit. Now face to face with Jessie, James could see the anger in her eyes, gulping slowly due to the fear she was causing him. He had only seen her a few times like this (more like all the time) yet this one looked the worse.

"You built it, but I made the plans, I supervised and I test ran it!" she stated, letting go of James. He was ready to argue how he had made the plans and how they never properly tested it outside of their first adventure with it, but he figured it would be best to just let it go.

"Stop your yappin'!" Meowth cried, slicing them both across the face before meeting a boot to his face. Getting back up, the Normal-Type pointed to how Ash was now in a helicopter with Giovanni, flying off to what appeared to look like Prism Tower, the trio now confused over today's events.

"The twerp and the boss? Just what is going on around here?" Jessie asked, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't sleeping at all. This entire day seemed to be getting stranger to her. Ripping off her disguise, Jessie revealed her white Team Rocket uniform while posing. "Well, no point in standing here! I say we go back to the base! Maybe we can see what's happening around here and what happened to our machine."

"But what about our snacks? We can't just leave them," James moaned, showing how they were still filled with supplies. Sighing, Jessie smacked the box out of her friend's hands, showing that now wasn't the time about it. Getting the message, James nodded before ripping off his disguise as well, a red rose in his hand.

"To da base!" Meowth joined in, pointing towards the exit. The three agents broke off into a sprint, catching the sight of Nick, the young boy having sold out of his supplies for the day.

"Hey, where are those guys headed? Maybe they ran out of supplies as well," Nick muttered, not realizing just what occurred outside of the arena. Placing his hands behind his head, the Johto native began to whistle before making his way out of the stadium thanks to no grunts being in his general area.

"Maybe this way I'll get paid as well. I just have to follow them all the way back to whatever this 'base' is."

* * *

"What did you do to Mewtwo, Giovanni!?" Ash asked, fists clenched at the sight of his friend's current predicament. Why would he do this to the being? How did Giovanni even find him in the first place? Mewtwo was hidden away in a forest, using his psychic powers to hide himself and his family from anyone else. Pikachu likewise seemed upset by this sight, cheeks flowing with electricity as he lowered himself into a stance. The Pallet Town native could feel the tension in the air, even if his Pokémon had only a brief meeting with the Psychic-Type, he could tell they were just as upset as he was. Yet, the sight that brought him the most anger was the stupid grin across Giovanni's face. The leader looked to have no remorse for Mewtwo's current situation at all and it sickened Ash.

"Nothing that went against his wishes," Giovanni explained, pointing out Mewtwo's new and improved metallic outer shell. "You see, we were once business partners before a falling out happened. But, thanks to a mutual understanding we've rekindled our working relationship. In return of his services, I gifted Mewtwo this metallic outfit that enhances his powers. It's a benefit for everyone. Especially me."

Looking across the tower, Ash may not have been able to see his face, but he felt that Mewtwo was in pain, something about the suit made him believe that it wasn't actually helping Mewtwo at all, but instead hindering him. Perhaps it was restricting his powers or even brain washing him. The possibilities were endless. A shock of electricity soon emerged from the suit, Ash wondering just what that could have been about. Deciding to ignore it for the time being, Ash issued his first commands, throwing his left index finger forward.

"Talonflame, use Brave Bird! Hawlucha, you use Karate Chop!"

The two flyers took off, Talonflame's body bursting into blue flames and spiraling across the sky while Hawlucha's forearms glowed white. Neither Pokémon made it close to their target, however, Mewtwo lifting his arm up and enclosing them within his Psychic attack. Ash was shocked to see how fast the Genetic Pokémon could move while encased in his armor. Talonflame and Hawlucha continued to struggle under the pressure, their bodies contorting to the attack before their bodies dropped the glow from their respective attacks, finally passing out from fatigue. Seeing this, Ash grit his teeth before recalling the duo back to their Poké Balls immediately. He hadn't expected them to be caught so easily, and the thought of his two faster Pokémon being caught easily frightened him. How were they going to attack if they couldn't even get close to their opponent?

" _Mewtwo...try to fight it! I know you're in there somewhere!"_ Ash thought to himself, unable to believe that Mewtwo willingly joined up with Team Rocket. Not after the events of their previous fight against the likes of Giovanni back in Johto. It didn't add up, he had to be controlled right now!

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Noivern, Boomburst!" Ash continued on, swinging his arm across his entire body before his two Pokémon attacked. Now wasn't the time to worry, he had to act fast and stay unpredictable. He had to find a way to rescue Mewtwo. To stop Giovanni. To disable that weapon. So many tasks and Ash knew he was the only one who could complete them.

"You honestly believe this will work?" Giovanni asked, watching as the annoying Electric-Type scampered across the rooftop while the boy's overgrown bat launched what appeared to be soundwaves at Mewtwo. Ash stared across the rooftop at the elder man, a scowl forming on his face while Giovanni spoke, the voice angering Ash. Crossing his arms, Giovanni closed his eyes slightly, looking almost bored to Ash, though the boy knew better than to think that. "Your weak attacks won't be able to damage Mewtwo at all, you're just wasting your time."

"Here, allow me to make it clearer as to why this is a waste of time," he continued to speak, Mewtwo raising a hand up to block the incoming Boomburst attack, the soundwaves bouncing off with ease, no harm happening to the Pokémon. Noivern appeared shocked to see his Boomburst was ineffective against Mewtwo before shaking it off and going in with a Dragon Claw attack.

"Enough games," Giovanni spoke once more, both Pikachu and Noivern being blown back before they could strike their intended target, Noivern's claws losing their green glow while Pikachu's tail softened up. Noivern appeared down for now, while Pikachu got back up slowly. Calling Noivern back into his capture device, Ash lowered himself, ready to fight Giovanni hand to hand if it came to it. The Team Rocket leader smirked however, pleased at the helplessness that Ash was in right now, the boy likewise knowing just how difficult this battle was and how it was now an even bigger uphill climb than before. "Mewtwo, let's show them your real power." Raising his suit's sleeves, Ash saw what looked to be a gem of sorts embedded into the cuff, the shape of it causing him to sweat more profusely. For Ash knew that it wasn't any ordinary gem, especially once Giovanni touched it.

"Mega Evolve," he spoke carelessly. Almost as if he knew the outcome was over before the match even got started. Mewtwo's body began to glow in a similar light to the Key Stone, the shape of not only Mewtwo but the armor as well changing. He appeared to become buffer, more rigid in shape until the transformation ended revealing the new Mewtwo.

"You could say I've named this 'Mega Mewtwo X' due to the shape his chest plate became. Granted, its name is simplistic in nature, Mega Mewtwo X is not someone you take lightly. Observe." Without issuing a command, Giovanni merely nodded at Mewtwo, the newly Mega Evolved Pokémon raising his hand before firing off a Shadow Ball. The attack shooting off faster than Ash could expect, crashing into Pikachu and exploding, the little Electric-Type flying backwards only to be saved from falling off Prism Tower by Greninja.

"Greninja, time to give it our all!" Ash shouted, the duo about to begin their transformation only for Ash to be unable to move his body. The link he usually felt between himself and Greninja wasn't there now. In fact, he couldn't even feel his own body! It was all going black before he knew what was happening, the last thing he saw being Greninja's worried expression, the Water and Dark-Type rushing over towards him before he lost his vision. Ash's body slunk across the roof, collapsing onto his stomach unaware of his surroundings.

"Gren! Greninja!" the Ninja Pokémon shouted, shaking Ash vigorously to try and wake him up. Unable to, he gently placed Pikachu down next to his trainer, noticing the blue glow from Mewtwo's hand, a large smirk crossing Giovanni's face. Greninja wasn't in the mood to play, Water Shuriken ready in both of his hands. There was no way he would allow this man to destroy all he cared for. He didn't allow it to happen when Team Flare tried and he wasn't going to now! Crouching low, the Ninja Pokémon readied himself mentally for the long battle ahead, taking deep breaths.

"Oh, did I make your trainer pass out? Perhaps he didn't stand a chance against me at all. I guess agreeing to this match was a big mistake," Giovanni spoke, Greninja crouching even lower and into a battle stance, hands ready to launch those Water Shuriken if needed. "You must be the boy's 'super powerful Pokémon' that I've heard of. How about an offer? Join Team Rocket and become one of the strongest in the entire world? You've already seen what my greatest scientists can do for Mewtwo. Imagine how powerful you'll become if you join us."

"Gren!" Greninja shouted, running across the top of the tower and throwing a Water Shuriken at Mewtwo. The water star crashed into the Psychic-Type, causing nothing but smoke to appear around the area, providing Greninja with ample coverage from being seen. Using his stealth, the Water and Dark-Type was able to move freely through the smoke, undetected by his opposition.

"You're just prolonging the inevitable, Mewtwo can't be beaten by anyone, especially not by some weak Water-Type!" Giovanni stated, Greninja slashing Mewtwo's armor with a Night Slash attack, his blade merely bouncing off of the metallic surface before being pushed back by a Shadow Ball. Pushing the pulsating energy ball up into the sky and away from his body, Greninja quickly used Double Team, surrounding the area in his clones. The situation making Giovanni frown.

"Mewtwo, just end this with a Psychic attack, I have to get this moving. Kalos won't conquer itself."

"Nin, gren, ninja nin!" Greninja and his copies stated, none of them ready to give in at all, the hundreds of them charging in with an Aerial Ace attack, slicing right through the waves caused by the Psychic attack. Giovanni was impressed (unaware of Greninja's Dark typing and immunity from Psychic-Type attacks) that a Pokémon could run right through Mewtwo's Psychic attack before kicking Mewtwo right in the chest, the Psychic-Type budging slightly, showing the first (albeit minimal) signs of pain.

"End it! Drain Punch!" Giovanni called for, delight in his voice. Mewtwo was able to easily distinguish the real Greninja thanks to his cybernetic upgrades, grabbing ahold of the Ninja Pokémon with one hand, the other glowing green as he pulled it backwards. Slamming it forward, the Psychic-Type released Greninja from his grip, the force of the attack slamming him into the side of Prism Tower and knocking him out.

"Hmph...he gave you more of a problem than he should have. Now help me get them tied up." Walking away, Giovanni paid little attention as Mewtwo used his Psychic attack to control the nearby ropes, tying up the three defeated beings laying there on the ground. Letting out a laugh, Giovanni felt that his plan was unstoppable. Not only did they have Mewtwo and this weapon on their side, they also had Ash Ketchum taken out of the action. The driving force for why all his plans ever failed was taken care of, there was no one left he had to worry about.

* * *

"Brains, what's happening here?" Remo asked, taking a step back as their team was being herded together with the other teams, their members just as confused by what was happening right now. Though little to his surprise, Silver and Nate were missing. He had a feeling there was something off about them, especially after Nate threw their match. Though, he was secretly hoping that Clemont had a plan out of the situation. All of these Rocket guys were giving him a bad feeling of what was to come.

"I'm not sure, Remo, but whatever it is, I don't like it one bit. It was almost as if they had every step of this planned out. As if they using the tournament as a guise to get away with this," the inventor replied. It didn't feel good at all. The way that Team Rocket had so carefully managed to overthrow his Gym and get to the roof of Prism Tower. Not to mention Giovanni seemed way too confident about facing Ash all alone. It almost seemed just like a trap, but Ash was forced into going, everyone is being practically held at gunpoint right now. Sighing, Clemont wiped his glasses off as he looked around.

"Everyone, listen closely," Clemont whispered, those nearest to him listening intently while the others struggled to listen. "I'm going to cause a distraction, gathering their attention. Once I do, make a run for the exit and get out of here. We need to find a way to get to Prism Tower to help Ash, I'm worried that this whole situation may be nothing more than a trap."

"Wait, Clemont does that mean..." Serena began to say, clasping the ribbon given to her by Ash. She didn't want to think of what danger Ash could currently be in, especially with them all unable to help him. It made her feel useless to be nothing more than (along with everyone in the stadium) a damsel in distress.

"Yes. Ash may be in some danger right now. Especially since Giovanni seemed way too happy to face him. Ash had no choice though, with us in the stadium he had to go. So, I'll cause a distraction, just Serena, if you find Bonnie protect her for me. Make sure nothing happens to her, I'm trusting you to guard her."

Wiping his glasses clean of his perspiration, Clemont was ready to rush forward, hand on his Poké Balls, but a clasp on his shoulder stopped him. The strength behind the clasp nearly caused the inventor to fall over, but he managed to catch his balance fast enough before planting his face into the concrete ground. Looking up, the inventor was surprised to see Remo holding him back, a slight grin on his face. "Listen, Clemont, you know this city better than anyone here. Get them out of here and to somewhere safe. I'll hold these chumps off. Besides, Garchoo and I are ready for round two. We need a good workout after that tie."

"Remo..." Clemont muttered, shocked to see the burly man doing something selfish (in a way) by taking them on. Though he was right, Clemont knew his own city like the back of his hand. If there was anyone who could get them somewhere safe it would be him. Though, he also couldn't bring himself to leave Remo behind, it was almost suicide for his teammate in this situation. Shaking his head, Clemont seemed ready to lose his calmness. "We can't just leave you here alone! They outnumber you greatly! Let me stay and help."

"No." It was simple and short, but it proved his point. Remo had no desire to drag anyone else in. Heck, Clemont wondered if the man felt that this was more or less his way to make up for his behavior during the tournament. "You can help by getting everyone else out of here. Now go!" he shouted, bounding forward as many grunts were surprised by his sudden rush. Lowering his shoulder into the crowd, Clemont flinched at the sound of what appeared to be a broken rib, Remo's body crashing into an unsuspecting grunt. Within a second, Garchoo appeared beside him, the duo tossing around the Grunts with ease, one flying right over Clemont and into the back wall. "Get going, Clemont! You don't have all day!" Remo shouted, Garchoo picking two grunts up with his claws, the sudden yelling making Clemont jump in shock, broken out of his trance.

"Everyone, make your way to the exits now! If we scatter off, then they won't be able to catch us!" Clemont called out, the group being forced to split into two smaller factions due to the fighting occurring down on the stadium. Leading a small group that consisted of himself, Alain, Trip, Serena, Janine, Wally, Alain, Brock and Dawn. It appeared that the other competitors escaped down the second exit, Clemont hoping they all make it out of there alright. Listening, he could make out the sounds of Garchoo roaring in excitement, causing Clemont to laugh slightly.

"O-O-Only Remo would laugh at a situation like this," Clemont wheezed out, leaning slightly against the wall. An explosion could be heard in the distance, smoke flowing into the hallway from the field, courtesy of Remo and Garchoo no doubt. Clemont paused a moment, wondering just how in the world the man would find this entire situation fun. However, he had little time to think, a shadow catching not only his attention, but Alain's as well.

"So it looks like the others are wit-" a voice began to speak, a cough filling the hallway before whoever it was could finish speaking. Jaw hinged open, Clemont was shocked to see Alain slamming Nate up against the wall. The boy having no doubt been the sudden shadow that caught their attention.

"You did this didn't you!?" Alain called, Clemont noticing Wally running off back towards Remo, not making a big deal out of it. Instead, he was more worried about what Alain would do to Nate, the boy not even fearing for his own safety despite Alain having him pinned up against the wall, the look in the older boy's eyes scaring Clemont. He had never seen Alain this upset before, but it came with good reason, they were just ambushed by Team Rocket and Nate was nowhere to be seen when it occurred. It made him a prime suspect in all of it.

"Listen, Alain, I should warn you that I know dozens of self-defense techniques. You're little pinning here isn't doing anything to me, if anything I'm just letting you do this to stroke your ego," Nate spoke, the tone in his voice void of all emotion. Almost as if he _had_ been expecting this situation. "Now, before I continue on, I request you put me down now. Otherwise Dewott may get a little hostile towards you. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

"I don't care what you say! You betrayed us by helping those guys attack us all!" Alain shouted, his grip growing tighter, Nate motioning for Dewott to move in towards Alain. Clemont, noticing this, stepped between the Water-Type and Alain, hoping to diffuse the situation before violence was needed. If this was as bad as he thought, Clemont knew they would need Alain perfectly fine. Charizard alone would make a big difference, but once Mega Evolved...Clemont could only think of how powerful the Flame Pokémon would become.

"A-Alain...per-perhaps you should just let him down," Clemont offered to say, everyone else in the hallway too shocked by their surroundings to even speak. It was as if a war had just broken out, one that had been planned with no one's prior knowledge except for a select few and they were still trying to process it all.

"Should I, Clemont?" Alain asked, his voice filled with anger, just the sound of it causing Clemont to step backwards from Alain. "Whatever he caused just put everyone we know and love in danger and you want me to put him down!? Professor Sycamore, your father, Bonnie...even Mairin. They're all in danger now and it's most likely because of him!"

"Gotta calm down there, Alain. And here I thought you were starting to control your emotions better," Nate spoke, Clemont flinching slightly from his worries. He wondered if Nate knew just what he was doing, pushing Alain's buttons like this. Especially how he seemed to be already on the brink of snapping with anger, Clemont felt this wasn't the best time to mess with the older boy. "Why do you think Professor Sycamore asked you to be here?"

The question shocked Alain, his muscles giving out in that moment and causing him to drop Nate before stepping backwards, hands shaking slightly from the thought. Landing on the ground with a light thud, Nate rubbed his rear end slowly before getting back up, his demeanor nothing like the boy who had hung out with them this past week. He seemed almost like a trained man on a mission. As if he had just been playing a role this entire week to get close to them and now he could reveal the truth.

"Yes, Alain, the professor knew all about this. Why do you think he wanted you to compete? Why did he offer to watch Bonnie and Mairin? Why do you think Blaziken Mask was involved? Both had an idea that something was coming as did I, but we didn't know of this magnitude. My sources miscalculated the scale of the attack and it cost us, Team Rocket now has control of the stadium and we're down a trainer already. The rest of us will have to regroup at a predetermined rendezvous."

Clemont had no clue how to react. The flirtatious scatterbrain was actually a genius. Or so he spoke like a master tactician now and it made him wonder if the boy had just thrown the majority of his matches after all. Remo's suspicions were now starting to make sense about the boy, Clemont feeling bad for not believing his teammate from the get-go. Though he was able to believe the situation, others weren't so easy. Both Trip and Janine looked distrusting of the boy while Serena and Brock seemed to trust him. They must have spent enough time with him during the week to tell he was telling the truth. Seeing this, the inventor made his way over to the two apprehensive trainers, putting a hand over their raised Poké Balls and shook his head. At this point, they had to just trust the boy, it was their best option to helping Ash.

"Now that you're all done trying to kill me, we need to move out. Team Rocket could be coming after us at any moment. I need to make sure you're all transported safely to our secret location. It's bad enough Remo is being left behind here," Nate spoke, throwing off his top jacket, Serena and Janine averting their eyes while Clemont felt his face heat up, only for it to cool down upon seeing the boy in what appeared to be a full body suit made of spandex.

" _For a moment there I thought he was stripping in front of us,"_ Clemont thought, letting out a relieved sigh. For a day filled with surprises, he did not want one like that. Watching Nate, the boy appeared to be leading them all in a direction out of the stadium undetected, but the inventor had other thoughts about the whole situation. Stopping in his tracks, the inventor nearly caused Serena to crash into his back.

"Clemont, is something the matter?" the Performer asked, a moment of fear entering her voice before she did her best to hide it away. Clemont knew Serena was strong, especially after the incident with Team Flare, but was all of this too much for some of them? He didn't have time to dwell on this situation however, the touch of her warm hand reaching her shoulder snapping him back to reality. "You're thinking of something. Aren't you?"

"Yes," he replied momentarily, still semi-caught in his thoughts. His brain was running a mile a minute inside his head, possible ideas ricocheting around in there. Finally finding one that seemed the most beneficial to everyone, Clemont let out a light sigh, almost to gather everyone's attention. It appeared to work even if it wasn't Clemont's plan to do so, the others' eyes on him now.

"Listen, you all go on ahead. I have some work I need to get done elsewhere that could be beneficial to everyone," he began, getting a slight stare from Nate, the boy no doubt not enjoying the thought of more of them splitting off. Though, Clemont wondered if the boy finally realized Wally ran off yet. Gulping, the inventor put one foot forward, placing all the courage he had inside of him into his next sentence.

"I'm going to the Lumiose Power Station located within the city. If my suspicion is right about that machine, it runs on the electricity supplied to the city from the Kalos Power Plant. If I can shut down the station that sends all power acquired from the power plant, then they won't be able to use that weapon of theirs. Even if it can only buy you a few minutes, it'll at least keep everyone safer. Without any power, they won't be able to hurt anyone on a mass scale like before."

Nate crossed his arms, almost as if he was in deep thought, the action leading Clemont to sweat once more, nervous that his idea was going to be shot down. However, by the looks of the others they seemed ready to back him up, Brock and Alain both standing across from Nate, matching his gaze. He was relieved to know someone was backing his idea. Looking back at Nate, the boy seemed to relent, throwing his arms behind his head and sighing.

"Clemont, I was honestly hoping you would lead a strike on Prism Tower since you know it the best, but if you feel like this Power Station you mentioned would be better, go ahead," Nate spoke, a light smile crossing his face. Letting out a chuckle, Clemont didn't know if the boy was starting to have a nervous breakdown. "I mean, it isn't like I can stop you after all. If you wanted to, you could just run right off and do it anyways."

"Thank you," Clemont replied, feeling out of breath due to the situation. He felt silly for thanking the boy, but for some reason it was more towards everyone gathered before him instead of Nate. It was his way of letting them all know they could trust him to shut down all of Lumiose City's electricity.

Raising a Poké Ball in his hand, the inventor opened the device up, the blue light fading away to reveal none other than Luxray, the Electric-Type looking around in confusion at the situation.

"Luxray, I need your assistance if you don't mind," Clemont began, Luxray merely licking Clemont's face to show his willingness to help his trainer. He was glad for that, since he doubted he could make it to the station fast enough on foot, and who knew if Manectric could carry him. Already knowing what was needed from him, Luxray lowered his body, allowing Clemont to climb up onto him with ease. "Thank you, Luxray. Now, let's get to that station!"

"Luxray!" the Gleam Eyes Pokémon roared out, electricity bristling through his fur before storming out the hallway and onto the streets. A few grunts were surprised by their sudden appearance, but Luxray took care of them easily with an Electric Terrain, shocking them into submission.

"Alright, Luxray, continue down this path for another half mile before taking a sharp left," Clemont spoke, a large shadow suddenly covering the duo despite the lack of objects able to make one.

"Should have expected you would be heading this way," a (welcomed) voice spoke out, Clemont looking above him to see what was creating the shadow. To his enjoyment, a Flygon was soaring above them, none other than Hugh riding on its back in the same direction. "I guess what they saw is right, 'great minds do think alike'. So, tell me, what's the fastest way to the power station then, Lumiose Gym Leader?"

"Just follow Luxray and I, we'll lead you there," he spoke back, both Pokémon picking up their pace, Luxray barreling over a few more grunts as they did so. "And you can call me, Clemont," he added in at the end, getting a nod of approval from the boy he quickly considered the closest thing to a rival for him.

* * *

This wasn't happening. There was no way this was all happening. Serena couldn't help but want to believe it was a dream, but she knew better than that. Especially after everything that happened with Team Flare; she knew this was real and even more dangerous than the previous time. That's what worried her.

Running down the streets of Lumiose (passing knocked out grunts as they did so), Serena wondered just what this was all for. Why were they chosen and for what purpose? Surely whoever Nate worked for had better options to choose from than them. Sure, she was slowly improving with her battling skills, but outside of Nate, Alain and Trip to a degree, they were not the strongest in battling skills. And she knew they couldn't even stand up to that Giovanni fellow.

" _Stop thinking like that!"_ she mentally screamed at herself, slapping her cheeks as she did so. Looking ahead, she saw the likes of the aforementioned boys leading the pack, with herself and Janine in the middle while Brock brought up the rear, wanting to help the injured citizens only for Nate to tell him now wasn't the time. Continuing down the streets, Serena caught a glimpse of the attacked city, the section that the weapon's laser hit having been decimated to nothing but ashes. It made her shiver in slight fear at the thought of being hit with it herself, how she knew no one would be able to survive a blast of that magnitude if buildings couldn't. That's when the thought of those trapped in the buildings when the laser struck entered her mind. The fact that Team Rocket could kill all those innocent people made her blood boil with rage, but before she could say anything, everyone in front of her were coming to a stop so she slowed herself.

"In here," Nate issued, opening the door to what looked like a normal apartment. Everyone rushed in, Serena slightly surprised (though she quickly felt silly for it) at seeing everyone else from the tournament sitting in there. The other half of competitors were sitting comfortably (or as comfortable as one could get in a war-ravaged city), most likely waiting for them.

"Took you long enough," Silver spoke, turning the lights off in the apartment before a projector turned on. The older trainer pointed directly to what looked like an image of Prism Tower on it, passageways to it being pinpointed out. "For those of you who don't realize it yet, this was all planned out in accordance by the League."

The way Silver spoke made Serena wonder if the boy had been against whatever the League decided upon and just how he knew all of this. However, her questions were soon answered by the ginger, Silver quickly switching to a new slide.

"Let's clear everything up now so that way we can get moving. My name is Silver, that's Nate. Those are the only real things you know about us from the tournament. A tournament that was prepared by the League and the G-Men to flush out Team Rocket like what's happening now."

"So we were nothing more than bait for all of you," Paul spoke, Serena able to tell the boy was frustrated by the entire situation. She couldn't blame him though. The fact the League was willing to risk so many lives to take Team Rocket down left a sour taste in her mouth. "And to get us to come, you created a fake tournament that had an incredible legacy to draw out trainers from all parts of the globe."

"Partially," Nate stepped in, hands behind his back. "For those who don't know, Lance, the Champion of Kanto and Johto is also a member and a high-ranking member of the G-Men. With his approval, the League okayed the premise of a tournament in a way to bring strong trainers to one central location to help fight if Team Rocket played their hand. And so, using the Pokémon World Tournament as the basis for this was the idea, changing the rules to have it be teams of three to gather more trainers here."

"Granted I felt the idea was stupid, though the League went with it. Though, I feel their judgement is wrong, especially if you look at today," Silver spoke, Nate elbowing him slightly. The sight made Serena wonder if they were partners working for the League. "I'm part of the G-Men if that wasn't obvious. Though, I don't exactly see eye to eye with them on a lot of their principals. Nate here is part of the International Police,"

"The International Police? As in the same group that Looker was a part of?" Brock asked, slightly shocked by the revelation. Serena wished she knew what was the big deal about the news, but the sudden shockwave from fighting outside made her lose her train of thought, grabbing ahold of the wall to keep her balance.

"The very same," Nate replied to the doctor's question, waving it off as unimportant. "Anyways, to get to our point. There are three pathways to get to Prism Tower, the location of where not only Giovanni, but the Ultimate Weapon are currently located. Our job is to reach the tower and destroy the machine, Silver and I both trained in dismantling the atrocity. However, heading in one path is asking to be picked off by the many admins and grunts that litter the streets. Even with the G-Men clearing the streets it's still too dangerous to rush in."

"Then split it up into three groups," Trip spoke, almost bored with the entire situation. If Serena didn't know better, she would have thought the boy too was a part of this little group that Nate and Silver formed.

"And why should we?" Paul asked, looking over the couch he was currently sitting on. "Why is it our responsibility to clean up whatever mess the League causes? This was their choice to create this problem, let them solve it on their own. I didn't sign up for all of this."

"But what about everyone you care for?" Serena asked, unable to hold back any longer in this conversation. She just couldn't believe that Paul had no intention of helping at all. "Obviously none of us signed up for this either, but no one here is against helping. Look at Clemont, he's racing to get the power to the city shut off. And Remo and Wally, the two of them are fighting those Team Rocket members back at the stadium. None of them have signed up for it, but it's our duty to this world to at least help it!"

"Your Ketchum's girlfriend right?" Paul asked bluntly, the question not even fazing Serena at the moment. She was too worried about everything happening in the city to listen to one person. "Because you seem to talk just like him. So, I'll make it quick for you; I'm not worried about anyone since everyone I know can take care of themselves. Take Ash for example, he's probably just about to finish off that Giovanni guy as we speak. So why should we all be dragged into it?"

As if to prove his point correct, Paul made his way over to the small television in the room, turning it on only to be shocked by the contents shown on the screen. Everyone looked shocked to see Giovanni standing over the tied up body of Ash, even Paul having to take a double look at the screen.

Serena felt her heart stop a moment, shocked to see Ash in such a situation. Though, she had little time to think for herself, as Giovanni soon spoke to the news helicopters that were circling Prism Tower. "People of Kalos, it is futile to struggle against me. Laying before you is your hero, defeated like a puny insect, no match for myself. If you are willing to submit to your demise, it'll be painless for all of you."

With a click of a button, Paul turned the television off. Serena could tell he was proven wrong in his previous statement, a look that was one part anger and one part shock mixed together on his face. She wished she knew more about the boy so that she could understand just what he was going through from that sight, only able to hear him mumbling to himself.

"Alright, I'll help, but only because he's an idiot and got himself captured," Paul answered, crossing his arms across his chest in anger. Serena couldn't help but let a light smile cross her face from Paul's response to seeing Ash beaten. Despite her fear for his wellbeing, Serena was glad to see that even Paul cared for her boyfriend. Or rather, future boyfriend.

Seeing the others staring at him, Paul grew frustrated, taking his anger out on the nearest person to him. Unfortunately for Trip, that happened to be him, the Sinnoh native pointing right at him. "You mentioned splitting up. Well, get to it and finish your point then. The sooner we stop these guys, the sooner the tournament can finish and then I can get out of here."

Slightly shocked from the sudden outburst, Trip wiped drops of sweat from his forehead before sighing. Once calm, he pointed to the projected slide, an aerial view of the city showing off the quickest routes possible. "Well, there are three routes through the city. Right?"

"Well, technically two through the city and one under the city," Silver explained, getting a questioning glance from everyone. "There are tunnels that run under the city here, where you can get to any section of Lumiose that you want to. So, our original plan was to travel through the underground tunnel to reach Prism Tower and then fight our way through there."

"Well, how's this sound," Trip began, pushing off of the wall he had been leaning on. Serena stared at the boy with interest, curious to see just what he would come up with in such a short amount of time. "You mentioned how you two know how to stop the machine overall. Well, we split into three groups. One is meant to go rescue Ash from his current situation while the other two each have one of you two with them. Whoever are in those two groups will be tasked with getting you to the tower safely. Sound good?"

"Yes," Nate replied, Serena wondering just how they would all split up. However, she knew just what group she would be heading in.

"I'm going to save Ash!" she cried out, no surprise to the group gathered before her. Though they had never announced their relationship to anyone, Serena had a feeling that a few of their fellow competitors knew something was up between them. "It's just...I feel that it's the best way for me to be useful."

"Well, just make sure you bring your boyfriend back safely," Dawn teased, placing a hand on Serena's shoulder, the two girls sharing a smile before Dawn leaned in close to her. "I never thought of Ash to finally get himself a girlfriend, he is pretty dense. After the tournament I'll have to tell him not to mess it up with you. He's got to treat you right."

This time Serena felt her face heating up. She didn't want people talking about their (hopefully) soon to be relationship. Sighing in slight annoyance, Serena caught the cheerful look on Dawn's face and realized the girl was merely playing around with her. Nodding in agreement with Dawn, the two girls clasped hands before Serena stepped forward.

"I'll go through the underground tunnel with three others. Dawn, Brock, if you two would come with me that would be appreciated. You two may be the most helpful in this situation," Serena explained, pushing away any thoughts of nervousness forming from all the staring eyes. She just had to remind herself that there were more eyes watching when she performed, this was nothing. "Now, I just need one more person to come with us."

"I'll go," a voice called out, one that Serena had nearly forgotten about due to being silent the entire time. Looking across the room, Serena smiled at the sight of Sawyer making his way to the front, a slight sketch of the underground tunnel on one of his notebook's pages. "Ash helped me out when I first came to Kalos. The least I can do to return the favor is by coming to rescue him. I may not be the strongest here, or know Ash the longest, but at least I know how he thinks and can put that to use in saving him."

"Alright, alright, we get it, you four will be rescuing Ash, though it doesn't solve the rest of us. We still need to figure out the rest. And the sooner the better, especially since who knows how much longer we have in here before some random Team Rocket member comes looking for us," Silver spoke, rushing along the conversations just to get going. Serena could tell he was nervous over something, but it wasn't himself. More like someone else he cared about.

"Does it really matter who goes in what groups?" Paul asked, annoyed that he was now dragged into all of this. With a wave of his hand, he came up with the solution. "Alain, Janine and Trip will go with Nate while Astrid, myself and Gary go with Silver. There, we're all set."

Serena silently wondered just why Paul would pick the groups as such, it would have been wiser to separate himself and Astrid since they were arguably two of the strongest there. And along with Gary, Silver's group was much stronger than Nate's.

"Those groups seem to be pretty balanced," Sawyer spoke, watching as the three groups formed. "From what I've seen in the tournament, Nate's group seems the most balanced thanks to Alain's power, Janine's stealth and Trip's strategies. Though, Silver's group isn't weak either, Especially with Paul, Astrid and Gary all with him."

Serena just stared at the boy, her facial expression a mix of "how did you come up with that" and "thank you for explaining it to me", though the Hoenn native hardly noticed. Instead, he slammed his notebook shut as Nate shut the projector off, no doubt ready to move out. Serena wondered if they were really the best choice to do this however, surely there were better trainers than them.

"Listen, I know it wasn't your intention to be taking part in all of this. I had hoped this would be avoided but it wasn't due to the G-Men and their protocol. Please, be careful out there..." Silver began to say, showing a side to him that no one had seen. It was strange seeing a caring Silver, though Serena was glad he was much more than just a one-track guy who only had plans to complete his "mission". "Be careful, we don't know what Giovanni has planned and remember, we need to make it to the top of that tower. The entire world's fate is resting in our hands. Serena, I trust you to save Ash."

"You can count on us," she quickly replied, Brock nodding behind her while Dawn lifted Piplup up off of the floor. Serena had forgotten about the little Water-Type, Piplup having remained silent since they first escaped from the stadium.

"It's best if we get going now. I made a quick sketch of the map Silver and Nate had on the projector. That way we'll know which way to go," Sawyer explained, gently tapping his notebook, the object resting easily in his shirt pocket. Serena knew the boy had tossed it aside earlier today, but she wondered just how he would react if he were to lose it permanently. She remembered him freaking out the first time he lost it, even if it was for a few moments, so how would he act to losing it forever? The Performer hoped to never know the answer.

"So, Sawyer, where's the closest entrance to those underground tunnels?" Brock asked, the three groups making their way outside. By this point, the sun was now beginning to set, casting what would be on any other day a beautiful sunset. But for today, the orange and res cast an image of destruction on the city. One that the groups hoped to stop with all their might.

Leading them over towards the manhole cover, Sawyer lifted it, revealing a small ladder that led down into the tunnel. Waving goodbye to the other groups, the four wondered just what would be down there.

"I think Serena and I should go first," Dawn offered, getting confused looks from Sawyer and Brock at first, Serena suddenly realizing why the Coordinator made the offer, her face heating up from embarrassment. How embarrassing it would have been for either Sawyer or Brock to go before her. Luckily that wouldn't be the case. "Boys..." Dawn muttered at the fact that they hadn't figured her reasoning out before descending down into the tunnel, Serena climbing down next.

"I wonder how far away Prism Tower would be from where we are," Serena muttered, her feet clanking against the metal steps that made up the ladder. Each clank installing in her a new sense of confidence. She had felt useless against Team Flare, but that wasn't going to happen again, not now. She had to rescue Ash and help the others!

"Roughly five and a half miles I would say through the tunnel," Sawyer responded, his voice echoing inside of the small ladder hatch. Nodding her head, Serena felt her feet touch down onto the ground, her boots landing in a small puddle of water, the liquid splashing the bottom of her red vest. "With this path, we can head straight to the tower instead of weaving through the city. Plus, this way we don't have to worry about any traffic, not that there would be much if any today."

"So we may beat the others to the tower then," Brock mused, rubbing the bottom of his chin. Though, Serena had to admit, it all seemed way too easy right now. It was almost as if they had wanted them to enter the tunnels like this. Just to lower their guards.

"I...I wouldn't get so excited just yet, Brock," Serena muttered, feeling as though someone was watching them. The sound of wings flapped in the background, Serena turning to see a flock of Noibat flying away from their group, a small group of Rattata scurrying along the floor as well. "It just feels like this is going too easy."

Then it all changed. Just as her worst fears were realized, Serena knew they were being watched. A loud explosion filled the hallway, the end of the tunnel caving in on them to prevent an escape while the walls slowly crumbled away, causing a cave in on the four trainers. The group did their best to scurry down the hallway and out of harm's way, but the falling debris was too fast, separating them from each other.

"Heh, teaches them to mess with Giovanni," a rough voice spoke, his freakishly large body moving as he laughed. "Now they have to worry about escaping this. Though, they may not like what's to come," the voice stated once more, his huge hands caressing a Shuckle. The man vanished back into the tunnel, disappearing just as quickly as he appeared, having to prepare for his coming guests.

* * *

 **And they're off. Now, this chapter may have felt like a lot of talking, well, I did need to drop the whole "shocker" (it isn't really) that the tournament was just a plot to lure Team Rocket out (which it did) along with some of their reactions. Not to mention splitting them up into their groups for obvious reasons that'll become clear down the road.**

 **Now, if anyone has questions for the final groups they go as follows:**

 **Ash Retrieval Squad (ARS): Serena, Dawn, Brock, Sawyer**

 **Nate's Squad (NS): Nate, Alain, Janine, Trip**

 **Silver's Squad (SS): Silver, Paul, Astrid, Gary**

 **Though, we still have a way's to go, with this just starting, but I'm hoping you'll all enjoy the ride these next chapters take you all on. I'm hoping to surprise some of you with just what is to come.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	62. Knock Out Evil Tusks

**Welcome back everyone! Last time we left off, things finally happened with the contestants learning the truth about the tournament. Not all of them were thrilled by the revelation (and for good reasons) but they're now off and ready to stop Team Rocket. But, the next few chapters will be following a different group. Enjoy**

 **Ch 62: Knock Out Evil Tusks**

* * *

"Yeah! Let's do this Garchoo!" Remo shouted in joy, the duo throwing grunts left and right across the stadium with ease. The battle definitely wasn't much of a struggle for the two of them, having cleared out the majority of the remaining grunts, leaving only a few who were dumb enough to actually stay and challenge his might. Letting out a wild roar, Garchoo agreed with his trainer's statement, the Mega Evolved Pokémon tossing grunts into the walls and some even flew over the edge of the stadium floor, falling down into the bottom of the stadium.

"Though, I kind of want a little challenge for a good training situation. Being this good isn't fun."

"You should be careful what you wish for punk," a new voice called out, a Poké Ball opening up as a male stood across from Remo. A Mamoswine emerging with a loud thud, the emergence causing a grin on Remo's face. "The name is Carl, though, I doubt you'll remember it since you'll be dead soon. Mamoswine, Ancient Power!"

"Garchoo use Dragon Claw to slice up that overgrown rock!" Remo countered, punching forward, his umbrella spinning in his free hand. With one roar, Garchoo's claws glowed green, the sickle like shape helping him prepare for the incoming attack. Without much of a notice, Mamoswine fired off his attack, the brown and silver orb having formed a larger size than Remo expected. However, the burly man knew Garchoo could handle it easily. And just as he thought, Garchoo managed to slice right through that pile of junk with ease.

"Like a knife through butter! You'll have to do better," Remo taunted, calling for this Carl guy to come after him. However, Garchoo was instead struck from behind, a Water Pulse attack soaking his entire body as Remo tried to pinpoint the attack. "Hey! Come out of hiding you loser! Quit being so scared!"

"My, Carl, you found an energetic one," a feminine voice spoke, a female landing on the field alongside a Slowking. "Allow me to introduce myself, fool. My name is Sham and my partner and I will give you one chance to back down quietly. Otherwise we will not be afraid to dispose of you in any means necessary."

"Listen, lady, I've been told I'm not the greatest listener. So if you could take whatever you're trying to say to me and shove it somewhere else, that would be appreciated. Because last I checked, it was your loser organization that crashed the tournament, not me," Remo shot back, causing Sham to glare at him in hostility from the comments. "Come on, are we going to battle or will you two just stand there like some old people?"

"Carl, we'll teach him to mess with us! Slowking, use your Water Pulse attack once more!" Sham called for, her partner lifting his two hands up towards his chest, a sphere of water forming rather quickly before pushing right at Garchoo. The Mach Pokémon wasn't worried however, instead, he slashed right through it with another Dragon Claw, water soaking the nearby area.

"I guess strategy isn't your forte, there big, buff and stupid," Carl remarked, Remo merely glaring at the man who questioned his battling style. The burly man couldn't care less if people thought he were stupid, but the one thing you don't do is question his battle style!

"Well, allow me to show you why! Mamoswine, Freeze-Dry!"

"Not... so fast!" a voice that was finally familiar to Remo declared. Turning towards the entrance (or exit depending on the personal view) Remo was both shocked and glad to see Wally and his Mega Gallade standing there behind him. "Gallade, blow that Freeze-Dry away with a Psycho Cut!"

"Gallade," the Psychic and Fighting-Type stated, his blade atop his forehead glowing purple. Reaching up towards it, Gallade grabbed ahold of the energy sickle and flung it forward, the attack dissipating the incoming cold breeze from Mamoswine. The projectile didn't stop there however, the beam continued on, smashing into Mamoswine as the Twin Tusk Pokémon skidded backwards from the attack.

"R-Remo...I...I couldn't let you...do this alone," Wally stated, a mix of his timidness and a shortness of breath causing the boy's interrupted speech pattern. It didn't matter to Remo however, the burly man flinging an arm around the young boy from Hoenn.

"Well, it looks to me like the baby finally grew a pair. Tired of running away?" He teased, using his free arm to point forward and towards Carl and Sham, the duo in shock by the sudden appearance. First they underestimated Remo's raw strength and now he had backup. "Alright, Garchoo, get in there with Dragon Rush!"

"Gar," the Dragon and Ground-Type muttered in agreement, roaring out as his body was soon covered in the blue aura that anyone who watched the tournament was now recognized with. Racing forward, Garchoo wasn't the only one on the move, Carl ordering his Mamoswine to use Take Down on Garchoo.

Remo had to laugh at the sight, this was the second time today he was battling against a Mamoswine and this one had Take Down also! What were the odds!? Looking over to Wally, the burly man gave him a head nod to signal his attack, Gallade leaping in with a powerful Psycho Cut, the blade once more slamming into Mamoswine, the attack allowing Garchoo the chance to overpower Mamoswine and throw him into Slowking.

Both Pokémon were slow to get back up, it almost seemed to Remo as if they were never actually used in battle but were just for show. Especially since Garchoo was tired already from earlier in the day.

"Sird! Why would you interfere!?" Sham appeared to be yelling out towards the stadium. Remo felt that they were crazy, calling out to someone who wasn't even there, but here they were, calling out to the vast and empty stadium thanks to the Champions helping to escort the spectators out of the arena during the fiasco Remo had caused.

"You know that was dirty of you, draining our own Pokémon's strength to power yours up!" Carl added in only for a mysterious laugh to fill the stadium. Remo couldn't help but jump and Wally seemed ready to piss himself from the laugh (or to Remo it looked it) only to control his emotions.

"Well, it was a losing fight so might as well allow me to grow stronger before taking them out," the voice spoke, a rather strange looking lady appearing from the shadows in the arena. "Please excuse my two subordinates, these two don't know how to properly give out a fight. Allow me to take their place, it'll be a one-on-two...though I hardly see it as fair."

"Hey, freaky lady, it's your funeral so whatever you want!" Remo agreed, twirling his umbrella around before pointing it directly at the lady's face, a grin crossing his own. There was no way they would lose, he had already destroyed this entire stadium plus the two leaders there were nothing to him. "Garchoo! Let's get this going, Draco Meteor!"

"Dark Void," the girl called out. The command was short and simple, though Remo couldn't remember most of it, his entire body growing heavy. Looking around, he noticed Wally and Gallade were asleep, as was Garchoo, however, the freaky lady seemed just fine.

"Perhaps in the future you'll learn to keep that trap of yours shut," the lady spoke, Remo drifting in and out of consciousness. This was a cheap trick, especially since not only did he never finish his match with those two chumps, but now his opponent was trying to put him asleep! "Sleep well, for it may be your last," her voice stated, Remo only hearing a portion of her final sentence before finally passing out from the Dark Void attack.

"Alright, get them loaded up and take me to the next location!" Sird Called out, the last few remaining grunts tying up Remo, Wally and their Pokémon. Sird couldn't care less about this entire operation except for getting the world under Giovanni's control! Once she noticed they were ready to move out, Sird vanished into the shadows once more, a few grunts hearing her mutter about "an inventor" or something to that degree.

* * *

" _What's with the rushing?"_ Nick thought, rounding a corner while in pursuit of his employers. To him, he thought it was odd how they were in a rush. Perhaps they had just ran out of supplies and needed more. He had never been with them when they restocked, instead they would do it for him. Perhaps this was why. Looking around him to see the area, he was surprised to see men and women in black outfits lining the streets, herding people into groups.

"Huh, they must be a rescue team to help those affected by that sudden earthquake. It's great to see people responding so quickly. The way it just occurred out of nowhere was strange, normally you can feel the slight vibrations in the ground, right Eevee?"

"Eevee!" the Normal-Type cried in agreement, clinging onto Nick's shoulder as they rounded another corner, his bosses now in sight. Nodding, the duo knew this was it, the three of them were standing in front of a café, that just had to be where he would get paid. Rushing forward, Nick was ready to get paid.

"What do you think you're doing, kid!?" a new voice called out to the boy. Coming to a dead stop, Nick looked around the area, but there was no one around, the voice had appeared from thin air. It was odd, though it fascinated the boy due to his attention problems. Taking his glasses off, the Johto native cleaned them a moment before looking for the voice again, once more unable to locate it. "I'm down here! Oh, forget it, come here," the voice spoke, a sudden arm shooting out of the planted bush Nick was next to.

Pulling him into it, Nick was face to face with someone he would definitely call old. The man had messy black hair and was wearing what Nick supposed was a trench coat. Though, to him, it didn't go well with what looked to be a nice sweater vest and tie that was underneath it. Nick immediately felt the man was strange, but figured it was best to avoid the topic overall and went to leave, only to be pulled back by the man.

"Don't you know just how dangerous Team Rocket can be?" he asked, staring right into Nick's eyes. Eevee growled slightly at the man, though neither him nor Nick took the initiative to attack him. "They're currently laying siege to the city and you're out here running after three of their top members. That takes guts, kid, reminds me of myself when I were your age."

"Name's Looker, or, well, at least that's my codename," the man explained, pulling out a badge from the International Police. Nick looked at the object, fascinated by its glow from a ray of sunlight hitting it. "I'm a part of what's known as the International Police. My job is to stop people like Team Rocket before they can harm anyone. And right now this area is too dangerous for you to stay."

Nick pulled his eyes away from the badge and back towards the older man, from the look in his eyes, Nick felt he wasn't bluffing. Though, the Johto native also wasn't leaving without his pay. Shrugging his shoulders, he gently picked Eevee up into his arms. "Alright, I guess I can't argue with the police. I'll go find somewhere safe to hide out at. I have no clue about what's happening with whomever these Team Rocket people are. I'm just a vender looking to get paid."

"Well, just be more careful next time," Looker replied, Nick trying not to laugh at the prideful look on the man's face. He couldn't believe that this Looker character honestly thought he was leaving. Nodding in agreement with Looker, Nick and Eevee exited his hiding spot, walking back the way they had original came from.

"Vee? Eevee, ee?" the Normal-Type asked, his paws scratching at Nick's head in confusion. Laughing silently to himself, Nick motioned for Eevee to keep it down as they rounded a corner. The Evolution Pokémon seemed confused by this, Nick peering back around it immediately, eyes glued onto that Looker guy's bush.

"Don't worry, Eevee, we're not leaving without getting paid," the energetic trainer spoke, the duo pumping a fist in agreement to the statement. Though, he still had no idea how they were going to get into the café and get paid. And now that Looker was out there, there was no way they could just walk up to the building. Crossing his arms, Nick closed his eyes to start thinking.

"We could always just run right in there and demand the money...or perhaps Pelipper could carry us within his mouth. No, that's just stupid, I would smell after," Nick muttered to himself, Eevee looking disappointed in the ideas he had come up with. Especially about riding inside of Pelipper's mouth.

"Vee..." the Evolution Pokémon muttered, jumping down from Nick's shoulder and landing on a manhole cover, the object shaking as he did so. The sudden action gave him an idea, Eevee pawing at it with great interest.

"Ah ha! I have a foolproof plan...or should I call it a Nick proof plan?" the Johto native asked himself, placing his hand under his chin and rubbing it out of concern. He did have a track record of screwing simple things up. "You know what, no time to worry about things. Eevee, here's the plan..."

However, the Normal-Type was not going to listen to whatever the boy had planned. Instead, his tail glowed white and stiffened up, Eevee leaping into the air while spinning as it did so. With on swift swing downwards, Eevee's tail smashed into the manhole cover, cracking it in half and opening a pathway into the sewers.

"Eh, I guess that works as a way too. We can just make our way through the sewers. Though, I was thinking we could dress up as pizza delivery men and bring them a pizza. Of course, I'm not quite sure where we would get a pizza at this time of day following an earthquake..."

Having enough of his chatter, Eevee gently pushed the boy into the sewer, Nick landing with a loud splash, Eevee right behind him as the duo were now wet from the sewage. Taking the lead, Eevee managed to find a scent that seemed familiar to their bosses and followed it through the sewer.

"Man, this place smells. You would think someone would have a place to put all this sewage," Nick muttered, Eevee merely sighing at the question. As much as he loved Nick, Eevee had to admit his lack of common sense got annoying at times. Or his lack of composure would hurt them, as evident in the Kalos League, having lost the match the moment he lost his composure against Ash. Shaking his head, Eevee smiled up at his trainer, not wanting anyone other than him as Eevee's partner. Nick merely smiled back, unsure of just what Eevee could have been thinking. Nick could only guess, but at that moment, they found what they were looking for, a ladder leading up into the building.

"You see, Eevee, since we were eliminated from that tournament during the preliminaries, I had a lot of time to read the maps of Lumiose City in case we wanted to sight see at all. And what I found out is that not only is the city mapped for easy directions, but that the sewage system has access points from each building for easy disposal," he explained, climbing up the ladder, Eevee shaking at the thought of what they were about to do just now.

"Ee...eveee," the Normal-Type muttered, Nick heading straight into the exit, his body being plunged into sewage. However, this didn't stop the boy, instead, he pushed right through, his body soaked with what he could only imagine were the employees' waste. Trying not to think about it, they touched down onto the solid ground, a metallic feeling surprising Nick for what he assumed to be a restaurant.

Making his way down the hall, Nick noticed how there were no employees at all in this restaurant. Though, with the sudden earthquake that ravaged the city moments prior, perhaps they just went home early for safety reasons. Shrugging his shoulders, Nick rounded a corner, a swarm of blue flames barely missing his face, his hair being singed by them.

"What's the big idea! Doesn't anyone know playing with fire is dangerous?" Nick asked, a small cackling laughter emerging from the dark hallway before him. Walking towards him was what appeared to be short man wearing what looked to be a black beret and a gray zipped up coat, a Steelix walking by his side.

"Do you know who I am?" the man (or was it a boy? Nick wasn't so sure) asked, his small laughter starting up again as he moved forward. Placing a hand under his chin, Nick tried to think back to when he was hired here, perhaps that would help him out.

"Could you be the custodian around these parts?" Nick asked, the small man-child nearly falling over from the stupidity of the question. "Because if you are, there may or may not be a mess in the restrooms over there. You may want to clean it up before a board of health comes by, could be bad for business."

"Are you stupid or something?" the man-child asked without thinking, Nick just scratching under his chin, clearly he had thought wrong about this man. "Honestly, why would you think that I, Carr, one of the Three Beasts would be a custodian!?"

"Well, you kind of look like one, right, Eevee?" Nick asked in an apologetic manner, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck. However, Carr seemed to already be angered by his earlier reply, Nick noticing that the shorter man was steaming. "Anyways, if you don't mind moving I would like to go get paid."

"Paid? Where do you think you are kid?" Carr asked before signaling for Nick not to respond. Instead, the man currently in charge of the base pointed his finger forward, his Steelix rushing forward, his tail glowing a shade of white while Nick and Eevee barely got underneath the swing of it.

Letting out a light sigh, Nick stood up, dusting himself off in the process, a light smile on his face. "Ahhh, I get it, a battle before getting paid. This makes it even more worthwhile. Man, I wish I had found this place a lot sooner, imagine how much fun I would have here," he spoke to himself, Carr looking on in bewilderment, seriously questioning what was wrong with the boy. Pointing forward himself, Eevee dashing forward, a trail of white light appearing behind him.

Eevee's speed increased, his small body able to move quickly through the tight hallway as he aimed himself right for Steelix, jumping into the air while lowering his head. The small Normal-Type rammed his body deep into the Steel and Ground-Type, his attack doing little more than bouncing off the Iron Snake Pokémon and landing back on the ground.

"Well, if Quick Attack won't work we'll just have to work harder! Let's put our training to good work!" Nick cried out, his partner muttering an agreement before lowering himself into an offensive stance, growling menacingly at their opponent. "Let's show them just how strong we are, Eevee! Iron Tail off the ground! Get some air on this one!"

"Vee!" the Normal-Type cried out happily, jumping into the air, his body spinning in a clockwise motion so that his tail was facing the ground. Glowing white, Eevee slammed the appendage against the floor with all his might, a small vibration being felt across the floor. Springing upwards, Eevee began to spin around, a light glow surrounding his body as the Iron Tail seemed to encompass him before it struck Steelix on its head. Eevee bounced upwards while Steelix lowered down towards the floor, however, Nick and Eevee weren't finished yet, calling for a Shadow Ball, the Evolution Pokémon fired the blast off and managed to strike their opponent right in the face again.

Smoke filled the hallway from the latest explosion, yet Nick and Eevee knew they couldn't relax one bit. They both knew that from their training, using this coverage could be beneficial to them. Without the need to even speak, Eevee took the cue and was off and running, using the smoke to hide him from their opponents.

"Now, let's show them our best move yet! Double-Edge, let's go!" Nick ordered, punching forward through the smoke with a large grin, the fact of just how dangerous this currently was not appearing to be sinking in just yet. Laughing at the thrill of the battle, Nick watched on, Eevee's body glistening gold as he approached Steelix only for him to be knocked off course.

"Sacred Sword!" Carr ordered, clinching his fist while shaking it. Out of nowhere, the same object that had struck Eevee prior reappeared, whatever it was now glowing a light blue, striking Eevee and sending the small Normal-Type right into the corridor wall, Steelix following it up with a Dragon Breath attack, the blue flames causing Eevee to cry out in pain from the heat.

"Woah, back up there short stuff!" Nick called out, ready to run over to Eevee, only for the object from before, now clearly an Aegislash to block his path to his best friend. Steelix took this time to initiate a wrap attack, trapping Eevee within the confines of his tail, the Normal-Type crying out in pain as he did so. "Hey! You cheated! This was a one-on-one battle and then you brought in a second! Let Eevee go now!" he yelled out, anger filling his voice, the sound shocking Carr to the point of smiling at the boy's behavior. It definitely was different than prior to the match. However, it made no difference to him, the boy was still going to die by the end of the battle.

"Please!" Carr cried out, cackling once more as he did so, Steelix joining in on the laughter, Eevee crying out every time Steelix tightened his grip. "This isn't no playground battle! This is a fight for your life!"

"Fight for my life?" Nick repeated, unsure if he heard the man correctly. Carr nodded his head in agreement, smirking at the young who was shocked or rather terrified by the sudden realization. Nick didn't sign up for this, he just wanted to get paid for all his hard work and yet, here he was battling for his life while his best friend was being strangled.

Shaking his head, Carr fixed the beret on his head, laughing in more of a menacingly tone instead of his cackle, causing Nick to jump in shock, the young boy now sweating. He could only imagine what the crazed man had in store for him if he lost the battle. Smiling across the field, Carr couldn't help but extend his smile to cross his entire face, the look on Nick's face (one the boy could only imagine what it looked like) was making the short man way too happy.

"You honestly don't know who we are, do you kid?" Carr asked, Aegislash floating right next to him. Shaking his head, Nick admitted what he already knew was the case; he assumed this had just been a restaurant but that clearly wasn't the case now. He had been played by whoever these guys were. "You're dealing with the glorious Team Rocket right here! We're only the world's most dangerous criminal organization!"

"Never heard of you," Nick replied back, catching Carr off-guard with his answer, the short man nearly falling over in shock. Noticing that Steelix wasn't holding Eevee as tightly, Nick figured now was his best chance to try and strike. "Now, Eevee, Iron Tail to break free and then Shadow Ball!"

"Vee!" the Normal-Type cried, his tail stiffening up before Steelix could react properly. Using it as leverage, Eevee pushed against the Iron Snake Pokémon's sides, prying him open from the inside until he could jump out. Once freed, Eevee fired off the familiar ghostly attack from his mouth, the orb colliding directly against Steelix's forehead and causing him to topple down against Aegislash.

"Score one for us, none for the freaky guy," Nick muttered, Eevee landing in front of him, the Evolution Pokémon standing defensively in front of his trainer, growling menacingly at his opposition now that he knew how serious the situation was. Nick knew Eevee would never let anything happen to him, but Nick also knew he had to keep Eevee safe as well, they were a team. "Okay, let's go once more, Shadow Ball against Steelix!"

"Aegislash, intercept with Night Slash and then hit Eevee dead on with an Iron Head!" Carr commanded coolly, having a feeling that the battle would go in his direction. Crossing his arms, the member of the Three Beasts watched his Steel and Ghost-Type soar into the air and become face to face with Eevee, his Shadow Ball still forming inside of his mouth. Firing it off at short notice, Eevee's blast was no match for the Night Slash, a purple Aegislash dicing it up with ease, the remnants of it sparkling around the corridor.

"S-S-Slash!" Aegislash cried out, his entire body glowing white for a moment before he slammed down into Eevee, the small Normal-Type ricocheting off of the ground and back up into the air from the powerful attack.

Nick and Eevee weren't done there, instead, they countered with another Shadow Ball, the blast merely disintegrating once it struck the powered up Aegislash, Eevee following it up with his own Iron Tail attack, the Evolution Pokémon slamming itself down against a blue barrier that surrounded Aegislash. To Eevee, it felt like he was growing weaker the longer he fought against the barrier, but he couldn't back down, Nick was relying on him.

"You fools, King's Shield is a move that not only protects Aegislash from all damage, but also lower's your attack power," Carr explained, whipping his arm off to the side in excitement, issuing an Iron Head attack. Ramming forward, Aegislash threw Eevee down into the ground, an indent forming from the collision as Nick ran towards his beloved partner. "Now you've left yourself open! Steelix end his life with Iron Tail!"

"N-No! Eevee!" Nick called out, holding his best friend close to him. Eevee was tired, even after all their training they were no match for whoever this man truly was. They were weak, and at this rate they would never become strong enough to journey with Nick's father. Though, right now it seemed unlikely that they would be traveling with anyone. Especially once Nick got a sight of his impending doom, Steelix's Iron Tail coming straight for him. Closing his eyes, Nick could only listen to what came next.

"Typhlosion, Flame Wheel, block that Iron Tail immediately!" a vague voice called out. It seemed familiar to Nick, yet the trainer couldn't recognize it if his life depended on it. For as much as it seemed familiar, it was just as new to the young boy, unable to pinpoint exactly where he had heard it last. "Move now, Nick!" the voice continued, dashing across the hall before diving and pushing the boy out of harm's way. At that very moment, Typhlosion spun himself into a ball of fire, rolling right into Steelix's tail, cancelling out the attack with ease.

Opening his eyes, Nick looked up to see a familiar face, one he hadn't seen in almost six years now. Opening his mouth, Nick wanted to cry for happiness, the fact that he had finally found his father after so long, yet the words couldn't escape from his mouth, his emotions overcoming him.

"I know, I know, kind of strange situation to reunite, isn't it?" Michael joked, placing his son off to the side before watching Typhlosion go inch for inch with Steelix, neither side giving any room for the other to take control. "Nick, you did good today, now let your father handle the rest. I'm much more experienced in all of this, Typhlosion and I will be fine, but get out now! If something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself!"

Balling his fists, Nick placed Eevee gently down against his lap before punching forward. "No way! Last time I saw you, you left me with Elm for almost six years! Heck, I had to leave on my own journey just to get out of that guy's Laboratory and now that I've finally found you, you want me to leave!? No way, Eevee and I can help!"

"Nick! Leave now!" Michael called out, Typhlosion managing to push Steelix backwards and into a wall. The Iron Snake Pokémon seemed slow to get back up, but it was ready to fight once more. "This is way too dangerous, Nick! Do as I say and leave!"

"I told you no!" Nick shouted, Eevee standing back up before launching a Shadow Ball at Aegislash. The Steel and Ghost-Type was caught off-guard from the blast, flittering backwards from it before landing on Steelix. "I've been training for years to be strong enough to travel with you and now's my chance to show you that I am strong!"

"Alright, you win," Michael spoke, a soft smile on his face. Nick likewise was smiling from the situation; he was finally going to be able to prove to his father they could be together again. Even if he hadn't won a Pokémon League Conference, here was his chance! "You know, I've never really had a chance to see you in person. Though I have made sure to watch all your League matches," Michael spoke, issuing a Flamethrower command as he did so.

Searing flames soon mixed with another Shadow Ball from Eevee, the two attacks slamming right into their opponents only to be blocked by King's Shield once more. Carr appeared to laugh at this, his two Pokémon on the move.

"Please, neither of you stand a chance against my powerful Steel-Type Pokémon! Now! Go my precious!" Carr commanded, Steelix launching off another Dragon Breath attack that struck both Eevee and Typhlosion, both Pokémon hurled backwards and onto Nick.

Trying to get up, Nick struggled under the weight of both Pokémon, Michael on his way to help get them off of his son. However, an attack soon landed that neither father or son could have seen coming; for sticking through Michael's body was Aegislash's sword. The man fell backwards, feeling at the sword that was plunged through him, blood dripping down onto the floor, his breaths becoming shaky and inconsistent. There was no way he was dying now! Nick knew he couldn't let it happen no matter what!

* * *

"James, can't you get these stupid, steel doors open yet?" Jessie asked, slamming her foot down onto the ground. It was bad enough that something must have happened to their weapon to force Giovanni to switch plans, but now they were locked out of their own base! "I thought you had all the passcodes to unlock the base? This is why I'm in charge of the important details, this wouldn't be happening if I set the codes."

"Jessie, please, calm down," James pleaded, dodging a swinging punch from Jessie. To him, the device seemed to be tampered with, as if someone had altered it and messed with the original code. Working away at the device, James just couldn't get anything to work. He tried countless programs to override the system, yet every time he was the one being overridden.

"Here let me at it!" Jessie cried out, punching the device to the point that it shattered, an alarm blazing throughout the entire base now. Covering their ears, the TRio agreed to get to their workspace first and to worry about the alarm after. It wasn't like anyone else would be entering the base from here on out, so they needn't worry about intruders.

"Huh, guess you can fix anythin' with you's fists, Jess," Meowth joked around, barely avoiding her approaching hands. Ducking, Meowth managed to dodge once more before jumping up onto James' shoulders. "Dis ain't da time to be fighting wit each other. We need ta find da weapon and fix it for da Boss!"

"And then it'll be the twerps' loss!" Jessie agreed, suddenly dropping her previous behavior. The two male members of their group sighed in relief, sometimes her mood swings were just a little too much for them. Though, they wouldn't want anyone else on their side in the heat of battle...except maybe Pikachu. That little guy was always roasting them with his electric attacks.

"Alright, our wonderful weapon is at the back of the base, so we should start setting off for it! Together, we're moving to the tippity top!" James stated, dropping the rhyming that his two friends were doing in favor of getting his point across. "Though, I feel like a rat has been running amuck."

"Who's a schmuck?" Jessie asked, throwing her hands behind her head as the three continued forward, noticing a lack of grunts stationed in the base. For sure there would have been more people here, though, now that they thought about it, Giovanni didn't even let them know about the attack starting today.

"Dat would be our's bad luck," Meowth finished off, lowering his head in shame. For all they know, one of the grunts could have been a spy, not like that was likely but they didn't know. He or she could have destroyed their weapon while it was unguarded for all they know. The Normal-Type had bigger questions however, the empty base making him curious as to what was occurring with Team Rocket today.

"Though, where is everyone? Da Boss would have surely left someone to guard da base. Somethin' fishy is goin' on round des parts. We'll find that scurryin' scoundrel and show him just what it means to mess wit Team Rocket!"

"Hold that thought, old chap," James broke into the conversation, pointing to the door before them. In their short time, the TRio had managed to traverse their base and reach the location of their top secret weapon. "We've reached the whereabouts of the wondrous weapon that'll dispense dread all over Kalos."

Opening the door, the TRio stepped through in a hurry, wanting to figure out what was wrong. For sitting right in the center of the room, attached to their supercomputer was their machine looking untouched. Casting their gaze onto the super computer's screens, the three agents witnessed what looked to be multiple twerps scattered throughout the city, all of them trying to converge onto that Prism Tower the science Twerp held his Gym Battles in.

"Everything looks to be in accordance with the schematics I drew up…" James muttered, climbing from underneath the weaponized machine. To him though, it felt like an additional function had been added onto the machine, though he couldn't figure out what. Perhaps the Boss had just made a slight change to it and was saving the device in the event of his other plan failing.

"So the thingamajig connects to the doohickey? Then do tell me why this hunk of junk isn't being used by our benevolent Boss? Are you sure one of the thingamabobs isn't busted?" Jessie asked, lightly kicking the machine. James squealed in terror as he immediately rubbed the spot his friend just kicked.

"It's alright, baby, the mean girl didn't mean anything when she kicked you. Daddy won't let them hurt you."

"Jeez James, da only girl I see here is yous," Meowth joked, rolling on his back from the joke. Jessie likewise joined in, the duo taunting mechanic of their group while he did his best to ignore them. However, their waves of laughter came to an end once the door to the room opened, shocking the TRio.

"You!? What are you doing here?" they cried out in unison, pointing their index fingers at the new appearance. To their shock, Xerosic was still in the building. In fact, it appeared as though the former Flare member had been stationed in this room as evident by the now noticeable piles of trash that littered the room.

"You three..." he muttered in response, almost ignoring their questions of his doing here. Smirking slightly, the pale man caused the TRio to flinch slightly from his display of a sinister smirk. It creeped them out since despite the way he tilted his head slightly to the right, allowing his smile to creep up the side of his face, the man looked almost bored. As if _they_ were intruding on _him_ and not the opposite.

"Hey, pale, fat and ghostly, are you going to answer our question or just look at us like your from a horror movie? Because frankly you don't need the strange smile to get away with that look," Jessie replied, swinging her fist wildly in the air. James and Meowth looked at each, wondering if what she was doing was really their best option, or if they shouldn't be interrogating him in such a manner.

Letting off a light chuckle that scared Jessie into jumping backwards only to try and regain her composure. "I honestly wasn't expecting anyone with the clearance level to be in the base today. It throws a slight wrench into my predestined plans, but perhaps you three can prove useful to me after all."

"Giovanni asked me to stay here, bless that stupid man's heart, without any supervision what so ever. Little did he know that leaving me with this machine would be his downfall since I've made a few modifications," he continued on, James letting out a knowing gasp. The man _knew_ that someone messed with his machine, causing him to ball his hands into fists, anger at the thought that someone hurt his baby. All his anger was lost however when Xerosic reached for two Poké Balls, opening up to reveal their content; a Malamar and Crobat respectively.

"Malamar, Psybeam! Crobat, Air Slash!"

"Not this time you maniacal maniac! Gourgeist, help me out my precious, use Dark Pulse," Jessie called out, tossing forward her own capture device, the contents of it revealing none other than her trusted partner.

"What, Jess, said! No one touches my beautiful baby and gets away with it! Inkay, enter the fray! It's time to play with a Psybeam!" James ordered, the Revolving Pokémon appearing by his side before turning upside down, the top of his head glowing multiple colors but mainly a shade of light blue.

"Gouer…geistgeistgeist!" the Ghost and Grass-Type shouted while firing off her overly used blast. The purple and black beams crashed hard into the approaching Air Slash, the blue blades of energy exploding upon contact with the intercepting attack. Smoke filled the tight room, but the two Psybeam attacks were launched with no trouble, the light blue being present through the smoke, the two blasts likewise exploding on contact.

The two sides were tossed backwards from the blast, Jessie, James and Meowth landing on the supercomputer while Xerosic landed next to their machine, a glint in his eyes (or glasses).

"I guess I can't hide my true intentions any longer. You three are just too powerful for me. My poor Crobat and Malamar would never be able to keep up with such wonderfully trained Pokémon. You two have bested me," Xerosic lied, hoping to inflate their egos to the point they'll fall into his plan.

"You'd think we would fall for the old 'inflate your opponent's ego trick'? We pull that one all the time!" Jessie shouted as she tossed two more capture devices, revealing Yanmega and Seviper by her side. Likewise, Wobbuffet had emerged on his own, Jessie showing no annoyance at the act. Instead, she stood like an emperor, leading her army into battle.

"Yeah, only we're allowed to do so, granted when we do, it isn't meant to happen..." James began to say, only to mutter the end of it once he realized it wasn't helping their cause. Raising his own Poké Balls, James released his Carnivine and Mime Jr. from them, the former looking ready to battle while the latter imitated Jessie's fierce display.

"And I'll even give ya the honor of facin' my Fury Swipes," Meowth joined in, his glistening claws growing in size. The look in their eyes would have scared anyone who had never seen the TRio before, unfortunately, it wouldn't work with Xerosic. Not while he was right next to the machine that would change everything in this short battle.

"Go!" Jessie and James shouted, their army pouncing towards their prey. Even Wobbuffet ran forward, his arms flailing around as his body bounced towards Xerosic. If not for the situation they were in, TRio would have found the situation most humorous from Wobbuffet's appearance.

"No, please don't do that," Xerosic sarcastically pleaded, his opposition unaware of just what he was going for. With one swift movement, the round man avoided Meowth's Fury Swipes and managed to press a large button located on the machine. A loud buzzing noise was soon emitted from it, causing the Pokémon in the room to all cry out in pain.

"Meowth, what's the matter, old chum? What did the positively plump person do to you?" James asked, the Normal-Type covering his ears while screeching in pain. Looking at the others, James noticed that all his Pokémon were acting in a similar manner, each of them crying out at something in the room.

"Wobbuffet, now isn't the time for you to be goofing around, get that man!" Jessie shouted as Wobbuffet flung his arms around wildly. Whatever was affecting Meowth and the others also had Wobbuffet, the Psychic-Type appearing to be in immense pain from whatever Xerosic did.

Smirking at the sight before him, Xerosic turned the nob up higher, causing the screams of pain to increase in volume, each Pokémon dropping one by one. "I...I won't go down dat...dat...dat easily..." Meowth stammered out, dropping to one knee as the sounds became too much for him. Phasing in and out of consciousness, the Scratch Cat Pokémon got back onto his feet, lunging forward for Xerosic only to collapse an inch away from the man's face.

"My, it seems I did have a way to win," Xerosic joked, laughing at the sight before him. Those fools had fallen for it. They truly did. By calling all their Pokémon out, Xerosic was given the chance to test out the machine and it worked! "I guess all it took was for you two idiots to call out all your Pokémon while I stood next to the one machine that can turn them against you. I'll never understand why that Giovanni fool appreciates you two."

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!? You can't use our own machine against us!" Jessie shouted, steam practically blowing from her nostrils. She was enraged and James knew this was a time to stay back, but he couldn't. Not with whatever Xerosic did to his partners. To Meowth and Wobbuffet. To...to their entire family!

"We'll show you just why the Boss entrusts us so much! There's a reason we've become his greatest agents!" James shouted, stomping a foot down onto the concrete floor, causing a light shake of the area. "We'll fight for the glory of Team Rocket, whether you stay with us or betray us, it won't matter! You won't get away with these heinous acts of yours!"

Nodding, the duo rushed forward, ready to finish what their little family started. "This is for the glory of Team Rocket!" they cried in unison, not willing to let some dirtbag get away with all of this. Something inside of them was released the moment their family hit the floor. Yes, they weren't the greatest people in the world, but if there was one thing they cared about it were the Pokémon that joined them in their quest of stealing Pikachu.

"Please, you cry greatness for this organization yet they don't even trust you to do anything right. You were handed this job out of pity, nothing more," Xerosic began to say, letting out a light chuckle as he did so. Those words appeared to spark a fire inside of the two agents, their speed picking up before leaping over the passed out Pokémon. "Giovanni has no use for you anymore, you're nothing more than just mere servants to the man. You could join with me, rule this world with an iron fist while making it into the way I see things."

"Not interested," Jessie replied, throwing a punch forward only for Xerosic to duck underneath it. "Only one group will rule this world and its name is Team Rocket!"

"She's correct," James added in, punching forward himself, only for his to be caught by Xerosic. "We're loyal to only Giovanni! The man sees us as his top agents!"

"Does he now?" Xerosic asked, pushing another button on the machine without either of them noticing. "Then why did he leave this weapon behind? Why didn't he tell you of this big invasion? Why did he say you two would be willing to become his personal servants once he rules the world? You two are blinded by a stupidic loyalty. Something that's a fault of yours."

"Shut up!" Jessie shouted, throwing her arm forward once more, only to feel it being held. Looking behind, her face contorted into a shocked expression, for standing there gripping her arm was Wobbuffet. Only, it didn't look like Wobbuffet. Gone was his ditzy look on his face and replaced by one that worried Jessie. It seemed like the Psychic-Type looked ready to kill them before he tossed her backwards. James soon landed next to her, Carnivine and Meowth having tossed him away as well.

"Wobbuffet...Meowth..." Jessie muttered, noticing their new facial expressions. They were enraged, bloodthirsty almost...

"The machine!" James cried out, realizing just what was happening to their loved ones. Gritting his teeth, James couldn't believe that his invention was being used on those he cared for. It was meant to be used on everyone else, but his family wasn't part of its target. "To think my greatest invention is being used to secretly subdue them all!"

"Took long enough for you to realize. Honestly, why would you leave someone you can't trust alone with this machine? That's like leaving a kleptomaniac alone in an open bank vault. You two really are something else, no wonder Giovanni has mixed feelings on you two..." Xerosic trailed off, surprised at the two of them charging at him at the mention of their boss. Only, Inkay and Yanmega were on the case, using Psybeam and Air Slash respectively to blast the duo backwards.

"Please, no talking during the movie," Xerosic dryly joked, snapping his fingers as Carnivine launched a Vine Whip, tying the two Rocket agents up. Unable to move, the duo were spun around to look at the Supercomputer's monitor just as it turned on what appeared to be a recording.

"Those three are great at everything they do," Giovanni's voice played, an image of the man sitting in his office appearing on the screen shortly after. Jessie and James were confused by the sight, especially since he had with him members of Team Rocket they had never seen before. James could clearly recognize them as scientist, their lab coats giving them away, though they didn't work here. At least, he had never hired them. "Jessie, James and Meowth. Not the brightest but they are hardworking I'll give them that. They really are my three best agents-"

"Ha! Nice try there lenses lunatic, but Giovanni just admitted that we're his best agents! Not much of a surprise when one like myself is quite the beautiful devil. No man could possibly resist my luring aroma," Jessie cut in, causing Xerosic to pause the recording in hopes that they wouldn't miss it at all.

"Another failure by a grungy member of the goofy glasses gang. You failing fools could never beat us in any form," James added in, himself and Jessie smiling smugly at the pale man, his face turning into a scowl at their words.

"Is that why we took Z2 from you two incompetent losers?" Xerosic asked, Jessie and James losing their smug looks as the man replayed the rest of the footage. "Glad to see your shutting up now. Don't interrupt until we're finished here. Understand?" he asked, his grin growing larger as he spoke, Carnivine's Vine Whip tightening around their bodies, causing the two to cry out slightly.

"They really are my three best agents, however, I'll have little use for them once I rule this entire planet. Due to their excellent work though, I'll reward them by allowing them to continue work as my personal servants. Knowing those buffoons, they'd treat it like a promotion. Little do they know they're of little use to me even now. I have no need for them sense they ran their course, they've helped build the Kalos Branch of Team Rocket and their services are no longer required," the recording repeated, Jessie and James heartbroken by their leader's words. Here they thought the man was beginning to care for them as productive members and some of his most trusted individuals, yet they were only fools in his eyes. Fools who could get a job done.

"B-Buffoons? Does the boss actually see us as bumbling buffoons?" James asked, the slight feeling of oncoming tears being felt in his tear ducts. All this time he believed they were valued members of their organization. _They_ were chosen to lead the Kalos Branch, yet it all seemed like a ploy by Giovanni just to get mileage out of them before he ditched them.

"Personal Servants!?" Jessie cried out, not sad but rather fuming at what she heard. James gulped slightly, fully aware of what was to come once she was angry. For some reason though, her usual anger wasn't burning as brightly, instead, to James, it felt like it was being dampened by the words spoken by Giovanni. "I'm no one's servant! Especially to someone who...someone who...someone who...who..." she continued to stutter out, unable to complete her sentence, James noticing a few tears welling up in her eyes as well. They both felt betrayed, their hearts ripped from their chests at learning the truth about how they were really seen. Not as respected members, but lapdogs to Giovanni. And now that they were without a use, they were done.

Xerosic smirked at the sight before him, James feeling a pint up anger welling deep inside him from the news. Though, his anger was fueled more by the look on the face of their captor, his pale face making the Rocket agent feel enraged. Though, it was the question that the man asked that truly set him off.

"So, how would you two feel about joining me? Together, we'll rule this entire world and show that man just what we're made of."

"Oh pish posh!" James' voice snapped out, even Jessie was surprised by the sudden lashing out. "You're one putrid person to believe we would ever side with someone so spiteful that they're blinded by their own blissful bewilderment! We may have been fundamental fools for this ploy but we won't be fools no more!"

"James is right!" Jessie joined in, the duo agreeing in their silence to turn their anger towards Xerosic. "We've spent our best years slaving away under that ungrateful man and you honestly believe us to join up with you right now of all times!? As if! We're through being anyone's puppets and now we'll make you pay!"

"Please," the scientist chuckled out, James shivering slightly from it, Jessie copying his action. Something about the man left them uncomfortable, especially with that machine currently active. "Neither of you can stop me, not with my machine running just as I built it to. Your Pokémon are now mine. You have no way to fight back and yet you believe to have a shot at beating me. Ha! You're making me laugh."

"You may not know us Xerosic, but when times get tough, Team Rocket gets tougher!" Jessie shouted, the two agents staring down their opposition. "We've been shocked, burned, frozen, whipped and thrown more times than you would know. So this is just a normal day for us."

"You asked for it," Xerosic replied with a snap of his fingers. Releasing them from its confinement, Carnivine retracted his vines, allowing the two agents free movement. The duo however didn't seem stunned at all. In fact, they seemed ready for it. Glaring down at the pale scientist, Jessie and James gulped, knowing full well they would have to fight their dear family.

"Get them."

With those simple words, Inkay and Gourgeist were the first to fire off their attacks; a Seed Bomb and Psybeam headed straight for their trainers. However, with the machine running they were under Xerosic's complete control.

"Inkay, old chum, I may not have your beloved croissants, but I believe our bond digs deeper than over a pleasant pastry! Snap out of it!" James shouted, crossing his arms while the multicolored blast rammed into him, the agent skidding backwards from it only to stand back up. "Please, you must fight this! I can't harm you, my friend!"

"Gourgeist, snap out of it already!" Jessie could be heard shouting, the Seed Bomb likewise exploding on her, causing her to crash into the ground. "Remember back to all those memories we shared! All those times you were by my side! Well, now I'll be by your side! Snap out of this trance, I need you back!" she cried out to no avail, a Shadow Ball coming right for her while Inkay launched another Psybeam. Diving to their left, the duo barely dodged the last round of attacks only to now be face to face with Seviper and Carnivine.

"We won't fight you! Carnivine, you were one of my first friends, I can't bring myself to put you in any more pain! Please, you have to fight this control!" James cried, hoping to snap them out of this trance through any means necessary. Looking up, he saw Xerosic laughing at their obviously pathetic attempts. Before James knew it, Carnivine had smacked the side of his face with a Vine Whip, Jessie likewise being hit by Poison Tail, the duo now skidding across the floor, light cuts adorning their faces from the assault.

"Seviper, don't tell me some stupid machine can force you to forget everything we've been through! Hunting the twerps, competing in Contests. Though I never said it out loud, I loved those moments with you and the others. Without you or Yanmega, I never would have made it as a Coordinator! Please, Seviper, listen to my voice!" Jessie called, holding Seviper's tail a few mere inches from her face, the purple glow indicating that the Poison-Type was using Poison Tail once more.

"Seviper..." the Fang Snake Pokémon muttered, its voice completely void of any emotion what so ever. Whipping its head around, Seviper opened its maw and launched off the familiar Poison Sting attack. The needles lodged themselves into Jessie's body, her grip on the tail slipping to the point she was slapped with it and launched into James. The two agents slid across the floor, stopping in front of the supercomputer, their bodies beaten sore from the onslaught.

"Give up yet? I'll allow you two to rethink my offer to you," Xerosic asked, placing his arms behind his back, his army of brain controlled Pokémon forming a wall in front of him. The two agents tried to stand back up, but their bodies only collapsed on them, forcing them to lean against the supercomputer for support.

"Please, us, listen to some overweight loser like yourself? We'd rather be dead before being seen with you," Jessie stated with a grin, wiping away a small trail of blood that ran across her face, courtesy of Seviper.

"We may be looking down and out, but Team Rocket never gives in. We'll fight you until the very end. No matter the circumstances, no matter the odds, Team Rocket will win this fight!" James shouted, wiping his mouth with his glove before spitting on the ground. Looking at Jessie, the two agents both had the same thought running through their mind; they didn't know how much longer they could stand this. They had to break through sooner or later otherwise they were done for.

"Suit yourself. Death it is. Yanmega, go for it," Xerosic commanded with a snap, the Bug and Flying-Type moving in front of the other Pokémon, her wings glowing a shade of silver before the wind picked up in the room. Flying right towards them were soundwaves, no doubt an effect from Yanmega's Sonic Boom attack. Bracing themselves, Jessie and James raised their arms over their faces, the sleeves of their uniforms being torn apart as they did so.

Falling forward, the two agents appeared to be finished, yet at the last second managed to catch their footing and stand back up. It was almost as if there was a magical force keeping them up, a sight that Xerosic wasn't too pleased to see. He wanted them done. He wanted to see them beg for their life. But this...this was unacceptable. Looking to Meowth, the scientist merely pointed forward, the Normal-Type raising his claws in obedience.

"Meowth..." Jessie and James stated in unison, watching their closest friend...no, their family member, lunge at them. It hurt their heart to see an act, the duo standing there while Meowth swung his claws at them. Claw marks lined their exposed skin, the duo not willing to let Xerosic win at all. No matter the cost, they were going to be victorious against this crazed mad man.

"Yous two are to be exterminated," Meowth spoke in a monotone voice, Jessie and James flinching slightly from the tone. The Scratch Cat Pokémon paid little attention to them, instead, lunging forward to deliver what he presumed to be the finishing blow to them.

However, he was instead caught in their grip, something warm beginning to form in his chest. Looking up, the Normal-Type was confused to see his two former teammates holding him close to their bodies. His claws dug deep into their skin, yet Jessie and James didn't let go, they continued to hold him in what seemed to be a makeshift hug, the Normal-Type not stopping his attack.

"Meowth, I know you're not one for brain control, fight it!" Jessie cried, tears now rolling down her face from the pain. Likewise, James was crying, the pain of everything adding up on the two agents to the point they were unable to hold back the waterworks. "Are you really going to let a member of the goofy glasses gang control you? I thought you were better than that!"

"Old chap, fight this control! Do it not just for yourself, but for our small family! We need you to fight it Meowth, fight this control," James added in, the duo pulling Meowth closer to their bodies as they did so. "Remember our fun times together! Remember them, please!"

"Jessie...James..." Meowth muttered, his claws digging deeper into their bodies, blood now starting to appear from them. Jessie and James had no clue if it was working, but they hoped he remembered back to their times. Of traveling Kanto, of when they saved him from his old gang led by a Persian. Or perhaps when they helped him trick an entire island into thinking he knew Pay Day. Even just their relaxation time of traveling across the world together, always thwarted in hope of capturing Pikachu.

"Meowth you better be in there somewhere or so help me. I'll make sure you won't want to remember us!" Jessie stated, pain evident in her words, a mix of the Fury Swipes attack and the pain from her family being controlled were taking their toll on her.

"Jessie..." Meowth muttered, memories of performing alongside her came back to his mind, their jester act from Kalos along with his promise of helping her win a Contest back in Sinnoh replaying in his mind.

"Please, Meowth, fight this!" James shouted, a drop of his tears landing on Meowth's head.

"Jimmy..." Meowth stated next, memories of the two of them fighting over the last piece of food only for Jessie to swipe it played in his mind. Thoughts of them working on contraptions to steal Pikachu played next, followed by James and his over joyous attitude towards bottlecaps.

"G-Guys..."

"Meowth!" the two agents cried in unison, though Xerosic had seen enough. Obviously Meowth wasn't getting the job done. Pointing to Wobbuffet, the Psychic-Type bounded forward, ready to strike the three of them if needed be. However, before he could physically hit them, a burning sensation crossed his face, claw marks scattered amongst it.

"Now dat's how ya use a Fury Swipe!" Meowth stated, free of his mind control, a sight that brought Jessie and James to tears, the duo overly excited to see their best friend and oldest family member back on their side. "How's bout I teach ya a thin' or two bout messin' wit Team Rocket?"

Walking forward, Meowth was soon joined by Jessie and James, the three of them deciding to go old school with this one. If it were a fight Xerosic wanted, then it was a fight he was getting!

"Prepare for trouble"

"Make it double"

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie,"

"James,"

"Team Rocket blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

The trio stood there in full confidence, Meowth leading them as he landed in front of Wobbuffet, the blue lug laying on the ground, holding his face in pain from the sudden attack from Meowth.

"We'll make sure ya never forget what Team Rocket is like. I'll personally do so myself!" Meowth cried out, claws glistening in the light of the room. Xerosic gulped, he had never expected them to break through to a Pokémon. However, he wasn't worried, he still had an army. With a snap of his fingers, the other members of Team Rocket's little family rose around him, each one ready to do battle.

"It isn't going to be easy for us, that's for sure," Jessie muttered, James nodding in response to her words.

"When has it ever been easy for us?" James replied back, the two agents smirking at the question. This was it. This was where they would make their final stand!

* * *

 **There we go. Well, the Remo and Wally portion was short, but there will be a reason for that later on. But with Sird now on the case and heading for Clemont, will the inventor be able to do what he wanted to do? Well, you'll find out eventually. As for the others...man does Nick have awful luck. Finally reunites with his father and Michael gets impaled with an Aegislash's sword. Can't get much worse of a family reunion than that, granted he isn't dead, just hurt. It'll take a lot more to keep a G-Man down.**

 **And finally TRio are on the case with Xerosic...but all their Pokémon except for Meowth are now being controlled. How in the world do they expect to beat him? Either way, they know about how Giovanni sees them and they're not happy in one bit.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	63. An Exploding Moment

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, Nick finally reunited with his father Michael, only things didn't end up so well for them, currently locked in a battle with Carr while TRio are doing battle with Xerosic.**

 **Anyways, nothing major so let's get onto the chapter**

 **Ch 63: An Exploding Moment**

* * *

"Arggggghhhh," Michael muttered out, reaching for his front, his body shaking from the pain caused by the incision, Aegislash removing itself from his body. Blood trickled out, the man touching the gash through his chest, luckily it had missed any of his vital organs, but they had to finish this fast. Otherwise, he would lose too much blood and then who knows what would happen to him. Spitting on the ground, a few drops of blood mixed with his saliva, man staring at the spectacle before forcing his way up onto two feet. He was weak, light headed and tired, his body felt a little colder now, but he wasn't going to stop.

"If...if that's your best...then...then you won't beat me," he managed to say, the man tripping over his words due to his current condition. He knew he was in no condition to fight, but there was no way he would allow this man to harm anyone, especially his son. Grasping his head, Michael smirked across the hallway. "So bring it!"

"Who do you think you're fooling? You can barely stand, so I doubt your body could handle a drawn-out battle!" Carr stated, laughing at the state of his opponent. Michael merely stood there, breaths heavy and knees weak, but he wasn't backing down. Seeing this, the Team Rocket member laughed. "It's your funeral, bub! Steelix, Dragon Breath! Aegislash, Night Slash!"

"Liiixxxx!" the Iron Snake Pokémon cried out, its head whipping around before the blue flames sprouted outwards. Engulfing the hallway, Steelix had the small group trapped, Typhlosion having to use Flame Wheel to blow the flames away from his partner and his son.

However, this left an opening for Aegislash to strike. Slicing through the flames with its Night Slash, Aegislash created a direct path to strike Typhlosion. Its blade shinned purple, the intent to strike evident on its face, crashing through the flames to the surprise of the others, swinging downwards onto Typhlosion. The Fire-Type rolled backwards, slamming into a nearby wall before standing back up and using a Flamethrower attack.

"King's Shield, stop them now!" Carr ordered, flinging his left arm across his body, snapping his fingers as the command was met in seconds. The powerful flames searing from Typhlosion's mouth rammed hard into Aegislash's blue barrier, the Ghost and Steel-Type protected from any possible harm. Dropping the barrier, Carr issued another Night Slash, the Royal Sword Pokémon flying right for Typhlosion. Dodging another Flamethrower, Aegislash twirled in the air, avoiding every portion of the flames with ease before slamming itself down onto Typhlosion's head.

Michael used his one hand that wasn't being used to help support him, clinching it into a fist before slamming it against the nearby wall. This was going awful! The man couldn't think straight, not with the amount of blood he was losing from the gash across his chest and back, at this rate, it would only be a matter of time before he lost too much blood. Looking forward, he watched as Typhlosion stood back up, firing off another Flamethrower only for it to be blocked. Gritting his teeth, Michael was ready to lash out, his frustrations growing. But, he remembered his training and kept calm, he had to keep what little bit of sanity in his head available, he couldn't go losing it now! About to issue a Flame Wheel this time, Michael was surprised to see Aegislash slammed down into the ground before a Shadow Ball crashed into the Royal Sword Pokémon.

"No more play time," Nick spoke, standing back up weakly, the sight of Aegislash plunging itself into his father's back still vivid in his mind. Eevee soon landed on the ground next to Typhlosion, the duo ready to battle side by side. "I may not know what's going on around here, but I'm done with it. It's time to end all of this! Eevee, get in there with a Quick Attack on Steelix, use the force to bounce into the air and then fire a rapid-fire Shadow Ball!"

"Vee!" the Normal-Type cried, already on the run before the familiar white light trailed behind him. Michael watched on, a mix of surprise and happiness filling him as he watched his son battling in person for the first time. Watching as Eevee slammed into Steelix, the Evolution Pokémon merely bounced skyward, his original attack doing no damage. Instead, a barrage of Shadow Balls rained down, the rush of attacks slamming into both Steelix and Aegislash being caught in the blast, smoke filling the hallway once more.

Using this to their advantage, Michael issued for another Flamethrower, this one now ordered to just aim forward in hopes of striking Steelix. Rearing his head back, Typhlosion fired off the common Fire-Type attack, the flames from his mouth engulfing a majority of the hallway. Michael watched on, being able to see Aegislash being incinerated by the sudden rush of fire, the Royal Sword Pokémon dropping to the ground in a loud clang, its shield having been dropped followed by the sword.

Panting, Michael gripped at his chest, the pain beginning to emerge once more. Pushing the thoughts aside, he watched as Steelix blew not only the smoke but also remnants of the flames away, creating a cyclone of wind with nothing but his tail. As their vision of the enemy reappeared, Michael was shocked to see the Iron Snake Pokémon looking just fine.

"But how! He took both a Flamethrower and that barrage of Shadow Balls and yet he's unharmed!" Michael yelled, Typhlosion looking back at his trainer in confusion. Feeling himself sweat now, Michael wiped away the few drops before focusing on the battle. His vision was blurring up now, he had to finish this quickly.

Carr merely shook his head, his cackling laughter keeping all eyes on himself. "Please, when you're a member of Team Rocket's strongest group you need to be prepared! Steelix goes through intense heat training every morning, keeping his body refined for when we go into battle against a Fire-Type like Typhlosion! Now use Rock Slide!"

"Steeeeeellllll!" the Steel and Ground-Type roared out, extending his head skywards, a small portal opening up above Typhlosion and Eevee, the latter preparing an Iron Tail to defend while the former's hands glowed white, a sign of using Focus Punch. Now ready, the two awaited for the falling rocks, Eevee striking the first one off to the side before Typhlosion shattered another with his fists.

"This is no good..." Michael muttered, spitting up a small drop of blood as he did so. Wiping his mouth, the G-Man narrowed his eyes at the situation. Both Eevee and Typhlosion could only last for so long in this current predicament, Eevee already tired from being thrown around earlier in the battle. Though, looking over at his son, Michael noticed the look in his eyes, that look he would get in a battle Michael managed to watch of him. He was thinking, he had a plan of sorts!

"Nick...do...do you have a plan?"

Snapping out of his trance, Nick looked over at his father, the older man curious as to what Nick could have been thinking about all this time. Waiting for a response, Michael smiled at the sight of Nick nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah, I do, though it might sound a little crazy."

"Crazy may be the only thing that works for us...arrggghh!" Michael cried, grabbing his chest once more out of pain. He had to be strong. He had to see this through to the end, if nothing more than to make sure Nick got out of this battle alive! This was just what he wanted to avoid, his son shouldn't have been dragged into this, he's too scatterbrained to be here.

"Well, what if instead of deflecting the stones, we knock them back at Steelix? Cause a distraction while Eevee flings the stones back from which they came!" Nick asked, his father stared at him with an interested look. It might have been just what they needed. Michael thought the idea over, if Steelix worried about defending, then he wouldn't keep up his current attack!

Nodding at Nick, Michael narrowed his gaze before throwing his free hand forward. Issuing a Flamethrower, Typhlosion listened to the command. Dropping his Focus Punch, the Fire-Type's maw exploded with flames, the heat rising in the small corridor, the three trainers all sweating from it.

"Please, a little heat won't stop this attack! Aegislash!" Carr called out, the Royal Sword Pokémon leaping from the ground, his body attaching itself into the shield it carried around. Soon, the familiar blue barrier surrounded it, the flames merely bouncing off to the sides of it, striking the walls.

Michael grit his teeth at the sight, he assumed that Aegislash was down for the count and if he gambled he would have bet Nick thought the same way based on his shocked expression. Eevee followed through on his end, his metallic tail striking against the rocks, sending them flying back at Steelix only for Aegislash to dice them into tiny pebbles. Feeling a sharp pain in his chest, Michael felt his breath leaving him, he felt weaker than before and knew it was only a matter of time before he would become too weak to help. Staring at Carr, the miniscule man appeared pleased by the current situation, his voice cackling with glee.

"You two are pathetic," he stated, whipping a finger forward, Aegislash dashing across the hall. His blade elongated, glowing blue as it did so before slashing right across Typhlosion with it. The impact sent the Fire-Type skidding backwards and into Eevee. The impact left the Normal-Type dazed, unable to defend from the falling stones as they were crushed by them.

"I told you! Just give up, no one's ever beaten me in battle before!" Carr called out, Steelix ending the attack now that his prey were buried. "It's time to end this all! Steelix, Hyper Beam!"

Michael grit his teeth, his loss of blood was making his head spin, he wasn't able to focus properly and the agent was annoyed by his ill-timed injury. Though, he knew Typhlosion would be fine, and Eevee by extension would be just fine. Casting his eyes onto Nick, the older man could see the worry in his eyes. But, Typhlosion had been through worse, he'd get them out of it.

A rumbling soon cut off Michael's thoughts, the shaking causing his head to pound and cause him pain. Concentrating through it all, Michael watched, Steelix creating the powerful blast within his mouth. Energy formed within it, the surge in power soon transforming into a beam. The target none other than their trapped Pokémon. Nick cried out in horror, the blast erupting as it struck down on the rocks, disintegrating them into dust, no sign of Eevee or Typhlosion following the blast.

"E...Eevee?" Nick asked, the young boy dropping onto his knees, tears forming in his eyes. Michael merely cast his gaze away, not wanting to think of what may have happened until he caught sight of a hole in the ground.

"Ty...Phlosion!" the sudden cry from the Fire-Type rang out, Steelix being met with an impressive Flame Wheel to his jaw, Aegislash likewise being hit by Eevee' Iron Tail. The two Pokémon landed back on the ground safely, Michael knowing full well what happened, Carr looking on in shock while his two Steel-Types got back up.

"I can tell you lack the trust in your Pokémon," Michael spoke, his face breaking into a grin, Typhlosion and himself bumping fists. "I may not have seen Typhlosion, but after everything we've been through, I believe in him to make the right calls. Using Dig to escape from those rocks allowed us a chance to strike back. Granted your Pokémon seem to be getting right back up, it gave us a moment to rest."

Carr grit his teeth, Michael telling that the brat was growing pissed off. He most likely expected them to be finished by now, what with Michael, himself, injured and Nick being not the brightest individual around, though they were giving him an issue.

"Dad," Nick spoke up, his eyes fixated onto Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokémon seeming to be huffing now, his stamina obviously running low now. Catching his son's glance, Michael nodded, understanding just what Nick meant.

"Attack with another Flamethrower, when you do, based on his previous commands he'll call for a King's Shield again. In that moment of Aegislash defending, it leaves Steelix open for a surprise attack from behind!" Nick finished, eyes now darting around the hallway, the corridor looking weaker than when they first began.

"Typhlosion! Flamethrower, let's go!" Michael called out, his voice lacking his usual strength. He was surprised at just how quickly he was falling apart, it hadn't been longer than twenty minutes at the most since he was stabbed, but here he was, reaching his breaking point. Panting heavily, Michael had to sit down on the ground, his body beginning to give out on him.

"Please, this old trick again!? Aegislash, get at it now!" Carr retorted, his Steel and Ghost-Type once more slamming itself into the shield that adorned its arms.

"A-gee-gee-gee slash!" it cried out, the blue barrier forming around Carr and his Pokémon once more. Typhlosion wasn't fazed though, he continued on, pushing himself beyond his limits.

"Phlosion! Ty! Typhlosion!" he screamed, the intensity causing Michael to grip at his head in pain. The flames shooting out of Typhlosion's mouth increased in intensity, his body glowing red in the process. Soon, the Flamethrower was split in two, the stream of flames breaking into two paths, each of them striking the sides of the corridor.

"Now, Eevee! Iron Tail!" Nick issued, the Evolution Pokémon rushing in for the strike. Though, Carr seemed excited for this, his cackle filling the corridor.

"Did you forget about King's Shield? Your pathetic Eevee won't do anything to us!" Carr replied, his smug look dropping as soon as he saw the intense look Nick gave off.

"Did you forget that there's more than one way to attack?" Nick asked, his own father confused by the smug look on his face. Looking around, Michael finally noticed the weakened structure of the corridor, the area ready to collapse in on itself from the flames of Typhlosion. "I'll call this checkmate! Now, Eevee!"

"Vui!" Eevee called out, the little Normal-Type dashing forward, his tail glowing a shade of white before stiffening. Jumping into the air, Eevee spun around before slamming his tail into the ground. The shockwaves produced from the attack having been the final push needed for the walls to cave in.

"W-What's happening!" Carr called out, the metallic walls and the rocks from behind them caving in around him. Nick watched on, a smug look on his face as the short man vanished behind the wall of dirt and metal. "You know Steelix can break us out! Right!?" his voice called out, the dirt making it almost inaudible.

"That would mean Aegislash has to drop King's Shield," Nick replied, Michael finally realizing what just happened. The thought behind Nick's plan making him slightly shake from fear. "The way the walls caved in around you has made it impossible for Steelix to move. Add in the fact that Aegislash and its King's Shield attack is keeping you from being crushed under all the rubble. Dropping the command gives you a chance at freedom, but also risks the heavy pile of concrete, metal and debris falling on your body. Like I said, checkmate."

" _Remind me not to get on his bad side!"_ Michael thought, a few drops of sweat running down his face. He never realized just how crazy his son could be at times, though, it had saved them for now.

"Let's get you out of here," Nick muttered, helping Michael up onto his two feet. Recalling Typhlosion into his Poké Ball, Michael weakly stood to his feet, using Nick as a prop to help keep his balance. "There's just one problem... I don't know where the exit is, I came in through the sewage system."

" _Is this really the same boy from a few minutes ago? I guess those matches weren't outliers...he really is something else when in a battle,"_ Michael thought once more, his breathing growing fainter, himself feeling colder, shivering as he pointed them towards the exit.

* * *

"What a bothersome bunch..." Xerosic moaned out, placing one hand over his glasses, the other hanging freely by his side. "Look at your odds. You two and a talking Meowth fighting against my entire army of brainwashed Pokémon. There is no chance for you to even come close to winning."

"Listen here you overweight, moron. If there's one thing we've learned from our constant failures, it's that you never rely on odds to win!" Jessie shouted forward, his usual anger returning to her voice. Both James and Meowth couldn't help but slightly cower, their old Jessie back at it. "First we'll beat your grimy face into the concrete and then Giovanni will be the next to learn what happens when you cross us!"

"Jess, I think that's going a tad far... We should just worry about getting our Pokémon back," James muttered, slinking slightly forward, his partner and friend casting a glance back towards him. The look in her eyes causing him to shut up immediately from fear.

"James, how long would it take you to get Operation Renovare up and running?" Jessie asked, a smirk crossing over her face, James understanding just what she meant. Meowth likewise knew the plan, standing right next to her, his claws shinning in the light.

"Jimmy, you get dat up and runnin'. I'll take care of da trash right in front of us, he shouldn't be too much of a bother," the Normal-Type joked, the male of their group moving slowly towards the supercomputer, his fingers punching the keys at a rate that made even Xerosic look amazed.

"Give me roughly ten minutes...though...you know full well what this will mean old chaps," James trailed off, his fingers working away at whatever the three had planned. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he caught Meowth diving under Seviper's Poison Tail attack before slashing Inkay in the face with his Fury Swipes.

Jessie merely nodded at him, they were fully aware of the consequences of what would happen, but this was the only way things would work out for them. Running forward, Jessie made a break for the machine, hoping to dismantle it in some sort of fashion only to be met with a Bullet Seed from Carnivine. Meowth was on the move already, intercepting the barrage, dicing each of the seeds up into fine particles before blowing them into Carnivine's face, the Grass-Type blinded by the dust.

"Sorry bout this pal," Meowth muttered, sweeping his feet underneath Carnivine's body, knocking the Grass-Type off balance. Jumping on its back before lunging for the floating Gourgeist.

"I've never seen Meowth so motivated before...we should let all our enemies control our Pokémon then," Jessie muttered, ducking underneath an incoming Poison Sting and Silver Wind combo, the very same that she used during their time in Sinnoh. Turning towards the two attackers, Jessie found herself unable to grow angry at her Pokémon, it wasn't their fault they were being manipulated. And for that, she couldn't find herself hurting them. Instead, she allowed Yanmega's newly launched Sonic Boom to strike her body, the agent being launched backwards.

"Jessie!" James cried out, his ears picking up the sound of her body crashing onto the concrete floor with a loud thud. Wanting to turn his face away from the supercomputer, he knew better; he was the only one right now to set this all off. Though, he was sure to add in a little surprise for Giovanni along the way. Turning to his right, the mechanic of their little group felt a pair of gazing eyes; the objects belonging to his little Mime Jr.

"Mime mime mime," the Psychic and Fairy-Type muttered, looking to be quite hurt by James and his lack of notice towards the little fellow. His face turning into a small frown, James tried to ignore his close friend, but Mime Jr's gaze continued on before James finally relented. This was all the Mime Pokémon needed, lunging forward, his tiny hands attaching themselves to James' sides.

"S-Stop that...ahaha...M-Mime Jr!" he cried out, both Jessie and Meowth casting a glance towards him. Mime Jr. appeared to have James caught in a terrifying Tickle attack, the man unable to stop the tormenting from it. This slight distraction was all the controlled Pokémon needed, Gourgeist firing a Seed Bomb right at Meowth, the Normal-Type caught in midair following an attack on Yanmega. Jessie likewise was caught in the blast, her body sliding towards Wobbuffet, the blue lug still laying on the ground.

"Get up already! I know you can hear me, Wobbuffet!" Jessie shouted, kicking Wobbuffet with her boot. The Psychic-Type appeared to stir slightly before sitting back up looking dazed and confused. Smirking, Jessie looked at her partner, wondering if he was back to normal, only for Wobbuffet to lunge at her. "Not this time, I see what's happening to James over there!" she exclaimed, shoving Wobbuffet into the wall, the Psychic-Type bouncing off of it and looking slightly hurt.

"W-Wobbu? Wobbu wobb?" Wobbuffet asked, Jessie noticing that the Psychic-Type seemed to have gained control of his own (rather small) mind thanks to the blow to the head.

"I guess we can be thankful for that small brain of yours, Wobbuffet," Jessie muttered, the blue lug taking it as a compliment despite the mixed intentions of it. Smiling at the sight of another one of their family members back, the loudest member of their group grabbed ahold of Wobbuffet by his feet and back. "And now...you're going to help Meowth one way or another! So... Get...Going!" she shouted with all her might, tossing Wobbuffet right for the gathered group of Pokémon.

The Psychic-Type cried out in fear, his body sliding across the floor before slamming into Seviper and Carnivine as if they were pins and he were a bowling ball. The three Pokémon tumbled over, Wobbuffet the first to stand back up thanks to help from Meowth. Meanwhile, Jessie was quick to help James, ripping Mime Jr off of him and (much to his chagrin) throwing the Mime Pokémon into a wall, knocking its head on the hard object.

"Glad ta have ya back, pal o' mine," Meowth muttered, letting a loose cry of pain out from his injuries. He may have been holding his own, but taking on everyone was beginning to tire him out, he could only take so many hits after all. "Though, it would have been better if you been here sooner..."

"Honestly, how hard is it to just kill you all?" Xerosic asked, frustration seeping into his voice. The three former agents all cast their gazes back towards the man, forgetting about their separate goals for the time being. "It's as if you three are the luckiest fools on this entire planet! Malamar, end them now, please! Psycho Cut!"

"You're up for this one, big guy," Meowth muttered, pushing a now glowing Wobbuffet in front of them. The crescent blade slammed into Wobbuffet, yet the Psychic-Type held his own. Pushing back, Wobbuffet launched the attack back at him. Dodging at the last second, Malamar avoided the powerful attack, the beam crashing right into Xerosic's machine.

The metallic device began to glow, sparks flying off of its outer shell. The blast having appeared to damage it to a degree, heat radiating from it. The look on Xerosic's face gave the three former Team Rocket agents a moment of hope only for it to be crushed by the machine cooling down immediately.

"Did you honestly believe I'd build a machine so cheaply that one attack would finish it off? This state of the art contraption here is made to withstand almost any kind of destructive force except for an explosion," the former Team Flare scientist stated menacingly before ordering another round of attacks.

Feeling bad for his controlled teammates, Meowth dodged the first round of Psybeam from Inkay before using Wobbuffet as a shield, his Counter attack managing to force Seviper back into Yanmega. The two Pokémon carried backwards a little, ramming into Xerosic's machine, rocking it slightly. However, the device appeared unharmed while Seviper and Yanmega both looked fatigued.

"Dats it!" Meowth cried out, Wobbuffet standing behind him now, a look of worry on his face, Carnivine shooting off a Bullet Seed at the two. Meowth didn't blink, slicing the attack up before pointing at their controlled comrades. "If we can't destroy dat hunk o' junk over there...perhaps we can knock some sense into da others. They may not feel good afta, but it'll have ta do!"

"Meowth, just hold them back for a few more minutes! I'm nearly done!" James' voice called out through the noise, Jessie having joined him at the supercomputer.

"You heard dem, Wobbuffet! Let's show des controlled guys just wat we do!" Meowth cried out, bouncing off of Wobbuffet's Counter, the Scratch Cat Pokémon soaring across the room. Claws raised, Meowth sliced across Inkay, the Psychic and Dark-Type dropping to the ground before an explosion filled the background, Gourgeist and Yanmega soon dropping onto the floor as well courtesy of a Mirror Coat from Wobbuffet returning a Shadow Ball.

"Wobbbbbu!" the Psychic-Type cried out, saluting as he always did. All that were left now was just Carnivine and Seviper. However, before they could engage them, the entire room glowed red. An alarm soon blazed out as well, sirens warning all those within the building.

"And done! Operation Renovare has been firmly finished! The program is truly tested for a barbaric battalion such as Xerosic!" James decried, throwing his arms up in victory, a Signal Beam attack crashing right into the supercomputer's screen.

"Nice try there, four eyes, but once Operation Renovare begins there's no stopping it," Jessie joined in, quickly recalling all of her Pokémon with the exceptions of Wobbuffet and Seviper. "This entire base is rigged to explode in exactly twenty minutes and there's no stopping the countdown, the base's energy core is already storing up power for an explosive release."

"To think you three could create something like that... I guess miracles do happen," Xerosic muttered, crossing his arms. Having no further need of controlling their Pokémon, Xerosic commanded for Malamar and Crobat to strike Seviper and Carnivine respectively.

"Unfortunately for you four, it'll also lead to your demise! That Meowth is exhausted and the blue clown has no attacks. Malamar, Crobat, attack now!" the pale man declared, his two Pokémon firing off a Psycho Cut and Air Cutter respectively.

"Those goggles must be too tight for you, moron! If you honestly think we'll stand here and let you blast us off then your delusional!" Jessie declared, pointing her index finger forward, determination in her eyes. The look caused Xerosic to momentarily sweat, having forgotten about the blue idiot's unique abilities due to his haste. "Wobbuffet, do your thing!"

"Wob...Wooooobbbbbuuuuu!" Wobbuffet declared, his body glowing like that of a rainbow, shining brightly in the room. The attacks crashed into his body, absorbed by his rubber like physique before a ball of energy formed near his chest. Firing the sphere off, the three former agents watched on, Xerosic crying out for forgiveness as the blast consumed himself alongside his two Pokémon.

The attack carried the three out into the hallway and down the corridor until he was lost from their sight. Wondering just how far down he could have went, the former agents were dragged from their thoughts, the sirens reminding them of the danger they were in.

"You think we may have gone a little overboard with that last blast?" James asked, sighing from the exhaustion of their previous predicament. "This place is about to blow sky high in just under fifteen minutes, perhaps the slithering, scummy, snake should have been tied up and brought with us instead."

"Tied up, smied up," Jessie retorted, waving her hand in an annoyance towards the man who blatantly tried to kill them. "He'll find his way out before this place explodes...maybe...hopefully... Oh who cares about him! We need to go pay a visit to our dear ol' boss!"

"Ya, and the shock will leave him at a loss," Meowth muttered, stroking his chin, Wobbuffet standing behind him, puffing his chest out proudly for taking down Xerosic in one blow. Even if the madman had forgotten about him, Wobbuffet just showed him what they had hidden as their trump card.

"Then with a hasty retreat let's get to the boss and give him an old fashioned, heave-ho toss!" James joined in, the three cheering in agreement before running down the hallway, Wobbuffet bounding along behind them, his build making it hard to keep up. "Now, there's also going to be a little shock."

"You mean you undid that lock?" Jessie asked him, turning her head towards her partner, the duo blazing down the hallways in a flurry, the noticeable lack of grunts now showing them just how little Giovanni cared for their base outside of his needs. Rounding a corner, the three pushed even harder than before, wondering if anyone was even in the base except for them at the moment.

"Dat means Team Rocket is going ta sink just like a rock," Meowth agreed, the Normal-Type reaching the end of the corridor first. Opening the door to get to the next level, the three were the ones being shocked by the person behind the door. Someone they had never expected to make it into the base or be in Kalos at all.

"Boxed-Lunch Guy!?" the three former agents cried, falling backwards and onto Wobbuffet in a hurry. They honestly couldn't tell if it was a good situation for his appearance or if they were doomed before carrying out their final wishes.

"You three!?" Looker cried out, pointing down to them in a hurry. Waving his finger at them, the man was just as shocked to see them within the base. Especially since he had assumed they would be with Giovanni at the moment. "Tell me just what is going on around here! What's with all the sirens and where is everyone?"

"Beats us where da people be at," Meowth replied, standing up before offering a paw to his two partners. Stretching his fatigued muscles out, Meowth could see the worry on the man's face; almost like he was looking for _someone else._ As if he wasn't even searching for members of Team Rocket. "Wats da emergency? Need help findin' some boxed lunches?"

"I have an acquaintance who is somewhere within the building and he's stopped communicating with me for roughly twenty minutes now. As soon as I lost contact with him, I rushed in here, taking out the guards at the door before hurrying to his last transmission. But instead of finding Michael, I ran into you three," Looker explained, casting a glance down towards what appeared to be a watch.

"Wait, you said 'Michael'? We had a miraculously marvelous man named Mike working for us. Could our current conundrum be solved thanks to the same person?" James asked, Looker merely looking at them, shocked they hadn't put the two names together and even now they wondered if these two were the same. "If so, then we must scat like a Rattata. This entire building is set to explode in under twelve minutes now! No time to waste!"

"Then let's make with a haste!" Jessie shouted, tossing Wobbuffet and Meowth through the open door, James running forward before Jessie could hurl him as well. "If this Michael of yours is smart then he must have made a direct path for the exit once the alarms blared! If we follow this path and take a right at the next corridor, then we should be able to cut them and any other stragglers off before the exit."

Looker appeared pleased by the thought, though, he couldn't help but feel played by it. "How do I know you're not leading me into a trap of sorts? You three do work for Giovanni and Team Rocket."

"Used to!" Jessie shouted over her shoulder, the blazing alarms making it almost impossible to hear her words, the small group beginning their trek back towards the exit. "That ungrateful jerk will regret the day he ever thought of myself as a servant to him!"

"Wat Jess means there, Mr. Boxed-Lunch Guy is dat we're free agents...in a sense. Don't work for no one now, not afta gettin' crossed. So we'll help ya find ya missin' boy in exchange for letting us take down Giovanni," Meowth explained, James' small watch beeping to alert them that they had just about ten minutes left to get out.

"Should have given more time," James muttered, the group of five now rounding the corner and making their way for the home stretch. If their guy was in the building, there would be a good chance he was heading down this hallway now.

"Come on...dad...we're almost there, I can feel it," a sudden voice broke through the hallway, the small group feeling their spirits lifted only to realize there were two people traversing the area. "This isn't a good time to rest, once we're out of the building I'll see to it that you're all healed up with the best doctors."

"N-No...no doc-doctor can fix this problem... Nick," a second voice, easily recognizable to all of those running towards it spoke. Sounds of coughing could then be heard followed by a drip of some substance onto the floor. The small group could only wonder just what happened for this conversation to be taking place, though as they moved further down the corridor, they now noticed drops of blood lining the ground, a man leaning against the wall off in the distant.

"Michael!" Looker cried out, dashing forward, accidently pushing the former Team Rocket members out of his way. Getting to his correspondent, Looker noticed the gash through Michael's chest, the man looking more like a ghost than a person from his loss of blood. "W-What happened!?"

"Th-there...there was..." Michael began, stopping to cough, blood splashing out onto the ground, Jessie, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet reaching them to see Michael's current condition. "There was an unexpected event... I got dis-dis-distracted and...and well the rest is obvious."

"Looker, was it?" Michael asked, coughing once more, the man nodding in agreement to answer the man's question. "I...I need you to get Nick and those other guys with you out of here. I can tell that this place is going to blow soon and I'll slow you all down. And besides...arghhhh! Ehhh, guess it's almost time after all...never thought it would end like this, not after just seeing Nick after all those years."

"What are you saying, dad!? The exit is right up ahead, these guys can carry you and we'll be out in no ti-" Nick began, Michael cutting him off by placing a finger on his mouth, the young boy beginning to realize the weight of their current predicament. "I...I...I can't..." he tried to say, unable to bring a voice to the words he were thinking of, tears starting to form in his eyes. The others looked away for a moment, not sure how to properly help the boy.

"I just found you again! I can't lose you now!" Nick yelled, the tears streaming down his face, his voice echoing through the hallways, rivaling the alarm sirens. "I've searched everywhere since you left me! And...and now that I've found you... Y-You plan to leave again!?"

"Nick..." Michael groaned, finding the strength to stand back up. Bringing his son into a hug, Nick felt the blood stick to his shirt, Eevee likewise looking worried at the entire situation, unsure how he could help comfort Nick. "I want you to know...that I never left you before and I'll never leave you now. I had no choice but to have you stay at Elm's laboratory all those years...this field of work is no place for someone your age. It isn't safe, look at what happened to me today."

"But, I want you to always remember the good times we had before I went away. Try to remember the times we explored the mountains of Mt. Silver, of living in grandma's small house, the time we went to the Silver Conference together. Every day I miss you more than you could ever imagine, son. Though, watching from afar as you grew into a wonderful young man, I couldn't be prouder of who you've become. But, I want you to always remember that I'm here for you, Nick! I'll never leave your side, even when we're separated, just know that I'm watching."

"Now though..." Michael gasped, his breath short from his mini speech, his body weak from standing for so long, head spinning from lack of blood, let go of the hug, pulling back slightly but still able to see his son's face. "Now though...I...I need to rest. I feel weak and besides, I'll be visiting mom and grandma now, so I won't be alone and neither will you. For we'll be watching you from our house we're resting in together."

"But...but...but..." Nick repeated, unable to complete any coherent sentence, his words repeating themselves as Jessie, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet found themselves tearing up from the goodbye between family members. "I'll never see you again. I still haven't seen the house where mom and grandma are staying at! How can I find you!? You said once I'm strong enough then you'll take me there one day!"

Placing a hand through Nick's hair, Michael ruffled it gently, gasping for air as he did so. "Nick, you've grown stronger than I ever thought you would. You've made me proud more times than you would ever know and that's why it's hard for me to say goodbye for now too... But always know, that as long as the stars are shinning I'll always be right beside you. So...it's time for me to rest, my son."

"Dad...I love you," Nick muttered, wiping the tears from his eyes as best he could, the waterworks being too much for him to completely dry his face up.

"I love you too, Nick," Michael stated, pulling his son in for a hug. Raising one of his arms, he swiftly chopped Nick on the back of his neck, knocking the poor boy out cold. Looking down to Eevee and then Looker, he frowned. "I... I didn't want him awake when it happens. But, please, when he wakes...give him this. It's directions to where his mother and grandma is. It'll help him get closure."

Pulling a white envelope from his bag, Michael handed it over to Looker, the International Policeman taking it with honor, placing it into his coat pocket before lifting Nick onto his shoulder. "I'll see to it not another person has to make the sacrifice you did today, Michael. Thank you for everything...and I'll make sure Nick is just fine."

"I know you will...though, I think the news will hit Silver hard...he always felt like a surrogate son to me. Just...get Nick somewhere safe please," Michael said, Looker merely nodding in agreement, knowing full well where he'll take the boy following their exit from the building. Telling them to move on, Michael sat back down, smiling slightly at the fact he got to see his son one final time. Watching their retreating backs leave his blurry vision, Michael sighed softly, Typhlosion popping out of his Poké Ball to sit down next to his partner.

"Ty...Typhlosion..." he stated weakly before tears came from his face. Michael patted the Fire-Type behind his head, helping to relax him for a few moments before they both sighed out.

"I know old friend, it's time for the next adventure to begin. I wish you would have gone with Nick, but you're too stubborn...just like me... Oh well, it can't be helped...we...we have been through everything together," Michael spoke, coughing up a few more drops of blood in the process.

"Phlosion, ty ty," Typhlosion spoke, the duo shaking hands before their fingers interlocked. Hearing boom off in the distance, Michael and Typhlosion both knew their time was limited now; the base was beginning to blow and it would only be a matter of time now until it reached them.

"So...I guess we'll get to see Charmeine again. I wonder if she'll recognize me up there...especially since I doubt she's aged one day..." Michael laughed, Typhlosion joining in as the two felt the floor rumbling now.

"Typhlosion...I want you to know it's been an honor serving alongside you. To think the day I picked you as my starter from the village elder we would go on to make it into the Silver Conference and make some amazing friends. Lance...Elm...well, I never got to say goodbye to them, but they're the reasons I am who I am. They helped me become more than just a wild mountain boy who dreamed of making it as a Pokémon Master, they motivated me and pushed me to new heights. Though none of it would be possible without you, Typhlosion. You've been my best friend since day one, pal. I love you."

"Typhlosion!" he cried out in agreement, the two pulling themselves into a hug, a loud "boom" going off in the distance. Knowing their time was coming, the duo sat back and leaned against the wall.

"Only thing I regret is how awful this retirement of ours was. Who sold us the deluxe package instead of the platinum? That one probably including something real nice, like an all you can eat buffet pass or access to the resort's pool for free. Next time, Typhlosion, we'll find a better place to go stay at...how's that sou-" Michael said jokingly, his final few sounds cut off as the hallway burst open with an explosion.

* * *

"It's gonna blow! Duck and cover!" Meowth cried, the small group diving away from the building and toward a water fountain across the street. An explosion filled the area, the entire building combusting into flames. Nothing appeared left of it at all, just as James had thought so.

"W-What was that anyways?" Looker asked, cradling Nick in his arms, Eevee standing on his shoulder with no complaints from Looker himself. The man was more confused by what he just witnessed. "Why would you blow up the entire base!?"

"It's a sign to Giovanni! Telling him he picked the wrong group to mess with," Jessie stated, folding her arms, Wobbuffet copying her actions only to receive a glare from his trainer. "What just happened though is a security override we had built into the base. In the event that someone tries to take the base from us, we overcharge the energy reactors until they explode from holding too much energy in. At that moment, the entire base goes kablooey and is an unpleasant surprise to those trying to take the base!"

"Granted it was a last resort measure due to the massive destruction. We could always build a new base, but letting secrets fall into enemy hands was a big no-no with the boss," James added in, Looker just looking shocked from how intense they had it set up. He was glad they didn't rush in there when Nate offered the idea, otherwise who knows what may have happened to all of them.

"Yes...well...I'll be off then. I need to go and bring Nick to a safe location and I know just the location," Looker explained, turning towards Professor Sycamore's Laboratory. "I leave feeling assured you three can finish what we've all started; taking down Giovanni is all that's left. We've lost too much already to leave empty handed. He must be captured and brought to justice."

"You can leave it ta us Mr. Boxed-Lunch Guy! We'll make sure dat Giovanni gets brought down! You have our word," Meowth stated, the International Policeman already on the move.

"So what do we do now? How exactly do you plan on getting up to Prism Tower in such a short amount of time?" James asked, eyes darting around, the four of them unable to come up with any ideas. "The balloon was destroyed amongst the explosion; our aerial transport has met an attack that it couldn't be fixed from at long last."

"We'll just buy a new balloon once this whole mess is situated," Jessie stated, her eyes catching sight of what appeared to be a news' helicopter landing nearby. The reporters jumped from the vehicle to examine what had appeared to be an explosion in the area, the three former agents knowing full well that it was their doing. "But for now, I say that helicopter looks much more enticing than walking."

* * *

"Arghhh...my head," Serena moaned, looking around the dimly lit tunnel. Reaching down to pick up her hat, the Performer placed it atop her head before calling out Braixen. Her loyal partner raised her branch to light up the area, Serena worried from the sight around her. Gone was the wide tunnel she had climbed into and in its place, was a narrow path lined with crushed rock and debris.

"We're trapped now, Braixen, only one way to get out of here. And it'll be to head straight," looking around, Serena saw what looked to be a piece of fabric and moved towards it, her body stiff from the cave in. Reaching the object, Serena recognized it immediately as the hat Dawn was wearing throughout the entire tournament. "If this is here...then Dawn can't be much further from us, Braixen. Maybe she found a way out!"

"Brai...braixen brai," the Fox Pokémon replied, pointing her branch forward prior to taking the lead. Moving down the rock tunnel, the duo couldn't shake the odd feeling that someone was watching them. And that feeling caused Serena to become nervous, it didn't help that the last time she felt like this that the tunnel caved in on them either.

"Braixen, keep your guard up. We might have company in this tunnel," Serena spoke before hearing a familiar chirp coming from slightly further down the hall. Following what sounded to be Piplup's cries for help, Serena and Braixen picked up their pace only to soon see Dawn trapped under some of the rubble. "Dawn!"

"S-Serena?" Dawn grimaced, her leg causing her pain. The Performer immediately rushed to Dawn's side, calling out Pancham and Sylveon to assist in helping their friend. "Piplup and I were separated from everyone during the cave in and when we went to search for the others...there was a tremor and these rocks landed on my leg. I...I think it may be broken."

"Pip...pip-pip lup!" Piplup exclaimed, flippers raised to his beak, the Water-Type shaking from his worry.

Moving the last of the rocks, Serena could see that it was damaged in some form. Whether it was broken or just a fracture, the Kalos native knew that Dawn wouldn't be walking without assistance for a while. _"And we don't know where Brock is... He would surely know how to properly take care of this,"_ Serena thought to herself, biting her lower lip as the duo felt another tremor fill the hall.

Knowing it wasn't safe to remain in their current location, Serena (with help from her Pokémon) moved Dawn away from the sides of their current prison and towards the center. She hoped that the roof of the original tunnel was still sturdy enough to be under, otherwise they would have a lot more to worry about than just the sides having collapsed. Searching through her bag, Serena looked for anything that could be used to help Dawn out in time, but unfortunately she had nothing to use for a possibly broken leg. Cursing herself, Serena tossed her backpack onto the front of her body. At this point, there was only one thing she could do.

"Come on, climb onto my back," Serena offered, receiving a confused stare from Dawn. Serena knew the offer seemed crazy, but right now there was no way they could stay in this spot. "We have no supplies to help your leg, the area around us is unstable and you can't walk. I'm going to carry you whether you want to be or not!" Serena demanded, using a tone that she didn't even know she had. It seemed to work though, her new friend inching her way onto her back.

"Now what?" Dawn asked, Serena herself wondering the same thing. The duo however already knew the answer since there was only one option. Nodding amongst each other, Serena and Dawn agreed in silence to continue on towards their original destination, hoping to find Brock and Sawyer along the way.

Making their way down the tunnel, neither girl said much, both of them unsure of just what to say to the other. Serena couldn't help but feel bad about it, but she knew now wasn't the time to try and chat; they needed to find a way out of the tunnel and rescue Ash. Though, that familiar feeling once more returned to Serena. Looking around the area, Serena wondered if she was just going crazy due to the stress put on her and the others.

"Serena?" Dawn asked, Piplup walking right beside Braixen and Serena's other Pokémon, the four of them also sensing something being up. "This may seem strange to ask...but...d-did you lick the back of my neck?"

Serena turned to look at Dawn, wondering if she had perhaps hit her head along with hurting her leg. _How_ could she have licked Dawn's neck while carrying said girl? It didn't make sense to Serena and only fueled her theory that someone was following them...though now she was even less thrilled about it.

" _If someone really is following us...they seem like a creep. Especially if they licked Dawn's neck,"_ Serena thought, feeling something cold and wet pass across the back of her hand. "Ahhhhh!" she cried out, turning around to see nothing at all. Braixen ran right up beside her trainer. Pancham, Sylveon and Piplup forming what appeared to be a shield around their trainers. Whatever was going on, it was not normal.

"Braixen, there's definitely _something_ here. Use your fire on the ground to light up the entire area!" she commanded, the Fox Pokémon nodding in agreement, slamming her branch into the ground. The fire soon shot outward, creating a crescent shape around them, lighting up the entire area.

"W-What are they?" Serena asked, slightly startled by all the creatures handing amongst the rocks...or were _they_ the majority of the rocks. Moving around, the creatures began to expand their bodies before dropping onto the ground before them. "A-Are those the things that were licking us?"

"Shuckle," Dawn muttered to herself, Serena able to hear the name of the Pokémon. Now that she thought about it, she wanted to believe she'd seen them before...only not so many at once. "They're an annoying little Pokémon, but I have no clue as to why there are so many of them here."

"That is a simple answer," a gruff voice echoed from above them. Looking up, Serena was startled by what looked to be a mammoth of a person hanging from the ceiling, one arm keeping him above the other holding a Shuckle. Jumping backwards, Serena landed on top of Dawn, the two girls barely getting out of the way of the falling man. Landing with a thud, the man grinned at the two girls.

"W-Who are you?" Serena asked, about to turn and help Dawn stand up. Reaching down to pull Dawn back onto her feet (the Coordinator not wanting to be carried if they had to fight), the duo soon found themselves trapped with a weird substance. A silky substance had the two girls pressed up against each other, neither able to properly see their unwanted guest due to it.

"W-What...what did you do to use!? Why can't we move?" Dawn asked, Piplup trying to pull at the substance only to fail in the process. Serena likewise tried to break it by moving her arms, but the substance wouldn't break. Whatever it was, this stuff was too strong for them to break on their own. If they were to battle this guy, they would be at a severe disadvantage now.

"Stick around and I'll answer all your questions dearie," the mammoth of a man replied, his hand continuing to stroke the Shuckle in his hand. Smirking, the man watched as the Shuckle roamed towards him, each of them looking ready to battle. "You see, many people who I do battle with never live to tell the tale of Orm of the Three Beasts. You've all been in my trap the entire time, gals, the cave in being my doing...though, I guess you could call it more of a Shuckle-in since there were Shuckle mixed in as well."

"Just tell us who you are!" Dawn but in, clearly frustrated by all of this. Serena could understand why. Not only were they attacked before getting ready to save Ash, Dawn's leg was also damaged to the point of a possible breakage in her bone and now they were tied up by whatever this substance was. "We don't care about how much of a mastermind you and your army of Shuckle are! Piplup, use Ice Beam!"

"Pip! Luppppp!" the Penguin Pokémon cried out, his beak opening to form an icy stream of energy. The coolness radiating from Piplup's beak seemed to help Dawn's leg based on the sigh Serena heard escape from her mouth. The blast traversed the small distance from the two girls to Orm and was about to strike the burly man only for a wall of Shuckle to form in front of his body.

"If you'd let me finish, you would have learned that I only own one Shuckle, the one in my hand," Orm explained, petting his partner once more, the wall of now frozen Shuckle being moved to the side by the other Shuckle. "And this one is the leader of a horde of Shuckle. They'll do whatever my Shuckle commands them to do, so you'll never hurt us. As for your latest accessory? That's one hundred percent Sticky Web from a Shuckle, you'll never find a harder to break substance than what you two are wearing. Hopefully you two get along, since you'll be spending a lot of time together."

"Braixen, use Flamethrower! Sylveon, use Fairy Wind! Pancham, use Dark Pulse!" Serena ordered the three commands and her Pokémon bounded into action, each of them firing off their respective attacks, the glows from the Flamethrower lighting up the entire pathway.

"Nice try, gal, but it won't work," Orm stated, the wall of Shuckle forming once more. Only this time, the wall was aided by stones erupting out of the ground, Serena recognizing the Stone Edge attack immediately. Though, she didn't care, Orm didn't know what she was doing either!

The Flamethrower attack soon rammed into the stones, the flames merely being pushed to the side as Orm seemed perfectly fine, guarded by his army of Shuckle. However, the Dark Pulse was a different story, the beam being separated into three different sections thanks to Fairy Wind slicing through it. The new thinness of the attack allowed the streams to blast right through the cracks in the Stone Edge from Braixen's Flamethrower, shattering them and making the tiny rocks scatter onto the Shuckle and even Orm himself.

"Huh...guess you broke through. But, all that did was make me angry," Orm stated, issuing another Stone Edge from the army, only for the rocks to shoot out of the ground and head for Serena and Dawn. "Time for you two girls to learn what happens when I'm angry!"

Serena watched on, Pancham, Braixen and Sylveon being thrown backwards by the stones despite their best attempts to stop the incoming attack. Even Piplup was no match for the magnitude of the attack, his Ice Beam and Hydro Pump attacks managing to stop them for a few seconds before being tossed around himself. Serena couldn't bring herself to see her friends hurt because of this man and now she knew the attack was coming right for them. Shutting her eyes to keep herself from seeing the incoming attack, Serena was surprised when they didn't hit.

"Sorry we're late," a welcomed voice stated, Serena and Dawn smiling to see Brock standing next to them, Sudowoodo blocking the Stone Edge attack with his body alongside Croagunk. "Sawyer and I were heading towards the exit when we caught wind of this battle. I told him to continue on," he explained, pulling a knife, two dowels and a roll of sports tape out of his bag.

"You're always prepared for anything, aren't you Brock?" Dawn asked, the older boy cutting them free from the Sticky Web before creating a splint for Dawn's leg.

"Almost everything. I never could prepare for sprinklers interrupting my Gym battles though," he joked, the two girls getting it immediately. He merely smiled at them, wrapping his sports tapes around Dawn's leg to hold the splint in place. "It's only a quick check, but it doesn't seem broken. At best, a deep bone bruise and a severe sprain on your ankle, worst case; a fracture. So, try to keep pressure off the leg," Brock explained, Serena offering a shoulder for Dawn to lean on.

Brock now stood up, tossing his bag off to the side before facing Orm. "Listen, Dawn is in no condition to battle this guy. I'll take care of him while you two get to the exit and meet up with Sawyer, he'll be waiting there for you."

"Ha! You think I'll let them leave?" Orm asked, the Shuckle shooting off another round of Sticky Web at the two girls. Croagunk was faster, however, slicing right through the attack with his Poison Jab before they could reach Serena or Dawn.

"Listen, your opponent is me. Whether you pay attention or not, that doesn't make a huge difference to me. Now, Sudowoodo, Hammer Arm on the ground!" Brock ordered, the tunnel shaking once more. He may have been aware that the cave in was staged by this guy, but that didn't mean he couldn't cause some damage to prevent him from getting at the others. "Serena, Dawn, get going now!"

"R-Right!" the two girls called out in unison, Dawn limping next to Serena as they walked further down the tunnel, the whole area shaking from the Hammer Arm. Looking back, it appeared to them that the walls were actually caving in around Brock and Orm this time. Before either of them could say a word, the sight of their friend was blocked out by falling debris.

* * *

 **Well, how many people expected Michael to die? Because honestly, between the one-shot with him and Nick from** _ **way**_ **back during the Kalos League (the story takes place during the Silver Conference in the anime) I've been alluding to Michael dying. So, hopefully people saw it coming... As for Carr and Xerosic...well, it was never stated they died or survived, but the former was trapped inside the building when it exploded and the latter was blasted further into the base. So...it's left ambiguous since no one truly knows if they died...I'll leave it up to your opinions on the matter.**

 **And now Brock enters the fight! For those thinking that Serena and Dawn should have taken on Orm...there's a good reason they didn't and it'll be explained later once other things start to happen.**

 **Though, this also doesn't even mention the fact TRio blew up their entire base in an act of not only getting revenge on Giovanni but to take down Xerosic. Kind of drastic...especially how they took Xerosic down shortly after. They aren't finished just yet though, they still have plenty to say to their former employer.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	64. Divide and Conquer

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, the groups had broken off and Serena and Dawn were already involved in a fight, only to have Brock step in and battle Orm for them. Elsewhere, Nick and Michael defeated Carr while Jessie, James and Meowth dealt with Xerosic.**

 **Ch 64: Divide and Conquer**

* * *

"Professor!" Blaziken Mask called out, landing down from the rooftops to see the man running towards his lab with Mairin and Bonnie by his sides, Garchomp leading the way in front of them. "What's happening right now? I thought you said the League was going to strike before Team Rocket had a chance to do anything!"

"They must have miscalculated. Either that, or Team Rocket caught wind of us knowing and attacked early, leaving us unprepared for the attack. Either way, if my thoughts are correct, we need to get back to my lab immediately!" Professor Sycamore called out, himself and Blaziken Mask running ahead, the masked crime fighter having Blaziken clear a path through the grunts for them.

Blaziken ran forward, flames bursting from his mouth, taking care of the grunts with ease. Nodding at a job well done, Blaziken Mask soon pulled even with his partner, the duo pausing for a second's moment to see the destruction around them. The crime fighter could only feel anger at the sight before him. Not even an hour after the organization attacked, Team Rocket had managed to destroy numerous buildings throughout the city, ruining businesses and citizens' homes.

"So, why the rush to your lab? Is there something valuable there that may give us a lift against these guys?" Meyer asked, Blaziken ramming his entire body forward. Covered in flames, the Fire-Type collided with numerous grunts, all of whom were launched to the side, many landing in the rivers which flowed through the city. Looking back, Blaziken Mask smiled to himself, noticing that Bonnie and Mairin were just fine. The duo being carried on the back of Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon knocking away anyone who dared to approach her. He was glad that those two were safe.

"I guess you could say that," the professor replied, the small group rounding a corner before coming into view with the Sycamore Laboratory. Catching their breath for a few seconds, the group charged forward, their objective before them. "If we can get into my lab, I might be able to turn it into a refugee center for those effected by the current siege on the city. But, there's also something I'm worried about there."

"Is it your research!?" Bonnie called out, the young girl clinging tightly onto Garchomp. Blaziken Mask could only frown at the sight. Any other day, he knew she would be enjoying the thought of riding Garchomp, but today was different, he could see a small amount of fear on her face despite her best actions to hide it. The crime fighter knew his daughter was tough, she had to be after how she stood up to Team Flare and their controlled Zygarde, but he also knew she was just a young girl.

"That's exactly it!" Professor Sycamore called back, Blaziken moving forward, kicking a few grunts with his Blaze Kick attack. The unfortunate recipients landed backwards, landing on top of the first steps of the laboratory.

"But why would they be after your research? It isn't like you could use the Mega Evolution Energy, could they?" Mairin asked, no one responding for a moment as both adults called for attacks, their Pokémon clearing out the last few grunts around.

"It's a risk I don't want to take," the professor answered, kicking the doors to his own laboratory open, a smashing sound filling the entrance as the doors smashed against the walls. Racing in, the small group seemed to be alone inside the building, allowing them all a moment to rest for what Blaziken Mask assumed would be a long fight to come.

"You see, Mairin, as you may remember, Team Flare used the power of Mega Evolution Energy to control Zygarde and Squishy. In the end, we managed to free them, but who knows what could happen if Team Rocket got their hands on the information I have stored away in my files." Nodding to each other, Blaziken Mask and Professor Sycamore made a small motion for the girls to follow behind them. The entire building looked ransacked, almost proving the professor's assumptions regarding his work correct.

Making their way over towards his research area, Blaziken Mask could tell something was off. First, there were no signs of Sophie or Cosette yet the area was a mess. Adding that to the fact that grunts had littered the area towards the lab and the mess found in the entrance, he knew they were most likely walking into a fight.

"Miss Bonnie, Miss Mairin," Blaziken Mask spoke, lowering his voice so as to not alert any potential thieves. Looking at the two young girls, the man continued on with his thought, the group inching closer to the research room. "If things begin to get messy, get behind me. I understand you both can take care of yourselves, but this isn't a situation where we need either of you trying to play hero. Understand?" he stated, eyeing mostly Bonnie, knowing full well she would try to join in on any potential action.

Merely nodding, the two girls inched closer towards the adults, Bonnie grabbing ahold of Blaziken Mask's cape as Sycamore turned the doorknob slowly. A slight squeaking noise filled the room, no one moving a muscle, all worried that they may have been heard. When no one approached, the group moved forward and into the research room only to be surprised by the condition of the room.

"I-It's completely empty..." Professor Sycamore muttered, making his way over towards the computer. Blaziken Mask merely watched as his friend's fingers typed away at the keyboard, files appearing up onto the monitor screen in no time at all. "They didn't even try to take my files either."

"Hmm, that still doesn't make me feel good about this situation," Blaziken Mask stated, rubbing his chin while in deep thought. Everything pointed at someone having been inside of the building...and yet they never entered the research room. It didn't add up for him, but it didn't need to, for an explosion soon appeared behind them.

Turning quickly, Blaziken Mask pulled the two girls close to him, protecting them from the blast as smoke flowed into the room. With no visibility, the crime fighter was forced to rely on his other senses, his highly trained ears able to hear footsteps coming towards him.

"My, we ought to thank you for making our jobs easier," one voice spoke out, feminine in nature, almost trying to act seductive to the two grown men. Blaziken Mask growled lightly at the unwelcomed guests. "We never would have found this room without your assistance, but now that you've led us here, we'll be taking just what we came for."

"And why should we let you take the information?" Sycamore's voice could be heard through the smoke; anger being clearly heard from the professor. Blaziken Mask could understand why, not only was the man's research at risk of being stolen, but his entire laboratory was ransacked and his city taken hostage.

"Because," a second voice chimed in, this one deeper in tone, yet seemed to be nervous. Or so it appeared to Blaziken Mask, the hero arching an eyebrow, the action hidden in the smoke. "If you don't do as we say, we'll have to teach all of you a lesson and if that happens...well it won't be pretty. And you wouldn't want to put those two young children in danger? Would you?"

"I honestly believe you're not aware of just who you followed," Blaziken Mask spoke, his voice booming while he placed Bonnie and Mairin back onto the ground. Swinging his arm outwards, the masked hero smirked to himself, his cape blowing gently behind him due to the movement in his arm. Calling for a Blaze Kick, Blaziken Mask moved forward towards the voices only to see a burst of flames collide with the duo.

Landing backwards, the two grunts stood right back onto their feet, Blaziken Mask noticing their wobbling knees. Moving forward, the hero of Lumiose City removed his cape, giving the two intruders a better look at him, his shredded body causing them to wince backwards. Using their cowardice to his advantage, Blaziken Mask moved towards them, Blaziken in tow. Once in front of the duo, he lifted them by the collars of their shirts, getting a better view of the two.

The man was rather plump if Blaziken Mask was being nice about it, his hair and facial features being hidden by the standard Team Rocket hats and masks, though his shirt didn't manage to cover his stomach, flab hanging out slightly. To those looking, he seemed ready to piss himself or possibly puke from nerves, either way, Blaziken Mask knew he _didn't_ want to be holding him whenever the accident occurred.

The woman meanwhile still appeared composed, or at least as much as she could be in the current situation. Once more, her face was covered by a mask, but her shoulder length brown hair was uncovered, possibly due to her losing her hat during their search of the lab. Blaziken Mask could sense some disdain towards her partner, perhaps due to his appearance.

"I'll give you both one warning; leave now or regret any of your following actions," he spoke out, lowering his voice to strike fear in the duo. Just as he thought, Blaziken Mask noticed a wet spot form around the male grunt's crotch, the smell of urine entering his nostrils as he dropped the duo. Landing with a thud, both grunts rubbed their posteriors before standing straight up.

"And if we don't leave?" the female asked, placing her hands on her hips, fingers laced across a Poké Ball.

"Well, if you choose to stay and fight, I feel as though you'll be greatly outnumbered," Sycamore joked, the group noticing that the male grunt had disappeared from the building in a rush, abandoning not only the mission but his partner as well. "I can tell your partner had the right idea, well, what do you plan on doing?"

"Grrrr... That useless fool, worrying more about his stomach than any mission we were assigned to. If I never see him again that's fine by me," she growled out, Blaziken Mask smirking at the defeated girl. He could tell she knew that the odds weren't in her favor, especially if they went into a battle. Placing her hands behind her back, the grunt winked at both Blaziken Mask and Professor Sycamore. "You know, maybe a cute girl like myself made the wrong choice. How about we just forget this situation even happened?"

"That isn't how this works," a new voice called out, the sound of handcuffs clicking into place on the grunt's wrists surprising everyone. Now noticing the man in the trench coat, Blaziken Mask nodded at him, well aware that he must have been the one who was helping the League with their entire operation. "Your partner thought he could sneak away, but being a member of the International Police, I caught him easily. You'll be glad to know he's doing just fine, and that you two will have plenty of time to spend together in prison."

Turning towards the small group in the laboratory, the man nodded to those gathered before him. "You can all call me by my codename, Looker. I've been sent by the International Police to help with the situation, but I guess Team Rocket found out about everything and attacked earlier than expected." Lifting the girl up, Looker walked her over to the side of the room, having her lean against the wall while he continued on with his new acquaintances.

Moving slightly, Looker readjusted the weight on his back, Nick's unconscious body now fully visible to the group, Blaziken Mask clearly worried about the boy's current condition. However, he was saved the question, Bonnie speaking first.

"Why's Nick with you?" the girl asked, moving over to see that he was snoring softly, Dedenne being forced to cover his ears from the obnoxious sound. "And why is he sleeping at a time like this? Doesn't he realize that you need every trainer you can get right now?"

"About that..." Looker muttered, placing the boy down gently onto Professor Sycamore's couch. By the way he moved, Blaziken Mask could tell that Looker was about to drop a surprise on them all. And with his next words, Looker confirmed that suspicion. "I first ran into Nick outside of Team Rocket's headquarters, the boy mistaking it for where he would get payed for his work as a vendor. After I sent him away, I managed to sneak inside, though somehow he also entered into the building and was involved in a scuffle of sorts, a G-Man agent being injured during it."

"A G-Man? I've heard rumors of them, but have never actually seen one in person, where is he now?" Sycamore asked, Looker immediately casting his stare down towards the ground. Realizing what was about to be said, Blaziken Mask turned towards the two young girls before him, a light smile on his face.

"Nick seems pretty beat up, how about you two go and get wet towel for him. We should try to keep him cool," the caped crusader spoke, the two girls nodding in agreement before running off. Even if they had been through a lot, Blaziken Mask didn't feel as a parent that they needed to hear what was to come. "Go ahead, you can tell us the rest now that the two younger ones are occupied for the moment."

Nodding, Looker cleared his throat, placing his hands behind his back before finally speaking. "During the scuffle, it appeared that the G-Man, who I had learned was named Michael, was impaled by the blade of Aegislash, severely wounding him. When I met up with him inside the base, he was being assisted by Nick here and that was when I learned that the two were related, Michael being his father. However, Michael's injuries were slowing us down as a group and with the base about to explode, he forced us to leave him behind to make sure we all got out of there. Though, whether he realized it or not, even if he made it out of the base, Michael was going to die soon from the loss of blood he suffered."

"After the explosion, I knew I needed to get Nick somewhere safe to rest up, especially after his father knocked him unconscious to avoid seeing the explosion," Looker finished, the three adults casting their gaze over towards the sleeping Nick, the boy completely unaware of the explosion that killed his father. Or so the group believed. "Though, my work isn't finished. Team Rocket, and more importantly Giovanni, are still out there attacking the city. I need to make it up to the top of Prism Tower and help my two comrades stop this problem once and for all. Can I trust Nick with you two?"

"You can leave him here," Sycamore responded, walking over to the boy and placing a blanket over him and Eevee. "I planned to open the lab up as a refugee center anyways, so he can stay here while you and the others finish this problem. Meyer, you don't need to worry about Bonnie or Mairin, both of them will be more than willing to stay here with me and help take care of any citizens who come needing assistance. You go on ahead and help out."

"If my gut is right, I have a feeling that Clemont and the others are going to need help," Meyer explained, placing a hand under his chin, rubbing away at his face. "And if I know my son, he probably left the group and went to the city's power generators all by himself."

"How are you so sure about that!?" Looker cried, Meyer feeling that the man was impressed by his guess. "The last I heard from my acquaintances, they were planning on splitting up into two groups and attack the tower from both sides of the city. Nowhere did they ever mention a sub-group heading to the power generators."

Laughing, Meyer threw a thumbs up into the air, Blaziken likewise copying his trainer's action. "Clemont's my son, as his dad I always know how he'll act. Though he may seem timid at times, Clemont has a heart of pure gold and would risk anything to help his friends and city. So, seeing the destructive properties that machine of Team Rocket's caused, I just knew Clemont would be heading to shut down all power to the entire city. Unfortunately, that includes this laboratory as well."

"Well, that does sound like Clemont. Just like how he destroyed Team Flare's weapon that was controlling Zygarde, destroying the power generators would be the perfect job as seen by himself," Sycamore added in, Meyer getting the feeling that the professor was in deep thought. "You two get going now, I'll explain as best I can to the others once they return. If you see any citizens, tell them to head straight for the Sycamore Pokémon Laboratory."

"Right!" Looker and Meyer cried out in unison, both men sprinting out the door, Blaziken right beside them as the group passed by the male grunt from before. Meyer couldn't help but laugh at the fact he had fallen asleep on the front steps, but now wasn't the time for fun and games. He needed to get to Clemont immediately and help him!

* * *

"Sudowoodo use Double-Edge, give it everything you've got! Croagunk, help clear his path with a Poison Sting attack!" Brock called out, his eyes darting back and forth amongst the battle before him. The battle had been short for the time being, Serena and Dawn having left a few minutes ago, but his Pokémon were tiring. It was as if the Shuckle were an unclimbable wall, just blocking his path to get with his friends.

"Croa...gunk..." the Poison and Fighting-Type muttered, his sacks inflating before he fired off the barrage of needles right into the army of Shuckle. Brock was confused as to how he could damage them due to the fact Orm could control all those Pokémon without even issuing an order. Just as he thought, the Shuckle moved into formation, creating a wall to block the Poison Sting attack, the needles bouncing off harmlessly as at best two or three of the dozens gathered felt pain.

Sudowoodo wasn't backing down though. Lowering his shoulder, the Rock-Type began to give off a golden glow, the light transitioning towards his backside once he made the move towards the Shuckle army. Moving with a sense of urgency, the Imitation Pokémon rammed his entire body into the Shuckle-made wall, shattering it as the Rock and Bug-Types scattered amongst the floor. However, before Sudowoodo could reach Orm or the Shuckle controlling all of the others, a second wall soon formed, followed by the Shuckle that had been knocked down using Stone Edge on him. The Imitation Pokémon was met by the large blue stones impaling his body, sending him upwards near the roof of the tunnel.

"You can't beat us," Orm muttered, stroking his personal Shuckle in joy. Brock had to wonder if this man knew how to give off any emotions, since right now it was hard to tell if he was happy or mad based on his facial expressions. "My Shuckle is able to give commands faster than your Pokémon can move."

And to prove his point, the army of Shuckle were already on the move, launching off a Venoshock attack straight for the falling Sudowoodo. Brock grit his teeth, motioning for Croagunk to help Sudowoodo, but before the Toxic Mouth Pokémon could spring into action, he was met with a few Shuckle striking him from behind with a Rollout attack. The blow knocked Croagunk forward, landing on his stomach while Sudowoodo was struck by the Poison-Type attack, the liquid-like attack splashing into Sudowoodo before spraying off around the tunnel floor. Landing on his two feet, Sudowoodo appeared tired to Brock, but they couldn't stop now, not as long as Team Rocket was trying to take over the world. As long as they could stand, they would fight.

"They're well trained for wild Pokémon, but if I can just take out the one in his hand...then maybe they'll all leave here peacefully," Brock muttered, teeth grit together and sweat rolling down the side of his face. _"Though at this rate who knows how much more those two can take. Those Shuckle attack without warning and they can come from any direction,"_ Brock thought to himself, both of his Pokémon dodging another Venoshock attack only to be met with a Rollout to their chests.

" _There's got to be some way to slow them down..."_

"I'm not looking to kill anyone," Orm spoke up, the sudden words shocking Brock. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Brock looked over at the burly man, once more stroking his Shuckle with what Brock could only surmise as glee. "If you just surrender I'll be sure to put in a good word for you. Maybe give you an easy punishment once Team Rocket rules the world."

"And if I don't?" Brock asked, arching an eyebrow despite knowing full well what would be the outcome. Orm didn't respond to this, instead grunting in response, the Shuckle army moved once more, a Stone Edge appearing out of the ground once their legs slammed into it. With no time to react from the incoming attack, Sudowoodo and Croagunk braced themselves for impact, the Stone Edge coming for them from all directions. An explosion ensued, both Pokémon being sent skyward only to crash into the ceiling and fall back onto the floor. Brock narrowed his eyes, hoping the duo would be alright, but they were slow to get up, and to Brock their motions seemed sluggish. The beating they had taken was beginning to take its toll on their bodies.

"Sudowoodo, Croagunk! Are you two alright?" Brock called out, the latter saluting weakly while the former merely croaked in agreement. Seeing this, Brock knew they weren't ready to give up, but there was no hint of victory in their future. Still, he couldn't give up, he wouldn't give up. "Great, then let's show them what we can really do! Croagunk, jump onto Sudowoodo's Shoulder and launch a Poison Sting attack! Sudowoodo, use Mimic and then start spinning! We'll give them a combination attack they can't stop!"

"Croa!" the Poison and Fighting-Type croaked, leaping effortlessly onto his partner's shoulders, his mouth launching the needle like projectile with ease. Sudowoodo likewise was on the move, his head branch glowing white while a Poison Sting of his own left his mouth.

"Sudo! Sudowoodo!" he cried, twisting his body before going into a full on spin. Soon, the duo were enveloped in what seemed to be a barrier of their own, one created from the Poison Sting needles. Only, this one launched outwards, the attack aiming a perfect three hundred and sixty degrees around the two, striking every Shuckle in the area.

Smoke soon filled the area, the Poison Sting needles exploding upon contact with the walls of the tunnel. Brock used this moment to catch his breath, his partners likewise ceasing their attack, exhausted from the combination. Straining his hearing, Brock couldn't hear any sound of Shuckle, but he knew better than to assume the best. Listening harder, he heard the sound of something moving, and then he could smell...something he hadn't noticed throughout the entire battle. It was different, yet he smelt it before, it was something he learned while at school, and this fragrance had the same smell as the juice that a Shuckle produces.

"Ohhhh, nice try," Orm's voice could be heard through the smoke. Brock clinched his fists in anger, he truly thought that might have been enough to end Orm, all they needed to do was take down his personal Shuckle. As the smoke faded however, Brock was shocked to see a shield of Shuckle protecting Orm. He was completely surrounded, not a single needle struck him!

"I think you managed to take down about six or seven of them, so there's that," Orm spoke, Brock unsure of what to do now. Sudowoodo and Croagunk were both exhausted already, and having put everything they had into that attack had to have drained them physically. "Though, when you're dealing with an army, six or seven don't matter!"

As if on cue, Sudowoodo and Croagunk were struck by a Venoshock attack, the liquid ooze exploding on contact with their bodies. Brock grit his teeth once more, he had no answers to this! The Shuckle managed to move in an instant, able to find Orm and his Shuckle even when their views were blinded by a blizzard of Poison Sting needles! Looking down at his two partners, Brock couldn't put them through any more pain, recalling them into their Poké Balls.

"Thank you so much, guys, I'll make sure your hard work doesn't go in vain," the doctor muttered, reaching for a third Poké Ball. "Alright, time to put an end to all of this! Steelix, go!"

With a loud roar, the Iron Snake Pokémon emerged from the capture device, the ground shaking from his landing. Brock knew this was their last chance to beat this man and catch up with the others. They had to stop him here and now.

"Start off with a Dragon Breath! Blow them all away!" Brock shouted, the Steel and Ground-Type rearing his head backwards before launching forward. Flames skyrocketed out of his mouth, consuming the shield of Shuckle that merely tightened its hold around Orm. To Brock, they seemed rather unharmed, but there was only so much damage they could handle before falling in battle.

"Keep going! Iron Tail on the ceiling, now!"

"You're wasting your time, chump," Orm remarked, the Shuckle that lined the roof to the tunnel jumping onto Steelix and constraining his movements. The Iron Tail attack was stopped before it could strike, leaving Brock shocked.

"W-What!? They stopped our attack!" he called out, taking a step backwards as he watched the army of Shuckle begin to assault Steelix with a combination of Stone Edge and Sticky Web. Soon, Steelix was wrapped up tightly, unable to move at all, or so it looked. Brock knew that there was one way to get out, but he was saving it until the moment was right, though to him it seemed now.

"If you believe _that's_ going to keep up down, you've got a surprise in store for you!" Brock called out, grabbing his necklace. Pressing his fingers against the Key Stone embedded in it, light shining outwards. "Steelix, we'll show them just how strong our bond is! Mega Evolve!" he cried, a similar light radiating off of his long time partner, his body changing shape and tearing through the Sticky Web that had trapped him.

"Mega Evolve?" Orm muttered in response, Brock curious to know if the man knew what it even meant. "That's the special transforming thing that Giovanni is interested in... Hey! Bub, you just gave me a present to bring back to my boss, hand over the Key Stone thingy and I'll let you live!"

"No deal," Brock replied before calling for another Iron Tail on the ceiling. This time, Steelix managed to land the blow despite the barrage from the Shuckle. Ramming his hardened tail into the ceiling, rocks fell downwards, the city now viewable from down below. "But let's see if you fight as well in a different setting!"

With that, Brock climbed onto Steelix and rode up onto the city streets, watching as Orm was carried by his army, not even needing to lift a finger to get out of the tunnel.

"Is this what you want? A public display of being beaten?" Orm asked in question, grunting slightly as a few Shuckle launched off a Sticky Web. Steelix sliced through the attack with ease, his tail sharp enough to destroy the sticky substance without getting any on himself.

"Maybe he just wanted some help!" a new voice declared, one that Brock had never heard before in his life. Turning towards the sound, Brock saw walking towards him a man riding a Bouffalant, his hair rather large and defined by the red and orange coloring of it. He looked rather intimidating with his fierce expression and crossed arms, riding in on Bouffalant like a warrior entering the battle.

"Y-You're..." Brock began to trail off, recognizing the man once he saw the belt of Poké Balls hanging around his neck.

"Yep, I'm Alder, Champion of Unova," the man spoke, Brock grateful for the help, even if he hadn't been expecting it, this was a welcomed surprise. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting, myself and the other Champions wanted to join in sooner, but we had to secure the city perimeters first and protect the citizens of Lumiose. Now that that's all taken care of though, time to have a little fun," Alder spoke, jumping from Bouffalant and landing on the ground, an open palm pointed towards Orm.

Turning to Brock, the Champion cracked a smile. "So, what do I need to know about him?"

"Just that his main Shuckle controls all those around him. Using it, he's built an impenetrable shield that none of my attacks have been able to pierce," Brock responded, pointing forward towards Orm. "Though, I've come to the conclusion that if we defeat the leader, the others will leave peacefully."

"It's worth a try! Bouffalant, Head Charge!" Alder commanded, stomping his left foot forward before punching his left palm towards Orm. "Show them our might!"

"Ffffffaaalant!" the Normal-Type cried, lowering his head and charging for the shielded man, his body glowing lightly, his speed increasing the longer he ran.

Orm however wasn't going to sit around against a Champion, issuing a combination of Stone Edge and Venoshock once more. Brock however was on the move, issuing an Iron Tail to counter out the attacks before they reached their intended target. Shattering the Stone Edge, Steelix used his tail to block the remaining Venoshock attack, opening a clearing for Bouffalant to strike.

"Your little attack won't hurt us," Orm commented, the Normal-Type now ramming himself into Orm's Shuckle Shield, managing to push it slightly backwards. "These Shuckle will be able to handle any amount of strength from any direction!"

"Is that so?" Alder asked, scratching at his chin. Brock had to wonder just what the man had planned for an attack to counter, but if he was a Champion, the Kanto native trusted him to have something special in mind. Looking at Brock, the Unova native smirked. "You, have your Steelix burrow underground and strike from there. There's no way those Shuckle can block from two different directions."

"Steelix, you heard Alder! Use Dig and attack from underground!" Brock commanded, Steelix roaring out in approval before burrowing his way underneath the streets. The entire street shook while Steelix moved with all his might. Even Orm looked a little worried to Brock, the Team Rocket member possibly unsure if his shield would handle this attack.

"Hold strong! Don't waver now!" Orm called out to the Shuckle, but it was no good. For at the moment Steelix struck the barrier, it weakened, a few of the Shuckle losing their grip and breaking off. That slight moment of weakness allowed Bouffalant all the time he needed to finish his attack, crashing right through the remainder of the shield and scattering all the Shuckle.

"Now to end this! Head Charge once more!" Alder commanded, punching forward with his right fist this time. Bouffalant cried out once more, turning around while still charging. Now headed back for Orm, the Normal-Type collided with Orm and his Shuckle, knocking them over towards Steelix.

"And to make sure they don't get away, Steelix, wrap them up with your tail!" Brock commanded, the Iron Snake Pokémon capturing the man and his Shuckle with ease. Making their way over to Orm, Brock and Alder exchanged looks, wondering if he had truly been defeated. However, by the look on Shuckle's face, it showed all the proof they needed.

"It's finally over, Brock commented, wiping sweat off of his face before leaning against Steelix. "You were great out there Steelix," he stated, patting his long time friend before Steelix reverted back to his base form.

"There's one thing I don't understand though," Alder muttered, getting back on top of Bouffalant. "How did this one Shuckle control the others? It must have been something we never would have suspected."

"Actually, I think it was the special juice a Shuckle makes," Brock responded, sniffing at the Shuckle in question. "You see, a Shuckle can take berries and make a special kind of juice with them. However, this one may have been releasing the juice as a fragrance to control the others since down in the tunnel I smelt exactly the same thing as I am now coming from this Shuckle."

"Though, I think we have bigger concerns. Team Rocket is still out there and the others need help," Brock admitted, though his Pokémon were too exhausted to continue on at this point. At best, he could possibly provide relief for the citizens of Lumiose City.

"The other Champions are on their way helping now. Cynthia should be in route to the power generators by now while Lance, Steven and Diantha are heading to the tower. Right now, we'll be of more use to the citizens by taking care of them," Alder explained, his Bouffalant taking off slowly down one of the streets, Brock watching as the Champion stopped to give a young child a ride on his shoulders.

"Ash, hang in there, help is on the way..." Brock muttered before himself and Steelix made their way after Alder, Orm still wrapped tightly in the Iron Snake Pokémon's tail. Casting one last glance towards Prism Tower, Brock wondered how the others were doing by this point.

* * *

"So what's the big plan now that we've reached Prism Tower?" Trip asked, hands placed in his pockets. Alain just stared at the boy before casting his gaze over towards Nate. Trip had a point, Nate had never given them any idea as to how this entire situation would play out

"Yes, what is your plan?" Alain asked, his voice giving away his slight discontent towards Nate, especially how once more he was used as a pawn for someone's greater scheme. "You didn't expect to just run in there and shut off the weapon did you?"

"Of course not," Nate responded, his eyes following right up the side of the tower towards its roof, the weapon being spotted easily by all. The sight of it didn't please Alain one bit, especially since it seemed powered off of Mega Evolution Energy, something he had worked on for a while. "What we're doing is fighting our way up to the top and then shutting it down once we rendezvous with Silver and his team."

"And what happens when your plan goes south? If something you didn't account for occurs? Because so far, you don't have the best track record for planning for occurrences as shown by Team Rocket's attack catching you by surprise," Alain retorted, crossing his arms in frustration with the man.

"If that happens...well, we'll plan for a change in action then," Nate answered, but it wasn't the response Alain wanted to hear one bit. Lifting the International Policeman up by his arms, Alain slammed him against the base of Prism Tower.

"This isn't something to take lightly! You're dealing with the entire fate of the world here and you don't have a solid plan? Need I remind you how none of us here are soldiers like you? We are trainers who were dragged into this because of your poor planning and I will not sit back and let any innocent lives die because of you. Nate, you mentioned how we'll just plan for anything, but if the time comes, would you be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to see this to the end?" Alain asked, the man growing slightly frustrated from the actions from today. The attack by Team Flare was bad enough with Zygarde being controlled, but here...Team Rocket had a weapon that could wipe the city out and were holding the entire region at gunpoint. This wasn't something so simple as a poacher or an illegal breeding. This could turn into life or death!

"Alain, just put him down," Janine intervened, hoping to calm the tension slightly, but to no avail. Seeing both Trip and Janine trying to get Nate loose from his grip, Alain sighed and let the man down. "We'll get through this all. Nothing bad will happen to the city or anyone else."

"None of you know what I've been through. I've almost lost this city, my loved ones, once before. I can't go through that feeling again, especially not so soon," the former Team Flare pawn muttered, casting his head downwards. "Let's just get this all over with. The sooner the better."

"That's what I tried to say before being rudely smashed against a wall," Nate muttered, stretching his shoulders slightly before walking towards the entrance of the tower. "And just so you don't forget Alain, if I wasn't a nice guy I could have knocked you out could for at least a week, so next time, don't grab me."

Growling slightly, Alain threw his hands into his coat pockets, following in last behind the others. Upon entrance, the group was met with a long narrow hallway that extended towards an elevator.

"It wouldn't be that simple, would it?" Trip asked, the group continuing on towards the elevator. "They wouldn't leave this entire place unattended would they?"

"I doubt it," Alain muttered in response, the group now having reached the elevator, the room opening up slightly to form more space for everyone. Making their way towards the elevator, Nate and Alain were the first to enter, only for the doors to slam shut behind them. "It's a trap!" Alain cried out immediately, knowing full well that this entire situation was too easy.

"My, my, my, I never thought it would actually work," a voice called out, the sound of heels clapping against the tiled floor echoing through the room. Walking out from the shadows was a man in a black Team Rocket outfit, white gloves that extended up past his elbows and a pair of matching boots that went just below his knees. On both gloves and boots, a red stripe adorned them near the top, and a yellow stripe lined the collar of his outfit. On his head was a black hat that covered most of his green hair.

"To think, that you would all be stupid enough to try and get into the elevator and try to head up to the next level. Unfortunately, the elevator can't work without this key," the man spoke, pulling the small key out from under his shirt, the object tied around his neck area, the man laughing playfully.

"We'll just break out and fight you then!" Alain called, about to smash the glass doors to the elevator only to be cut off by the Team Rocket member.

"I wouldn't if I were you," he spoke, his voice sounding relaxed and soothing, something none of them had expected from a member of Team Rocket. In fact, he carried himself with great poise, as shown through his walk out of the shadows. "If the doors break, then there's no way for you to reach the next level. Then you'll really be stuck."

Gritting his teeth, Alain banged lightly on the glass door wanting to let out his frustration. Trip and Janine were the only two who could possibly fight this guy, but Alain wasn't sure they could handle it.

"So, all we have to do is beat you in battle and we'll get the key?" Trip asked, pulling his hands from his pockets. Alain wanted to tell him not to bother, to try and find the others first, but remained silent. He had to at least _try_ and believe in these two.

"You make it sound easy," the man replied, his voice causing chills to run down Alain's back. It reminded him too much of how Lysandre sounded when they first met. It was a soothing voice, one that hid the true wickedness that laid beneath it all. "But yes, win and I shall award you with the key to continue on. Lose though...and well, we'll leave that as a fun surprise," he spoke, his voice deepening slightly as he spoke the last part, his chilling laugh slightly freaking them all out.

"Before we begin, I should at least introduce myself. I mean, honestly, what host doesn't do that?" the man spoke, bowing for a moment, a rather large grin crossing over his face. "The name is Proton, the honor being all yours to meet me in person. As one of the Four Executives, it's quite rare to see me in action, so consider this your lucky day! Go! Weezing, Crobat!"

"If it's a battle you want, then you'll get one! Go, Serperior!" Trip replied, Alain wondering if a Grass-Type would be the best choice in this situation. Though, right now he wasn't in any condition to question their choices. They were the only ones that they could rely on.

"I'm battling too! Crobat, take flight!" Janine called out, the Poison and Flying-Type landing on her shoulder. Alain had to agree that it was a good choice, especially since this Proton guy had one himself. This way they could keep even in aerial battle. But still, Alain couldn't help but worry.

"You should probably just trust them, no point in worrying over something you can't control. There's a reason why the thought of randomly selected teams were used in the tournament setting. Not to just allow more trainers into the finals, but to also have you all learn to work with new trainers and see their strengths, so that when a situation like this occurs you could rely on them," Nate explained, leaning against the side of the elevator. Alain could only look at him in disbelief, was _everything_ about the tournament just set up for this? Because if it was, then they really had dropped the ball with stopping Team Rocket.

"Alain, you don't have to do everything on your own. I've heard about what happened with Team Flare, they briefed us all on it before beginning this process. You of all people should remember how it was a team effort that ended that conflict."

Alain shook his head. He _knew_ that and it was easier said than done to do it! He was used to doing everything on his own, it was one reason he was so impressed with Ash, he was always able to draw strength from others, to work with them to overcome an obstacle while even now, he, himself, still couldn't do it. He tried with Mairin for a while, but then abandoned her at Professor Sycamore's lab for "her protection" when he had never even found Lysandre. It was nothing more than an excuse for him to go back to his old self. He needed to change, but couldn't.

"I know that..." he finally muttered out, his eyes darting back towards Trip and Janine, the former's Serperior smashing Weezing with his tail, the Poison-Type bouncing off the tiled floor and into a wall. "It's just hard for me..."

"Then we'll work towards overcoming it together," Nate responded, the sound of the two Crobat striking each other with Wing Attacks. The two aerial battlers appeared even to Alain, but Serperior was having slight difficulties with Weezing, the latter proving to be much more agile than expected. Added to the fact he could float out of harm's way, Serperior was at a severe disadvantage.

"Serperior, stop aiming for Weezing and aim for where it's going to be! It's simple training for us, this should be instinctive, don't let your nerves get to you here! You have to remain calm," Trip called out, the Grass Snake Pokémon slithering out of the way of an incoming Sludge attack.

"Perior!" Serperior cried out in agreement, slithering around the floor before sliding right up the wall and beating Weezing to a spot. Using a Dragon Tail attack, Serperior slammed his tail onto Weezing's head, sending the Poison Gas Pokémon bouncing around.

"Cute," Proton replied, hands on his hips laughing hysterically. "You honestly believe you can handle yourself against an Executive. This battle will go down in the record books for why new recruits will never want to challenge me. Weezing, Gyro Ball!"

"Weezing, weez," Weezing moaned out, his body spinning at an increased rate. Soon, a silver glow surrounded his spinning body, Serperior's Dragon Tail unable to hold it back before Weezing crashed right into the Grass-Type, sending him backwards.

"And you, Toots, don't think I forgot about you either! Crobat, Supersonic and then follow up with Brave Bird!" Proton spoke, his voice dropping once more as he issued the command.

"Croooo," the Poison and Flying-Type screeched out, sound waves emitting from his mouth, the attack striking Janine's Crobat, causing her to become confused. Not slowing down though, Crobat circled around and headed straight for the ceiling before nose diving straight for his ditzy opponent. His body was soon engulfed in blue flames, his body impacting against Janine's Crobat in a powerful display of strength, the Poison and Flying-Type crashing backwards and right into Janine.

Alain clinched his fists. If he were out there right now, then perhaps it would be different. Perhaps they wouldn't be in such a difficult condition as they were now. But, there was nothing he could do in the moment. He needed to do what Nate said, even if it killed him, and to believe in them.

"This is wasting too much time," Trip muttered, Serperior standing back up correctly. Alain could see him planning something, but the older trainer wasn't sure just what it could be. But, he didn't have to wait long to see what it was. "Serperior, use Frenzy Plant now!"

"You've gotten pretty desperate to use an attack like that against us!" Proton spoke out, the Team Rocket member throwing a punch forward in the air. "Crobat, slice through those vines and then Wing Attack on Serperior! Weezing, Double Team and then Smog! Cloud their vision and suffocate them!"

"Janine, I'll let you handle them! Serperior, keep the attack up!" Trip commanded, Alain wondering just why he would be going with Frenzy Plant in a situation like this.

Janine nodded in response to Trip's command, helping Crobat back into the air, the Bat Pokémon slightly confused still. Though, it seemed better to the point she could fly in a somewhat straight line. "Crobat, go in with a Double Team and then use Wing Attack! Don't let that Smog attack reach us!"

"Cro, ro, ro, ro," she muttered in response, copies of the Poison and Flying-Type emerging around the room all while the vines from Frenzy Plant began to sprout up, the room becoming covered in them. Striking quickly, the original Crobat struck Proton's Crobat powerfully, the latter being knocked out of the sky. Meanwhile, the copies got to work, slicing through the Smog attack easily, ruining whatever Proton had planned.

"Grrrr..." Proton growled out, frustrated at what happened. "You want to act tough? Well, I'll show you what happens when someone messes with me toots! Both of you, aim your attacks for the stupid ninja!" Proton commanded, vicious anger in his voice. Alain had to wonder if he had sounded like that at times in the past, and if so, if he still did sound like that.

"Trip, whatever you have planned do it quickly, Crobat will stall them! Now, Venoshock!" Janine commanded, the copies launching off the purple ooze with ease, only for Proton's Crobat to slice through them with Wing Attack, leaving an opening for Weezing. Spinning intensely, Weezing broke through the copies before smashing into Janine herself, the ninja flying backwards and landing against the wall.

"Alright! No more playing around!" Trip called out, the vines finally erupting out of the ground, Crobat and Weezing being struck by them. Though, that wasn't what caught Alain's attention, instead, it was the fact the elevator was being pushed upwards by the vines.

"W-What are you doing!?" Alain shouted downwards before Trip and Janine were out of his view. He could briefly hear a response from Trip, something regarding that they couldn't sit around and watch. But, Alain wasn't sure if he heard it correctly. Though, there was no use in arguing since the elevator would only be going in one direction today.

"You have to trust in them, Alain. They'll be fine," Nate assured him, but Alain wasn't so sure. He saw how Janine had been smashed into the wall down there. That attack had to have hurt in some form. Not to mention they had no idea how skilled that Proton guy was, he seemed to have been holding his own just fine back there.

"Right now, we need to move forward and stop that machine from firing again!" Nate finished, smashing right through the glass doors once the elevator reached the top floor. Following him, Alain walked out of the newly busted elevator and saw the entrance to the battle field. Beyond that door, they would be able to find the next set of stairs that would bring them out to the roof of Prism Tower. It was just who or rather what would behind those doors.

"Then we can't waste any more time. Charizard! Dragon Claw!" Alain issued, tossing his partner's Poké Ball forward, the device opening in a bright flash to reveal none other than Charizard. Moving swiftly, the Flame Pokémon's claws glowed green and grew.

"Raaaawwwwrrr!" Charizard cried out ferociously, his claws ripping through the door like a hot knife through butter. Walking into the room, Alain was highly prepared for whatever would be in here, especially since the lights were off. Or so he assumed he would have been, until he heard a familiar voice.

"It's been far too long, Alain. It's a pleasure to see you again," the voice stated in his manipulating tone. One that Alain would never forget until the day he died. One that still haunted him to this very day. The name was already escaping Alain's mouth as the lights turned on to reveal the former head of Team Flare.

"Lysandre!"

* * *

 **Well, there we go, things are happening and people are moving. Sycamore has now set up a refugee center in his lab and Meyer is on his way to go help at the Power Generators…such a good dad, always knowing where his son would most likely be headed. And speaking of Clemont, for anyone wondering where he's been, he'll be reappearing in the next chapter along with the other group.**

 **Meanwhile, Brock managed to defeat Orm and his overpowered army of Shuckle with a little help from Alder. And now Trip and Janine are caught in a match against Proton as well.**

 **Sorry for the long delay between chapters though. The next one will be out either Thursday night or Friday morning, depending on a few things happening (namely the Celtics winning or losing Game 5 Thursday night).**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	65. A Shocking Showdown

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Brock managed to beat Orm with a little help from a certain Champion while Janine and Trip were pulled into a battle against Proton. Elsewhere, Alain finally came face to face with Lysandre after everything that happened between them.**

 **Ch 65: A Shocking Showdown**

* * *

"And how are we going to get all the way to the top?" Paul asked, arms folded across his chest in annoyance. This was not what he signed up for when he first planned on attending this tournament. He wanted to face Ash, not have to save the entire world. Sighing, he eyed the rather large tower before him, somewhat curious as to how Team Rocket even got such a large weapon up to the roof without anyone in the entire city noticing.

"Just climb up it," Silver retorted, pointing over at a ladder that led to the next level. "Nate's group were going to head through the inside of the building while we climb from the outside. At the top of this ladder, there's another section that we can climb and it'll bring us up to an airshaft that'll exit at the top of the tower."

"So they get elevators and a nice and easy trip while we have to dangerously climb the outside of the region's tallest building..." Paul muttered, not pleased in the slightest to see what had to be done.

"Quit complaining and just start climbing," Gary spoke up, the young researcher receiving a glare from Paul as his only response. He was not going to be told what to do by someone weaker than him. Before Paul could add any words to his stare, both Gary and Silver began to climb up the ladder, leaving just himself and Astrid.

Looking at the girl, Paul motioned towards the ladder, not in the mood to begin arguing with anyone, especially not Astrid. He couldn't explain it at all, yet every time he tried, he could never win an argument with her and it was starting to frustrate him. No one else could stop him with his thoughts yet here she was, able to convince him to do a tag battle in the tournament or go out for dinner as a "team event" only for Hugh to not be there.

"Ladies first," Paul finally spoke, breaking the silence between the two trainers, motioning one hand towards the ladder. Nodding, Astrid began to move towards the ladder, placing one foot on the lower step before her face turned red, or so it looked red to Paul. Stepping off the ladder, the obnoxious girl placed her hands on her hips, glaring slightly at Paul. The action clearly confused him, the Sinnoh native unsure of how to respond to the action. "What are you doing? Are you going to start climbing the ladder or are you just going to waste time? If you don't trust me, I'm telling you I'll be right behind you."

Those words seem to make the situation worse, or so it seemed, Paul wasn't quite sure and he honestly didn't care. He just wanted to get this over with so he could finally face off against Ash again. Yet, Astrid's face looked even redder to Paul, and now her hands her gripping at the bottom of her outfit, crunching the ends up.

"You're climbing before me," Astrid responded, her voice sounding a little timid than what Paul thought it would be. She didn't seem mad to him, yet, why would she be acting this way? "If you can't tell, I am wearing a skirt!" she finally called out, Paul eventually getting what she meant.

The boy shrugged his shoulders, not caring about the awkward occurrence just now before stepping up onto the ladder, beginning his climb up to the next section. Astrid started shortly after him, the duo climbing in silence, the once beautiful skyline view of Lumiose City filled with destruction in the background. Buildings were torn to the ground, the more fortunate ones to be left standing were also in pretty bad shape, some even on fire as smoke could be seen rising in the background.

For the first time in a while, Paul actually felt himself getting upset over something that didn't involve him. _"All these people...this...this destruction..."_ he found himself thinking, more of the destruction evident as he climbed further up. Reaching the top of the first ladder, Paul could see what looked to be an explosion a few streets over, what possibly looked like a Shuckle being launched into the air. He wondered for a moment what in the world it could have been before facing Silver and Gary, the duo having already begun planning for the attack on Team Rocket.

"There's no way Team Rocket would leave this entire section unguarded," Gary's voice could be heard, the two boys looking ahead towards the edge of the tower. It was a single path that separated them from their current location, yet Paul couldn't see the ladder up to their destination. He wondered just how far it could be, but now wasn't the time to think about that, the Sinnoh native unable to properly think due to the chatting going on beside him.

"So do you have a plan at all?" Silver asked, eyes narrowing towards the section they had to walk in. It would be easy to hide someone there, and Paul had a feeling that was exactly what Team Rocket had done. "Otherwise we may be walking straight into a trap here."

"I say we just give them everything we have," Astrid stated happily, the girl pounding one fist into her open palm. "If these guys think they can mess with my region, they have another thing coming for them."

"Or we can regroup and attack later," a new voice offered, one that was strikingly familiar to Paul. One that he hadn't been expecting to hear at all. Turning to face the direction the voice came from, the group released surprised gasps, for walking towards them was none other than Ash. The boy looked a little roughed up, his jacket torn and his face having been scuffed up during his fight with Giovanni. "I barely managed to escape now. There's no way we can defeat Giovanni while I'm like this."

"Ash?" Paul asked, slightly surprised to see the boy having escaped. For some odd reason, he felt relieved. Yet, a part of him questioned why he would care, Ash was just any other trainer he would have to face off against, so why did he worry so much about him?

The others however weren't as trustful of the newcomer. He may have looked and sounded like the Ash they knew, but there were a few details about him there were off. Gary being the first to realize it.

"Ash, where's Pikachu? I thought him and your other Pokémon were with you when you fought Giovanni?" the young researcher asked, Paul immediately noticing the lack of a Pikachu on "Ash's" shoulder.

"Pikachu was in no condition to escape, so I left him behind! That's why we need to hurry up and save him!" the boy cried out, his voice sounding full with hatred and annoyance towards the group. But, it didn't seem real. The Ash Paul knew would never leave behind any of his Pokémon. Especially not Pikachu.

"We'll want to take you to a Pokémon Center soon. You can call upon Infernape to help lead us in this stupid fight," Paul stated, walking nonchalantly over towards "Ash", placing a hand on his shoulder. "His Blast Burn must be incredibly powerful if he managed to take down my Gliscor back in Sinnoh. Just imagine all the training he must have gone through back home with you."

"For sure," the man stated, thumping a fist against his chest before laughing happily. "Infernape's Blast Burn is second to no-" he began to say, gasping for breath as Paul tossed him into the side of the tower.

The Sinnoh native walked towards his interrogation suspect, curious as to who the man really was. Placing both hands on his shoulders, Paul pinned the man against the wall, teeth grit in frustration from the fact this man thought he could impersonate Ash and fool them. "So, it may be in your best interest to let us know who you really are. Especially if you don't want your face to be indescribable to anyone."

"The question should be if you'll be recognizable after your little trip! We'll see you next fall!" the man shouted, his arms lunging forward and slamming into Paul's chest. The sudden impact left Paul dazed, he had no time to react. His body flew backwards until he felt himself off of the surface, his upper body now out over the edge, his feet about to join the rest of his body.

Paul wanted to yell, he wanted to call for help for the first time in his life. He had never been in this kind of life or death situation before; he didn't know how to react properly and froze up. The Sinnoh native imagined that this was the end for him, he would never get his rematch with Ash, or battle the entire Battle Frontier. This was it. Or so he thought, his body jolting to a stop before the descent could really begin.

"Huh? W-What happened?" he muttered to himself, both shocked and pleased by the sudden event. Did someone use a Psychic-Type to stop his fall? Casting his eyes upwards as best he could, he was surprised to see Astrid holding onto his ankle, Silver helping her keep her balance as the duo struggled to keep him from falling. The boy felt happy for their intervention, a smile crossing his face, a feeling that didn't occur often for him.

"No way are you leaving us this easily," Astrid joked, her voice sounding strained, the girl using every muscle in her body to keep Paul from falling to what would be his death. "The tournament may be over, but we're still a team, and teammates look out for each other, so...you...can't abandon...us!" she grunted, taking a step backwards, Paul feeling his body being pulled upwards and back towards the surface.

"I guess your girlfriend had different plans," the man spoke, still disguised as Ash. Paul found it strange to hear Ash's voice, yet see someone who was the complete opposite of Ash using it. "Young love is such a wonderful feeling. Too bad you're only prolonging the inevitable. Muk, Gunk Shot attack!"

Rising out of the shadows from the base of the wall, the Poison-Type emerged, his hideous stench filling the nostrils of everyone, even Paul could smell it as his body was finally hoisted back over the edge of the building. Yet, to his surprise, he may have been better off falling. For coming right at them were a large wave of toxic sludge, the attack looking dangerous, some of it splashing onto the building, melting it away in an instant.

"Look out!" Paul called, wrapping an arm around Astrid's waist, pulling the girl and himself from harm's way as he dove to the side of the attack. Lucky for him they moved in time, for the area he had been standing was now destroyed, the toxic waste having disintegrated the edge of the building with ease. Astrid looked at the boy in shock, clearly surprised he would offer to protect her despite how much he acted like a lone wolf. Seeing this, he helped the girl up onto her feet before shrugging his shoulders. "I owed you one for saving me from falling. Don't get any funny ideas."

Astrid couldn't help but chuckle at Paul's response, the Sinnoh native muttering in annoyance from it. Though he had to admit, he could get used to it, a thought that had never crossed his mind before. However, now wasn't the time. Instead, he focused his sight onto "Ash" wanting answers even more badly now.

"So, who are you really?" Gary asked, beating Paul to the punch, the researcher looking at both "Ash" and his Muk, Paul telling from his stance that Gary didn't want to leave himself open to any attacks. "And don't play any games since you're outnumbered right now."

"It would be best to oblige," Silver joined in, arms crossed against his chest. He had been silent for the majority of the trek over to the tower and Paul wondered just why he would be involved in all of this. He did make it to the finals in Unova last year, so why feel the need to take on Team Rocket? His thoughts were cut short however, for Silver began to speak once more. "It would be best if you didn't hold back any info...we're not in a very pleasant mood, launching someone off a building can put anyone in a bad mood."

"I guess the jig is up then," the man spoke, ripping the jacket off with ease. Despite its precision design to look just like Ash's, Paul could see just how lazily it had been made. Holes adjourned the shirt, and even the coloring was slightly off from what Ash's actually was. It seemed to be just a quick makeshift design. Placing one hand over his chest and the other behind his back, the man bowed towards the gathered group. Paul didn't trust this, the man was acting too calm for his situation. He should have been acting nervous in a four on one, but instead he didn't seem to care, instead carrying himself with poise.

"It's quite the honor for you little brats to drag me into battle, so feel humbled to see before you one of the four Rocket Executives! Petrel is the name, imitation is my game!" he shouted, his new outfit sticking out to Paul. It looked similar to the other grunts, but this one had a few aesthetic changes to it. For starters, his outfit had two yellow stripes on either side of his red "R", the two lines trailing vertically down his chest until reaching his waist. His white gloves and boots were longer as well, the articles of clothing reaching up over his elbows and just under his knees respectively. The final difference was with his belt, the accessory being larger, appearing to be a prominent addition as three devices laid attached to it.

"I have to admit though," Petrel continued on, pulling away at the cosmetic job on his face, one Paul had to admit was excellently made. It truly had him fooled at first, if not for the lack of a Pikachu, who knows what would have happened to them all. This situation taught him he had to be slightly more careful while going after Team Rocket. Underneath the mask was a man with purple hair that was shorter on the sides while the front formed a mohawk of sorts. Attached to his chin was a strip of purple facial hair forming a small goatee. "I am slightly amazed at your ability to see through the disguise though. What gave it away?"

"Ash would never leave Pikachu or any of his Pokémon behind no matter what," Gary spoke up, raising his fists in front of his body, the two appendages shaking with slight rage. "And besides, when Paul asked you about Infernape, you didn't even realize he never battled a Gliscor _or_ used Blast Burn. It were these simple mistakes that only the original Ash could provide the correct answers to that gave you away."

"My, you're all just the smartest detectives, aren't you?" Petrel asked, hands on his hips while leaning forward. A smirk soon crossed his face, Paul wanting to believe the man would begin to laugh any moment from now due to the look of pure crazy on his face. "Though, I can't let any of you continue on sadly. Boss' orders and if I don't follow through he gets cranky. Muk, Gunk Shot at them all!"

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Gary called forth, tossing his own Poké Ball outwards. In a flash of blue light, his trusty partner emerged from the device, cannons locked and loaded as jets of water shot out of the two devices attached to his shoulders. Muk likewise was in the middle of attacking, a wave of toxic ooze escaping from his mouth, the two attacks colliding in the middle, exploding on contact with each other. Smoke soon flew outwards, Gary and Petrel both unable to see just what was going on. Despite barely knowing the researcher, Paul had a feeling this was exactly what he wanted to happen.

"Come on, move!" Paul called out, grabbing Astrid's hand as he yanked her down the edge of the building and in the direction of the second ladder. Running past Silver, Paul gave the agent a quick shove, motioning for him to move.

"Get going!" Gary's voice could be heard in the distance, bits of coughing from both him and Petrel cutting him off. "The whole point of this group was to get Silver to the machine and destroy it! I'll hold this clown off while the rest of you get going!"

Running further across the edge of the tower, the now smaller group could hear the skirmish occurring in the background, both Gary and Blastoise doing their best to will their way to victory in this battle. Reaching the ladder in what felt like no time at all, Paul, Silver and Astrid climbed up, the Sinnoh native seeing what looked like a sea of sludge crashing down onto Gary only to look away, the air shaft being right next to them.

"We're almost there, no time to waste," Silver spoke, yet Paul couldn't help but feel hesitant. Something was telling him to go help Gary out, yet his body wouldn't move. He couldn't understand why now of all times he was acting this way, but here he was, unable to figure out what was wrong with himself.

"Come on, Paul, get moving," Astrid stated, snapping the trainer from his own thoughts and pushing him gently from behind into the air shaft. As he crawled through the shaft on his way to the top of the tower, he couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should have stayed back with Gary...but he was strong on his own, he would be fine. Or so Paul needed to tell himself.

Perhaps it had been his near-death experience that woke him up a little, but Paul finally came to realization of just how dangerous and serious the situation was. They weren't messing with those three idiots who showed up occasionally when he ran into Ash during their respective adventures in Sinnoh. No, this group was much more dangerous as evident by Petrel's Muk and they weren't afraid to put anyone in harm's way, that was for sure.

"You alright?" Astrid asked, breaking the silence and causing Paul to slightly jump. He had forgotten that she was behind him for a moment, having been so caught up in his own personal thoughts. "You seem a little shaken up after that little moment outside."

Pausing for a moment, Paul let out a sigh, one he had been holding in since almost falling to his death. Turning around to face Astrid, the Sinnoh native kept the same expression on his face as always, not wanting to make anyone worry about him during their current situation. "Yeah, I'm just fine."

"You don't seem it. If I didn't know any better, you were scared from that event," Astrid replied, Paul knowing full well that she was trying to dig deeper and get him to talk. Not giving in this time, Paul merely grunted before turning back in the correct direction. To his surprise, Silver hadn't noticed that they had stopped and was further along than they were. Starting up again, Astrid followed behind him, sighing at what the boy assumed was his lack of conversation. "If you want to talk about that push from Petrel..."

"I'm fine," Paul responded, sounding colder than he meant to. Though, he hoped it got the message across to this girl. She was possibly almost as annoying as that blue-haired Coordinator Ash hung around with. Dawn was it? Well, it didn't matter much to Paul, he knew she was at the tournament though and that she was annoying at times in the past, pestering him about his views towards Ash. But this Astrid, she seemed different and it annoyed Paul. In the past he most likely would have just blown her off, paid no attention to her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. She just seemed too friendly, someone Paul never thought he would be fine around.

Shrugging his shoulders lightly, Paul let out a small scoff. He had to admit, meeting Ash changed him in even the slightest ways. The trainer couldn't help but wonder how he would have turned out if he never met the annoying trainer from Pallet Town. He wasn't able to come up with anything, but he wasn't quite sure he wanted to anyways. Casting a glance over his shoulder once more, Paul noticed the determined expression on Astrid, the young girl breaming with confidence, or perhaps she was putting up a front for the entire situation. Paul wasn't sure, but it didn't matter now.

"Listen," he began to say, Astrid realizing that Paul was talking to her. "I didn't mean to sound the way I did. I...I tend to have a hard time expressing myself around people in more ways than just one. So...sorry, I guess," he spoke, completely flabbergasted as to why he was _apologizing_ over nothing.

Astrid was stunned, she had no words to say and Paul wasn't surprised in the least. He knew he didn't come off as the nicest person. Though, what she said next surprised the Sinnoh native. "I guess you just need to open up around people some more. There's no need living life all serious and blocking people off from you. People can grow together just like trainer and Pokémon do, you just need to put the effort into it. Though, after this is all done, you're owing the team to a nice dinner."

"Is Hugh actually going to be there this time?" Paul asked, arching his eyebrow, a smirk crossing over his face. This was exactly what he meant, here he was acting different than his usual self and it annoyed him. "But sure."

Moving forward once more, the duo were unaware of an Arbok having entered the air shaft while they had been talking, the Poison-Type slithering over towards them in a stealthy manner, keeping its distance until the time to strike was correct. Wanting to separate the group even more, Arbok slithered up next to Astrid, the blonde trainer unaware of the Cobra Pokémon's presence until it was too late. Wrapping its tail around Astrid's mouth first, the appendage moving around the rest of her body slowly as to not alert Paul before slithering back from which it came.

However, Arbok's plan had not accounted for one variable; the rare chance Paul would look behind him. Seeing the Arbok crawling away with Astrid, the purple-haired trainer was torn between heading for the weapon or helping the obnoxious girl. Knowing what had to be done, Paul changed course and followed the Arbok back through the air shaft. The duo crawled through a few narrow passageways, Paul narrowly avoiding getting stuck in one section only for it to then open up and allow for easy maneuverability for the trainer. Casting a glance up ahead, Paul could tell Astrid was not as comfortable, her body being dragged along by an Arbok.

Finally, the Poison-Type came to a stop, giving Paul the false hope that this was where it had came from. Instead, Arbok knocked off the air vent, managing to slither down and into one of the hallways located around the battlefield. Watching it, Paul made sure to wait before leaping into action, he didn't need to be ambushed by anyone right now. Sitting next to the exit, Paul thought he could hear someone talking and strained to hear what was being said.

"Struggle all you want sweetie, but there's no way you'll get out from Arbok's grip," a feminine voice stated, a shrill laugh soon piercing Paul's ears, the sound of it annoying him. Between that Petrel guy and now her, Paul wasn't sure who had the worst laugh. Deciding it was of little importance he continued to listen, curious as to what was about to happen. "Though, even if you get loose it isn't like anyone is here to help you out, no one knows you're missing and by the time they do it'll be too late. This'll teach you to try and stop Team Rocket, next time you'll think twice before trying anything funny...though for you there won't be a next time."

Having heard enough, Paul decided to jump into action. Kicking the air vent out of the shaft, a loud bang filling the hallway, catching the attention of the Team Rocket member. Paul locked eyes with Astrid for a moment, the girl thankful for his arrival. But Paul knew it wasn't done yet, not as long as Arbok and that woman were still standing. Raising one of his Poké Balls, the Sinnoh native called on his Electivire, the Electric-Type emerging from the capture device before banging on his chest enthusiastically.

"And _who_ are you?" the woman asked, Paul turning his gaze away from Astrid and Arbok towards the woman. For the first time, Paul got a good look at the Team Rocket member, taking in her features and clothes. She had on a white, long sleeve, dress that drew down to her thighs, black adorning the bottom ring of it along with the cuffs of the sleeves and a small v-shaped portion around her neck area. The dress appeared to be slit on the sides, or at least from her thighs up to her knees. A black belt with a silver buckle ran across her waist as well. Her hair was unmistakable, red in color and a unique shape; two strands curving down and to either side of her neck while a third one ran adjacent from her forehead, the rest of her skull covered in the luscious red hair.

"That doesn't matter who I am, but if you know what's good for you, release the girl," Paul spoke, choosing to keep his emotions under wrap this time around, not allowing them to influence his behavior or throw him off his game. "Electivire, Thunder Punch!"

"Elec, electa!" the Electric-Type shouted, slamming his fists together in joy before electricity sparked around his body, the current shooting right into his arms as they erupted in an electric overflow, loose strands of electricity sparking off and striking the ground. Jumping forward, Electivire moved for Arbok first, slamming his fists into the floor where the Poison-Type had been, missing by only a few inches as Arbok slithered away, out of harm's reach.

"My, did I strike a chord in you by taking this girl? Does it bother you with her being in my custody?" the lady asked, running a hand across Astrid's face, the latter flinching from the touch but unable to do anything due to her predicament.

Paul merely grunted, closing his eyes while placing his hands into his pockets, facing forward towards the lady. "You talk too much, you know that? Maybe you should focus less on taunting and more on the battle," he reprimanded her, opening his eyes to make eye contact with her. He could tell she had no clue what he meant, but soon Electivire came swinging in, kicking her off to the side before slamming Arbok's head with his Thunder Punch.

Loosening its grip, Arbok slithered backwards freeing Astrid in the process. Electivire used the chance to his advantage, grabbing the blonde and bringing her next to Paul before placing her down gently.

"So you do care after all," she playfully teased, sweeping a strand of hair out of her eyes. Paul merely rolled his eyes at the comment, choosing to ignore until he felt Astrid hugging him. "Thank you for helping me."

"Don't turn it into a big deal. As it is, you know I don't want to be here, and the last thing I want on my conscious is not helping someone I saw being taken away. I didn't do it for any other reason than that," he explained, keeping his expressions normal. _Now_ he was starting to get annoyed by the girl's actions for real. Why did she have to think everything he did for her was different? Yeah, he treated her differently than other people but that meant nothing.

"So, you two think you can get one over on me, the great Team Rocket Executive Ariana!? Well, I'll show you just what happens when you anger me!" Ariana called out, standing back up while Arbok slithered over to her side. Reaching for a Poké Ball, the woman opened it to reveal a Vileplume that immediately got ready to fight.

"Looks like this may take a while..." Astrid muttered, gripping her own Poké Ball before calling on Absol, her trusted partner appearing in a blue flash. Taking a defensive stance, Absol lowered himself towards the floor, growling towards the Team Rocket executive. "I doubt we could get away from here and meet up with Silver."

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul let out a light chuckle. "Well, I guess that just means we'll have to show her what happens when you mess with _us_. Electivire, Thunder Punch!" Paul issued, sweeping his left arm outwards before clinching it into a fist. Electivire broke into a sprint, his fists circulating the electricity from his body into them before barely missing Arbok with his first swing before headbutting the Cobra Pokémon.

* * *

"Sawyer should be further down from here," Serena muttered to Dawn, the Performer helping her friend down the tunnel's path. Serena could hear the heated battle Brock was in, the sound of rocks exploding making her wonder just what in the world could be happening down there. But now wasn't the time to worry about Brock, the stories she had heard about him in the past along with seeing him at the tournament made her believe in him. She knew he could win. And she knew that it was her job to meet up with Sawyer.

"Once we reach Sawyer, we should be right underneath Prism Tower. It'll be a quick climb up to the top from there," Serena continued to speak, Braixen lighting the path with her lit branch. Pancham and Sylveon meanwhile were helping to support Dawn, the girl's leg proving more of a pain than either of them expected it to be.

"Serena," Dawn spoke up, the sudden words causing the Kalos native to help shift Dawn's weight as to keep her off that injured leg of hers. "I'm just slowing you all down. And with my leg I won't be much help to anyone. I think you shoul-"

"I'm not leaving you behind, Dawn," Serena interrupted, smiling at the injured Coordinator in hopes of lifting her spirits. "Injured or not, we still need your help if we're going to free Ash."

"No matter what, Dawn, we can't give up j. We won't give up hope. I know Ash wouldn't so neither can I. If it means fighting these guys until I pass out from exhaustion, I'll do it and then get back up and go at them again. Just like Ash says, no giving up until it's over!" Serena pressed on, wanting to keep the both of them mentally prepared.

Dawn let out a light chuckle from Serena's words, the Performer slightly confused from Dawn's reaction until she began to speak. "It seems like you've learned a lot from Ash. You even sounded like him just now, if I didn't know any better I would have thought it was him for a moment."

Serena nodded in agreement. She _had_ learned quite a bit from Ash. His leadership skills, his confidence, his drive. She had been inspired by him to become better and now it was her turn to take the lead. It was now her turn to be the one pushing through the adversity and uncertain future before her. And she wasn't going down without a fight.

"Yes. Yes I did," Serena replied, a fire burning in her eyes. She was determined to rescue Ash, stop Team Rocket and save Kalos. "You could say Ash is special to me. I always looked up to him as not just an excellent trainer but a person I strive to be like. He is my goal, to be just like him."

"I can tell, though there's something else between you two. It was a little more obvious when you two battled each other back at the tournament. Though I don't think many people picked up on it," Dawn replied, a soft smile crossing her lips, Serena acknowledging Dawn's statement with a simple head nod.

"You could say that. Though, we both agreed to put anything between us on hold right now. We'll see how things are after all if this though," Serena responded, smiling back at her friend. Continuing on with their trek down the tunnel, the two were finally able to see the end, a rush of energy filling them once more. Rushing as best they could, the two girls finally found a welcomed surprise.

"There you two are," Sawyer spoke up, getting up from his sitting position to move towards them. "I was beginning to get worried since Brock has been gone for a while. He said he was just going to find you two and then head back here, but I haven't seen him since."

"Sawyer," Serena began to say, pausing for a moment to get the Hoenn native's attention. Looking at him directly, Serena pushed forward, not wanting to hold back the truth. "Brock won't be joining us for a while and wants us to continue on. He's currently battling with a skilled member of Team Rocket as we speak."

"Then why don't we go help him? If all four of us team up against whoever this person may be, there's no way they could beat us," Sawyer stated, fists clinched in a manner that reminded Serena of Ash. She had to admit, the boy was really just like him. Just another person Ash helped influence. "There's no reason for him to have to battle all on his own!"

Serena just shook her head, the action bringing Sawyer back down a notch so Serena could explain. "Brock wants us to continue on, I already said that moments ago. Dawn and I offered to help battle with him but he declined our help. We need to keep moving on, we can't risk giving Team Rocket anymore time for their plan. We need to get to Ash now."

Looking to the ground, Sawyer shit his eyes, Serena knowing just how tough the decision to leave Brock behind was. A sudden shaking sensation filled the tunnel, dust and other debris falling from the ceiling, a few rocks joining it. Even if he was struggling with the idea of leaving him behind, Serena knew it was still hard on Sawyer. He wasn't in Lumiose when Team Flare attacked. He wasn't used to a situation like this, so Serena did the one thing she could think of, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. The least she could do was comfort him on the group's decision.

"Sawyer, I know it may seem hard to leave someone behind right now, but Brock is more than capable to take care of himself. Right now, we need to reach Ash, and we can't do it like this."

"She's right," Dawn added in, smiling at the Hoenn native. "Brock definitely knows how to handle himself in a situation like this, it isn't his first time you know. You should have seen him against Team Galactic."

Nodding slightly, the young boy faced away from Serena and Dawn, the two girls worried for a moment that he may not have been ready to move on. But, they were pleasantly surprised by what came next, Sawyer turning around had the same determination in his eyes that had been in Ash's when he took on Team Flare and every organization before them. Serena could tell he _was_ ready for the fight ahead and he wasn't going to stop until they won.

"Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's start climbing this ladder and go save Ash!" he shouted out, Serena lightly laughing at the boy's newfound energy. "We're just wasting time standing around here and worrying about everyone, they'll all be just fine, but not if we can't finish our job," he finished saying before stepping up onto the ladder and climbing up towards the exit.

Serena and Dawn turned towards each other for a moment, the two smiling at each other. First it was in joy for Sawyer's new outlook, but slowly it took on more of the same determination Sawyer held in his eyes. They all were going to see this through to the end and make sure Team Rocket got what was coming to them once and for all.

" _Just hang on a little longer, Ash. Help is on the way!"_ Serena thought to herself before recalling her Pokémon into their respective Poké Balls and helping Dawn up onto the ladder. With a slight push, Dawn was on her way up, favoring her strong side with Serena right behind her.

"We're not going to let anything stop us," she muttered under her breath, her body telling her to be ready for what was to come. She knew it was going to be tough, but that didn't matter. All that Serena worried about right now was bringing an end to this evil organization.

* * *

"If I'm right, the generators should be coming up right around this corner!" Clemont called up to Hugh and his Flygon, Luxray picking up the pace as he did so. All through the city, they had encountered either grunts or citizens caught in the crossfire of this battle, the duo stopping to help out as much they could.

"You better be," Hugh replied back, the wind blowing his hair around wildly, the young boy raising an arm in front of his face to try and lower the intensity of it striking his face. "It feels like we've been racing to it for a while now, the others must have reached your Prism Tower by now."

Clemont merely nodded, the duo taking a sharp right past a few boutiques that were now functioning as refugee centers of sorts. Young children had gathered inside of one, Clemont wondering just how Bonnie was doing right now, his big brother instincts kicking in, his urge to go find his sister and protect her at all costs fighting with his desire to shut down the power generators.

"Well, the keeps them near the entrance to route 13 or how most people know it as, the Lumiose Badlands. That way, those running the plant there can control the amount of energy from the Kalos Power Plant is actually entering Lumiose at a given time, preventing any surges in power that would knock out all power," Clemont explained, the small building beginning to appear before them. It wasn't anything to talk about design wise, looking almost like a plain building. One would almost confuse it for a normal building found in Lumiose City if not for the power lines and generators that were stationed right next to the tan building.

"With all the cables running under the street, it's impossible to cut the power by just destroying the wires, so we have to do it through the computer's internal system," Clemont explained, both Flygon and Luxray picking up their speed while he continued on. "If we shut down the computer then all power will be shut off from the city and thus, Team Rocket's weapon will have no way to fire regardless of whatever they may fire from it."

"Hey! You can't come in here!" a grunt shouted, the man reaching for a Poké Ball only for Clemont to react faster. Calling for a Wild Charge, the young inventor issued Luxray to run right through the grunt, the collision sending the man flying off to the side of the street out cold.

"Kind of harsh, no?" Hugh joked, a slight grin on his face. "We'll show you how it's done, right, Flygon?" he asked his trusty partner, the Ground and Dragon-Type crying in agreement. Clemont just shook his head, Flygon's body being engulfed by a blue aura, (Clemont able to recognize it as Dragon Rush from their previous battle) before they dove for what appeared to be five grunts blocking their path. Crashing right into them, Flygon showed his might, not even flinching as he threw the grunts left and right, a few smashing into nearby buildings.

"And you said I was harsh?" Clemont asked, unsure of how to take Hugh's previous remarks. The blue haired trainer merely laughed at the remark, the duo reaching the entrance to the building moments later, Flygon touching down next to Luxray.

"What?" Hugh asked nonchalantly, recalling Flygon back to its Poké Ball before thanking it for all the hard work. "It isn't like they didn't deserve that punishment. They _are_ trying to take over the world. Did you expect me to just tap them?"

Shaking his head, Clemont just sighed before turning to the entrance. "Just forget what I said and focus on what's before us. Who knows what is waiting inside for the two of us. There may be dozens of Team Rocket operatives waiting for us."

"And if they are, I'll just pound them into the ground. I'll give them all a taste of what happens when you mess with Hugh!" the Unova native declared, his reaction once more getting Clemont to shake his head. The inventor couldn't help but wonder what Hugh would have been like when Team Flare was attacking, probably even worse if he had to guess.

Laughing to himself from the thought of Hugh yelling at Lysandre, the inventor led the way into the building, Luxray by his side as both trainers noticed a lack of security from Team Rocket. This made Clemont feel nervous. Perhaps they didn't need electricity to fire their weapon and his plan only weakened the others, they were missing both Hugh and himself and who knows what Team Rocket had planned in the denser portions of the city. Or perhaps the building was rigged with traps. If they weren't careful, the duo may become sitting ducks if they sprung a hidden trap. Either way, Clemont knew they had to be careful. One wrong move and it might be all over for the two of them.

"Hugh, once inside, I need you to watch the entrance for me. I'll get to work on shutting down the computer and the city's supply of electricity immediately."

"So I'll just fight anyone who tries to get in your way. I'm fine with that, teaches a few more of these numbskulls what happens when they try anything funny," Hugh remarked, Clemont pushing open the doors to the building, the insides just as deserted. Outside of those six grunts on the outside street, there had been no one guarding what should have been a strategic stronghold in this battle.

Staring over the room, Clemont didn't see one thing out of place. The monitors showing the entirety of Lumiose were up and running, energy levels showed that the building was in the green, not too much energy to cause a surge and subsequent black out, but not too little to cause a lack of power, and the main system computer seemed operational based on first looks. However, after being followed by Jessie, James and Meowth, Clemont knew better than to trust the way something looked when it came to Team Rocket.

"What are you waiting for?" Hugh asked, already facing the entrance, calling out his partner Liepard to stand guard with him. "No one is here, take advantage of our time."

"That's the problem," Clemont explained, placing a hand to his chin. "There is no scientific reason to leave this place abandoned unless they had some kind of hidden plan with it. Though, if I were Team Rocket, it would have to be regarding the main computer itself. Maybe a weak floorboard that would collapse, trapping me under the building? Or maybe a hidden net, ready to spring? Or maybe even they have the computer set to voice recognition. The chances are endless."

"Well, stop wasting time and try this one, Liepard, Dark Pulse on everything _but_ the computer. But keep it at a low level to not destroy the place," Hugh issued, motioning his hand around the area. Nodding, Liepard opened his mouth slowly, the black and purple beam forming (smaller than usual) before shooting off as a small blast. Spraying across the room, a small tearing sound could be heard, a string falling over the computer and continuing behind it.

"Get them," Hugh muttered, Liepard moving in an instant, nearly vanishing in front of Clemont's eyes. The young inventor had to admit, Liepard was trained extremely well, his speed rivaled by almost none.

"G-Get off us!" a female voice cried, Liepard obviously finding someone to Clemont's shock. Even Luxray was surprised, having not heard anyone in the building, or thinking to have used his X-Ray vision.

"Yeah! You stupid fur ball, you've ruined everything!" a gruffer voice followed suit, Clemont and Hugh following the voices to behind the main computer. To Clemont's shock, two grunts (or so he assumed them to be) were pinned to the ground by Liepard. The first, a female with long orange hair, had a rope of sorts in her hands, no doubt the one Liepard broke moments earlier. The second grunt was a male with green hair, a small communication device in his hand. Seeing this, Clemont knew the man would call for someone to remove of them the moment they had been caught.

"Well, look what we found," Hugh spoke, the tone of his voice slightly creeping Clemont out. Hugh may be a great trainer and battler, but Clemont had to admit, he took this whole situation with Team Rocket a little too serious. He had to wonder if the boy got like this with everything or if it was just the dire situation. "Looks like we found a few rats."

"Who you calling a rat! The name's Butch!" the green haired man shouted, Hugh's piercing eyes causing him to shut up immediately. Clemont watched Hugh go to work, using the rest of the broken rope to tie these two up before tossing them off to the side, apparently having no interest in them what so ever.

The orange haired female took notice of this, Clemont watching as she turned her head around to look at them directly. "Aren't you even going to battle us!? Your other friends are battling people right now, don't you want to as well?"

"Please," Hugh spoke, Clemont watching his eyes darting back and forth, Liepard also looking alarmed. "Normally I would, but you have a few more friends with you, that trap you have was a diversion. One to make me lower my guard after catching you, but Liepard and I heard someone moving the moment Dark Pulse cut your rope."

"To think, we went from top operatives in Alola all the way to mere pawns for this invasion. What happened to us Biff? Even these guys won't battle us," the girl asked, Clemont nearly falling over in shock from the fact she got his name wrong. Even he knew what it was, having only met the man now. How hard was a name like Butch to remember?

"The name is Butc...you know what, forget it. You'll never get it right after what feels like twenty years," Butch replied before looking at Clemont. "Though, even if you find the other member of our group, it won't matter. You can't beat them, but in the rare event you did, the computer has been hacked and reprogrammed to never be able to shut down. So now you'll never be able to stop power from entering the city, kid."

Clemont stood there, hands shaking from the revelation. Even though he assumed something as being possible, he hadn't truly expected such an outcome to be the case. Walking over to the computer, the young inventor played around with the machine, unable to gain access to the system. "He's right, Hugh, they changed everything about it. There's no way for me to shut down the system...except one."

"Hmm? What do you have to do?" Hugh asked, arching his eyebrow in confusion, Liepard moving slowly around the room, sniffing for something. Both actions enticed him, but he decided to focus on Clemont's first.

"It's simple, but a little drastic when you hear about it," he explained, pushing his glasses up for the moment. Clemont had never thought this would actually have to occur one day, but he was glad to have helped design this substation all those years ago. "I designed a fail-safe back when this place was build. Granted, I never expected it to be used once, but it was in the case of a computer failure or the need of a complete system shut down."

"Well, just spit it out then!" Hugh yelled, Clemont realizing that the boy was growing frustrated from his stalling.

Sighing, Clemont called Bunnelby and Manectric out from their Poké Balls, a sight that clearly confused Hugh. Walking away with his three Pokémon, Clemont motioned for Hugh to follow, the boy and his Liepard falling in line behind Clemont, the small group exiting the building and entering the siding with all the generators.

"You see, this station was designed to only control so much electricity, enough to power the entire city without consuming too much from the Power Plant. If you remember from inside, there were readings that alerted the workers if the electrical levels were too high or too low. Well, if we increase the output from the generators to a level that is too high for the system to handle, in a way such as blowing the entire generator up thanks to an excess of energy, the entire system shuts down leading to a city-wide blackout. Though, I don't know when the power will be back up and it may be a while before it's up and running again," Clemont explained, pulling a few wires out of the machines and attaching the first set onto Bunnelby.

Getting the next batch of wires ready, Clemont turned to Manectric, attaching them to the Electric-Type's face before he sparked with energy, the surplus of electricity surging into the generators. Just as Bunnelby began to glow with electricity from a Wild Charge attack, a Shadow Ball attack crashing into the small group, Liepard jumping into action and firing off a Dark Pulse in the direction the attack came from.

The blast exploded in thin air, almost as if it had been destroyed by something...or someone. Clemont felt he had a good idea of who might have been hiding, especially after both Hugh and Liepard had sensed someone else inside the building moments ago.

"You can come out, Sird!" Clemont called out, the member appearing within a moment's notice alongside a Banette. Clemont was slightly surprised to see just Banette by her side.

"I can't put anything past you, Lumiose City Gym Leader," Sird spoke, her voice causing shivers to run down Clemont's spine. He still didn't forget the day they first faced off, the one where Articuno grabbed ahold of him and Manectric had evolved. "Though, I cannot allow you to damage the generators. As obviously as it may seem, they are necessary for the mission. Banette, Shadow Ball once more!"

"Liepard, Dark Pulse!"

"Luxray, you get in there with Wild Charge!"

The three Pokémon were off and fighting, Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball colliding almost immediately, a cloud of dust emerging to cover the area and cause a sense of confusion. This wasn't stopping Luxray however, the Electric-Type using his X-Ray vision to see through the dust and charged forward, electricity bristling through his fur before slamming hard into Banette. The Ghost-Type spiraled backwards, Sird showing no signs of worry what so ever.

"Hugh," Clemont spoke through grit teeth, a few drops of sweat forming on his forehead. "I've faced her before. Sird isn't someone we can underestimate since last time it took almost everything I had to just land one hit, something tells me she isn't battling at her full strength just yet."

"Are you sure?" Hugh asked, slightly shocked by the revelation. Looking over at the lady, the two trainers braced themselves for anything that would be coming their way.

"Banette..." Sird muttered at an almost inaudible level. The Ghost-Type turned to look at its trainer a moment before vanishing into the ground. This put both Clemont and Hugh at an alarmed level. If Banette could vanish through the surrounding area, they would be in for a harder battle. Reappearing in front of them, Banette slashed forward, its entire body glowing before slashing forward, Luxray being pushed back from the sudden attack.

The Gleam Eyes Pokémon looked up following the attack, another Shadow Ball coming straight for him before he could even brace for it. The attack sent Luxray skidding backwards slightly more, Clemont catching his partner within his arms.

"Luxxxx..." the Electric-Type muttered, standing back up with all his strength. Looking across the area, Luxray eyed Banette, thought the Ghost-Type paid him no attention at all, instead landing a powerful Double-Edge attack on Liepard. The Dark-Type hadn't expected such an attack with speed so fast that it made Banette look almost invisible. Skidding backwards himself, Liepard looked a little shaken up by the last attack.

"Alright, Clemont, let me know if you have any ideas on how to beat this freak," Hugh stated, wiping a drop of his own sweat from his face. "Because with how the situation is, we'll be beaten by this walking weirdo soon enough."

"Oh, your words hurt so very much, my dear," Sird replied, snapping her fingers before Banette emerged once more from the shadows, body glowing a deep shade of purple.

"Ba, net-et-et-et-et!" the Ghost-Type shouted in joy, Clemont grimacing slightly while both Luxray and Liepard were struck by the might attack. Clemont was at a loss of words for the moment. He had no plan on how to outmaneuver this Banette, who was proving a lot more skilled than the previous time they faced off.

"No," he finally replied, the boy not having to look at Hugh to know he was looking shocked at him. "But, sometimes you can't come up with a plan for victory. Sometimes you need to just go out there and see what works. Follow my lead, once Luxray goes in with a Wild Charge, have Liepard launch a Dark Pulse at him."

"What?" Hugh asked back, slightly shocked by the action.

Clemont just eyed the boy, saying no words in response before issuing the Wild Charge. Bristling with electricity once more, Luxray shot bounded forward across the ground, a few sparks of electricity pouncing off of his feet as he ran. Following Clemont's orders, Liepard was commanded to fire a Dark Pulse off, the attack crashing right into Luxray and giving him a speed in boost.

Now faster, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon soared. He moved at a speed that made even Sird lose sight of him for a few short seconds before he crashed right into Banette, the Marionette Pokémon skidding backwards across the concrete floor before coming to a stop a few feet away from its trainer.

Sird looked down at her Pokémon, Clemont seeing the look of frustration mixed with annoyance on her face. She was clearly not enjoying the fact they were putting up a fight, but Clemont knew she had to at least be expecting one, perhaps she expected them to have given up shortly after they began battling it out, but Clemont would do no such thing. He continued to watch while Sird reached into a pocket, pulling out a small object and held it in her hand.

"I would like to thank you," she spoke out, Clemont, Hugh and their respective Pokémon got into defensive stances while she played around with the object she caressed. "I've never faced someone who has actually made me think about using this. You should both be honored to be the first trainers I get to crush using this...Banette, Mega Evolve," she spoke coldly, the small object in her hand glowing brightly while a similar glow emerged from Banette's hand, the Pokémon changing shape as its body grew more zippers all around, the ends of its hands and lower body opening up to reveal a pink interior where its hands and legs emerged from.

"She had a Key Stone?" Clemont asked, unaware of this shocking revelation. However, Mega Evolution or not, Clemont wasn't going to back down and neither were Luxray, Hugh or Liepard, the latter already in action with a Dark Pulse attack, the beam being dodged with relative ease only for Liepard to then slash forward with a Night Slash attack, his claws being met with Banette's fingers. Soon, Banette easily overpowered Liepard, tossing the Dark-Type backwards before crashing a Shadow Ball into him. _"There's no way we can handle this much power on our own. She was already powerful, but now!? No! Clemont, you have to fight back and win, everyone is counting on you to pull through!"_

"Hey, Clemont, a little help would be nice!" Hugh called out, Clemont snapping him from his inner thoughts. Seeing that the Gym Leader was listening, Hugh smirked. "Glad to see you're back with us, Clemont. As much as I hate to admit it, I can't do this alone. We need to figure out some plan here."

"I already did, Hugh. Like I said, we can't plan for something like Banette. Not now at least," Clemont spoke, Luxray bounding forward across the field. Clemont called for a Thunder Fang attack, Luxray clamping down hard onto the left arm of Banette, the Ghost-Type unable to wrestle him off.

Clemont watched while Banette vanished into the ground, reappearing behind Luxray and slashing him in the back with what Clemont assumed was now Phantom Force, an attack he should have recognized from the beginning. "We'll just keep attacking until something works out! I'll fight until I can't any longer! Luxray, Thunder Fang again!"

"Heh, that attitude of yours can be pretty infectious," Hugh responded, smirking slightly at his rival. "And if you're going right back at them, so will Liepard and I! We can't let you show us up, so, Liepard, get in there with a Night Slash attack!"

Both Pokémon pounced forward with their respective attacks. Luxray's maw was flowing with electricity while Liepard's claws were now extended and filled with a powerful aura. Both launched forward, but Banette dodged with ease, neither able to land a hit as the Ghost-Type dodged continuously with ease. Then, Banette vanished once more before appearing next to Luxray, landing a powerful Double-Edge on him and causing him to hit one of the generators.

"Lux...luxray, lux..." the Electric-Type muttered out, growing exhausted from the battle. Looking out across the concrete floor, Clemont could see Liepard beginning to tire, Banette having done enough damage with the constant dodging and striking them from the shadows.

"Luxray, switch out for now. I think I have a plan," Clemont called out to his trusty partner, but Sird had a different idea. Watching Luxray bound away from battle, she quickly called for a Shadow Ball, the sphere of ghostly energy being charged so fast neither Clemont or Luxray had a chance to expect it coming.

"Blaziken, block it with Flamethrower!" a new voice shouted, one Clemont had heard countless times before. A stream of fire erupted across the area, one of the generators even being struck by it, crashing into the Shadow Ball and pushing it away from Luxray. "I may not know what you're doing here, but anyone who tries to harm my city is in for a supersized lesson in justice! Blaziken, get in there with a Blaze Kick!"

"Blaziken!" the Fire and Fighting-Type shouted out in agreement, his two legs erupting in flames while Clemont stared on in awe.

"B-Blaziken Mask, you're here!?" Clemont called out, his hands tightening into fists at the welcomed reinforcement. "How are the others doing? Where are they all?" he began to ask, hundreds of questions running through his head. Looking at the battle, Blaziken managed to catch both Sird and Banette off-guard, landing a powerful kick to the Ghost-Type's abdomen section before spinning in midair and striking it again in the back of the head.

"Of course I'm here, Clemont. For wherever evil is afoot, I will always be there to squash it and protect our fair city,' Blaziken mask replied, landing in between Clemont and Hugh, Luxray now back by his trainer. "The others...well, I haven't seen them since everything first happened back at the stadium, but I can assure you that Bonnie is doing just fine. She's being watched over by Professor Sycamore, the two of them are running a refugee center for the citizens."

"Enough chit chat, let's beat this old hag," Hugh cut in, Liepard growling in agreement to his comment.

"You kids nowadays, always in a rush aren't you...never have any time for anything," Blaziken Mask muttered in a joking fashion before placing both hands on his hips. Turning his open palms into closed fists, the superhero punched forward with all his might. "Flamethrower, Blaziken!"

"Dark Pulse, Liepard!" Hugh joined in, punching up towards the sky.

"Lie!"

"Blaze!" the two Pokémon simultaneously shouted out, their two respective attacks charging within their mouths. Banette wasn't a slouch either, firing off a Shadow Ball at the exact moment the former two Pokémon fired off their own attacks. The three collided within moments only for a large smoke cloud to emerge over the field.

Using this to their advantage, Banette appeared from the shadows, one that seemed to appear like magic and landed an uppercut on Blaziken before vanishing once more and striking Liepard with a Double-Edge attack with all its might.

"Now, why don't we play a little fairer why don't we?" Sird asked, snapping her fingers, two Team Rocket members then appeared, one on either side of Sird. "Now, instead of a three-on-one match, how about we even the odds? Though, I'm not so sure you would want to face these two, especially since they have something you may want." Snapping her fingers once more, two bodies emerged from the shadows, only the sight of them shocked Clemont since _he_ knew them.

Tied up before them were Remo and Wally, the duo having been defeated at some point following their separation from the rest of the group. Clemont clinched his fists, feeling what may have been slight blood running across his palm from applying too much pressure. Trying to calm himself, Clemont slowed his breathing but it wasn't working and Hugh could see.

"Calm down," he stated with a cold tone to his voice, one that made Clemont stare at him with a small glare. He was not in the mood to put up with anyone, Team Rocket had Remo and Wally held captive right now! "We won't be able to win right now if you can't stay calm. Listen, these two chumps...I could take them easily. You worry about the freak we've been facing alright?"

"Sure," Clemont replied, nodding at his rival and partner. Dashing off, Hugh was already at Carl and Sham before either expected him to be there. With one swift movement, Liepard snatched away Remo and Wally before pouncing over to Hugh.

"Listen, you can't play hostage games with us!" he shouted out, Clemont watching once more as Blaziken struck Banette with part of a Flamethrower before dodging the rest of it by going into the shadows. Seeing this finally gave Clemont an idea.

"Luxray, I need your help right now!" he shouted to the tired Electric-Type, Luxray moving slowly to his trainer, but he was determined none the less and Clemont couldn't thank him enough for all the hard work. "Blaziken Mask, I need you to handle Sird for now! Hugh, do whatever you can to wake up Remo and Wally! We may need them as well."

"You got it, Clemont!" Blaziken Mask answered for the both of them, punching forward as he did so. "Alright, Blaziken, get in there with a Blaze Kick but transition to a Flamethrower!" The Fire and Fighting-Type did as he was commanded, sprinting across the makeshift battlefield while his legs instantly combust into flames. The two appendages left behind a light trail of flames, something that was of little consequence right now.

"Block them with a Phantom Force!" Sird finally yelled out, calling for her first command by a full sentence since Mega Evolving Banette. Perhaps she had finally felt some pressure with Blaziken Mask's arrival or maybe she was just playing them all. Clemont wasn't sure if either of his thoughts about here were correct but it didn't matter right now for him. He had to finish planning his strategy.

Blaziken meanwhile reached his target, jumping into the air and spinning his legs around, the first one being met by Banette's glowing left arm before spinning off of the appendage and landing a blow to the back of the head. Banette brushed the blow off easily before slamming its glowing fist right into the Fire and Fighting-Type, Blaziken drooling slightly from the gut shot.

"And Shadow Ball! Rapid Fire!" Sird continued on before Banette launched off multiple of the black balls of energy. Blaziken met the first one head on, kicking it away with ease before ducking under the second and avoiding the third by spinning on his back. However, when he jumped back up onto his feet, Blaziken was met with three consecutive Shadow Balls to the face, causing him to stagger backwards in pain. "Finish him with Double-Edge!"

Lowering its shoulder, Banette was on the move once more, catching Blaziken in a dazed trance from the Shadow Ball barrage. Even Blaziken Mask was slightly amazed at the speed of the creature, Clemont seeing his reaction from his current location. Without even a second of hesitation, Banette crashed into Blaziken, the latter flying backwards and landing against the chain linked fence.

"Blaziken!" his trainer called out in concern, the Fire and Fighting-Type standing back up slowly. That last sequence of attacks left him drained a little, but both of them knew they needed to go at it again. "Alright, let's do this! Blaziken, Mega Evolve!" he shouted out, the Key Stone emerging from within Blaziken Mask's belt as the masked hero touched it, his partner changing shape immediately. "Great, now get in there with a Blaze kick once again!"

" _Banette must be just about done by now. After taking blows from Liepard, Luxray and now Blaziken it can't have much more energy left,"_ Clemont thought to himself, the sound of Blaziken's foot crashing into Banette filling his ears while he strapped the wires on Manectric onto Luxray instead.

"Alright, I should be ready to go now..." he muttered silently, looking over at his two Pokémon attached to the machines. Nodding to them, Luxray and Bunnelby smiled at him, they both knew what was being asked of them. "Great, I know you two will do just fine. But before then, Luxray, give me an Electric Terrain! And put everything you have into it!"

"Man? Manectric?" the Electric-Type asked in confusion unaware of Clemont's idea. Nodding to his trainer, Luxray's fur began to slowly bristle with electricity before his body became enveloped in it. Soon, he pushed all that energy outwards, not only a loud bang coming from the generator, but the ground being covered in electricity occurred from the attack. Looking around, the shadows died down before Luxray and Bunnelby began to use Wild Charge, the generators absorbing all the electricity off of their bodies as the duo attempted to overpower them into exploding.

But that wasn't what Clemont looked for. Instead, he looked around the newly lit up field, his eyes darting over a clash of Flamethrower and Shadow Ball to see what looked like a shadow on the field. One that shouldn't have been there thanks to Electric Terrain.

"Manectric, use Thunder on that dark spot over there!" Clemont issued, Hugh and Blaziken Mask both pausing for a moment to see what he had in mind. Meanwhile, Blaziken kept in a steady battle against Banette while Liepard was now in a two-on-one against Mamoswine and Slowking. The latter two being called out moments after Hugh snatched away Remo and Wally.

"Mane...Manectric!" the Electric-Type roared out in agreement, the usually large amount of electricity doubling in size, even Clemont able to feel the full force of it from where he stood. Launching skyward, the blast traveled above the field before cascading down towards the black spot. Watching it with intent, Clemont noticed the moment it moved, avoiding the Thunder attack in the process!

"I know it! You were using another Pokémon somehow," he spoke across the field to Sird. "I had a slight suspicion the moment I saw a shadow appear a moment before Banette emerged from the ground. Now it could have been a coincidence, but a true scientist always tests his hypothesis. And now it was correct, so I can stay aware for that other Pokémon."

"Even with that knowledge you still can't win, Lumiose City Gym Leader," Sird spoke out, Clemont able to tell she wasn't bluffing. Watching the ground, Clemont saw the shadow now move once again, assisting Banette. That was all the proof he needed. "The power distance between your mangy mutt and whatever is hidden deep beneath the surface is impossible to overcome."

"Maybe it is now, but not if I play my hand as well," Clemont spoke, his voice trembling slightly. He had never tried this before, and he still remembered just how it all ended for Ash his first few tries, but he couldn't hold back. Not now. Not as long as the entire region was in danger. He had to try it not just for this battle, but for his region, his city, himself and most importantly his friends and family.

"The future is now thanks to science! Clemontic Gear on!" Clemont shouted, pressing down on a button attached to his backpack. However, nothing occurred at first when he pressed it, Clemont worried that it would happen like this, but his fears were soon averted when a bright light flashed off of the strap. For the first time all tournament, people noticed how the button was different than all the others attacked to his backpack, the object glowing brighter the more energy Clemont poured into it. His voice was booming, filled with all the energy he could muster after all the event's from today. Rocking the surrounding area, Clemont couldn't help but smile as he called out the final words.

"Manectric, Mega Evolve!"

* * *

 **What a spot to end, right? For those questioning it, it was hinted slightly way back before the tournament in a little throwaway line, but don't worry, it'll be explained a little bit more to make sense why it hadn't been used until now.**

 **Regarding the rest of the chapter...not much to say since it was mostly slower. Gary broke off to fight Petrel, the master of disguises only to not realize he needed a Pikachu with him to pull off an Ash and Paul and Astrid are fighting Ariana. Both battles will be completed rather soon along with Trip and Janie against Proton. The next few chapters are about to be action packed, so hopefully I can deliver them just right!**

 **Regarding the next update, I'm unsure of when it'll come out, but at the very least there will be one more chapter before Tuesday, maybe two!**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	66. Reinforcements

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, we had a few different events happening as each member of Silver's group split off into battles while across the city, Clemont and Hugh were dragged into a fight against Sird where Clemont revealed his secret ace up his sleeve in Mega Manectric.**

 **Ch 66: Reinforcements**

* * *

Clemont knew this was risky, he had seen the struggles that Ash and Korrina had gone through to master such a powerful technique, but he didn't have time to worry about the possibilities, he needed to act. He needed to protect his friends, his family, his entire region! And so, as the brightness from the Mega Evolution died down, the young inventor stood there, eyes filled with determination while Manectric howled at their opponents.

"So, it appears _you_ were also hiding a secret, Lumiose City Gym Leader," Sird spoke, arms crossed over her body, paying little attention to her own Banette, the Ghost-Type taking a Blaze Kick to the face. Clemont narrowed his eyes towards her, whatever she was hiding wasn't something he wanted to face in an extended battle, especially without knowing just what it could be. Though, the fact she paid little attention to her Banette worried him more. That Pokémon had been giving them a hard time, and if Sird felt comfortable with her hidden accomplice to outright ignore Banette told Clemont all he needed.

Adjusting his glasses for a moment, he cast a glance over towards Hugh, the Unova native having now been joined by the likes of Remo and Wally as they fought whoever those other members were. Liepard appeared to hold an easy advantage over them, but Clemont could see he was tiring, it was a good thing Garchoo and Gallade were fighting right alongside him.

"I wouldn't say that this was a hidden secret, but more of a family heirloom," Clemont spoke out, adjusting his backpack while Mega Manectric lowered himself into a defensive stance, growling towards Sird, the Electric-Type seemingly sensing something coming from her direction. "My father handed the Mega Stone over to me just before the tournament, telling me that it was my mother's. She left it for me, though told my father not to give it until he felt I was ready. Then once he saw Manectric, he decided to go find a Mega Stone for me and present both items while I was preparing for the tournament."

"It's just I've never had a chance to use it before and I've seen how some Pokémon respond to Mega Evolution until they get used to it, so I couldn't risk having Manectric lose control at the tournament," he finished explaining, sighing out in relief, it appeared so far Manectric was behaving despite the boosted strength from the Mega Evolution process. It eased him slightly that Manectric was calm, he hadn't seen a lot of Mega Evolutions on their first try, but the majority of the ones he did see led to his worry. "But, with the situation as it was, there was no holding back! Manectric, use Thunder! Luxray, keep outputting as much electricity as you can, we need all those generators destroyed!"

"Manec!" the Electric-Type howled out, rising his body slightly, fur bristling with electricity to the point it was causing Clemont's hair to stand from the charge. Meanwhile, Luxray cried out, another of the generators blowing up while he did so. It wasn't enough though, at that rate, Team Rocket would be able to attack with that weapon again! Casting his eyes to the side once more, Clemont gave Luxray an apologetic look for the struggles he would be going through right now, missing Manectric fire off the Thunder attack, Banette being swallowed up by the blast.

"Great job, Clemont, now hold Banette still," Blaziken Mask shouted out, the noise from Hugh's ongoing battle nearly drowning out his voice in the process. "We'll join in with all out strength! Blaziken, Mega Evolve!"

"Like we'll allow you! Banette, get a move on, attack Blaziken before it can Mega Evolve!" Sird commanded, throwing her arm off to the side, Banette charging up a rather large Shadow Ball. The sphere crackled with energy, the attack bounding out of her hands and right for Blaziken.

"Not likely! Manectric, intercept it with your Signal Beam attack! Make sure Blaziken isn't hurt at all!" Clemont commanded, both himself and Manectric sprinting over towards Blaziken Mask, jumping in front of their comrades in this fight. "We won't let you hurt another innocent person!"

Manectric growled, Clemont feeling almost in tune with the Discharge Pokémon, as if they had become closer thanks to Mega Evolving. The inventor couldn't help but to wonder if this was how everyone else felt when they used Mega Evolution. The Electric-Type didn't seem to care though, firing off the pink beam in a hurry. The streak of light collided with the Shadow Ball, the attacks exploding on contact, casting a blanket of smoke to cloud their visions. Cursing Silently, Clemont realized this was exactly what Sird had wanted, coverage for surprise attacks.

"Manec!" Manectric howled out in pain, Banette ramming right into the side of his body, the Double-Edge attack seemingly appearing from nowhere. The light radiating off of Blaziken died down, the Fire and Fighting-Type having finished transforming and was ready to join in at full strength. However, he too was struck by a Double-Edge, both Pokémon unable to track Banette's position. It wasn't a great situation for them, for every time Banette would appear to strike, she would vanish just as stealthily.

"Blaziken, clear the smoke out with a Flamethrower attack!" Blaziken Mask ordered, clenching his fists tightly. The sounds of Hugh's own fight filling Clemont's ears once more. It seemed to be going much better for them than it was for him. Turning slightly, Clemont watched on as Blaziken summoned forth a large stream of fire from the innards of his stomach before spraying them all around their makeshift battle field. The smoke was soon blown away, revealing that Sird was alone, Banette was nowhere to be seen.

"Shadow Ball, use it twice," Sird's voice spoke out, Clemont darting his eyes towards the mysterious woman. However, this allowed the opening she wanted, Banette appearing right beneath Manectric and striking him twice with the ghostly energy, the Electric-Type being sent into the sky while Banette chased after his body, hands glowing a shade of purple.

"Blaziken, intercept with Flare Blitz! Protect Manectric with everything you have left in you!" Blaziken Mask commanded, Clemont thankful for the help.

"Blazi!" Blaziken shouted, his body soon engulfed in flames. The heat radiating off of his body was so strong, Clemont was soon sweating, the inventor wondering just how powerful Blaziken could get when he wanted to get serious. The Fire and Fighting-Type rocketed skyward, a trail of fire left behind his body, before ramming headfirst into Banette. The two Pokémon were now falling back towards the ground, Manectric soon joining them in the group's descent.

"You're truly a bothersome pest," Sird spoke, turning towards Blaziken Mask, disgust evident in her voice. "Blaziken Mask, the hero of Lumiose City. It must be a hard duty looking out over this city, having to worry about every citizen of Kalos who enters the city's perimeters. Must make you wonder what life would be if you hadn't taken up that superhero mantle."

"I have no regrets," he spat back, no hint of hesitation in his voice whatsoever. Clemont was amazed by his determination despite the situation. That determination was something he wished to emulate all the time, but it seemed he could only do so in certain situations such as battling Ash or back against Team Flare.

"For this is my city, and I will do everything in my power to protect each and every citizen that is here! For that is my sworn duty as the hero of Lumiose City! Blaziken, Blaze Kick on Banette, give her a nice showing of our true strength!" he called out, punching forward with his right fist, Clemont watching on while Manectric was the first to land on the ground, a small crater forming where he landed.

"Blaze! Blaziken!" he shouted in agreement, his legs erupting in flames before slamming one down onto Banette's head, the Ghost-Type skyrocketing towards the ground now. Chasing after her, Blaziken tried to land a second kick, but Banette vanished once she touched the ground.

"I see, both yourself and Clemont over there hold similar values of protecting your loved ones. Yet, this seems to be a massive flaw of yours," Sird spoke, a grim smirk forming across her face, showing that she felt herself still in control. Clemont didn't like that look, and he especially didn't like what she said next. "Banette, Night Slash on the Gym Leader. Immobilize him and then go for the main blow! Cripple him."

"Ban-et-et-et!" the Ghost-Type cried out in glee, reappearing behind Clemont before her hands glowed purple. Slashing across the back of his left knee, Clemont felt pain he had never experienced before, an almost ripping like sensation shot through his knee. Intense pain clouding his vision to the point he missed what came next, coming through to see Blaziken Mask laying on the ground his costume ripped up and his back bleeding.

Forcing his way to the downed hero, Clemont struggled against the pain in his knee. He wasn't a doctor, but if he had to make an estimated guess, Banette had torn something to make it difficult for him to move. Making it to the hero, he bent down to take a look at him. Gash marks went across his back, a sign that he had taken the blow meant for Clemont. But that was only the beginning of Clemont's shock, for somehow during his daring attempt to protect Clemont, Blaziken Mask's mask fell off, revealing his identity to the few gathered.

"D-Dad!?" Clemont said, choking back a few tears at the sight of his father's condition. To Clemont, whether Meyer agreed or not, Blaziken Mask was out of commission for the rest of this fight. Not with the wounds he suffered from the last strike from Banette, his lower back covered in slashes.

"I-I'm sorry, dad, this is my fault. If I were stronger...if I were stronger you wouldn't have needed to block that attack on me," the inventor muttered out, a few tears dropping down from Clemont onto Meyer's chest piece.

"C-Clemont, now isn't the time. Use Blaziken and stop that freak before she can hurt anyone else. Before she can hurt your friends, before she can hurt...Bonnie," Meyer spoke through grit teeth, the pain being worse than either of them imagined it could have been. "Clemont, you're this city's hero now that I'm down for the count. Rise up and prove to this Sird that she can't harm our city and expect to get away with it. I'll be right here beside you."

"R-Right," Clemont replied before wiping away those last few tears that were in his eyes. Now wasn't the time to feel sad, he had to put the entire city...no the entire region on his shoulders. They were all relying on him right now and he couldn't lose. Not now. Not after everything they had gone through to get to this point.

"Manectric, take a break for now, I want to finish this fight with Blaziken. It's only fitting I pick up where my father left off with his partner," the young inventor spoke, Manectric understanding much to Clemont's slight surprise. Moving backwards, Manectric stood next to his trainer while Mega Blaziken was trying to sense Banette's movements.

"So...I guess it was more than just you two hold similar values. Turns out your father was the man behind the mask, kind of an awkward way to learn the truth wasn't it?" Sird asked, placing a hand in front of her smile. Clemont grit his teeth at the sight of her smiling. It was one thing to attack him, but to injure his family was something completely different. "However, you'll soon be joining him, for you stopped paying attention to Banette."

Clemont cursed himself. He _had_ forgotten about Banette due to his father's condition. He could hear Banette's creepy laugh as she lunged for the back of his body, Clemont tensing up from the possible attack.

"Liepard, knock her away with Dark Pulse!" Hugh shouted, the black and purple beam erupting across the field to strike Banette in the side of her body. The Ghost-Type was launched slightly to her side, missing her target and instead striking the air.

" _Again someone had to save me,"_ Clemont thought in annoyance at the idea he couldn't protect himself. However, it was the fact Liepard was then defeated with a powerful Take Down from Mamoswine that angered him more.

"H-Hugh, you saved me and it led to Liepard to be defeated. Why?" he couldn't help but ask. He knew now wasn't the time, but he found himself asking this question now.

The Unova native ran a hand through his hair while recalling Liepard. The Dark-Type deserved a nice long rest after today's battle. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to Clemont, the sound of Garchoo striking Mamoswine back with a Dragon Rush filling the area. "You're my rival. And as much as it pains me to say this, you're the only one here who could beat Sird. We may have seemed even at the tournament, but if you used your Mega Evolution at our match I would have lost. Go beat her, and then maybe we can have a real rematch without any limitations."

"Sure," Clemont replied, nodding towards his rival before turning to Sird. His expression changed to a determined one. The exact kind of determination he was looking for recently. "Sird, I won't let you hurt another person here. So long as I can stand, I won't let you win! Blaziken, use Flamethrower on Banette and then go in with a double Blaze Kick! Don't give up at all!"

Sird appeared intrigued from Clemont's newfound confidence. Though, she was also slightly worried at Banette's ability to handle all those attacks from Mega Blaziken, for the Flamethrower surrounded the Ghost-Type before Sird could issue a counter for it. The heat blazed from the Flamethrower, even Sird being affected by its power now. Whatever determination to stop her was now present in Clemont, it appeared to also have been forming in Blaziken, no doubt the Fire and Fighting-Type was angered by his partner being injured by Sird.

Bouncing off one leg, Blaziken shot forward, his speed having increased as well, Clemont noting this to the ability Speed Boost, something he had rarely seen in battle. He wasn't sure how it worked exactly, but it seemed to be in effect now. Blaziken ripped through his own Flamethrower with his left leg, slicing it right into Banette's abdomen before kicking upwards with his right leg. Banette appeared to be on the run now, trying to escape from Blaziken's assault only for him to meet her head on and land a powerful kick to the top of her head.

"Ba...Nette...Bane-et-et-et-et..." she panted in exhaustion before slamming into the floor. She was too tired now to vanish into the ground instead impacting with it, a large crater forming from the power behind her collision.

"Your anger is leading to more power for you," Sird spoke, almost like she was coaching him through it all. "Perhaps if you used this new strength to help us I could help teach you how to better rely on your full strength instead of relying on your emotions to pull it out of you. With some proper training, you'd be stronger than anyone else, no need to rely on others to protect you at all."

"Don't bother, Sird," Clemont shot back, his breaths now even and almost calming to the boy. He had an idea Sird would try to play with his mind and emotions right now, but nothing was going to stop him. "Blaziken, Flare Blitz!"

"Oh well, it's your funeral then," Sird countered, laughing out, causing Clemont to shudder for a moment before composing himself. "Banette, Destiny Bond!"

Clemont wanted to cancel the command, but it was too late, Blaziken ramming his entire body into Banette while the Ghost-Type flashed a bright white for a moment, Blaziken's body also glowing the same color as he drove his opponent deeper into the ground. Soon though, he stopped, his body growing weak to the point he too collapsed on top of the defeated Banette.

"I didn't think you would use something like Destiny Bond," Clemont stated through grit teeth, his face directed towards Sird, worried that she had something else up her sleeve, especially since that shadow had vanished from earlier. "If that were the case, I wouldn't have attacked Mega Banette just now due to her Prankster ability."

Sird placed her hands on her hips, smiling at the Gym Leader. "Don't worry, there's more coming up," Sird stated, her smirk turning into a frown as she heard the commotion from the other battle.

"Garchoo! End this with a Dragon Rush!"

"Gallade, push them back for Garchoo with Psycho cut!"

The two trainers issued their commands, Gallade jumping over Garchoo to fire off the blade of energy from his head, striking both Slowking and Mamoswine to the point neither were prepared for the next attack. Rushing through a small cloud of dust, Garchoo collided with both Pokémon, taking them down in a heartbeat as they fell onto their respective trainers.

"Those two fools are useless," she muttered before a figure emerged behind her. Clemont gulped at the sight of it, but knew he couldn't back down, not with the region needing him to pull through. Yet, he had never faced off against something so strong as a...

"D-Darkrai," Clemont muttered out, the Dark-Type already on the move as it used a strange move to put Garchoo and Gallade to sleep.

"Not again! Fight us without these silly tricks!" Remo shouted out, Clemont finally understanding how those two had been caught by Sird and the others. Darkrai must have put them to sleep in the same manner it just did to their Pokémon. A Dark Pulse soon shot out of Darkrai's cupped hands, landing right before Remo's feet, the burly man jumping backwards. The sounds of more generators exploding pleased Clemont only slightly now, if it weren't for Darkrai he would have felt better about their odds.

"Manectric, we'll have to give it everything we've got to take down Darkrai. We won't let it destroy everything we care for," Clemont ordered, the Discharge Pokémon moving forward to stand even with him now. "Even if we're the only ones left to fight Darkrai, we can't give up. We won't give up!"

"And you won't be alone," a new voice called out, a Dragon Rush slamming hard into Darkrai, the Dark-Type being pushed back before the creature who attacked made itself visible. Standing next to Clemont was a Garchomp, but it wasn't Garchoo, he was still sleeping over next to Remo. Following where the voice came from, Clemont had a smile form on his face, all while Sird frowned at the newcomer.

"Champion Cynthia!" they both cried out, Clemont in excitement while Sird said so in disgust.

* * *

"You honestly believe you, some researcher can handle me?" Petrel asked, hands on his hips, leaning forward with a gleeful grin on his face. Muk likewise looked ready to battle against Gary, the hope of another victim making them filled with joy.

"My job isn't to handle anyone. We're merely here to get Silver up to that stupid weapon of yours and destroy it. If it means stalling for some time, so be it. Just as long as you bozos don't use that weapon again I'm fine with whatever happens to me," Gary spoke, though he knew that disposing of this obstacle quickly would allow him to help the others at the top of the tower. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!

"You're a quick one to act, why not sit back and relax for a little?" Petrel asked, Muk easily avoiding the jets of liquid, contorting his body into a different shape to cause the attack to soar right over his body and slam into the side of the tower, water sprinkling all over the two trainers. "Muk, make him comfortable, we don't need him being all tensed up over this little situation."

"Muuukkkk!" the Poison-Type groaned out, one of his arms shooting outwards before enveloping both Gary and Blastoise within it, neither able to move a single muscle in their body.

"No point in struggling there," Petrel joked out, laughing at the current site of the boy before him. Gary had to admit, whatever Petrel did, it was impossible for him to move anything. Even Blastoise couldn't use his cannons to try and free them from Muk's grip. "You see, Muk has been trained in immobilizing our adversaries by contorting his body into different shapes and sizes to then grab ahold of whoever may be opposing us. Add in the toxins that have slowly poisoned your body to the point of paralysis and now you're just trapped prey. It isn't an awfully fun game for me, but it does allow Muk and I to dispose of garbage like you two much easier."

"How does it handle something like this?" a voice Gary knew in some form filled the area. He didn't know exactly who it belonged to, but it was someone of importance. Gary was soon relieved of thinking of who it belonged to, as Steven the Champion of Hoenn rose up from the edge of the tower on his Metagross, the Steel and Psychic-Type already being Mega Evolved. Launching off a Flash Cannon, Metagross managed to sever the arm that held Gary and Blastoise hostage, freeing them from their confines.

"That poison should wear off momentarily, but for now I'll handle this guy," Steven spoke, disengaging from Metagross to land beside Gary. Gary's eyes caught sight of another figure continuing upwards but he couldn't quite figure out who the person was or what they were riding. "Metagross, Flash Cannon once more! We have no time to mess around on this level. We must end this battle and advance onto the top of the tower."

"Meta," Metagross muttered, the silver beam forming between his four arms before it shot outwards. Exploding against Muk, the Poison-Type slid backwards before smacking into the tower. Getting back up slowly, Muk was met with a Meteor Mash to the face, Metagross ramming himself right into the slouched Muk before whipping around, the Sludge Pokémon still attached to the front of Metagross's body as they flew around.

"Don't give him an ounce of breathing space, Metagross. We must end it now! End this now with another Flash Cannon!" Steven commanded, Gary now starting to feel the end of Muk's effect on his body. Blastoise likewise was beginning to move once more, shooting a small blast of water up at Muk in an effort to help Metagross.

The Iron Leg Pokémon didn't require any help however, his limbs glowing a shade of metallic silver, the color soon flowing right into Muk's attached body, the bright light flooding the area before Muk couldn't handle no more. Flying off of Metagross's limbs, Muk crashed hard into the tower's wall, cracking the surface slightly before sliding down the side and landing next to Petrel, the latter slightly worried over what had just happened to Muk in a matter of seconds.

"I've heard stories of the strength of a Champion, but it took seeing one up close to fully understand what they were like," Petrel muttered loud enough for the two trainers to hear him. Gary now moved to be standing equal with Steven, the two ready to end this fight and catch up to the others. However, Petrel had a different idea as to how this fight would end.

"I must say though, if it weren't for Sird and her knowledge of a place we assumed was a myth, we'd never have this little secret," Petrel continued on, a small vile held within his hand. Steven and Gary tensed, unsure of just what was coming next, both trainers ready to battle whatever the man was about to release on them. "You see, I don't understand the whole story behind this substance, but I guess legend has it that it's a white blood cell of sorts. I didn't believe it at first but Sird managed to convince Giovanni and he was the only one she needed to convince. After leading an expedition where there were a few casualties, Sird found some of the substance and with help from our top scientists merged the DNA of this goo together with a device we've worked on in secret. One that no one except for Giovanni's top agents know."

Opening the vile, the goop spewed out of it, enlarging upon impact with the ground. Gary and Steven had no clue what it was attracted to, but before either could react, the substance swallowed Blastoise whole, the red goo covering the Water-Type's body, before retracting, leaving only a small bit of itself in the location where Blastoise had stood.

"W-What is that!?" Gary cried out, anger rising through his body from the apparent theft of his beloved partner. "What did you do to Blastoise!" he yelled out, ready to charge at Petrel, but weary to move due to the small bit of the substance still on the ground before them.

Shrugging his shoulders, Petrel laughed lightly at the two trainers opposing him. "I'm nothing more than a glorified soldier in this battle. I know little of the substance or even what its motive is following the procedure the scientists went through to merge it with...well, I guess I can tell you since you won't be around long enough to see it. Since they merged it with the Megalith."

"Wait, you mean the Megalith Team Flare had in their possession?" Steven asked, the Champion receiving a mere head nod in response. Gritting his teeth, he quickly called Metagross back towards him, not wanting the substance to swallow his partner up in the same way Blastoise was. Gritting his teeth, Steven tried to keep his composure. "If only I had kept a better eye on it when Flare were defeated! Then none of this would be happening and Blastoise would still be here instead of wherever he may be now!"

"Oh look, a Champion is human after all," Petrel laughed out, the sight before him being too good for him. Steven's anger was making him miss what was happening before him, but Gary wasn't as oblivious to it. The goop had reformed from the small speck on the ground and was now coming for them!

"Hey, watch out!" Gary shouted, shoving Steven out of the way, the red goop swallowing him whole just as Blastoise was. It was at this moment Gary seemed to understand what the substance may have been attracted to; items related to Mega Evolution. It wasn't a solid hypothesis, but the fact the substance didn't bother with Petrel or Muk despite appearing closer to them at first only strengthened his thought.

"S-Steven!" the researcher cried out, battling against the fighting substance. "T-This goop is attracted to our Keystones and Mega Stones, something about them attracts it to them. W-Warn the others!" he shouted, the last bit becoming drowned out due to the substance pulling him under. Before Steven could react, the substance flew off in the same direction Blastoise had been taken, only this time a large amount of it was already formed.

"Metagross, destroy that stuff with Flash Cannon!" the Champion commanded, the Iron Leg Pokémon shooting off his beam of energy before the goop could reach either of them. Disintegrating on contact, the threat of the goop left the area, but that didn't mean no one else had any of that substance.

"Who else has that stuff?" Steven asked, any form of professionalism gone. He didn't have time to play nice, not while something like this was being used against them. Especially since he had no clue where Gary and Blastoise were now. "Tell me! You have no clue what you're playing with, that Megalith is just one giant rock of energy! I've done only slight research into it, but most outcomes end with the structure becoming hungry for more energy, absorbing whatever it wants, don't tell me you plan to feed its hunger through this substance you used."

"I've already told you everything I know. I'm on the lower scale when it comes to important people," Petrel answered, shrugging his shoulders in response. Steven wasn't waiting around though, instead having Metagross use Psychic on the man, knocking him out from the powerful psychic abilities of his partner.

"Metagross, we have no time to waste. Everyone else is in danger until they all know what this substance is. Though, those without a Keystone are most likely alright, the substance showed no interest in that man or his Muk," Steven stated in a rush, the man hopping onto Metagross once more before they shot off for the entrance to the tower from below. He felt that there would be more individuals still inside than on the outer ledge of the building.

" _Please be alright everyone. We had no idea it would get to be this bad. Reinforcements are on their way, just please hold on for a little while longer!"_

* * *

"Out of my way!" Diantha's voice shouted, Mega Gardevoir firing off a Shadow Ball right into a small group of grunts. She was _not_ in any mood to be messing around with these guys, not while her region was under attack. She knew it was a bad idea to use Kalos to draw out Team Rocket, but at the time she couldn't have told them no. Not with it seeming like an easy way to catch this Giovanni guy that Lance had mentioned. Though now, now she wasn't quite sure it was the right decision.

" _Lance and Steven should have reached the tower by now from their direction. We split off not too long ago, but I took the longer way around in hopes of helping anymore citizens that were out when Team Rocket attacked. Cynthia meanwhile should have reached the power plant. It is imperative we get the power shut down before Team Rocket can try and use their weapon again. I will not allow a single citizen of Kalos to be hurt because of us!"_ she thought to herself, Gardevoir knocking over a few more grunts like bowling pins with another Shadow Ball attack. Rushing through the streets, it appeared that everyone had left the streets for any shelter they could find. Even Alder was helping to set up a shelter, or so that's what he said during their last communication.

Looking up at the tower, Diantha could see what appeared to be Steven and Lance both flying up the side, one of them stopping at the ledge for some odd reason while the other continued up to the roof.

"They've already reached the tower. We have to pick up our pace, Gardevoir," Diantha commanded, the two sprinting with all their might towards their destination. Rushing through the streets, Diantha noticed that those still out on the streets were now pushing back the grunts, even the citizens weren't going to let Team Rocket get away with this attack on their home.

"Serperior, use Dragon Tail on Weezing!" Trip shouted out, his voice carrying through the short distance that stood between Diantha and the tower. A clash was soon heard, Diantha knowing right there that someone's attack had landed. Sprinting through the entrance, she rushed down the hallway and soon saw what was happening.

Serperior and Weezing appeared locked in a fated duel, Dragon Tail colliding against what she assumed was a Gyro Ball. Meanwhile, an aerial battle appeared to be happening, Crobat against Crobat as their attacks smashed into each other with ease, neither side giving up an inch, their wings colliding against each other.

"We won't allow you to stop us here, Proton! We've got too much resting on our shoulders to let you stop us here!" Trip's voice boomed outwards, Diantha impressed by his determination to stop Team Rocket. Then again, he was teamed up with Ash during the tournament, he must have rubbed off on Trip at some point.

"You may have caused us to separate, but we'll take you down in no time and meet up with the others! Scum like you don't deserve to be trainers," Janine joined in, clearly frustrated by the sight before her. Diantha looked over at the trainer and could understand her distaste. The man appeared to see himself better than them, not to mention the fact he was working for Team Rocket.

"Toots, why don't you stay out of this while the men battle it out. Okay? Because right now you're nothing more than a small nuisance for me while I try and focus on green bean over here," Proton spoke, Diantha telling right away just how this guy was going to be. Watching on, she waited for her moment to attack, not wanting to give away their advantage just yet.

"We'll show you a nuisance!" Janine shouted, hands clinched up near her face. Diantha had to stifle a laugh, this girl seemed just as energetic as Ash. It seemed like he rubbed off onto a lot of trainers without realizing it. She had even been impressed by how he carried himself against Team Flare and throughout the Kalos League. If there were any trainer she felt was a perfect replacement for her, it was Ash.

"Crobat, use Wing Attack!" both trainers called out, their respective Crobat looping through the air, giving themselves space before flying back at each other. Their wings glowed a shade of white, the light from it trailing slightly behind them before colliding against each other once more. This time however, the impact caused a slight shockwave to fill the area. The effect of it causing Serperior and Weezing to stop their clash while the trainers all lost their balance as well.

"Now's our chance!" Diantha shouted out, catching Proton's attention. Moving across the room, she caught Janine before the girl could crash against the hard floor, the Gym Leader looking on in surprise at the person who helped her. "Gardevoir, Shadow Ball on Crobat!"

Janine's Crobat flew over to her trainer, allowing Gardevoir an easier target. Lifting her hands up in front of her chest, the Psychic and Fairy-Type focused her energy into forming the sphere full of energy. The attack shot outwards and looked to be a direct hit, only for Crobat to dodge at the last second.

"Gardevoir?" the Embrace Pokémon asked in confusion, Crobat landing a Brave Bird right on her backside within no time at all. Both Diantha and Gardevoir were confused by the sudden speed present from Crobat, it wasn't showing that off in their fight against Janine.

Fixing his cap, Proton quickly placed his hands onto his hips, smirking across the room towards Diantha. "Well, if it ain't one of them Champions we were told about. I guess I got the cream of the crop though. Mine's a real looker," Proton stated, whistling slightly much to Diantha's annoyance. How could someone be acting in such an immature way during a situation like this? Then again, Diantha realized he was part of Team Rocket.

"Listen here, gorgeous, after Team Rocket rules the world, I'll make sure you're taken care of real nicely. Maybe I'd even treat you to something nice every once in a while. How does that sound?"

"I'd rather be dead," Diantha shot back without hesitation. Both Janine and Trip were shocked by the annoyance in her voice, especially since they expected her to act much calmer for the situation.

Smirking, Proton waved a hand slowly in front of his face. "Well, I guess we can make an exception. Usually I have a strict 'no killing' rule when I torture people. But, since you want to die, I can't deny your last wish. Crobat, Supersonic attack on Gardevoir and Weezing, blind them with Smog!"

"Champion!" Trip shouted, about to issue a command of his own, only for Diantha to cut him off, calling for a Psychic attack.

"Garde...voir!" the Psychic and Fairy-Type shouted, her eyes glowing blue for a moment, the same glow surrounding the two Poison-Type Pokémon. Slamming them against each other, Gardevoir seemed to be enjoying herself, Diantha likewise getting into the action as she called for more commands.

"Send them down into the ground and then fire a Moonblast while they're immobilized!" Diantha ordered, the blue glow fading away from both her Pokémon and their opponents. Then, moving in an instant, Gardevoir once more raised her hands, pink and yellow energy forming within the space between them, a sphere soon taking shaper before she threw it towards her opponents.

"You're not half bad," Proton spoke out, Diantha merely glaring at the man who worked for Team Rocket. "Honestly, we could use someone like you. You could be...like our enforcer for when we go on missions. Of course, you'd have to dress in _our_ uniforms. And I do believe black leather would do you well."

"I would never side with criminals. Especially ones such as yourself who put defenseless citizens at risk," Diantha spat back, clearly disgusted by the man's antics. "We'll put a stop to you, and then continue on our way towards our mission of capturing Giovanni."

"Yeah, can't let you do that, sugar," Proton spoke, his left hand resting on his chin, his right placed against his hip once more. "You see, Giovanni is a great leader, a man I just so happen to look up to. So, the fact you want to take him into your custody...well, I can't let that happen. Crobat, get on the move, Brave Bird attack and Weezing, use your Double Team attack and then bring it up into a Smog attack."

"Weezing, weez," the Poison-Type muttered in response, his body flashing white for a moment before copies surrounded the small room. Soon, the group of Weezing opened their mouths, a cloud of gas soon pouring out from each of their mouths, suffocating the group gathered there.

"You'll get used to the smell, either that or the fumes will kill you. Either way, it doesn't matter to me," Proton stated with a laugh. His cries of laughter grew louder as what sounded like his Crobat striking Gardevoir filled the small room. "And your Gardevoir won't last much longer in these conditions. She might be part Psychic, but her Fairy typing makes her weak to this Smog."

" _He's right, Gardevoir is at a disadvantage fighting in this area. We need to find a way to clear the gas out of here. Otherwise we'll be unable to stop him and get moving towards the roof,"_ Diantha thought to herself, coughing due to the gas entering her lungs.

"Gardevoir!" she called out finally, the Embracing Pokémon struck once more with a Brave Bird before Weezing attacked with a surprise Gyro Ball attack. Gardevoir appeared shaken up from the barrage along with the poisonous gas, but they both knew she wasn't close to quitting. "Don't try to see Crobat with your eyes, use your other senses to find him! And when you do, attack with a Shadow Ball."

Nodding in agreement, Gardevoir closed her eyes, the flapping of wings now filling her senses, now able to tell which direction Crobat was coming in. Bending towards her right, Gardevoir felt a light breeze as Crobat flew right past her, leaving himself open for a Shadow Ball. Launching the attack forward, the attack collided with Crobat, the Bat Pokémon skidding across the ground before rising back up into the sky.

"Champion, let us help," Janine spoke, using her scarf to filter out the gas while Diantha and Trip struggled with it. "Crobat can blow this Smog attack away with ease."

"She's...she's right, Champion," Trip coughed out, his hands now covering his mouth due to the toxins getting to him. Diantha herself felt a little woozy from them, but there wasn't anything she could use to block out the smell. "Serperior's tail could be used like that of a fan and blow it away as well."

"This is no longer your fight, children," Diantha spoke out, her voice telling them to not get involved. She had seen the condition they had been in when she arrived. Janine had some cuts across her face, her scarf a few holes in it. Trip wasn't much better, his face was cut up, his shirt torn and hands cut up from landing on the ground. Just like with Team Flare, she had allowed children to do her fighting. "As Champion of Kalos, I must protect my peo-" she began to explain, cut off by what felt like a sudden punch to her stomach. Landing down onto one knee, a tearing sound was heard behind her, her clothes now feeling lighter than before.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but who's going to protect you?" Proton asked, leaning against her hunched over body. "You were so focused on my Pokémon that you didn't notice me leave and head for you, baby doll. Using the Smog as a coverage, I snuck right over here. Now bow before your new master!" he shouted, placing his boot onto Diantha's back, forcing her down onto the ground. Proton began to laugh at the situation, finding it hilarious as to the fact he was beating a Champion so easily.

Diantha however had other plans. Spitting on the ground, she had no intention of bowing to this man or his crazed fantasies. So long as she could fight, she would vow to defeat him. "Maybe you should be the one to pay more attention. Who says I didn't let _you_ come to me?" She asked, pushing up off of the ground with all her might. Her stomach still hurt, but she was pushing past the pain to get in a good blow. Standing back up, Diantha's sudden movement caused Proton to fall backwards onto his rear end, Diantha now the one standing over him. Looking at her overcoat, she noticed the sleeves having been slashed off, the culprit being the knife located in Proton's hand. Paying no attention to it, she casually tossed the jacket off before staring down at Proton.

"You act like I dropped my guard against you, but I purposefully allowed you to get that hit in..." she began to explain, pausing due to the gas really starting to get at her. Not needing to say the command, Gardevoir knew her intentions immediately and used her Psychic attack to blow away the smoke, revealing Crobat and Weezing defeated on the ground. "However, I assumed with the thick Smog attack, you would use it along with your Pokémon attacking to cover your movements. So, I waited until you struck me to make my move and now you're sitting in front of me, defeated. Any last words before you spend the rest of your life behind bars?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Proton didn't seem worried at all. Instead, he appeared happy for the situation before him, something that brought Diantha worry instead. Casting a glance at her partner, the Champion was relaxed to see both Weezing and Crobat still defeated. That meant he must have had one more trick up his sleeve. Seeing her catching onto him, Proton smirked wildly, this latest one causing a shiver to run down Diantha's back.

"You know what, gorgeous, I do have a few final words for you," he finally spoke, his hands reaching under his back and pulling out a small vile. "Pucker up," he stated, throwing the vile at her body. The small vile shattered against her chest, small red globs sticking to her body.

"W-What is this?" she asked immediately, struggling to shake the substance off only to panic when it began to grow in size, covering more of her body. Trip and Janine both looked on, neither one quite sure how to help the Champion in this situation. Yet, the sight of the red object growing over her body had them _wanting_ to help.

"Oh, it's a little something our scientists whipped up for us. A little secret weapon of sorts," Proton explained before cupping her left cheek and pecking her right one. "And that's what we call a 'kiss of death', take from that what you will. But I have to get going now," Proton explained, recalling his two Pokémon before trying to vanish.

"As if we'd just let you leave," Janine stated, pointing her index finger forward. "Crobat, attack him with a Wing Attack!"

"Serperior, make him pay for everything he's caused today! Frenzy Plant!" Trip joined in, glaring towards the Rocket Executive. Diantha could only watch on, the substance slowly covering her entire body, the actress unable to move her body freely as it felt like the ooze was tightening around her body.

The two Pokémon attacked, sensing the anger in their trainers' voices and were ready to stop this man from escaping. Crobat moved first, slashing against Proton's back with her sharp wings, the attack causing the man to stumble forward, his face skidding against the ground. Serperior however was already attacking, his vines launching up from the very spot Proton had landed at. The Grass-Type attack struck his body hard, launching the Rocket Executive up into the air, only to be caught by the very vines that struck him.

Diantha was glad he was caught, but this goo was still bothering her. It had managed to expand to almost her entire body by this point, the substance being attracted mainly to the area around her neck and torso, as if something was fascinating it at this point. Her entire upper body was covered now and her legs had been engulfed by the substance as well, leaving only her head. That was when Proton's last words rang out to her. _"Kiss of death...this is going to somehow try and kill me! But how?"_

Now wasn't the time to panic though. Yes, she had little time left before this substance covered her entire body, but perhaps an answer would come to them before then. As if Arceus was answering her prayer, a welcomed voice called out to them from down the hall.

"Diantha, brace yourself for this! Everyone else, get out of the way!" Steven called out to all the gathered trainers in the room. Speeding in on Metagross, the collector ordered a weakened Flash Cannon, the Iron Leg Pokémon using the attack without hesitation. Diantha couldn't help but worry about the attack, but decided to trust Steven, for it was better than being swallowed alive by a liquid creature. The small metallic stream of energy collided with Diantha, the beam of energy managing to push the liquid off of her body for the moment.

The glob soon reformed into one large creature now that it was free from Diantha's body. However, it wasn't finished with her yet, instead lunging right for her despite Trip and Janine being closer to it. Jumping out of the way, Diantha barely dodged the strange creature before Steven jumped into action once again.

"Metagross, destroy the substance now!"

"Meta!" Metagross grunted out, launching once again a Flash Cannon attack. This time, however, the attack was used at full power, the beam striking the goo monster and destroying it completely upon impact.

"W-What was that?" Diantha breathed out, wrapping her arms across her chest, slightly worried at what could have happened if Steven hadn't appeared. "And why was it attracted to me?"

Steven moved forward at the question, placing a hand over his chest. "I haven't come up with an exact name for the creature, but, from what I've learned, it's similar to a white blood cell. Or so that's what the Team Rocket member who tried using it on me said. From what they explained to me, the substance has been tampered with, having been merged with the Megalith Lysandre found when he visited Hoenn. However, Team Rocket got their hands on it and have some plan for it. What happens is, the substance is attracted to Mega Evolution energy or just anything that gives it off. Whether it's a Keystone or Mega Stone, the substance will try to absorb it, taking anything attached to it with them, even people and Pokémon."

"Then this just got even more dangerous," Diantha stated in annoyance, spitting at the ground. Though she knew it wasn't the most appropriate reaction, she couldn't help but feel disgusted at herself for everything she brought onto this once proud region. "We'll have to reach the top even quicker than we planned."

"Lance should be there by now. Though, I wonder if he's been found yet," Steven replied, both Janine and Trip listening on, unsure if they should join in on the conversation or just listen. The duo decided on the latter option.

"There's only one way to the roof from here, especially with the elevator broken," Diantha muttered out, casting a glance over to Gardevoir. Nodding in agreement, the Embracing Pokémon glowed blue a moment before all those in the room except Proton glowed blue alongside her. Then, without any notice, the group began floating up the destroyed elevator shaft to their next destination.

* * *

"Come now, Alain, at least give me a warm reception. I am responsible for the man you are today," Lysandre spoke, his voice causing Alain to tense up. He grit his teeth, clenched his fists and stomped his feet into the ground; Alain was ready to battle against his old boss. The same one who tried to destroy the entire world due to his sick and twisted ways.

"No," the Kalos League runner-up stated in a distant voice. "You had no part in forming the man I am today. I've met countless friends, all of whom forgave me for those heinous acts you had me commit. I've grown as a person. One who won't allow you to control me any longer, Lysandre!"

"Really? You've grown?" the former Team Flare leader asked, arching an eyebrow while his Gyarados moved forward a little, the red skin being a rarity for the species. "All I see before me is the same emotional child. One who can't move on from the past because he's afraid of the future. The same Alain who wouldn't open up to others; this is the Alain I see before me. You may have grown as a trainer, and you may have tried to grow as a person, but one of those growths have stalled. You've been fixated on making up your past mistakes and because of that Alain you can't grow into a better person until you let go of the past."

Alain grunted at the response. He didn't need to explain himself to this man, especially not after what he had him go through. "And how would you know? You're still the same man from before, only now you've joined a different team in hopes of spreading your vision of a perfect world!"

Lysandre shook his head, his eyes looking heavy. Not with tiredness though, but sadness. Alain couldn't tell from what, but for some reason he saw sadness in Lysandre's eyes. Alain knew better, this was just part of his ploy to get him to lower his guard. "Your mistaken, Alain," Lysandre finally spoke before letting out a deep sigh. "I have no intention of fighting you or anyone sent here to stop Giovanni like I was commanded. I have no desire to fight anyone anymore, for I've seen the errors of my way."

"I don't buy a single word you're saying, Lysandre," Alain retorted back, receiving no response with words, but instead a lengthy sigh. "I know just the kind of man you are and I'll make sure to personally bring you back to your prison cell after this entire situation is stopped."

"Alain...you don't understand though. I don't want to fight you," the older gentleman spoke once more, but Alain wasn't having any of it.

"Charizard, we won't allow him to get the better of us, emotionally or strategically! Use Dragon Claw!" the young trainer issued, Charizard soaring off across the field and towards his opponent.

"I guess I'll have to show you my true feelings through battle," Lysandre muttered, narrowing his glance towards Alain. Charizard slammed his claws down onto Gyarados' head, the Water and Flying-Type crying out in slight pain before swatting the Flame Pokémon away with his tail.

" _Alain, I hope you can look past the hate you have for me and see what I'm trying to say. I don't want this battle, or even what Team Rocket is doing. But if I must show you I've changed thanks to you and Ash, then I won't hold back!"_

* * *

 **Well, that was filled with fights. Now, for those wondering, yes, Clemont had the Mega Stone for the entire tournament but decided against it. Like it was said above, he wasn't sure if Manectric would react to his commands or go off on his own.**

 **Also, for those who didn't really understand, Sird managed to steal a few white blood cells from the Tree of Beginning and with her help the top Team Rocket scientists found a way to merge it to the Megalith, causing the creation to search for Mega Evolution energy to power itself. Which, we all know nothing good could come from it.**

 **Next chapter should be out before the weekend, sorry for the long wait, but between writer's block, not enjoying what I typed up and then needing to order a new battery for my laptop, it was a hard time writing and editing this chapter.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	67. A Final Hurdle

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, the battles began to come to a close thanks to the Champions arriving on the scene. Though, not everything worked out for the better, Team Rocket revealing they had a plan built up just in case.**

 **Ch 67: A Final Hurdle**

* * *

"Dragon Claw!" Alain shouted, his hand curling up into a fist, shaking before his face. After all his searching, he had finally found Lysandre and he couldn't help but be surprised that he was working with Team Rocket. He felt that this revelation should have shocked him; Lysandre seemed too prideful to work under someone else. Yet, the young trainer saw it as a business compromise for both sides to further their own agendas.

There had to have been something in this for Lysandre. There just had to be, but for now Alain was too focused on bringing the man to justice for his crimes. It was the only way to clear his conscious for his own crimes. Charizard lunged forward once more, claws glowing green before meeting contact against Gyarados' skin, the Water and Flying-Type standing strong despite skidding back slightly.

"Gyarados, create some distance between ourselves and Alain," Lysandre stated, his voice void of emotion. Alain felt that it was nothing more than a trap; Lysandre wanted to make Alain lower his guard. But he wasn't going to allow it. "Use Incinerate on the field, block their path to us."

"Stay right after them! Charge right through any of those flames and use Thunder Punch!" Alain countered, his opponent launching off the rather powerful attack. The blast of fire roared within Gyarados' mouth before erupting on the field, a wall of flames separating the two Pokémon.

Charizard didn't flinch though. Spreading his wings, the Flame Pokémon roared mightily before his fists flowed with the electrical energy he was so used to. Flying forward, Charizard erupted right through the flames, paying no attention to the small traces of fire located on his wings.

"Gyarados, block with Dragon Tail. Do not allow it to hit you." Lysandre continued to play defensively, Alain curious as to his motives for such a reason. Gyarados responded affirmatively, his tail glowing green while dragon scales formed over it.

"Gyraaa!" it cried out, shifting its body to allow the tail to meet Charizard's Thunder Punch head on. Sparks flew, Charizard slamming both fists down into Gyarados until breaking through the Atrocious Pokémon's defense. With a swift movement, Charizard's fists knocked the tail out of the way before connecting for a powerful to its face.

Reeling backwards in pain, Gyarados was slow to recover, the last attack taking a decent amount out of it. Charizard wasn't finished, charging back in with a second round of Thunder Punch. Lysandre was quicker than the Flame Pokémon, issuing a Stone Edge attack to veer him off course. The stones flew upwards, Charizard avoiding the first few while he approached his target. Then, one of the stones erupted from the ground before him, Charizard needing his Thunder Punch to destroy the stone.

Jagged pieces flew through the air, a few striking Gyarados while most collided with the interior of the building. The attack was all it took for Charizard to momentarily lose his focus, being caught off guard as another stone plunged right into his chest, sending the Flame Pokémon reeling backwards from the hit, his body landing on the ground and skidding back to Alain.

"Charizard, are you all right?" the young trainer asked in concern. He wasn't sure what Lysandre had planned but he _had_ to stop him. Waiting for his partner to stand back up, Alain could feel a few drops of sweat running down his neck. He wasn't going to be weak again. He was going to stop Lysandre, otherwise he had no clue what would happen to those he cared for.

"Do you not realize it yet, Alain?" Lysandre asked, the only emotion present being what Alain assumed to be sadness, but he couldn't take the risk assuming anything with Lysandre. He knew first hand just how manipulative the man could be. Narrowing his eyes, Alain kept his attention on the older man, Charizard stirring slowly as he began to stand again.

"I've done nothing but play defensively during this skirmish. I have no desire to bring you or Charizard any more pain. I've realized my mistakes and it was thanks to you and that Ash Ketchum. You helped me to see the errors of my way. That's why I'm here, trying to create a peaceful resolution."

"Shut your mouth!" Alain ordered, Lysandre merely raising his hands up in front of his body defensively. Alain didn't mean to snap at the man even if he was evil, but just seeing him made the trainer's emotions flare. "Do you honestly believe I'd fall for something like that from you? The last time you promised a 'peaceful' anything you had two Zygarde rampaging throughout Lumiose City and tried to control Ash!"

"Alain, perhaps now isn't the best time for all of this. We need to go and shut down the weapon. Now," Nate began to say, placing a hand on the angered trainer's shoulder, only for it to be displaced by Alain.

"This is something I have to do," the angsty trainer stated, his voice low and almost inaudible. He knew it wasn't a good time for this, but now may have been his only chance to bring this man to justice. Turning towards Nate, Alain sighed out. "You can continue the rest of the way by yourself. Obviously if someone like Lysandre is guarding this room then the rest of the way must be clear. Just get going."

Nodding, Nate turned towards the door behind Lysandre and made his way out it, the former leader of Team Flare making no attempts to disrupt him. Alain knew it was risky sending Nate off by himself, especially this far into the tower, but he had been told to trust these guys so why not start now.

"So, Alain," Lysandre began to speak once more, a little more emotion evident in his voice. "It's been a while. You seem to be doing well now, that's good. I was pleased to hear you made it to the finals of the Kalos League, quite the effort against Ash as well I must say. I was slightly crushed to hear you lose. Even if you betrayed me, I still view you as a son of sorts."

"I told you before, shut it." Alain was in no mood to play games. Especially not with this man, the same one who played him like a fool. "I have nothing I want to say to you except I'll be bringing you back to your jail cell."

"If you can defeat me," the manipulative man spoke. Alain wanted to punch the man in the face, but he knew better than to try that. He had to stay under control and think. "Though, if I do have to go back, can I at least have a window this time? Those gray walls are painfully dull and lack a sense of flare to them. A window to the outside world could do wonders."

Alain didn't respond to him. Instead, he merely called for a Flamethrower from Charizard, the Fire and Flying-Type launching the flames across the room, crashing right through the last stone standing before it landed a blow on Gyarados. They didn't stop there, instead charging forward with another Dragon Claw attack. Charizard was before Gyarados and Lysandre had no time to make a move. Charizard's left claw landed a powerful uppercut onto Gyarados before his right slammed the Atrocious Pokémon hard into the concrete floor, the room shaking a little from the impact. Charizard didn't relent, keeping his claw pushing down onto Gyarados' head, causing the Water and Flying-Type to be pinned to the ground.

"Gyarados, push him off with your tail and then use Incinerate to push him back. We need some space between us," Lysandre ordered, his calmness still being evident. Alain didn't like it; it made him feel like Lysandre had something up his sleeve.

Slapping its tail around, Gyarados struck the Flame Pokémon right in his maw, Charizard stumbling backwards from the slight attack. "Araaaa!" the Water and Flying-Type cried out, flames forming within his jaw. Shooting the ball of fire outwards, the flaming sphere struck Charizard, pushing him backwards slightly.

"Drop the act, Lysandre," Alain stated coldly, not interested in whatever the man was trying to do now. "Stop trying to be someone misunderstood. I know who you are and what you're really like. Whatever you're trying to do won't work on me."

"I'm not trying anything other than to show you the new me. I have no desire for any of these games Giovanni is causing here. In fact, what I see is unnecessary destruction caused by a foolish man. One that I hoped to stop, but was placed in a situation where I was left unable to do so. Between a rock and a hard place you could say." Lysandre crossed his arms over his chest, Alain could tell he wasn't lying about wanting to stop Giovanni. Especially since he wanted to destroy the world. That just meant the weapon was what he wanted. To use its destructive properties to his advantage.

"No, Alain, I have no desire to try and steal the weapon from underneath Giovanni either."

This revelation shocked Alain. How did he know Alain was thinking that!? The young trainer subconsciously took a step backwards, his legs shaking for a moment before h composed himself once more. "H-How did you know that's what I was thinking?"

Lysandre's blank face turned into a smile, his right index finger tapping against the side of his skull. "You were my associate for years, it's only natural I have a good understanding of your thought process. And the fact your last interactions with me were during my lowest point. It's only natural human behavior to believe I'm only looking out for my self-interests."

"Maybe the old me would be that way, but you and Ash...you two showed me, along with your small group that this world is in good hands. That perhaps I underestimated this world. Tell me, Alain, do you know why I first opened Lysandre Labs?"

"To try and create a better world for everyone," the young trainer answered begrudgingly. He didn't want to talk, he wanted to end this battle and capture Lysandre. "But that was just a ruse. One that allowed you to work on your true intentions of destroying this world to create a new one for your 'chosen ones'."

"Ever the observant one," Lysandre responded, a sour tone in his voice. Alain wanted to believe that it was from his answer being correct, but why would he be against his old ideals. "It is true that Lysandre Labs was created in hopes of bringing us towards a brighter future for people and Pokémon. Yet, as you witnessed firsthand, I lost my way. Poisoned by the very world I tried to help. I had seen the worst of the worst out there and it corrupted my views of those living on this planet. To make me believe they weren't worthy enough, such a despicable thought from me." A frown was now present on Lysandre's face, Alain hearing the sound of a sigh escaping the older man's lips.

"I was driven insane by the evil present in the world. And yet, I was saved. By you, Alain. You and Ash, standing up against my ways, proving this world could be saved."

"Enough! Charizard, Flamethrower on them!" Alain shouted, tired of Lysandre's lies. Or, he thought they were lies. Alain couldn't tell at this point and it was exactly what he didn't want to happen when he found Lysandre. He knew the man was a great talker and yet he allowed him to get into his head for a moment.

"Please, allow me to finish!?" Lysandre called out, his voice being drowned out from Charizard's roar, flames launching right towards Gyarados. Seeing that even now Alain wouldn't listen, Lysandre went on the defensive once more. "Incinerate once more. Block that attack."

The two sets of flames exploded on contact, loose strands of fire raining down around the room, Alain still on the offensive, Charizard rushing forward with Dragon Claw. This time however, Lysandre was ready and issued a Stone Edge to stop Charizard.

"Rawwr," the mighty fighter muttered, flying up towards the ceiling and retreating from the fight for the time being. He knew better than to try that stunt against a Stone Edge attack again. Landing back in front of his trainer, Charizard spread his wings, ready to take flight once more.

"Wait," Alain spoke out, his tone a little harsher, the trainer recognizing it from when Chespie first got sick. Shaking his head, Alain did his best to hide those emotions away, he did _not_ need those appearing now. "Let's take this serious now, Charizard. Evolve beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!" Alain chanted, pressing down against the Keystone on his wrist.

"So it comes to this..." Lysandre muttered, pressing down on the Keystone hidden within his pocket. The two Pokémon shined brightly, both undergoing the process of Mega Evolution, their bodies changing shape until finally the light died down.

"Gyarados, create a parameter of stones with Stone Edge. We must stay on the defensive."

"Gyara...dose!" the Atrocious Pokémon cried out, slamming his tail into the ground, the action resulting into having a wall of stones protecting Gyarados. As if Lysandre had wanted a wall built between them and Alain. Either way, Alain knew it wouldn't last.

"Dragon Claw! Tear down that wall of theirs and show them how much stronger we've become," Alain issued, still wondering why Lysandre hadn't gone on the offensive once.

"Rawwwrrr!" the Flame Pokémon roared out, his wings spreading outwards once more before flying straight for Gyarados. Whipping his claws forward, Charizard waited to strike, allowing them to grow in size while also glowing green. Slashing through the barrier of stones with ease, Charizard landed a powerful hit across Gyarados' face, the latter crying out in pain from the strike, his tail flapping around in reaction.

"Alain, please just allow me to explain!" Lysandre cried out, Alain feeling that the man was almost begging at this point. However, he didn't let up, Charizard swooping back around, claws glowing with electricity this time.

Watching as Charizard landed another Thunder Punch, Lysandre grit his teeth before pulling a small vial out of his pocket. Holding it in his hand, Lysandre walked over towards the young boy. Alain wondered just what the man was trying. What was in that vial? Why was he walking towards him? Alain didn't know what to do, his body wouldn't react, instead, it was shutting down. He wasn't expecting something like this!

"Alain," Lysandre spoke, now standing right in front of Alain. Charizard began to move towards his trainer, but Gyarados wrapped his tail tightly around the Flame Pokémon making him unable to move. Alain likewise couldn't move, his body betraying him at a moment like now. Fighting his nerves, the angsty trainer managed to move his feet back, only for Lysandre to reach out to him.

"I'm so very sorry." Alain was shocked by the words. Did Lysandre apologize? To him? Before he knew what was happening, the man placed the small vial into Alain's hands, wrapping the trainer's fingers carefully around the casing. "I used you for my own selfish gains and in the process I became exactly like who I despised at that point in time. I never once thought of the implications or the emotional scarring the moment you learned the truth. The moment you broke down, I felt a small essence of sorrow but that was drowned out by my crazed state at the time."

"Those months in prison allowed me to realize just what I had done. I regret my actions even after all this time. And no number of apologies could take back what I did to the very region I adore. To you. But I need you to know I've changed. In that vial is a substance, I'm not sure what, but it's something that was meant as a way to stop anyone who was too strong for me. I'm giving it to you... to use on me."

Alain opened his hand, the vial there just as Lysandre had placed it. Seeing it gave Alain conflicted feelings; could Lysandre be trusted? And if so, why now? Either way, Alain knew he had to finish what he started. "Charizard, break free."

With that simple command, Alain's partner broke free from Gyarados' grasp, slightly shocking Lysandre and Gyarados. The Flame Pokémon flew up towards the ceiling before soaring back in front of Alain, Lysandre being the only thing standing between the two, Charizard's tail a few inches away from Lysandre's back.

"End it, Charizard, Blast Burn!" Alain spoke calmly. He was doing his best to get his emotions back under control. Nodding, Charizard roared in delight, slamming his claw down into the ground. The floor began to shake, a trail of fire erupting upwards as it flowed right for Gyarados. Once underneath, the entire floor exploded, engulfing Gyarados in a blaze of flames.

"Gyar..." the Water and Flying-Type moaned out, reverting back into its base form, defeated by the last attack.

"Why didn't you dodge it? Gyarados had enough time. Or perhaps countering it with a move of your own," Alain questioned, hoping to poke a hole into Lysandre's act. "There was no reason to take that hit."

"I told you, I'm sorry. I have no desire to hurt you or anyone else for the matter anymore. I just want to stop Giovanni before something irreversible occurs."

Alain gripped the vial, wondering just what the contents of it could do when released. If it were strong enough for Team Rocket to plan it as a contingency plan, then why would Lysandre give it to him? The only explanation would be if he actually were telling the truth. Biting his lip, the young trainer placed the vile into his pocket before facing Lysandre once more.

"I'll never forgive you for what you did to me and Mairin, but for now I'll put my difference aside. If you were so willing to hand this vial over to me, then you must have been telling some stuff truthfully. We're going to need everyone to bring Giovanni down, especially if he beat Ash." Alain couldn't help but feel he would regret this decision. "Don't even try to _think_ about anything funny. You got it?"

"Of course, partner," Lysandre replied, a smirk present on his face, though Alain could tell it hid no ulterior motive. Raising his hand, Lysandre wanted to shake on them becoming partners for the time being, but Alain declined, lowering the man's hand for him.

"I wouldn't call us partners. You're going to help us and then it's back to jail for you," Alain explained, recalling Charizard into his Poké Ball. Making his way towards the exit, the young trainer wondered just what would be awaiting them at the top of the tower. Glancing once behind him, Alain watched Lysandre recall Gyarados before following after Alain. The feeling that he was working alongside a maniac such as Lysandre once more caused a shiver to run down his neck.

" _It can't be helped. As much as I hate to admit, we need his help. Especially if they have some creation to attack us with."_

* * *

"Electivire, get in close and use your Thunder Punch attack!" Paul commanded, throwing his hand off to the side. The Electric-Type already on the move, arms whirling while electricity flowed throughout his body.

"You honestly believe that attack would work on someone like me?" Ariana asked, letting a light laugh escape her lips before commanding Arbok to dodge. "If you honestly believe you have any chance at victory then you're a pretty stupid kid."

"Do you ever just shut up? Honestly, you ever think that not everything is what it seems at first?" Paul retorted right back at her, arms now crossed over his chest. He could not wait to get out of here. Between the tournament being interrupted and now this person from Team Rocket, Paul was starting to regret his choice to come to Kalos.

Electivire continued running even after missing Arbok, the Cobra Pokémon slithering right through the Electric-Type's legs. Slamming his arms down hard on his true target, Electivire delivered a powerful dual Thunder Punch onto Vileplume, the Flower Pokémon stumbling backwards from the sudden blow. The attack didn't stop there however, Paul ordering a Brick Break immediately following the successful attack. Slashing with his now glowing arms, Electivire delivered a powerful arm chop onto Vileplume, the latter being knocked back into Ariana.

"I see, your true target was my Vileplume. However, you left yourself wide open for a counter attack," Ariana bragged, raising her left hand over her face before laughing at the duo. "Vileplume use Sweet Scent, Arbok, make them dance with Poison Sting. It's time we start getting serious."

"Maybe we should use a combination attack as well," Astrid mused over, but Paul already had his own idea working. The Sinnoh native issued Electivire to use Protect, all while he avoided the Poison Sting effortlessly. Astrid meanwhile appeared caught in the crossfire. "Absol, block that attack with your Dark Pulse!"

"Sol!" the Mega Evolved Pokémon cried out, rearing back his head before whipping it forward. Flying out of his mouth was the familiar black and purple beam that Astrid called for constantly. The beam struggled for a moment against the first few needles before overpowering the attack, blasting Arbok in the process.

"How dare you hurt my precious Arbok! You'll pay dearly for that, you brat," Ariana cried out, Paul just staring blankly at her. For such a high-ranking operative, she acted immature in battle. Though, he knew there must have been a good reason for her to be in such a position.

Taking this chance, Paul quickly turned to Electivire, the latter dropping his Protect thanks to the conclusion of Sweet Scent around. Paul had an idea cooking and Electivire knew it. "Electivire, get in close to Vileplume!"

"You think we'll fall for the same thing twice? Vileplume, stand your ground! Arbok, aim a Poison Jab for our rushing fool!" Ariana commanded. Paul could tell she was fast with the commands, but that was just what he wanted. Waiting until Arbok went in for the attack Paul remained quiet.

"Charrbok!" the Poison-Type cried out, her tail lunging straight for Electivire, the tip glowing purple due to the toxins being sent into it. Watching the tail approach, Paul made his move knowing he would have only one shot.

"Protect!" The command being short but precise. Electivire stopped his pursuit and raised his hands in front of his body. Soon, the green barrier formed between the incoming attack and Paul's Pokémon, protecting him from any harm. "Now drop Protect and grab Arbok's tail! Once you do, use Thunder and discharge the electricity through your hands!"

"Vire! Elec, electivire," the Thunderbolt Pokémon muttered in response, lowering his shield before moving with precision accuracy. Thanks to the intense training from Paul, Electivire was able to catch Arbok's tail before the Poison-Type could retract it. Building up an electrical charge, Electivire readied himself for the attack, only to be caught off-guard, being pushed backwards by a sudden attack.

"You were so worried about Arbok you forgot about Vileplume," Ariana taunted, her Flower Pokémon having struck Electivire with an Acid attack, the purple liquid still stuck on his body. Arbok used this distraction as a chance to finish her attack, jabbing her tail hard into Electivire's abdomen, the Electric-Type being knocked back from the sudden blow.

Paul didn't let this deter him, if anything, he was more annoyed at the fact Astrid allowed such a mistake to occur; she should have been keeping an eye on Vileplume the entire time. Paying no attention to anyone else, Paul waited for Electivire to get back up before they attacked again. "Electivire, Thunder Punch once more! Go right for them," he issued, though the two females in the room felt he was just being stubborn on this attempt.

"Again with the head on attacks?" Ariana asked, faking a yawn before laughing at Paul's stupidity. The female Executive waited for Electivire to approach her Pokémon, allowing him to tire himself down first before issuing her commands. "Arbok, hide underground with Dig. Vileplume, knock him backwards with a Moonblast attack!"

"Keep running at them!" Paul issued, not fretting over the incoming attacks. Despite Vileplume charging up her orb of energy, Paul appeared to not sense it as a worry. Instead, he felt that Arbok being hidden under the ground was worse, since with Vileplume they could at least see where they were being attacked from. "Once you're in close to Vileplume use your Brick Break attack on her."

Vileplume however was faster with her attack, launching the orb of energy from the flower on her head. The sphere flew across the field, ready to make impact with Electivire. However, Astrid was faster this time, countering the attack with one of her own.

"Absol, protect Electivire with Megahorn! Launch that attack up to the ceiling!" she called out, folding her left arm across her chest while pointing forward with her right. The Disaster Pokémon was on the move, sprinting to in front of Electivire, his horn glowing a light green before extending in size. Meeting the Moonblast head on, Absol struggled with the blast until finally able to throw the sphere towards the ceiling. The blast continued upwards, destroying the ceiling and resulting in dust and debris falling all around them.

Astrid and Paul avoided the debris, jumping out of the way while Ariana stood still, Vileplume destroying anything that came near them with her Petal Dance attack, the pink petals slicing through solid concrete like it was nothing. Even Paul seemed slightly impressed by all that power, however, he seemed slightly irritated by what just occurred, his face now wearing a scowl.

"What was _that_ , Astrid!?" he practically screamed, his voice wavering between calm and angered. Astrid seemed surprised by this reaction, the girl taking a step back from him before placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him.

"What do you _mean_ by 'what was that'!? I just saved Electivire from a deadly attack, the least you could do is thank me for that," she shot back, not willing to back down from whatever Paul was starting now of all times. The duo both sighed at the same time, leading to them to miss Ariana's next attack until it was too late.

The ground began to shake once more until finally Arbok burrowed up from underneath, striking both Electivire and Absol with her Dig attack. The two were struck hard, being launched straight up into the air where they were met with a Moonblast from Vileplume, the projectile attack exploding upon contact with Electivire, the Electric-Type taking the brunt of it.

"See, and this is because of you interfering!" Paul continued on, Electivire and Absol landing on their feet, but clearly weakened from the previous two attacks. "I was going to use Protect on Electivire back when Absol interrupted my plan. Once Vileplume was left defenseless you would be able to attack her. But then _you_ ruined it."

"Maybe if you knew how to work together with others we wouldn't be in this mess..." Astrid mumbled out loud, Paul hearing it and silently cursing the girl. He should have just left her to her own fate and continued on. Instead, he's now stuck battling this Team Rocket member. "Most people tell their partners their plans before racing into battle."

"Then stay out of my way or I'll be battling _you_ next," he replied back at her, giving her a cold shoulder soon after speaking. He could hear the girl muttering something about him, but chose to ignore her. This was the thanks he got for helping her, she would just be getting in his way, not something he would like to have happened.

Ariana smirked at the sight before her. It wasn't every day she got to see friends fighting _against_ each other. So the thought of those two going all out pleased her, Paul realizing she was getting some feeling of contentment based on the smirk plastered on her face. Casting her his own glare, the Team Rocket Executive removed her smirk. "Oh, I'm sorry for causing a lover's quarrel," she playfully teased, yet neither of them reacted. In fact, Paul felt the least annoyed about the situation or rather any situation with Astrid thanks to ignoring her.

"Shut up already. If you battled half as good as you talked then maybe it would be interesting. Electivire, use Thunder on the field and then go in for a Thunder Punch! Don't wait for anything, just go right in," Paul commanded, hands placed easily within his jacket pockets.

"Elec," the Thunderbolt Pokémon, ignoring his injuries for the time being and instead raised his two antennae up into the air. Electricity began to surge through his body, all of it focusing towards the tips of his two antennae before releasing the charge outwards so that it sprayed across the entire field. Soon, Arbok and Vileplume found themselves cornered, the sprays of Electivire's Thunder attack having forced them towards the edge of the room. This was the opening Electivire needed, lowering his antennae and breaking into a sprint, the electricity now flowing straight to his arms. Whirling them with intensity, Electivire picked the speed up in his feet to reach his targets in no time before smashing their heads with his fists.

Arbok and Vileplume found themselves looking at the floor, their faces implanted into it before being sent flying across the field, Electivire looking like a Pokémon on a mission right now, hoping to single handedly defeat both of them. However, both Paul and Electivire should have know it wouldn't have been _that_ easy to beat them.

"Vileplume, now that _we_ have him where we want him, use Sweet Scent," Ariana called out, tapping a finger to her chin. Vileplume shot up, her flower shaking slightly as the familiar substance from before released into the air. Electivire had no time to slow down, the fragrance consuming his body and causing him to mellow out for the time being.

"Elec..." he muttered out, dropping his attack before his body drooped into a defenseless state. There was nothing he or Paul could do, having been completely caught off guard by the Sweet Scent.

"Now my precious, Arbok, Wrap attack, choke him until he passes out from a lack of air," Ariana spoke, Paul gritting his teeth out of frustration. He called out to Electivire to dodge, but the command was worthless, his partner having been caught by Arbok within seconds, his body slowly being squeezed.

Clinching his fists, Paul wasn't sure what he could do, especially since Electivire was now not only relaxed from Vileplume, but also now being squeezed into submission by Arbok. However, he was saved, Absol entering the fight once again thanks to Astrid intervening.

"Psycho Cut, go!" she cried out before glaring over at Paul. "Don't get the wrong idea from this. I'm only helping Electivire since I don't want him to get hurt because of your foolish idea."

"Sol!" he cried out once more, the horn on his head glowing a shade of purple before shooting off like a beam. Smashing into Arbok, the Cobra Pokémon was forced to relinquish her prey before Absol scooped him away to safety. Landing next to Astrid and Paul, Absol dropped the tired Electivire off at his trainer.

"See what you did! Electivire is all tired now, what good will he do against both Arbok and Vileplume," Astrid scolded Paul, yet the latter paid no attention, instead checking on Electivire, knowing full well that he was more than capable to continue battling. "Next time you should think be-"

"Quiet," Paul spoke, placing a finger on Astrid's lips to get her quiet for a moment. "Electivire wasn't just going at it randomly. Our first assault was to see Vileplume's attacks which consist of Acid, Sweet Scent, Petal Dance and Moonblast. All long range. Meanwhile, Arbok consists of Poison Sting, Poison Jab, Dig and Wrap. Mostly close range. If we can draw them into a sense of confidence like Electivire was doing, we may be able to draw them into unfavorable conditions."

"Arbok is faster than either of our Pokémon, but if Electivire can hit her with Thunder just right, then we could slow her down. Meanwhile, Vileplume doesn't move all too well as evident by her taking the attacks head on. Because of this, Sweet Scent is used on anyone who gets too close. So, the plan is simple. Absol will stay at bay for the time being, meanwhile, Electivire will use those rocks that fell from earlier to set up a surprise."

Astrid nodded in agreement. Paul had to admit, he wasn't quite sure if she was agreeing because she thought it was a good idea or just because it was the only thing they had right now. Either way, he had to make it work. Casting a glance behind him, he caught sight of the girl standing there, arms raised in front of her body, fists clenched. She looked ready to step in when needed and Paul couldn't help but smirk at the scene. "By the way," he spoke, catching Astrid off-guard for a moment. "I'm not someone who works well with others...so, sorry...I guess. Just make sure you stick to what I told you."

"I know, we did _just_ go over it right now. Besides, it should work just fine since you came up with it," she explained, throwing a thumbs up in his direction. Paul didn't bother replying, instead choosing to throw his hands back in his pockets and lowered his head until he heard Ariana going at it again.

"You two finally make up? I would hate for your last moments as a couple to be spent fighting against each other. Especially since you'll never make it out of here alive. Though, despite the few options you have, strategizing in front of me wasn't your best choice," she spoke before pointing forward, a smirk plastered on her face. "Arbok, get ahold of Electivire with Poison Jab!"

"Not this time! Protect!" Paul countered, the green shield forming once again, Ariana cursing loudly at its appearance before them. "Now!" he shouted, giving no context as to what he meant. He had to rely on Astrid and hope she knew what he meant.

"Absol, Dark Pulse now! Aim it right at Electivire!" she cried out, Paul smiling at the fact she got it. He knew Ariana was listening and so he could only hint at what he wanted done. Absol jumped high into the air, whipping his head around so that the purple and black beam was firing right for the space between Electivire and Arbok. The Cobra Pokémon wasn't sitting around though, instead burrowing under the ground while Electivire blocked the attack with his Protect still up.

"Now, Electivire, Thunder! Aim it into the ground!" Paul shouted outward, his voice carrying throughout the entire room as Ariana finally realized what was happening.

"You wanted Arbok underground right now!" she cried, taking a step backwards while she spoke. Paul merely nodded. It had been a fifty percent chance that Arbok would try to attack first and so they had to be ready to adjust their plan on the fly. Granted it wasn't the entire plan, but it was still a good part of it.

Electivire slammed his antennae into the ground, his electrical current surging right through the concrete and towards the different tunnels Arbok had created from her uses of Dig throughout the battle. Absol was also ready to attack if the Cobra Pokémon tried to escape the attack, his Psycho Cut aimed at any of the holes, ready to attack at a moment's notice. The electricity continued to surge around the field, striking the rocks along with channeling down the tunnels until finally...

"Chaarrrrrrbok!" the screech surprised no one at all. The sounds of Arbok crying in pain filled the room, Ariana unable to believe she had fallen right into the plan set up right before her. It was impossible to believe and yet here it was, happening right before her eyes. Arbok however was far from finished, erupting up through the ground and striking Electivire with her Dig attack. The Thunderbolt Pokémon seemed unfazed by the attack, instead focusing his electrical energy to touch the last of the scattered rocks.

"I'll make you all pay for hurting my precious Arbok," Ariana growled out, biting down on the top of her Team Rocket outfit. "Vileplume, use your Acid attack to disintegrate them all! Arbok, rest up for a moment sweetie. Then you'll get your revenge with a Poison Jab."

"That won't be happening," Paul retorted, Electivire already on the move before the Acid attack could strike. Ariana followed Paul's gaze and was shocked to see the rocks floating in the air, speechless to be exact. "This was what we were setting up for. The rocks that were scattered are now charged to the point of them becoming an attack for us. Go, Electivire!"

"Electivire!" the Electric-Type shouted, throwing a few of the large stones with ease before firing the rest off using his electrical abilities. The stones flew across the field, striking both Arbok and Vileplume before corning the two of them.

"And now, Absol, use Psycho Cut!" Astrid joined in, pointing right towards the two cowering Pokémon. Arbok and Vileplume could do nothing but wait, especially since Electivire had them cornered with his charged rocks. Once Absol was ready to attack, Electivire moved his barricade so that Absol's attack could strike them, defeating both Pokémon.

"My precious Pokémon!" Ariana cried out before dropping to her knees, recalling them to their respective Poké Balls. "Y-You'll pay for what you two did to them!" she continued to yell, reaching into the inside of her uniform to retrieve a small vial.

"I don't think you have any Pokémon left to beat us with. Otherwise you would have used them during that last attack when our guard was down," Paul replied, turning his back towards the smirking Team Rocket member. He should have known better than to turn his back on her, but he believed the fight to be over.

"Oh, I have something even better than a Pokémon. Something that was made to handle your level of strength," she stated, uncapping the container before tossing it towards Paul. The Sinnoh Native didn't see it coming until it was too late. He had no clue what was in that small vial that would be so dangerous, but he didn't want to find out. He tried to move out of the way, but the distance was too short and so he knew he was going to be hit by it. Closing his eyes, he prepared to take the hit, only for someone to have already taken the hit for him, looking on in shock, Paul couldn't believe that Astrid had allowed the vial and its contents to strike her.

"It seems like this stuff doesn't work," Astrid spoke, noticing the small red droplets all over her clothes now. Paul felt slightly relived at that, part of him would have felt awful had Astrid been hurt protecting him, not that he would ever admit it out loud. "Though, it really is sticky and will probably be a pain to get out of my clothes and hair."

At that moment, however, the goo began to expand, something Paul seemed to notice, calling out to warn Astrid. It was no good however, for the substance was beginning to cover her entire body. The Sinnoh native was about to try and help her, but by the time he reached out for her, her entire body had been swallowed up by the organism, flying off to parts unknown. Unsure of what happened, Paul was dropped into deeper shock once he heard Absol cry out over the same substance covering his own body. However, once the Disaster Pokémon was digested, for a lack of a better word, the substance didn't try to come for him.

Turning towards Ariana, Paul glared at the girl, not happy for whatever happened just now. No one was supposed to die. "What happened," he asked, though his voice sounded to be demanding an answer instead. Lifting her up by the collar of her uniform, Paul felt like punching her, but it wouldn't make anyone come back. "Tell me what you just did."

Ariana shrugged her shoulders in confusion, unsure as to what happened herself. Paul had to wonder if this was the first time anyone in the organization tried this tactic and just what it would lead to. "I guess you could say she's a part of a bigger purpose now. Soon, she'll be helping us thanks to her energy."

Paul shoved Ariana backwards and onto the ground. He didn't have time for this, he had to find Silver and end this now. Not to mention try and find out what happened to Astrid and Absol now. This was getting to be more than he signed up for. "Electivire, let's get going. We have a lot of work to get done."

With that, Paul and Electivire made their way out into the hallway and towards the elevators. It was time for the final confrontation with Team Rocket.

* * *

"We should almost be at the top," Sawyer panted out, Serena getting a little hopeful at those words. It felt like they had been climbing forever and so the end was a welcome thought. "When they told us it would be the easiest path to the top of Prism Tower, I didn't think it meant we would have to climb another three sets of ladders once we reached the actual tower."

"This is when you wish Clemont had installed a working elevator on the outside of the tower," Serena joked, smiling to herself once she saw Sawyer climbing up over the ledge. They had finally reached the top, and hopefully the others were already up here fighting. Though, she had a hard time believing they would have beaten them here. Then again, they hopefully didn't get into skirmishes like they had in the beginning.

"Just a little further, Dawn and then we can rest your leg for a little," Serena encouraged her new friend, the duo making their last push up the tower. Reaching the last few steps, Serena helped Dawn up over the ledge before the two girls sat down, leaning against the wall of the tower. Though they claimed it was the top, it was really only the last area where people could safely go without the proper equipment. Everything above them from this point on required construction permits and safety equipment to continue on.

"Normally...I would say no need to worry...but with how high up we are I think we should worry slightly about falling off," Dawn tried to joke, but only managed to scare Serena slightly in the process by accident. Seeing how high they actually were, Serena felt her heart racing but then remembered what they were here for: to rescue Ash. Taking a deep breath, Serena stood back up before helping Dawn.

"Halt right there!" a voice rang out, the three members of the rescue squadron freezing in their tracks, Serena and Sawyer having their hands on a Poké Ball each while Piplup appeared ready to battle. Turning around, they were met by a young man dressed in a white suit with a red "R" emblazed over the heart. His teal hair made it for him to stick out from anywhere, so Serena wondered how they missed him on their ascent.

"As a Team Rocket Executive and as technical second-in-command, I, Archer ask that you all surrender now. Otherwise risk being tortured for your heinous crimes against Giovanni our wonderful leader," the man, now identified as Archer, spoke out, hands behind his back as he walked forward, a Houndoom joining him as he opened a Poké Ball.

"Serena, I'll handle this guy, you and Dawn get going to find Ash," Sawyer stated, Stepping back towards the man and his Houndoom. "We don't have much time to waste by having all of us stay back and fight him at once. I'll stall him for the time being. Besides, Sceptile and I can handle this guy."

"I know you can, it's just...I don't think it's best if we all separate from each other, especially right now," Serena replied, gripping at her Poké Balls even tighter. She was torn over staying and helping or going to get Ash. The decision was soon made for her.

"Serena, now isn't the time to sit around all confused. If Sawyer says he'll be fine then we should get going," Dawn stated, grabbing Serena by the wrist before trying to drag the Performer along the roof. However, they were soon stopped by a row of fire that appeared before them.

"Do any of you honestly believe I'd let anyone leave?" Archer asked, Houndoom landing right next to him, flames still extruding from his maw. Serena silently cursed herself, she cost them a good chance to get to Ash and now they had to wait for either the flames to die down or for Sawyer to win.

"Well, you have to admit it was worth a try," Sawyer stated, not even worried over the situation. Serena had to admit, the boy definitely seemed much more like Ash since his loss to him back during the Kalos League. "Guess we'll just have to wait until I beat this guy then. Sceptile, you're up!" Sawyer shouted, tossing a Poké Ball out onto the roof. To no surprise, Sceptile emerged, arms crossed and ready for battle.

"Sceptile," the Forest Pokémon stated, knowing full well just what was about to go down. Eyeing Houndoom, it appeared as though the two were already scaling each other up. Serena couldn't help but wonder if Sawyer could pull it off, especially with the type disadvantage. Though, knowing the boy, Serena knew he had some plan up his sleeve or rather in his notebook.

"I know, Sceptile, we're really in for it this time. But, we'll just have to put everything we've learned into this battle. Ash and everyone else are relying on us here, we have to be strong and courageous just like Ash is. It's up to us to show these guys not to mess with Kalos or any region for that matter. So, let's start at our very best," Sawyer stated to his partner, pulling his bookmark from the notebook he always carried. Touching down on it, light eradiated from it before Sceptile was showered in the same flash of light.

"So that's how this is going to be. Alright, Houndoom, you know the drill," Archer spoke out, touching down on a small gem located in the cuff of his outfit. The gem soon shined with the same colors that a Keystone did, finally proving to be one once Houndoom changed shape. The light died down between the two Pokémon, showing off their new forms. "I wasn't expecting some kid to have such a rare phenomenon like Mega Evolution."

"I could say the same for a crook like you," Sawyer shot back, dropping his notebook onto the ground before sliding it over to Serena and Dawn with his foot. That was when Serena remembered Sawyer having drawn everything out in his notebook earlier. Perhaps it also had a small map of the tower. Looking through it, Serena had no such luck, but there was a picture of the tower itself, and based on the drawing they truly were at the highest level they could be at.

"Dawn, have Piplup put these flames out, I think if we follow the path around the edge we'll find Ash," Serena whispered, not wanting Archer to overhear their plan. Sawyer must have had this all planned from the very beginning, either that or he was just being prepared for anything. Serena wasn't quite sure but she wanted to believe it was the former over the latter/

"You heard her, Piplup, douse those flames," Dawn restated to her partner. Both girls watched on, Piplup spraying off his Bubble Beam attack, the fire slowly weakening until finally put out by Piplup's efforts. "Great work Piplup, now we can go find Ash."

"Pip, piplup, lup," Piplup proudly stated, pounding a flipper against his chest before Dawn picked the Penguin Pokémon up into her arms. Serena was grateful for that, for if they were going to find Ash soon, it would be best if Piplup wasn't slowing them down.

Casting one final glance behind them, Serena and Dawn watched on as Sceptile landed a Leaf Blade right down onto Houndoom's head, the latter appearing to be unfazed by the attack before blasting Sceptile with a Flamethrower. Serena wanted to stay and help, but knew that right now, she was most needed to find Ash. Pulling herself away from the battle, the Kalos native helped Dawn out before they moved along the edge of the tower. From the side they were on, they had no clue where Ash would be, or worse, where Giovanni and the weapon would be. Had they thought it through, Serena felt they would have drawn an image of the top level before setting off. But that was behind them. For now, they had to move forward and that was what they did.

Rounding the first corner, Serena felt both joy and dread, for staring at her was not only who she was looking for, but also who she _wasn't_ looking for, alongside Silver. The young boy must have been the first of them all up here, yet hadn't begun fighting Giovanni or trying to shut down the weapon.

"It's been a while since we last saw each other," Giovanni spoke out, not seeming to be worried one bit by the gathered trainers now up on the top level. "I must admit, I wish you would reach out to me much more often than you do. I think this is the first time since you were...what, eight? That you've actually talked to me. Most of my birthday presents are mailed back to the different addresses I use every year. What about me do you seem so ashamed about? I've continued growing Team Rocket after taking it from my mother and I hope for you to do the same. It is a family business."

Serena heard this and cast a glance towards Dawn. Both girls were shocked by this, they never would have guessed Silver was related to Giovanni, neither of them looked closely related at all. Though, they decided to use this time to go and free Ash. The boy appeared to be laying on the ground tied up, at first sight they feared the worse since he wasn't moving, but after a quick moment they saw his chest rising and falling in a rhythm proving him to be alive.

"Dad, I've told you countless times I want nothing to do with you or your world domination," Silver stated while Serena and Dawn closed the distance. Serena could hear the sadness in Silver's voice, like he had been pleading with his father over something else before they arrived. "Please consider disbanding Team Rocket and coming home. I know mom wouldn't be thrilled, but if you showed her how nice of a guy you still are I think it could work. I don't want to arrest you, but if you leave me no choice I will, father!"

"That's cute of you," Giovanni laughed, rubbing his hand through Silver's hand only for it to be swatted away. "You honestly believe I, Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket, could lead a normal civilian life after all this time. Son, I'm one of the world's most wanted criminals if not _the_ most wanted one. There is no way I'm giving up this empire I've built because you want me to. Now, if you're going to arrest me, you'll have to be able to force me to come with you."

"Serena, are you hearing all of this," Dawn asked, Serena knowing she was shocked by the revelation since she herself was too. It was a lot to take in right now, especially since Silver fought for the G-Men while Giovanni led Team Rocket. Serena could tell that it made things difficult between them.

"Though," Giovanni's voice rang out, catching Serena and Dawn's attention, both girls freezing in their spots, their worst fears starting to come to fruition. "Before you try and take me in, shouldn't you try and help your friends? Specifically the two girls making their way towards Ash Ketchum? Serena and Dawn began to sweat, he knew they were here! This wasn't going to end well for them, not one bit!

"Mewtwo, give our guests a welcoming present," Giovanni spoke, a more expecting coldness present in his voice now. Serena and Dawn didn't know what to do, the former knowing full well they couldn't take Mewtwo down, especially since Ash couldn't do it. Deciding to risk it, Serena made a dash for Ash's body, leaving her coverage of wooden crates for this last chance. Seeing her, Mewtwo locked onto her and raised his hand.

"It shall be done, Master," the Psychic-Type spoke, a Shadow Ball forming within the raised hand. The orb cackled with energy, Serena gulping at the sight of such an attack and wondered how Ash did battling Mewtwo. Serena managed to reach Ash just as Mewtwo finished his attack, pointing the orb over at Serena (and Ash by extension). "This will all be over in less than a minute. Those who disobey Giovanni deserve to perish."

"Please, Ash, please wake up," Serena pleaded, pulling the unconsciously boy closer to her, resting his head in her lap. "I need you right now." Looking up from Ash's sleeping body, Serena saw the Shadow Ball coming right for her. Bracing herself for what was to be expected as the end of her life, Serena shut her eyes. Cries from Dawn and Silver filled her ears, but only thoughts of what could have been were what she heard. Her second Master Class, watching Ash face Diantha, possibly traveling another region to learn about it and work on her performances, even what her and Ash's relationship would have been like. All these ideas entered her head before deciding to face death with eyes wide open.

Open her eyes to the Shadow Ball, Serena waited for the powerful attack to reach her, but in the end it never did, a welcomed hero saving the day in the most unexpected way. Though she never expected her hero to be so shiny with a base color of blue.

"Wobba!"

* * *

 **And we end it there…haha...Wobbuffet to the rescue, or is he? Well, that'll be touched upon next chapter for those wondering. Anyways, the groups are making their last charges forward, with Alain getting semi-closure with Lysandre before taking the latter's help in stopping Giovanni. Elsewhere, Paul and Astrid show that teamwork isn't Paul's strong suit, especially if you don't know what he wants done when he wants it. And finally Sawyer gets pulled into a battle with Archer while Serena and Dawn try to save Ash. All while Silver is having daddy issues.**

 **Not sure when the next update will be, but I'm hoping for Monday if everything goes as I hope it does!**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	68. An Ultimate Choice

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, Serena's group made it to the top before being confronted by Archer, Sawyer choosing to stall him while the others went ahead to battle it out. Elsewhere, the others began to move on as well, advancing up the tower to the roof.**

 **Ch 68: An Ultimate Choice**

* * *

"This is why you don't mess around with me," Giovanni spoke, unaware of just what truly went down behind the smoke. Serena was thankful for the coverage, using the time to remove the restraints from Ash's body. She was fortunate that Giovanni hadn't seen Wobbuffet intercepting the attack, far too busy gloating instead. "Those who choose to go against my word will be disposed of."

"Maybe next time you should keep a better eye on your target!" Jessie's voice suddenly called out, Serena shocked by the rudeness in it. This was their _boss_ after all. Serena expected them to treat the man with a little more respect. Following the voice, Serena and Giovanni both noticed a helicopter perched right above them on the next level, Jessie, James and Meowth all standing next to it triumphantly. "If you had quit bragging then you would have seen your attack being stopped."

"What's the meaning of this! Report!" Giovanni shouted, Serena completely shocked at the scene before her. It appeared as though Team Rocket were actually disobeying the man they worked so hard to please. She could only assume that something must have happened to them at some point to cause such a drastic effect on them. "If this is about a promotion, you can kiss it goodbye unless you dispose of that incessant girl!"

Jessie appeared indifferent to the threat, yawning at the man while James shrugged his shoulders, a nonchalant look crossing his face. Even Meowth appeared to not care, cleaning out his claws instead. Serena knew something was definitely up _now_ but wasn't quite sure if it was all an act. However, all doubts in her mind were cleared once Jessie appeared to snap at the leader of Team Rocket.

"Just put a sock in it already, would you?" she asked, the tone she used causing even Serena to flinch, yet Giovanni stood strong, unwavering from the remark.

"Do ya really take us for fools?" Meowth joined in, waving his left claw out in front of his body, his eyes narrowed down at Giovanni. "Did ya really expect us ta work as servants?"

"We may be loyal, but we still have our dignity and servants are where we draw the line!" James joined in, the male appearing to have his knees buckling slightly while he talked. "We've spent our best years working endlessly for your approval and now...now that we're all used up we're to be thrown to the wayside like a used wash rag!"

Giovanni smirked at his three agents (or former, Serena wasn't sure) before chuckling to himself. "My, it appears we have quite the situation. If it's money, you know very well I can pay whatever amount you three would like. You're all indispensable to me, unlike with the other members of this organization. You three are some of the few employed by me to get their work done. How does a one-hundred and twenty percent raise sound?"

Serena couldn't believe her ears; Giovanni was trying to buy his agents' loyalty. And to Serena it seemed to almost be working, the joyous look on Jessie's face being wiped away as both James and Meowth whispered something into her ears. Immediately the smile turned to a frown, the female crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. Looking in front of herself for a moment, Serena noticed Wobbuffet seemed to be slightly tired, the attack from Mewtwo having taken a good amount of energy out of him.

"No," Jessie stated, snapping Serena back to them. Even Silver appeared confused over the situation, his instincts telling him to focus on Giovanni, but his body wanting to watch the former agents. Serena would have laughed at his reactions had the entire situation not been so dire. Off in the distance, Serena could see smoke coming from a section of the city, the power going out almost immediately in that section. Serena knew it was Clemont's doing, glad the inventor was doing well on his own.

"We are through working for you, Giovanni. Your years of using us without any actual desire to keep us as true agents has reached its end."

"Very well," the man answered, Serena thinking for a moment that his voice held a bit of sadness to it, but she wasn't quite sure. It definitely seemed off from his usual tone from talking with Silver. "I won't lie to you three anymore. I had no more use for you, especially since if this plan went through, we'd rule the world. Though, I also couldn't get rid of you since I view you three as responsible for this. If you choose to not become servants...well, it's an act of war against me and you'll be treated as traitors."

"Well, we have nothin' left ta say ta you except one thin'," Meowth spoke, Jessie and James nodding towards their feline companion. Serena had a feeling as to what it would be, but wasn't quite sure how it would be presented.

"Prepare for trouble, we're switching sides at last!"

"And make it double, we'll be causing quite a blast!"

"To protect the world from your rotten style!"

"To unite all trainers in this battle!"

"To denounce the evils of your wicked ways!"

"To extend our shield to the victims afar!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket in nothing but name alone!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight you, crone!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbu, wob!"

Serena watched on in shock, the group of three jumping down in front of her, acting as bodyguards of sorts to her and Ash. She could hear Sawyer's battle in the background, but it wasn't important right now. Instead, the fight before her seemed to just be getting started.

"This is a declaration of war, Bos- er, Giovanni! If you plan to take over this world and dispose of these twerps, you'll have to take us down too!" Jessie stated, pointing forward towards her former employer. As much of a pain these three were in the past, Serena was glad to see them on her side this time. Though, watching jessie, the girl seemed slightly peeved over something. Watching as the magenta haired lady turned to her friends, Serena wondered just what they were going to say.

"Crone? _That's_ what you could come up with?" Jessie asked, Serena about to fall over onto her face if it weren't for Ash sleeping in her lap. _That_ was what she seemed so upset over. "I told you before, we had one shot at impressing him with our resignation motto and you choose crone?"

"I was strapped for time," James pleaded, rubbing at the back of his head. Clasping his hands together, Serena assumed he was pleading with his partner to let this one slide. "And besides, I thought crone was quite the sinister, snarky, shot we needed to throw his way."

Looking over at Giovanni, the man did appear to be angered by the three, though Serena couldn't help but feel it wasn't from what they wanted it to be. Instead, she had a suspicious feeling it was from their bickering right now, especially after they interrupted his attack at Ash and her. Not that she wasn't grateful for the intervention, but she worried for the three former agents' safety right now. Closing his eyes, Giovanni merely tapped his foot, the incessant noise of his former employees arguing filling his ears. Crossing his arms, Serena knew it was a bad sign of things to come.

"Mewtwo, show our unwanted guests the exit. Give it your max power to show them just what they're up against. Even if they choose to rebel against me, I still have a soft spot for them," Giovanni spoke out, pointing a single finger over towards the babbling group that stood before Serena. The group's arguing made it difficult for Serena to understand the man, but upon seeing Mewtwo raising his arm, she knew it wasn't anything good that was coming their way.

"G-Guys," she tried to call out, her voice drowned out by Jessie's constant clamoring. Casting a glance over at Mewtwo, the sight of a large Shadow Ball filled her with fear. Not only for her own life, but for those standing before her. "Guys!" she shouted once more, putting everything she had into it. This time, it caught the arguing threesome's attention, Jessie hiding behind Wobbuffet only for the others to join her.

"Wobbuffet, my buddy and pal, yous gotta hold on for this one. Our skins are dependin' on it," Meowth spoke, appearing to give the blue lug a pep talk of sorts, the Shadow Ball now being fired off right for the group. Serena could hear Jessie calling for Wobbuffet to do something, sliding him forward with her foot while James screeched out like a girl, making Serena laugh had it not been for the situation they were in now.

"Wobba! Wobbuffet!" the Psychic-Type shouted with all his might. Just as he had when he saved her, Wobbuffet glowed a rainbow of colors, his body becoming shiny while also retracting his base blue. She couldn't help but wonder if it would be enough, especially against someone like Mewtwo who was now (supposedly) trying at his max. Closing her eyes, Serena listened on, Wobbuffet grunting as the Shadow Ball collided with his playful body.

"Don't even think of letting this attack beat you! Do you understand me, Wobbuffet!" Jessie called out, Serena peeking for a moment to see their shield slowly skid backwards, the attack proving to be too powerful for his already fatigued body.

"Old chum, you mustn't give in to this overwhelming power! Fight on and pull us closer to victory!" James joined in now, Serena watching as he pumped his fists in excitement. "You're the only one who can do this, Wobbuffet!"

"Wobba..." he moaned once more, starting to lose his footing. One of his blue legs started to lift up, Wobbuffet feeling his body beginning to lift up, the attack proving too much for him despite his best attempt. That was when Serena saw what came next, the action bringing a smile to her face.

"You're not giving up yet and neither are we!" Jessie shouted, planting her hands onto Wobbuffet's back, pushing against his own skidding body with all her might. Using her strength, Jessie shoved Wobbuffet back onto the ground, yet the duo soon found themselves skidding again.

"Oh no you don't! We can't stop, for it isn't just our family," James began to say, standing beside Jessie, helping to push against the attack, Meowth joining in on the opposite side.

"But for tha entire world," the Normal-Type stated, the three sharing a nod of approval before settling into what felt like a losing battle. Their bodies slid across the surface, Wobbuffet unable to contain the attack until Serena could feel the attack surging around the Psychic-Type, ripping up Jessie and James' clothes. Even Serena felt a few nicks in her own clothes from the attack, yet paid it no attention. Instead, she was too focused on the overpowering attack before her.

" _This might be it, Ash, I'm sorry..."_ she thought to herself momentarily before raising a hand. Slapping herself in the face, Serena cursed at herself, the young girl upset over the fact she was too quick to give up. If Ash had taught her anything, it was to never give up. Reaching for her Poké Balls, the young Performer quickly called upon her three oldest partners, feeling Pichu was too young for this situation.

Watching as her partners appeared beside her one by one, Serena quickly took the initiative, ordering a Flamethrower, Dark Pulse and Fairy Wind for the attack. Maybe if they could push it off course, it would alleviate some of the stress on Wobbuffet. Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon fired off their respective attacks, the combination creating a single beam of energy that crashed into the Shadow Ball from the side.

"Try all you want, but your weak attacks pale in comparison to what Mewtwo can do," Giovanni taunted them, Piplup joining in, adding a Bubble Beam to the beam, combined effort doing nothing to deter the attack. "It really is a delectable sight when people fail to accept their demise."

"Dragonite use Twister!" a new voice cried out, shocking all in attendance, even Giovanni appeared surprised to hear this new person. Serena had no time to look either, a sudden gust of wind blinding her and making it impossible to see. Though, whoever issued the attack saved them, the force from the winds pushing the Shadow Ball off of Wobbuffet and right into the side of the tower, a huge whole being present now.

"Took you long enough," Silver spoke, clearly not pleased with the new person. Serena turned her head ever so slightly to make out a man in a cape, though he seemed familiar she wasn't quite sure from where. "I figured you weren't coming after all and this would be left to just me and whoever else made it to the top, Lance."

"I got distracted by helping some citizens. You know my duty as Champion makes me want to help out everyone," the newcomer, known as Lance by Silver, spoke out, hands by his side while his Dragonite landed beside Serena's Pokémon. Though, now that I'm here, I can handle this, Silver. You and this small group of trainers held out long enough, now it's time for me to take over."

Giovanni began to chuckle, Serena unsure as to why he would. She knew she heard correctly; this guy was a Champion of one of the other regions. And judging by how quickly Jessie, James and Meowth were to jump behind him, Serena had a feeling he was pretty powerful. Opening his mouth, Giovanni soon brought an answer forth for Serena. "Does the League honestly believe _one_ Champion is enough to beat me? Especially with the power I hold before you? Mewtwo, get in there and teach these fools why you're the perfect lifeform."

Serena gulped, if even Giovanni wasn't afraid, then maybe Lance had no chance at all. Holding Ash tightly, Serena made sure he was fine. Lance noticed the fear brewing within her, gently placing a hand onto her shoulder, smiling down at the young girl. Serena could tell this was his way of telling her everything would be all right. Though, she couldn't help but have a slight feeling of worry, especially with Ash still out cold from earlier.

"Mewtwo, give him a Shadow Ball," Giovanni ordered, his voice sounding fatigued, as if he couldn't wait for everyone to be disposed of. Not waiting a moment, Mewtwo lifted his arm upwards, the Ghost-Type move forming into the shape of a perfect sphere within his palm. Firing it, Mewtwo moved at a speed Serena couldn't even tell was happening, but that didn't matter since Lance was able to keep up.

"Rip through it with your Dragon Claw!" the Champion ordered, throwing his right arm to the side, his cape blowing as he did so.

"Dragon! Nitttte!" the Dragon and Flying-Type screeched out, his claws glowing green before extending in size. With one swift movement, Dragonite's claws diced the Shadow Ball into pieces, the excess energy raining down like small sparkles all around them. Serena was amazed by Dragonite's strength, an attack that took everything they had to just stall was ripped to shreds in seconds by Dragonite.

"Stay on the offensive with a Wing Attack!"

Giovanni's smug look said it all to Serena; he wanted Lance to attack him. Without issuing a command, Giovanni merely lifted a finger while Mewtwo nodded. Getting into position, Mewtwo awaited his target, the Dragon Pokémon flying right at him with his glowing wings. Raising his hands outwards, Mewtwo met the attack head on, catching Dragonite right in his grasp for all to see. With a simple toss, Mewtwo had Dragonite on his back.

"Now, no time to waste on him, end it now. Hyper Beam, Mewtwo," Giovanni ordered, Serena seeing right away that he had no intentions of allowing Lance or Dragonite a moment's rest. Raising his palm once more, the orange energy concentrated onto a single point in the Psychic-Type's hand, forming a small orb at the very center. Making no sounds at all, Mewtwo fired off the attack, crashing right into Dragonite and pushing him right through the floor of the roof and into the depths of Prism Tower.

"D-Dragonite!" Lance called out, worried for his partner. Serena wasn't sure just what they could do now, especially with Dragonite presumably out of the fight. Or so it appeared to Serena and anyone else watching. Lance appeared to grit his teeth, turning right to Giovanni as his hands clinched into fists, his nails digging into his skin.

"That was uncalled for! Dragonite was already defenseless when you issued that attack!" Serena found herself calling out before she even knew what was happening. Looking over at Giovanni, the man appeared interested in, something she wasn't thrilled about.

"Uncalled for? Miss, you do realize this is a battle for your very life? This isn't any normal battle you have with your worthless friends," Giovanni spoke out, his calm voice sending shivers down Serena's neck. "Now, if you feel this may be a tad much for you, I recommend you leave here and wait for your demise instead of looking right at it blindly. Mewtwo."

Mewtwo nodded, raising his arms once more, this time two Shadow Balls forming, the two spheres conjoining together to create one large blast. Seeing this, Serena tensed up, her partners getting ready to battle, each of them in their own stances awaiting a command. Though, if she were honest with herself, Serena felt she didn't have a chance right now. Not after everything else that occurred just now. But looking down at Ash, she knew she had to fight.

"Now!" Nate's voice filled the area, Serena confused by just what was happening. Before she could recognize anything else, a flash of lightning filled the area alongside a stream of flames, the two blasts knocking Mewtwo's hands skyward to which the giant Shadow Ball was launched. The sphere continued upward until finally disintegrating into the atmosphere.

* * *

"This whole thing is stupid," Paul muttered, hands in his pockets, Electivire right beside him. For some reason, he couldn't shake the last image of Astrid being swallowed up by that strange substance. It was almost as if the action haunted him, like he was missing something. "The stupid tournament, this stupid ploy against Team Rocket and that stupid girl taking that vial for me," he stated, pausing in the hallway a moment to punch at the wall.

"That should have been me getting absorbed, not her!" he shouted out, Electivire unsure of just what to say or do. Letting his anger out for a moment at the fact _he_ had to be saved by someone else, he dropped to his knees, arms shaking. "No one should be involved in all of this! No one should have died!"

"Elec, electivire," the Thunderbolt Pokémon stated, Paul knowing full well what he was hinting at. He wasn't in the mood to argue with the Electric-Type, but now wasn't the time for him to try and joke around either. Standing back onto his two feet, Paul merely gave Electivire a glance, one that was the Electric-Type needed to get the message. Shutting his mouth, the duo continued on in silence.

"Electivire, what exactly do you think that goo was? Do you think it was deadly?" Paul asked, his mind still coming back to that one image of the strange substance closing in around Astrid and Absol, flying off with them while he was too weak to stop it. "I mean, do you think there is a chance they're all right? That Team Rocket member said something about being a part of a bigger purpose. That must mean they're alive."

"Electi..." Electivire muttered out, unsure of just what to say. Though, he had to admit, it was nice to see Paul worrying for someone else, even if the Electric-Type wasn't sure just _what_ Paul was feeling in this entire situation. But there was no denying it, Paul did treat her better than anyone else he interacted with. Though to Electivire, that wasn't saying much based on some of the other interactions he had seen Paul have.

"Yeah," Paul replied, the duo moving on. He wasn't sure where they were, but if they're to be a part of a bigger purpose they had to still be alive. He just wanted to believe it. He couldn't explain why, but perhaps it was because she took the hit meant for him. Or rather that's what he was telling himself, the Sinnoh native feeling that Electivire had different thoughts going on than he was at the moment. "We'll worry about that stuff later, first we need to get to the roof."

Moving down a corridor, Paul saw a familiar face for the first time since entering this tower. Not too far ahead was Alain walking alongside wo appeared to be Nate and one other gentleman. This guy appeared older than any of them, his strangely orange facial hair being the first thing Paul saw of him. Rushing down the hallway, he quickly joined the others, being introduced to their newest acquaintance.

"Hello there, young man, I am Lysandre, the former leader of Team Flare," he spoke out, placing a hand over his chest before bowing to Paul. The Sinnoh native merely grunted in response, not too pleased over the formal attitude the older man gave off. Though, the name Lysandre rang a bell to him.

"Paul. You're the man who tried to destroy the world, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in jail?" Paul replied, Alain merely shaking his head at his bluntness while Nate laughed nervously. Neither had explained to Paul just _why_ Lysandre was working with them for the time being. Still, they had hoped for a more civil first introduction for the former leader.

Shrugging his shoulders, Lysandre stepped forward towards Paul, looking the young boy right in the eyes. Paul didn't like this feeling, almost as if Lysandre was trying to peer into his soul for some strange reason. "Paul, I can see in your eyes that you're tired of all this. Well, so am I. Sometimes to reach an end, you need to build an agreement between otherwise enemies in your time of need. This is one of them."

Paul merely shrugged his own shoulders this time, walking past the older man, but not before muttering out how he didn't trust him at all. Electivire seemed slightly calmer over the situation, doing his best to mediate between what Paul said and how he really meant, though it was hard enough for the Electric-Type to introduce himself.

"I'm going to end this. Whoever wants to stay back here can, I'm continuing on to the top," Paul stated out, his voice void of emotion. Before he could continue on his walk, Paul felt himself grabbed by the shoulder. Turning around, he stared down Nate, not happy about the boy grabbing ahold of him. "Let go of me."

The International Policeman merely shook his head, telling the Sinnoh native just what he didn't want to hear. Trying to break free, it only got worse as Nate pushed him up against the wall. "Listen," Nate began, Paul muttering under his breath as he did so. "We're right beneath the final level. And if they are having Lysandre protecting this area, then it means there must not be anyone else left. So, instead of rushing in, we'll plan our attack for when Giovanni drops his guard," Nate explained, the sound of an explosion filling the hallway, a shockwave following soon after. Letting go of Paul, Nate leaned against the wall, wondering when the perfect time to attack would come.

"They've begun fighting, but who? Who would be stupid enough to engage Giovanni in a fight, especially with that Mewtwo up there," Lysandre spoke out, all three gathered trainers eyeing him. Paul appeared the least interested, the boy yawning out before Lysandre touched him on the shoulder. "I can tell you have some anger in you. If you want to have any chance against Giovanni, you have to go in with a clear head."

"This is my clear head," Paul scoffed off the entire conversation, slapping Lysandre's hand off of his shoulder. Moving across the hall, the felt another shaking sensation, wondering just what in the world could be happening up there when a cracking noise filled the area above them.

"Move!" Alain issued, Paul doing just that. Within moments, a Dragonite fell through the ceiling, Paul and the others watching while it continued falling, creating a hole in the center of the floor. Casting a look up through the hole in the ceiling, the small group of four noticed the creature they assumed was responsible for defeating the Dragonite. "I-Is that Mewtwo? Something like that, covered in all that armor?"

"I couldn't answer," Lysandre stated, eyes fixated more on the Dragonite who came to a rest a few floors below them. "I had never seen the creature at all. Though, even if it isn't Mewtwo, that thing is strong to defeat a Pokémon of that caliber like that. I'm no expert, but by the looks of that Dragonite's features, it was well trained. Perhaps as a member of an Elite Four or Champion's team."

"So, you still believe we should wait?" Paul asked, arms crossed. Right now they had to strike, especially since Mewtwo or whatever that creature could actually be was now charging up one large attack. It seemed that whatever he was charging up for was to be the end of his opponent. "Because if we do, whoever is on the receiving end of that attack may not be around for much longer. I already have enough on my conscious from today, I don't need a death to haunt me."

"No," Nate spoke, signaling for Alain to bring Charizard out from his device. Upon release, the Flame Pokémon landed with a mighty roar, one that shook the now weakened surface, Paul glaring at him. "Wait for my signal, the timing must be perfect, otherwise it won't work," Nate continued on, counting down on his fingers for the others to time themselves. Reaching zero, Nate nodded to the duo. "Now!"

"Electivire, use Thunder!"

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

The two attacks shot upwards, slamming right into Mewtwo's hands and changing their target slightly. Instead of aiming at whoever was on the receiving end of that attack, Mewtwo launched the Shadow Ball up into the sky, the attack finally dying out after hitting no target. Nate wasn't finished though, calling on Dewott, the duo jumped up onto the roof while Electivire carried Paul and Charizard had Alain and Lysandre ride on him. The group all touched down, circling Giovanni on the now crowded roof.

"Is everyone purposefully taking forever today?" Silver asked before calling out his Feraligatr. Paul wondered if the guy had even noticed if both himself and Astrid went missing or if he just didn't care. Because not once did he try to help them. "Doesn't matter now, but we need to arrest him. Giovanni, you're surrounded and outnumbered. There's no way you can take us all at once."

"How you're so very wrong," Giovanni spoke out, touching his Keystone once more. Just like with Ash, the gathered group were shocked, Mewtwo's body changing shape into a more built one, muscle covering his entire body. "Mega Mewtwo X would like to show you how wrong you are."

Without any notice, Mewtwo vanished, reappearing in front of Charizard and slamming a Shadow Ball right into the Fire and Flying-Type's stomach. Charizard roared in pain, but Mewtwo didn't stop there, grabbing him by the tail, the Psychic-Type threw Charizard up into the air where he was already met with a waiting Mewtwo. Delivering a Drain Punch to the back, Mewtwo sent Charizard back on a one-way trip to colliding with the roof's surface, a Shadow Ball smashing into his back to increase his falling speed.

"Rawwrrr," Charizard muttered out, exhausted from that small beating. Everyone was shocked by the display of power from Mewtwo, taking out Charizard before anyone could even try to issue a command to stop him. Giovanni stood there smirking, just like someone who just proved everyone else in class wrong.

"Now do you understand the true power behind Mega Mewtwo!?" he called out laughing at the sight before him. "Gather as many trainers as you'd like, no one can handle Mewtwo now! Though even without Mewtwo I could wipe you all out without a single issue. And it's all thanks to this weapon right here!" he continued on, tapping his machine. Off in the distance another explosion occurred, this time the tower began to flicker, a clear sign Clemont had finished his job like he wanted to.

"Not for long," Serena shouted, catching Giovanni's attention. Paul likewise wanted to know what she meant, especially since he knew little about Kalos or just what that Gym Leader truly had planned. "Clemont just blew up the generators, that means all power to the city is shutting down and that machine won't be operable now!"

Giovanni tapped his foot, almost like he was in a deep thought. Paul was perplexed by the situation, did Serena, this girl who hadn't shown much during the tournament actually stump the head of Team Rocket? Paul felt it was too good to be true, and unfortunately it was. The man soon began laughing at the gathered group once more, as if crushing what little moral they had left.

"Did you honestly believe I only relied on the energy from the plants?" he asked out loud, reaching into the machine, Paul assuming it was a compartment to carry items, not that it mattered. Pulling out a small canister, the older man opened it, revealing what seemed to be a surplus of electrical energy. "This energy is very pure and is straight from the wild. I wouldn't have had it if not for those three bumbling morons hiding behind Lance, but I guess their last final job is this."

"T-That's the energy Team Rocket took from the Electrike back when we were heading to Shalour City!" Serena cried out, unsure of what to expect now. Paul didn't know what she meant, but any energy for that machine was not good. Especially since they didn't plan for this. "How do you plan to use it?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Giovanni spoke out, pouring the contents into a power supply chamber. "But, the machine runs on energy so any energy must be fine. Though, based on the amount here...I have maybe one firing left before it's completely empty. So, better make it count," he stated, starting the machine up.

"Though, I think it would be best to kill the Performer first. She was always close to that Ketchum brat so what better way to wake up than to learn she's dead?" Giovanni asked no one in particular, laughing as he did so. Setting the weapon to point for Serena, the crazed man began to power it up, Mewtwo keeping Paul, Silver and Nate at bay from even trying to stop the firing of it. Punching in a few more commands, the machine finally reached full power, the laser forming at the opening of weapon, the energy surging forward.

" _Electivire can use Protect on her and keep her safe,"_ Paul began to think to himself, but before he could issue the command, Mewtwo flew by, grabbing ahold of Electivire, Dewott and Feraligatr. The Psychic-Type clearly didn't think of Serena's Pokémon as threats. _"Damn it! There goes our one chance,"_ he continued, watching as the weapon began to fire. Looking away from the attack, he couldn't bring himself to look at what was to come. However, in his moment of looking away, the Sinnoh native missed what actually happened.

"L-Ly-Lysandre," Serena muttered out through her sobbing. Opening his eyes, Paul saw the man laying on the ground, a hole in his chest now, his breathing becoming irregular. He hadn't even seen him make the first move to push her out of the way, and yet here he was, the one with the hole through his chest. "W-Why? Why did you save me?"

"I...I want a better world, and I felt you could help more than I ever could," the man explained, Alain making his way over to the man. Paul had a feeling this may have been hard on the Kalos native, but wasn't sure how hard, choosing to give the duo space than to rush over to the dying man. "And...I feel it's my ultimate payback...for everything I've done to you all. It doesn't make up for it all...but...but hopefully one day it does."

"Lysandre!" Alain cried out, kneeling down next to the wounded man. "This wasn't how it was meant to go and you know it! You can't go yet, not until I can make amends for my mistakes."

"A-Alain...you need to stop living in the past... Don't focus on what...on what you did, but instead...instead, think of what you _will_ do," the dying man spoke, placing a hand over his injury. For a weapon of that magnitude, Paul expected it to be a lot stronger if he was honest. In fact, he was surprised Lysandre was even barely alive at this point. "Listen, Alain...promise to use this failure as you see it...and...and use it to grow as a person. No one...no one is perfect, that much is true for each of us. But...but, you're the next generation, the group of citizens that'll bring this world...into...its...next age..." he trailed off, his breaths becoming slower as he did so, Alain obviously not ready for this yet, the boy punching the ground in frustration.

"I didn't even realize that fool was up here until now," Giovanni mused, slightly upset over his target being changed. Casting a glance over at Serena, Paul could tell she wasn't okay with this, especially since a man _died_ protecting her. Tears were rolling down her face, her eyes puffy and her breathing was choppy. Paul wondered just how she was fine...or rather still able to continue on. "However, I see his death is having an emotional impact. For a man who had nothing, it seems he had a lot to lose," the leader of Team Rocket spoke out, laughing at Alain and Serena.

"P-P-Please, Ash, please wake up!" she cried out, her tears landing onto Ash's face. Paul hated to admit it, but they needed him now. Their Pokémon were pinned down and no one else could really do anything to stop Giovanni. "I...no, we all need you, Ash! Please wake up!" she cried louder, her tears now soaking the front of his jacket. Paul thought his eyes were playing tricks, but he could have sworn he saw some stirring.

" _There it is again!"_ he thought to himself, both Ash and Greninja appeared to move slightly. What was a twitch at first not looked to be their entire arm or leg. Soon, Ash was opening his eyes, surprised at everything happening around them.

"S-Serena?" Ash muttered weakly, said girl pulling him close to her. She was worried for him, for everyone, but him especially. But now that he was awake it would be all better, or so everyone hoped so. "What are you doing here?"

"We all fought our way up the tower to stop Team Rocket. Though...we kind of got split up along the way. Only Dawn and I are left from the original group while some of the others made it as well." Serena then paused a moment, her eyes trailing over to Lysandre, Ash noticing the still body laying not too far from them.

"Lysandre...he risked his life for me," Serena explained, Ash now sitting up by his own power. Adjusting his cap, he stood straight up, staring down Lysandre. To Paul's amazement, Greninja broke free from his restraints before jumping up into a fighting stance. Something seemed different about the two of them, it being most evident by Greninja having vortex of water forming around him.

"Giovanni! You'll pay for the pain you put everyone through! You won't get away with any of this, we'll stop you now once and for all! It isn't just for us, or this region, but the entire world is depending on us, and we won't let them all down!" Ash called out, Greninja copying Ash's motions while inside of the vortex. Paul was mesmerized by it, wondering just what it was, could it be Mega Evolution or a whole new transformation? The answer soon came through, the vortex moving onto Greninja's back to form a shuriken, revealing his new state.

"For Lysandre and everyone else you've put through torture, we'll stop you!" Ash shouted, fist raised. Paul had to admit (as much as it pained him to), that Ash looked pretty intimidating right now. If there was anyone who could stop Giovanni, it was Ash.

" _Go get him, Ash,"_ Paul thought, a look of bewilderment on his face the moment Greninja sprang into action, the speed matching that of Mega Mewtwo.

* * *

"Sceptile, slice through the flames with Dragon Claw!" Sawyer commanded, wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead. The heat was starting to get to both himself and Sceptile, Archer and his Houndoom just kept coming back at him with more and more fire every time they broke through a little.

"This again?" Archer asked, hands in his pockets while Houndoom growled at the approaching Pokémon. "You should know by now how pointless that attack is, your Sceptile isn't getting close to us as long as we can help it! Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

"Keep going, Sceptile!"

"Tile!" the Forest Pokémon shouted in agreement, his claws slashing right through the first batch of flames only for them to be used as a shield, blocking a few of the second round of flames before they became too strong for the Grass and Dragon-Type. Sceptile however wasn't giving up, slamming his tail into the ground, he used the shockwave as a springboard and launched himself up over the Flamethrower, landing his Dragon Claw attack on Houndoom's back.

"I guess we did get close after all," Sawyer stated, his breathing now heavy from all the smoke from the constant Flamethrowers and the gas from Houndoom. "Now, use your Leaf Blade and switch it into Dragon Claw!"

"Smog, quickly," Archer commanded, a small sense of urgency present for the first time all battle. Sawyer cursed himself, having forgotten about the Smog attack for a moment when issuing his command. Turning his body quickly, Houndoom fired off the gas cloud right into Sceptile's face, the Forest Pokémon suffocating on the poisonous gas before stumbling backwards. "Now Fire Blast!"

"Not this time! Use Leaf Storm to dodge!" Sawyer countered, throwing his arms out to the side while Sceptile fought his dazed state. Once back under control, the Grass and Dragon-Type dug his tail into the ground, the sound of it spinning emulating that of a drill before Sceptile was launched high above the incoming Fire Blast. Landing safely on the ground, Sceptile turned to his opponent once more, ready to continue on.

"You're kind of quick on your feet, kid," Archer stated, catching his breath for a moment before pausing. "If you weren't on the wrong side, I would easily offer you a position as my partner. However, I don't see it working out between us sadly."

"Let's say that it wouldn't work out at all," Sawyer responded, eyes narrowed at his opponent before scanning the field. Looking at his handy work, Sawyer felt comfortable about bringing this battle to an end soon. Or rather putting Archer and Houndoom in a position they couldn't get out of. Cracks laced the roof and Sawyer couldn't help but worry about what Clemont would say once he caught sight of it. But now wasn't the time for thinking, it was for taking charge.

"Houndoom, get in there with another Smog, but then mix in a Flamethrower!" Archer commanded, a smirk crossing his face. "You're not the only one who can use a combination or two. Try this one on for size!"

"Houunnnn," Houndoom growled out, the thick smog rolling out of his mouth, the gas covering the area to the point Sawyer couldn't see anything. Coughing, the Hoenn native tried to find Houndoom, but the Fire and Dark-Type moved too fast for him to find him. Opening his maw again, Houndoom unleashed a torrent of flames, all of which caused the Smog to explode once they mixed, the explosion sending Sceptile and Sawyer flying backwards.

Neither were ready to surrender just yet. Even if that last attack left a few burn marks on Sawyer's body and Sceptile appeared poisoned, they weren't going to stop. Calling for another Dragon Claw, Sawyer watched on in an apologetic fashion as Sceptile smashed away at the concrete in failure, Houndoom dodging each and every attack with ease only to counter them with a Flamethrower.

" _Just hang in for a little longer, Sceptile,"_ Sawyer pleaded, unsure of how much was left in the tank, but knew Sceptile wasn't one to back down from a fight and neither would he. "Alright, Sceptile, Leaf Storm on the ground to create some height for yourself!"

"That won't work this time," Archer countered, waiting for Sceptile to go airborne before issuing his next command. Slamming his large tail into the ground, Sceptile spun around before launching high into the air, his claws already glowing green, knowing a clash was eminent. "Now! Flamethrower!"

"Not this time!" Sawyer stated, causing Archer to scowl at him. Smiling over to his opponent, Sawyer wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead before calling out his next command. "Spin to the right! And when you land hit them hard but aim for the ground as well!"

"Sceptile!" he cried in agreement, using all his momentum to get his body to spin to the right. Seeing Sceptile do so, Sawyer cheered out in excitement, the duo able to copy and perfect one of Ash's dodging strategies and in a time like this! Landing right next to Houndoom, Sceptile ran his claws against the ground before slashing across Houndoom's side, the Fire and Dark-Type crying out in pain from the attack.

"And your big move was spinning out of the way? A little overdramatic for the outcome, no?" Archer asked, shaking his head over Sawyer's celebration. For some reason, the boy was too happy, yet the man assumed it was from landing a hit as well as dodging. "Though, that'll be the last hit you land on us. You won't win. Fire Blast!"

"I don't care about winning, I just want to stop you and Houndoom from trying to stop anyone else who climbs up here! I've come too far to allow an organization such as Team Rocket to take it all away from me! Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" Sawyer commanded, the boy growing slightly worked up over the entire situation.

Running along the surface, careful not to step on any cracks, Sceptile flung his arms outward, the blades on the ends stiffening up while also glowing a green in shade. Running straight for the Fire-Type attack, Sceptile sliced through it, but his poisoned body acted up, allowing Houndoom the opportunity to strike.

"Now, Fire Fang!"

"Hang on just a little, Sceptile," Sawyer commanded, the boy flinching slightly as he watched Houndoom sink his teeth into Sceptile's arm. The flaming teeth left a painful feeling throughout Sceptile, the Grass and Dragon-Type having to throw the Fire and Dark-Type off of his body to break free. Sliding across the floor, Houndoom landed in the spot Sa

"I guess this is the end! Sceptile, Frenzy Plant!" Sawyer commanded, slamming his fist into the ground, the area shaking slightly the moment Sceptile did so. Archer didn't seem worried by what he called an oversized plant attack. He especially didn't seem nervous by dodging the first two vines that erupted out of the ground. However, the fatigue began to set in, Houndoom being caught in the vines soon after, causing Archer and Houndoom annoyance.

"What did you do!?" Archer demanded, vines scattered everywhere through the field. "There's no way Sceptile can shoot so many in random directions."

"You're right, Sceptile couldn't aim like that, but by placing cracks around the field, sooner or later you'd land on a section with them and that's when we planned to strike. Though, I didn't expect it to take a few tries, Houndoom is well trainer," Sawyer stated, Sceptile charging right at his opponent with a Dragon Claw.

"Tile!" he cried out, slicing his claws right against Houndoom's face, the Dark Pokémon fainting from the attack, only for Sceptile to collapse shortly after as well. Both Pokémon were extended past their limits in hopes of winning and it resulted in a tie.

"You may have won the battle, but you haven't won the war just yet," Archer spoke, pulling a vial out of his pocket. Slamming it by Sawyer, the red substance swarmed him and Sceptile, the duo unable to avoid whatever it was. "Have fun being devoured and turned into fuel. I'm sure you'll appreciate where you're going to!"

"Get this goo off of me!" Sawyer cried out, struggling to get the substance off of his body. The more he fought it, the stronger it became, or so it seemed to Sawyer. Even Sceptile couldn't put up a fight, having been absorbed fully by the product of some strange scientific experiment. Fighting for as long as he could, Sawyer realized there was no escape followed by the substance covering him fully. "I...don't know what this is, but it won't stop Ash and the others!" Sawyer cried out before the goo shrunk down and carried him away.

"That was easier than I thought, that goo stuff worked like a charm," Archer spoke, rubbing his hands together before walking towards Houndoom. Unknown to him however, was that some of the substance was still here and before he knew it, the cells attacked him.

"H-Hey, this isn't how it's supposed to work! You don't go after us, just those stupid brats!" Archer screamed out, but the cells didn't care. With no problem at all, the substance absorbed Houndoom while Archer still fought with it, unsure of how to save himself now. Unable to, the goo closed around him until no light or air could get in. Banging on the substance, Archer tried to break free but it was no use. Trying one last attempt to get free, Archer failed as the substance shrunk him down and flew off.

* * *

 **Another one has come and gone and the end is near. This chapter was slightly shorter than the others since with everything else about to happen this was the perfect place to end it compared to other ideas I tried. We have two chapters remaining with Team Rocket and I plan to have them up before the end of this week. Then after that it'll leave us with roughly 10 chapters left. So, there isn't much time left with the story, so hopefully you've all enjoyed it so far.**

 **As for the chapter, some things happened, such as TRio trying to stop Mewtwo, and failing before hiding away for the time being (more on that in another chapter) along with Lance just being thrown off to the side like a ragdoll (or rather his Dragonite). And then Ash finally woke back up, but not before the big sacrifice from Lysandre. Poor guy had it coming, he had too many regrets, he wanted to do** _ **something**_ **meaningful after he attacked Lumiose City so why not save a child?**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	69. Victorious?

**Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, Ash was finally back at and ready to face off against Giovanni.**

 **Not much else to say…so let's get right into the chapter!**

 **Ch 69: Victorious?**

* * *

It was dark. Ash couldn't see anything around him, in fact, he couldn't move his body. It felt like he was being crushed under a pile of stones, none of his muscles able to respond to his simple commands. A bright light filled the area, revealing Ash to be back on top of Prism Tower, Giovanni standing opposite him while Mewtwo was forced to do his bidding.

"Gren!" Greninja's voice filled Ash's ears, the Ninja Pokémon flying across the tower before smashing into a wall. Ash tried to call out, but his voice wouldn't project outwards, almost as if something was caught in his throat. He continued to yell, to try and warn his partner of Mewtwo's approaching figure but he couldn't. Before he knew it, Mewtwo had grasped Greninja around his neck, the Water and Dark-Type gasping for breath, his body going limp from the lack of oxygen.

Struggle as he could, Greninja was helpless to his captor's will, his arms falling down to his sides, his neck having been crushed. Ash could see the wicked grin on Giovanni, the despicable man issuing for Mewtwo to dispose of the body. Tossing Greninja's body forward, Mewtwo readied his attack, a Shadow Ball, before striking Greninja with it. The powerful attack soared right through Greninja before his body fell down below the tower, Ash unable to see the Ninja Pokémon any longer.

Ash wanted to scream, he tried to cry, just to do anything to show his emotions yet his body wouldn't react. Before he knew it, the scene changed. He was up again, his body lighter then usual as he walked around the tower.

"Giovanni! You'll pay for what you did to Greninja!" Ash shouted, gripping a Poké Ball, only for his hand to slip through it. He found this weird, in fact, it was the first time he realized Pikachu wasn't with him either. The little Electric-Type having been missing from his sight since their battle earlier.

"Do you two really believe you stand a chance against me? Neither of you are even close to my strength," Giovanni spoke out, a small laughter trailing after it. It seemed to Ash the man was ignoring him, and turning to look at those gathered with him, Ash was shocked. Laying on the ground unconscious were his friends, some looking to be in better condition than others.

"Alain, Sawyer!" Ash yelled out, the two trainers spread on the ground, cuts all over their bodies. "Trip! And Paul too!" Ash noticed all his rivals were tossed around like ragdolls, none of them having been enough to handle Giovanni. There were still a few left standing, Serena and Clemont to be exact. Yet, he was worried for them, both Braixen and Manectric were done and the trainers themselves were roughed up. Clemont's glasses were gone and the top of his jumpsuit had holes in it. Serena didn't look much better, her hat lost during the skirmish. There appeared to be some blood on her arm, what Ash presumed used to be white bandages now soaked in blood from an attack.

Gritting his teeth, Ash ran towards the man, throwing a punch right into Giovanni's face. However, much to his shock, his fist sailed right through him in the same manner it had when reaching for a Poké Ball.

"W-What's going on?" he asked himself, no one responding to his question. In fact, it seemed as though no one heard him based on their reactions.

"It doesn't matter if we're not as strong as you!" Clemont's voice rang out, Ash looking to see the inventor holding his left arm carefully, the Kanto native thinking that it must have been broken. "We'll continue to fight, until we take our very last breaths! We'll fight for this world you wish to control, even if it means dying for it!"

"Ash wouldn't give up against you and neither will we!" Serena joined in, the Performer wincing from the pain flowing through her arm. "If he were here, he'd show you just what would happen! Instead we'll have to take his place!"

"I suppose you would like to join him as well," Giovanni spoke out. The way everyone was talking about him made Ash wonder if he were dead. Running a hand across his chest, the body part phased through his stomach much to his shock.

"Mewtwo, send these two to where you sent that Ketchum brat." Mewtwo acknowledged the command, raising his arms up and firing the first Shadow Ball off, striking Clemont in the chest and throwing him off of the tower. Ash screamed for his friend but it was too late, Clemont having vanished over the edge.

"Serena, watch out!" he shouted once the second was launched, turning his attention from the edge to the girl he loved. He could only watch in horror as she too succumbed to the same fate of Clemont. He called out for her falling body, but once again his voice wouldn't project.

Once more, before he knew it, Ash was in a different setting. Gone was the tower and in its place, was just a dark room. There was nothing around him, but he could hear yelling. It sounded like Silver's voice. And then there was Giovanni's. The Pallet Town trainer wanted to hear better, but everything was too muffled, he strained to listen but no matter what it never got any clearer. Then, before he knew it, a bright light filled the room, yet he still couldn't make out his surroundings. He felt compelled to walk towards it, yet when he did all Ash could feel was danger towards this object. Reaching out for it, an outside force made him reach away, almost like when Serena would slap his wrist away from the Poképuffs before dinner.

The light vanished before his eyes, Ash never able to understand just what that object was. Yet, with its vanishing, a new sensation filled Ash's body. He felt wet. Looking around, he didn't see any rain or water, yet his chest was getting damp.

"Please, Ash. Please wake up!" Serena's voice entered his mind, Ash wondering where she was. The room soon filled with Serena's voice, to which Ash thought she had been crying. In a sudden flash of brightness, Ash was ripped out of his current location, a new sight before him.

"S-Serena?" Ash asked groggily. Blinking his eyes from the brightness outside. Looking around slowly, he saw the others were alright, even Greninja who was now getting up. _"Was it all just a dream? It seemed so real though,"_ Ash thought to himself, clenching his hands into fists. Even if that entire situation was nothing but a dream, he knew he wouldn't give up. That was when he noticed Lysandre.

Serena followed his gaze, resting her eyes on the once extremist. "He gave his life to save ours in a last moment sacrifice. There was nothing anyone could do to help."

"And Clemont? What about him, where is he?" Ash asked, teeth grit from the sight of Lysandre's motionless body. He didn't deserve this even if he had tried to kill them. "And, Pikachu, how is he?"

Serena shrugged her shoulders while Ash stood on his own. "We're assuming he's fine. Last I saw him, he was heading to shut down power to the entire city and it seemed to work. As for Pikachu, he's just resting still. But he'll be just fine."

"That's good to hear," Ash replied, stretching his body out before flashing a smile to Serena. "I'm just glad everyone, especially you, are all fine. I don't know what I would do if something happened to anyone." Turning towards Greninja, the duo shared a small nod of agreement before the familiar vortex of water surrounded the Ninja Pokémon. Turning his attention to Giovanni, Ash looked ready to end this battle once and for all.

"Giovanni! You'll pay for the pain you put everyone through! You won't get away with any of this, we'll stop you now once and for all! It isn't just for us, or this region, but the entire world is depending on us, and we won't let them all down!" Ash called out, Greninja copying Ash's motions while the vortex continued the transformation. Those not familiar with it looked on in surprise while Giovanni appeared to relish the opportunity to defeat Ash in front of all his friends. Clenching his left fist, Ash extended it forward, staring directly into Giovanni's eyes, showing off his determination.

"For Lysandre and everyone else you've put through torture, we'll stop you!" Ash shouted, his fist now raised before his own eyes. Shaking, Ash felt Greninja finish transforming, the duo ready to battle together.

"I'm waiting," Giovanni smirked, Mega Mewtwo standing in front of him, arms crossed, having released the other Pokémon from his earlier grasp. "Show us your true power. Otherwise this won't last long. Mewtwo, Shadow Ball."

"Dodge with Double Team, Greninja! Then go into Aerial Ace!" Ash called out, his arm being thrown out to the side. Mewtwo raised his hands, the familiar sphere of energy forming within his palms. Firing one blast off, Mewtwo continued the attack and launched a second blast before continuously launching the orbs at Greninja.

"Gren, gren, greninja!" the Water and Dark-Type grunted, dodging each of the blasts, unable to create his clones to do battle with. Sliding underneath one Shadow Ball, Greninja had to move quickly, kicking the next attack skywards with an Aerial Ace. Jumping back onto his feet, the Ninja Pokémon was met with a blast to his face, Mewtwo not giving him an inch to work with.

"Greninja!" Ash shouted, his partner being tossed backwards only for a second blast to strike him in midair. Flipping around the air, Greninja seemed like an easy target for Mewtwo. "Quick, block those Shadow Balls with your shuriken!"

"Gren!" the Ninja Pokémon shouted, whipping his body around, pulling his shuriken out like a shield. The Shadow Balls crashed into his watery object before smoke filled the area, shrouding Greninja within it. Using this to his advantage, Greninja finally performed a Double Team, replicating himself within the smoke as coverage.

"Do you honestly believe these clones will help you at all? They'll be of no use to you once Mewtwo gets his hands on them! Hyper Beam!" Giovanni shouted out, the leader throwing his open palm forward. Mewtwo likewise copied this action, his palm glowing a shade of orange before the blast struck outward, blowing away the smoke and revealing all the copies of Greninja.

The Ninja Pokémon was defenseless while the Hyper Beam blew away a handful of his copies, but the attack didn't deter his determination. Rushing forward, Greninja's limbs glowed a shade of white before punching forward across Mewtwo's armored face. The attack appeared to inflict no damage onto Mewtwo, the Psychic-Type brushing it off easily before countering with a Drain Punch. Moving instinctively, Greninja managed to block the attack with his leg, sweeping it upward before jumping backwards to distance himself from Mewtwo.

The remaining clones moved forward in attack formation, their limbs all glowing the same hue Greninja's did moments prior. Mewtwo however was ready this time, meeting each attack head on with his own. Fists clashed in a battle of might, Mewtwo proving to be superior to Greninja's copies. Each were dealt with effortlessly, leaving Mewtwo without even an ounce of sweat on his body.

"He's too strong," Alain muttered, having joined ranks near Ash and Serena. Charizard likewise was up again though moving slowly due to his injuries, yet they weren't going to slow him down now. "A direct attack won't get us anywhere. Allow us to give you the opening to strike. Charizard, let's go! Evolve beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!" the young trainer declared, touching down onto his Keystone. Shining bright, Charizard changed shape once more despite his fatigue. Once finished, the Flame Pokémon charged forward, claws glowing green.

"Feraligatr, get in there too with your own Dragon Claw attack!" Silver joined in, the two Pokémon charged forward, claws raised before their bodies. Mewtwo didn't seem impressed by their attack. Instead, dodging the first blow from Charizard before slamming a Drain Punch into Feraligatr's chest. The latter flew backwards while the former went in for another blow.

"Rawwrr!" Charizard called out, shooting flames right into Mewtwo's face. Singeing Mewtwo's armor, Charizard swiped at his face mask only to be parried by a Drain Punch.

"You're an annoying bunch. I should have expected that, especially since you all have some relation towards Ketchum. Mewtwo, Shadow Ball! Then finish him with Hyper Beam!" Giovanni commanded, the sudden blast striking Charizard in the face. The Fire and Dragon-Type fell backwards, stumbling to get back up. Mewtwo walked forward, his extended palm glowing orange with the overflowing energy.

"Greninja! Now, get in there with a Night Slash!" Ash countered, his partner springing back into action. Dashing across the tower's floor, the Water and Dark-Type reached Charizard's weakened body before pulling out his purple blade of energy. Slicing forward, Greninja launched the blade forward, slicing right through the approaching Hyper Beam blast and giving him the opening he needed.

"Alright! Water Shuriken!"

Pulling the weapon from his back, Greninja tossed the projectile through the opening. The Water Shuriken followed right behind the Night Slash blade, the two attacks carving through the Hyper Beam before crashing into Mewtwo. The power behind the attack caused Mewtwo to stutter backwards, while also involuntarily causing the Hyper Beam to crash in on Greninja and Charizard.

Smoke filled the area, Ash and Alain both worried for their Pokémon. However, as the smoke cleared it showed them to be all right. Or rather Greninja to be fine while Charizard blocked the attack, his now reverted body having shielded Greninja. Mewtwo remained hidden within the smoke cloud however.

"Rawrr..." he muttered, standing back up despite his fatigue. It appeared to both Ash and Alain that his injuries were making it impossible to stay Mega Evolved any longer despite able to keep fighting.

"Charizard, take a breather while the others handle this!" Alain commanded, Charizard merely grunting before taking to the sky. However, Giovanni and Mewtwo appeared to have a different idea, a Shadow Ball crashing through the smoke and into the retreating figure.

Greninja raised his defenses, purple blades ready in his hands. He wasn't sure just what was coming but he needed to be ready. Casting a glance, Greninja sighed in relief as Charizard straightened himself out before crashing into the ground. Ash likewise was nervous. Mewtwo was on a completely different level than them and despite everyone's best efforts they couldn't scratch him.

" _There's gotta be a way to land a hit. Even when Greninja created an opening we barely touched Mewtwo."_ Ash couldn't figure out anything, but before he could react, Mewtwo had already attacked. Using a Shadow Ball to distract Greninja, Mewtwo landed a Drain Punch square in the chest. Greninja slid backwards from the blow, Ash grabbing at his own chest, seemingly having the air knocked out of him.

"Gahhh..." Ash moaned, leaning forward only for Alain and Serena to catch him. That last hit had dealt a lot of damage, both Ash and Greninja breathing heavily from it.

"You claim to be strong enough to stop me, but you can't even protect yourselves," Giovanni gloated, calling for another Hyper Beam. The orange beam shot outwards, encompassing the entire area as the blast seemed destined to wipe everyone out.

Paul however was faster. "Electivire, Protect!" he issued, the Electric-Type moving in front of everyone, raising his arms in time for the green barrier to form. The Hyper Beam rammed into Electivire's Protect, a few cracks forming as Electivire struggled under the mighty pressure from the attack.

"Feraligatr, give them some help with a Hydro Cannon!" Silver called out, the sudden surge of the Water-Type attack crashing into Mewtwo, knocking his attack off target. The Hyper Beam continued to sail outwards until exploding over the Lumiose sky. Ash turned his head in shock, having forgotten all about Feraligatr and Silver. The young trainer however seemed unpleased.

"Lance," he stated, staring at the man with what Ash felt was regret. Possibly the two were regretting this entire plan of theirs. If so, Ash could understand why. "Are you just going to sit around and do nothing while we all battle? What kind of Champion are you?"

"I can't battle..." the Champion of Kanto and Johto stated bitterly, Ash slightly curious as to his reasoning for all of this. "You saw how Dragonite and I were caught off guard, he's now possibly at the bottom of Prism Tower while I'm up here. You know first hand that I would be battling and helping out if I could."

"You know, you were a lot cooler to look up to before I joined the G-Men," Silver shot back, issuing for an Ice Punch. Greninja also joined in on the attack with an Aerial Ace, the two attacks being blocked by Mewtwo's fists.

"Dewott, perhaps now is our time to join in as well! Razor Shell!" Nate called forth, pointing right at their opposition. Pulling off his scalchop, Dewott raced forward, his blade of water slashing Mewtwo across the chest before being kicked in the face.

"Ash, have you noticed it yet?" Paul asked before sending Electivire into battle. The Electric-Type landing a Thunder Punch on Mewtwo, stunning him enough for Greninja to kick him with an Aerial Ace.

"Yeah. But I wasn't sure if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me," the Kanto native replied, Feraligatr and Electivire combining their Thunder and Hydro Cannon attacks to stun Mewtwo slightly. Pausing his thoughts for a moment, Ash called for Greninja to slam his Water Shuriken down into Mewtwo.

"Greninja!" he shouted out, fatigue setting into his body by this point. Yet, he knew he had to keep going. Slamming his shuriken down onto Mewtwo, Greninja backflipped away before raising his fists for battle.

"Good," Paul spat out, Ash nodding at the fact he wasn't alone in noticing it. "A few more good hits and that armor should be destroyed. It's taken quite the beating so far."

"But so have we," Nate spoke up, resting Dewott in his lap. Ash was amazed that Mewtwo took him out in just one blow. Or rather tired him out like that. "Dewott and Charizard are both exhausted while no doubt Greninja, Electivire and Feraligatr must be reaching their limit as well. We can't overestimate our predicament."

"Well, I'm guessing probably one more good hit will get that armor off and free Mewtwo," Ash stated, fixing his hat before grabbing at his side, Greninja having been blasted by a Shadow Ball.

"Dat won't work, tworp," Meowth's voice joined in, the feline moving in front of the small group, his claws glistening in the setting sun. "Dat armor ain't what's makin' him controlled. Dere's a collar around his neck. Da armor only protects it."

"A collar?" Ash repeated in surprise. Though, he seemed able to trust Meowth and his two teammates despite having been unconscious during their grand entrance. Thinking back through his adventures in Kalos, a similar device came to his mind. "Like... Like the device you strapped to Professor Sycamore's Garchomp?"

"Bull's eye, tworp. It's kind of similar, but Jimmy made a stronger one and we then cranked da juice up on it ta control him."

"If I had to guess, if you could get the collar visible, then perhaps one mighty blow to it would be suffice to destroy my contraption," James joined in, Jessie immediately shoving him out of the way.

"You mean to tell me all we had to do was destroy the collar!?" she shouted, her two partners shrinking away from her outrage. Ash couldn't help but laugh at the sight, no matter what the situation or who's side they were on, they were always the same crazy bunch. "If we knew that all along, it would have saved us so much time!"

Ash couldn't argue there. They had wasted so much time and energy on trying to destroy the armor that if they were aiming for a collar it would have been easier for them. "Well, where about is it under all that armor? Is he wearing it like an actual collar or did you place it anywhere we would never think to look?"

"Well, dat's da issue," Meowth muttered, rubbing his paw against the concrete ground. "When I put that kooky contraption on it went around his neck. So dat's where I'm guessing it is. But we don't know for certain."

"Then we'll just have to try for the neck area and pray it's there!" Ash cried out, raising his fist. At that moment Mewtwo punched Electivire backwards, Greninja jumping out of the way of another Shadow Ball attack.

"Leave it to us," Jessie stated, pulling Ash backwards. "Breaking our former Boss' nice toy will be a great opportunity for us," she explained tossing a Poké Ball outwards, Gourgeist appearing before her.

"It pains my heart to break an invention, but if we must, I won't fuss!" James agreed, calling out Inkay. "Meowth, old chum, we'll clear a path for you to get at Mewtwo. Twerps, we'll need your assistance as well."

"Just give, old Meowth, enough space to get in close enough to dat Mewtwo fellow, capisce?" the Normal-Type spoke out, Ash seeing a few beads of sweat rolling down his face. He didn't blame Meowth, anyone else volunteering to charge straight at Mewtwo would probably be reacting in the same manner to him. "I'll be usin' up all my lives with dis stunt."

Running forward, Meowth charged his target, Ash silently praising him as he did so. Giovanni and Mewtwo were quick to notice him, firing off a Shadow Ball for the nuisance. Jessie was quick to counter with one of her own, Gourgeist firing off the projectile with ease. The two attacks collided, Mewtwo's easily overpowering the other, causing them to explode in a display of glittering light much to Giovanni's disarray. Though, they weren't done there, James issuing for a Psybeam, the attack skimming over the left arm piece of Mewtwo, a few cracks now evident on the feature.

"To think, you three would betray me like this," Giovanni spoke out, distaste evident in his voice. Meowth didn't stop running though, sliding right underneath a Hyper Beam aimed for his face. Letting out a sigh of relief, Meowth was nearly struck with a second Hyper Beam only for it to be met with a Protect from Electivire. "It's actually pains me to be fighting you three. I've held nothing but respect for all of you and now of all times you turn on me. Well, I'll make a showing of what happens to those who betray me! Psychic!"

The blue waves shot outwards, Meowth becoming trapped within the powerful attack. The Normal-Type couldn't move his body, instead being forced to float in midair without control of his appendages. "Yeah? Well, if ya really appreciated us, then ya wouldn't have thought of havin' us be yer servants!" Meowth called out, his former boss merely laughing at the notion. Ash was surprised to hear this. He never would have imagined Jessie, James and Meowth being seen as nothing more than servants to their leader. Whatever he missed while out cold, he knew he would have to find out.

"Flamethrower!"

"Bubble Beam!"

The two attacks combined together, creating a vortex of flames and water, the two attacks managing to break through the Psychic attack and free Meowth for the time being. Looking beside him, Ash saw Braixen twirling her branch in content, happy with the attack while Piplup cheered out for Meowth. This was going to be a team effort here, everyone was going to be responsible for stopping Giovanni.

Pumping his arms, Ash was getting excited. Meowth was closing in on his target, Mewtwo being only a few feet away from him now. Though, those few feet would prove to be the hardest for them to reach. Waiting to strike, Greninja noticed Mewtwo about to fire off another Hyper Beam attack, and lunged into action. Pulling his blades from his sides once more, Greninja leaped in front of Meowth, slicing through the incoming attack, allowing a small section of the beam to be used as a protective area from any blast. Running forward, Greninja led Meowth down a small path before finally pulling his blades back, tossing Meowth up above their target, the Hyper Beam crashing right into him and bringing Greninja and Ash shared pain.

"Here goes nothin'!" the Scratch Cat Pokémon yelled out, his body flailing through the air as he fell on top of Mewtwo. Extending his claws once more, Meowth clawed away at the devices, making a few pieces of the armor fall to the ground with a loud "clink". Seeing the outline of the device still around Mewtwo's neck, Meowth clawed the chest plate, revealing the collar to be unguarded now, for Mewtwo's neck was exposed.

"Get away from my ultimate creation you stupid feline!" Giovanni shouted, Mewtwo grabbing Meowth by his tail and swinging him around wildly. Gourgeist, Inkay and Wobbuffet didn't take too kindly to the way Meowth was being treated, running straight for their friend and family member. Firing off a combined Dark Pulse and Psybeam attack, the former two felt good in their attack only for Mewtwo to block it with his hand and redirect it right back at them. Allowing the attack to crash into them, Mewtwo then tossed Meowth, his body crashing into Wobbuffet as the four Pokémon crashed into their trainers, the four now sprawled out on the ground. "I'll end you three first and then have Ash Ketchum watch me destroy each of his friends with the power _you_ gave me! To think you'd find something so powerful and to do it so easily! Gah! I can't believe I'm struggling in my decision to destroy you three insignificant fools!"

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash's voice cut in, Giovanni turning his head in time to witness Mewtwo struck by the signature attack from Greninja. The watery object splashed against Mewtwo's chest, appearing to only provide minimal damage to the ultimate lifeform, causing Giovanni to chuckle from their lack of thorough planning.

"I-It wasn't strong enough!?" Dawn stuttered out, both her and Serena wondering just what could be powerful enough to destroy that collar. Ash grit his teeth. There was no way Greninja was strong enough on his own, especially after the beating he had received so far. Not to mention everyone else were all tired as well. It wasn't looking good for them, but Ash knew they couldn't give up.

"Let's do it again! This time with every last ounce of energy we have!" Ash called out, raising his hand high above his head. Greninja copied the action, flinging the Water Shuriken up over his head, laying it flat in his palm.

"Gren!" the Water and Dark-Type shouted, the projectile beginning to spin slightly in his hand, growing larger with each spin. Ash was impressed to see just how much energy they had in them, but it wouldn't be enough, not with Mewtwo's strength. They needed more energy!

"Everyone, lend Greninja your energy!" Ash called out, keeping his focus on their giant shuriken. The others appeared confused as to what Ash meant by this request, and he figured they would be. It wasn't like he explained _how_ they would be helping Greninja. "Aim your attacks into the shuriken! Power it up as best you can, otherwise we may not be able to end this battle."

One by one, each of the remaining trainers issued their respective Pokémon's strongest attack. From Braixen's Fire Blast to Electivire's Thunder attack, the moves swirled into the shuriken, causing it to grow and change color. Even Gourgeist and Inkay joined in, providing their Dark Pulse and Psybeam attacks to the giant spinning blade of energy. At this point, Ash wasn't so sure it could be called a Water Shuriken, yet he felt good in their chances. At this point, if the attack failed, there was nothing left for them to try. Greninja would be too tired to fight and Ash had no idea how the others would fare against Mewtwo.

"Go, Greninja! Show Giovanni he can't take this world's future from us!" Ash shouted out, throwing his open palm downwards, moving from above his head to now eye level. Greninja appeared to be synchronized in action, his webbed hand doing exactly the same only his resulting action leading to a giant shuriken filled to the brim with energy being launched right for Mewtwo.

"Blast that attack away with a Hyper Beam! Show them that no amount of teamwork or cooperation can stop something that was built to be the ultimate lifeform!" Giovanni called out, raising a fist before his eyes. Ash wondered just how Giovanni could have fallen so far into darkness, was it his childhood? Or was there something else that had made the Team Rocket leader into what he was? In that moment, Ash wondered if Giovanni had started out as a normal trainer just as he had, though it hardly mattered for the outcome.

Mewtwo raised his hands outwards, palms facing forward as the orange energy spewed outward and crashed into the shuriken. The two attacks appeared even for a moment's second before a geyser of water crashed into Mewtwo, causing the Psychic-Type to lose his focus and become overpowered by Greninja's shuriken.

"Never take your eyes off of us!" Silver called out, Feraligatr panting heavily next to him. Ash smiled at the sight of them, Feraligatr having been non-existent in having Meowth reach Mewtwo. He was glad they managed to land a blow against Mewtwo, for it was all they needed for Greninja to overpower the Genetic Pokémon.

"He can't be beaten! He's perfect!" Giovanni yelled out, his voice being drowned out by the explosion. The shuriken cut right through the Hyper Beam, careening into Mewtwo's chest before exploding on contact. The collar controlling him shattered upon impact, not even a speck of it remained, having been vaporized by the attack. Mewtwo, now free from the control of Giovanni smiled weakly, no one able to see the action before he faceplanted into the ground.

Ash felt his body lift up, the wind blowing him off of his feet and backwards. He hadn't been expecting an explosion to occur, or rather he hadn't expected to be flung over the edge. Closing his eyes, he expected the worse; it was a long fall down, and with everyone else scrambling about up above, no one would be able to grab him in time. However, the Kanto native was glad to be wrong.

"Where do you think you're going?" Paul asked, grabbing ahold of Ash's wrist before pulling him back up over the edge. "We haven't had our match yet, you can't go and die until _after_ I beat you. Until then I need you alive."

"P-Paul..." Ash muttered in response, yet the Sinnoh native had already walked away, looking over at the defeated leader of Team Rocket. Ash likewise brushed his near-death experience off rather quickly, choosing to focus on the criminal mastermind.

"Give it up, Giovanni, you're outnumbered and you've lost the control of Mewtwo. There's no way you could even possibly beat us," Ash spoke out, Greninja at his side only to be joined by a now awakened Pikachu, electricity flowing off of his cheeks. Ash bent over to pick his longest partner up, Pikachu choosing to rest on his shoulder as they surrounded Giovanni in a half circle.

"Do you honestly believe I wouldn't have a backup plan?" the criminal leader asked, receiving amusing looks from everyone. Ash had a bad feeling from his answer regarding this, and his fear was worthy once he heard a scream.

"Get this strange goop off of me!" Alain cried out, a red substance having grown over his body alongside Charizard. Before anyone could act, the substance appeared to have swallowed the two up, leaving nothing but a small trace of itself behind.

"That's the same stuff that attacked Astrid," Paul pointed out, watching as the goop flew right into the rather large rock that stood behind Giovanni. Ash had noticed it throughout the battle, but thought of it as little more than a possible power supply for Team Rocket's weapon. "Where did you take all of them!?"

"Oh, you mean my sacrifices?" Giovanni asked, a sudden rumbling noise coming from the rock. A sudden Flamethrower shot out from the center of the object, Ash and the others ducking beneath the powerful blast. Looking at the destruction that the rock left behind, Ash noticed that the tops of a few buildings were completely burnt to a crisp, Giovanni smiling at the outcome. "Let's say that this was nothing more than feeding time and now that the Megalith is full, it's ready to play."

Without another word, vines began to shoot out of the Megalith, striking Ash, Greninja, Pikachu and the others backwards with its power.

"What is this thing?" Ash asked, a few more red blobs being sprouted off of the Megalith. He had no idea what was happening, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Not after everything they just went through.

* * *

"Manectric, Thunder!" Clemont ordered out, Darkrai avoiding the chance of being struck by any attack by hiding within the shadows. Manectric continued to charge up his attack however, waiting for a chance to strike their opponent.

"Honestly, you're at a disadvantage here, Lumiose Gym Leader," Sird spoke out, her calm demeanor proving to Clemont that she still believed to have complete control over this entire battle. It didn't even worry her that Cynthia was here either, in fact, she had been keeping the both of them at bay easily. "The shadows of the night provide plenty of coverage for my Darkrai. And while Manectric and Garchomp worry about where I'll attack from, we're already planning out the next attack! Dark Pulse!"

Appearing behind Clemont, the Dark-Type fired off his attack, the black and purple beam escaping from his cupped hand, crashing hard into Manectric and causing him to lose his electrical charge. Garchomp was on the move however, a Brick Break ready to strike Darkrai, but the Pitch-Black Pokémon slithered away into the shadows of the night. Before either of them could react again, Darkrai reappeared behind Garchomp, striking the Mach Pokémon in the back with an Ice Beam attack.

"Garchomp, you must stay prepared," Cynthia spoke out, Clemont knowing that Manectric had to be ready for whenever Sird attacked next as well. "Clemont, is there any way we could possibly stop Darkrai?"

"No," he answered, his voice sounding almost depressed. Everyone had given their trust to win to him, and at the moment he still couldn't figure out a way to beat Sird. They had been going at it for a while now, but nothing had changed. Sird would have Darkrai attack and then vanish, making it impossible to attack or defend against it. "But, if Ash has taught me anything then there must be a way somehow. It's just a matter of finding out what it could be."

"Talk all you want, but neither of you will defeat me," Sird spoke out, raising a hand before her face and laughing. Clemont clenched his fists at this; he didn't appreciate being laughed at no matter what the situation was. Especially with it being so tense right now. "Darkrai, strike again."

"Raiiii," the Dark-Type moaned out, appearing directly behind Clemont. The inventor wasn't quite sure what to do, unable to call forth a command from being hypnotized by the creature. Instead, Manectric too charge, dashing forward before ramming his head right into Darkrai, breaking the hypnosis.

"We'll take advantage of this now! Garchomp, Stone Edge! Make sure Darkrai can't escape from it," Cynthia commanded, Garchomp roaring affectionately. Clemont wondered if he would ever be as close to his Pokémon as Cynthia was to her Garchomp. However, Clemont didn't have time to sit back and think, Garchomp having fired off the projectiles right at Darkrai. The attack did little, for Darkrai evaded the Stone Edge with ease before soaring in real close towards Garchomp.

"Now, why don't you two remain quiet for a bit. Your chatting is giving me a headache," Sird spoke out before Darkrai struck Garchomp with another Ice beam attack, Cynthia appeared upset by the fighting, unable to do much now with Garchomp having taken two ice beams back to back

"Alright, Manectric, fire off a Thunder attack!" Clemont called out imitating Ash by sweeping his arm off to the side while he made the call. Manectric lowered himself into a stance before allowing himself to be covered in the electrical current. Firing off the electric attack, light filled the area, dimming the shadows slightly and revealing Darkrai for a second's notice before vanishing once more within the shadows.

"Hey, Clemont!" Remo shouted, catching the attention of his former partner. "I can't tell if you noticed or not, but when Manectric lit up the area just now, that freaky shadow monster seemed weaker for a moment!" Listening, Clemont got an idea on what to do, but it was going to be risky.

"The future is now thanks to science! Clemontic gear on!" he cried out, pressing a button on his bag only for his Solar Charger to emerge from it. Turning the light on, a flood of brightness emerged from it, erasing any shadow Clemont pointed it at. "Hehehe! With this, we'll be able to limit Darkrai's movements while also planning on trying to force him into certain locations. Alright, Manectric, get a Thunder ready once more and when I say go, launch it! Champion Cynthia, please be ready!"

"Y-Yes," Cynthia replied, slightly taken aback by Clemont's change in demeanor. She hadn't been expecting this at all, but here Clemont was, taking the lead in their final battle against Sird. "Garchomp, be ready with Stone Edge."

"Garrr," the Dragon and Ground-Type muttered out in agreement, shifting her body around to look for their opponent. Catching sight of Darkrai, Garchomp fire off the Stone Edge attack, small pointed stones emerging all around her body. Clemont appeared shocked by the difference between this Stone Edge and the one Serena's Pancham used in her performances. The difference was large, but now wasn't the time to wonder why.

Darkrai moved forward, avoiding a few of the flying stones until one finally struck it, knocking the Dark-Type off of its projected path for Manectric. Seeing their chance, Clemont turned his light on to max power, lighting up the entire area in a bright light. Manectric also used this time to fire off his Thunder attack, the streak of electricity capturing Darkrai within its confines.

"Dark Void," Sird spoke, Darkrai vanishing once more before appearing before Garchomp. Without any sort of warning, Darkrai fired off a small sphere at Garchomp, immediately causing her to pass out. "Two on one wouldn't be a fair fight now would it? I want to see just how much you've grown Clemont and I can't do that while we rely on others. Now, Darkrai, Focus Blast!"

"Dark..." it muttered out, cupping its hands once more, a small orb of compressed energy forming within the space between the two appendages. Once ready, Darkrai launched the sphere right for Manectric, both Clemont and his Electric-Type were surprised by its speed. Barely ducking underneath the attack, they were both met with a surprise attack as an Ice Beam flew in for them.

"Quick, jump upwards Manectric and then use Signal Beam," Clemont countered, taking the Ice Beam head on himself. Manectric managed to dodge the attack at first, but failed to charge up a Signal Beam due to seeing Clemont be hurt from the Ice beam. The inventor could feel his feet freezing now, the soles of his shoes frozen in place. Slipping his shoes off, Clemont rubbed his feet gently in hopes of warming them up. Moving his legs, he could still feel the injury from where Banette struck him in the leg, having come to the conclusion that it was most likely ripped.

"So, you've improved slightly," Sird replied again, a hand underneath her chin in amusement. Clemont wondered when the last time she even had a real battle was. Especially since she didn't seem like the kind of battle for fun. "At least this way it won't be a waste for me to actually try, especially compared to last time. Darkrai, use Dark Pulse! Strike the mutt!"

"Manectric, counter with Thunder!" Clemont called out, fixing his glasses slightly only to remove them and clean them. Placing the spectacles back on his face, Clemont watched on, Manectric charging their command up while the black and purple beam from Darkrai rocketed right for him. Clemont wanted to warn Manectric, but he trusted his partner to make the best move without being told. And that was just what he did this time. Seeing the Dark Pulse, Manectric focused all of his energy into the mane of his fur before shooting it upwards. His momentum from the attack launched him towards the ground and right under the Dark Pulse attack.

"Manec!" he growled out, not pleased with the way things were going right now. Firing off another Thunder attack, the duo managed to land their first hit on Darkrai for the entire battle now, the Pitch-Black Pokémon slinking backwards slightly. Manectric was ready to keep going after them though, using a Double Team to surround Darkrai and then firing off a Signal Beam.

"Escape through the shadows, Darkrai," Sird commanded, but she was cut off by Clemont and his invention. Much to her annoyance, the blinding light from his Solar Charger washed away any potential shadows, leaving Darkrai as an easy target. The Signal Beam crashed into the Dark-Type, causing Sird to grit her teeth before laughing.

"Please tell me you've got more than this to win," she spoke out, Clemont gulping from the way she spoke. He didn't like her confidence, especially after Darkrai was just struck like that. However, upon closer examination, Clemont could see that Darkrai seemed perfectly fine. "Basing the answer from your reaction, I can see that you are using one hundred percent of your true strength. Quite disappointing if I'm being honest. I was looking for a real challenge and thought you would provide one. Instead it looks like you won't last more than a few minutes. Go, Darkrai."

With a snap of her fingers, Darkrai was on the move, vanishing from sight only to reappear where Clemont least expected it to. Before he could pinpoint its location, Darkrai would change locations once more, frustrating Clemont beyond belief. Then, reappearing behind Manectric, the Dark-Type struck again, landing another Dark Pulse on his partner Pokémon, Manectric sliding across the ground from the attack.

"Manectric!" Clemont gasped out, running (or rather limping in Clemont's case) over to his partner. Helping Manectric back up, the duo knew they were in for one crazy ride against Sird. And by the looks of it, they weren't getting anymore backup. Calling for a Headbutt, Clemont watched on as Darkrai vanished from sight once more, confusing the boy. _"By the looks of it, Darkrai needs shadows to travel as it does, yet even when we block off those shadows it still moves at an incredible pace. There must be a scientific explanation for all of this."_

"Brains, quit thinking and start focusing on the battle!" Remo called out, the burly man growing frustrated from having to sit on the sidelines. Clemont knew if Garchoo were awake that Remo would have stepped in but who knew if he could do any better. "That Darkrai ain't normal at all and you need to stop it."

"Clemont," Hugh spoke up finally. Letting out a cough, Hugh looked over at Manectric, the Electric-Type about to be struck by another attack only to dodge at the last second. "Somehow Darkrai knows where you're attacking despite being unable to know. The only way that it should know would be if it could read minds."

"Of course, I'm doing just what I tried to stop," Clemont spoke out, thoughts of his Gym Battle against Ash and then Hugh running through his mind. He had been too prepared for the match, following a plan had been shown to backfire due to my inability to think on my feet. Well, that changes now!"

"Manectric, Signal Beam but shoot it into multiple directions!"

"Manec," the Electric-Type muttered, the usual blue beam having been broken down into six smaller strands. Firing them all of at once, each strand struck a part of the shade, though Darkrai appeared unaffected by all the different attacks.

"If he wants to hide then we'll stay on the offensive! Manectric, Thunder!" Lowering his body, Manectric felt the surge of electrical energy fill his body, the same feeling never got old for Manectric. Standing straight up, the Discharge Pokémon launched the attack but for no target to be hit.

"Are you stupid?" Sird asked, Darkrai emerging at that very moment and attacking them with a Focus Blast. The small orb crashed into Manectric, sending him towards Remo and the others. The sphere erupted against Manectric's body, the Electric-Type landing with a thud on the ground. Manectric wasn't moving, leading the others to believe the worse about him. They weren't sure if he would even battle if ok, yet Manectric proved every one wrong by standing back up. "Have you not figured it out yet?"

"I may have, but it's none of your business. All I can tell is that Darkrai is moving faster than I can picture," Clemont explained, Cynthia also keeping an eye on things. Neither were fully able to understand just what Darkrai was doing or how it was traveling so fast to attack them easily.

"We believed at first that Darkrai was using the shadows caused by the end of the day to travel faster, but even after Clemont disposed of them Darkrai attacked us with no hesitation," Cynthia joined in, trying to wake Garchomp up to no avail. "So there had to have been another reason. However, there isn't much to explain why this would be happening."

"Well, what if I explained it all?" Sird asked, a playful smirk crossing her face. Clemont couldn't help but take a step back from the field they were battling on, the fact Sird was going to explain everything having shocked him. Cynthia herself seemed surprised, but didn't show it in battle, instead managing to keep her cook. Seeing that both Clemont and Cynthia seemed interested, Sird snapped her fingers as a small portal opened.

"It's hard to explain, but I'll do my best to make it as simple as possible for those who aren't Clemont," she explained, Remo taking offense to her words. "You see, I've trained to the point where I'm able to open a small tear in space to open up the Distortion World. While I do so, Darkrai is able to sneak through it and then reappear near your Pokémon and attack easily. Though I can't hold it for long, I can open and close it easily."

"So _that's_ how she did it," Clemont muttered, rubbing his chin at the announcement of how Darkrai was beating them so easily. Before he could ask another question, the inventor felt a pulling feeling, a sudden breeze filling the area as he looked up to see a dark and empty place behind Sird.

"Now that you know though, why don't we take a trip there? It'll allow you time to get accustomated to your surroundings, forever!" Sird called out, Clemont losing his footing for a second only for Cynthia to grab hold of him. The others seemed to also be losing their own footing, Remo doing his best to hold them all down.

"I won't allow you to drag anyone in there, Sird!" Clemont called out, pointing a finger forward at the strange woman. "Manectric, use your Signal Beam attack."

Unable to warp through the dimension this time, Darkrai avoided the attack the old fashion way, floating up above it before being caught off guard. This time, Clemont was ready, having called for a second Signal beam just to be ready for it. The second blast struck Darkrai in the chest, the Dark-Type falling to the ground before getting back up again.

"Darkrai, use Ice Beam!"

"Thunder, Manectric!"

The two Pokémon launched their respective attacks off, the icy beams of energy colliding against the sparking electricity before an explosion filled the area. Smoke blocked out their views and before Clemont knew it, he felt himself being pulled closer towards the opened portal. Manectric wouldn't allow it though, biting onto Clemont's jumpsuit and keeping him in place.

"Tell me, Lumiose City Gym Leader, how exactly do you plan on beating me when you have to worry about your friends?" Sird asked, Clemont unsure if she seriously meant it or was just trying to play mind games with him again. Closing his eyes for a moment, Clemont fixed his backpack, readjusting the weight slightly for his shoulders.

He wasn't sure if there was another way, but the moment he opened his eyes and saw Remo keeping his dad from flying into the Distortion World, Clemont knew he had to do it. Taking a deep breath, Clemont awaited for Darkrai to float down towards its trainer before he made his move. It was risky, and stupid, but it was all he could do right now. He had to win to protect his dad, Bonnie and the others. Not to mention the entire region of Kalos. Seeing Darkrai appear by its trainer, Clemont took one quick glance towards the others and smiled.

"Remo, promise me you'll help take care of my dad until he's healed," he spoke out, Remo being surprised by the strange suggestion. Likewise, Meyer wasn't sure what Clemont was hinting at, but was too hurt to say a word. Off in the distance, Clemont could see smoke rising from Prism Tower and wondered just what happened there, though it wasn't for here and now. He would always find out later...maybe.

"And, Manectric, watch over the others. Make sure Chespin doesn't eat too much and gets a decent amount of exercise. I know Luxray will be with you, but please take care," Clemont continued on, pressing a button on his backpack. Within moments, his Aipom Arm sprung outwards, the device shooting right for Sird and her Darkrai. "And Sird! This is for everything you've put us through! I hope you enjoy your time in hell!"

W-What!?" Before she could react, the strange female found herself wrapped tightly to Darkrai, Clemont's Aipom arm now being used as a rope of sorts to keep her and her Pokémon in place. "You! Let us go now, this isn't a fair way to end this battle!"

"And using portals to make your Pokémon seemingly invincible is?" Clemont shot back before adjusting his glasses one final time. Looking down at Manectric, Clemont ordered for a Thunder attack, but the Discharge Pokémon was hesitant since it would also hit Clemont.

"Manectric, please," Clemont asked of his partner, the Electric-Type howling out sadly as the electricity left his body and struck their opponents. Traveling through the metallic arm, the electricity soon found its way into Clemont's body but that didn't stop him. Yelling out to Sird, he tossed his glasses to the side. Perhaps they were a way to remember him or just a way for Clemont to tell the others he would always be with them. He wasn't quite sure, but it helped him relax for this next decision. "Sird, I know you can open a portal on the outside, but how does your powers work _in_ the Distortion World!?"

"You...You wouldn't dare trap us both. That's practically suicide for you. There's no escape for anyone who enters, not to mention Giratina who roams the world there would attack you if it ever found you," Sird spoke out, actually scared for once in her life. Clemont wondered just what she had done to gain these powers, though after realizing she had shown Clemont the easiest way to defeat her by accident, he knew she wasn't too bright.

"I'm more than willing to give my life to protect everyone else! I finally realized something about us though, Sird. We may be the same by being fascinated about the world of space and technology for us respectively, but it's the way we advanced is what sets us apart. You obviously worked alone, selling yourself to whatever strange thing allowed you this power while I grew with my friends. The same friends I'm giving my life now to protect!" he shouted before moving towards the portal.

Sird tried to close it, but due to the Aipom Arm keeping her restrained, she found herself unable to do so. Now in front of her, Clemont placed both hands onto her and Darkrai before with an easy shove, the three fell through the portal. As soon as their bodies crossed the entrance, the others moved closer in hopes of finding Clemont, but the entrance (and exit) closed immediately on them, trapping Clemont and Sird inside of the Distortion World.

"Brains..."

* * *

 **And we're just about done. Mewtwo has been taken down, but turns out Giovanni still has one more trick up his sleeve. I wonder just what'll happen with that Megalith of his. Well, next chapter will be when it all comes together, so just wait for that. As for how they stopped Mewtwo, I just had to include the Mega Shuriken of disappointment into this story, but this time it worked out. And it occurred differently than just popping up out of nowhere in a big battle's climax.**

 **As for Clemont, his whole time at the generators comes to a close with a sacrifice to stop Sird. She was just too powerful with her strange powers that he needed to do whatever it took to stop her. Is he dead? No, or rather not yet.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story**


	70. A Crack in His Armor

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, Mewtwo was finally defeated thanks to some help from Jessie, James and Meowth along with everyone else providing some energy for Greninja's Water Shuriken attack. Elsewhere, Clemont's battle against Sird finally ended, the former sacrificing himself to bring an end to the battle.**

 **I never do this, but it's a special occasion. A specific song I used near the end of the chapter is "You Say Run" if anyone wants to use it while reading. To listen just go onto YouTube and type it in.**

 **Ch 70: A Crack in His Armor**

* * *

"Bow before a creature of uncharacterized strength!" Giovanni shouted out, laughing maniacally as he did so. Looking up at the Megalith before him, Ash had to wonder just what was in store for them now, especially since Giovanni wasn't worried he had lost Mewtwo. "The power stored within this glowing rock is more than you've ever thought existed, Mewtwo is nothing more than a mere pebble compared to its true power! And thanks to all of you, it's only growing stronger with each meal!"

"What does he mean?" Ash asked, casting a look behind him towards the others. He had seen Alain swallowed up by the creature, and Paul had mentioned Astrid suffering the same fate but what about the others? Just how many were taken away by this strange creation? "Just how many people has that thing eaten?"

"We're not too sure," Paul explained, Electivire throwing up a Protect while his trainer (surprisingly) gave Ash a hand. The red blobs bounced off harmless, the barrier keeping them away for the time being. Though, both Ash and Paul knew that it wouldn't hold forever. "At the very least, Astrid and Alain were both absorbed by those creatures. It's strange though, the act like a hive mentality of sorts. Searching for food while the leader waits in the nest for his meal."

Looking across the tower, Ash noted how the creatures appeared interested in only himself and Silver, the latter able to fend them off thanks to Feraligatr and some support from Nate and Dewott. Meanwhile, a small army of the strange blobs gathered around Electivire's Protect, crawling all over the shield, the barrier beginning to fade away much to Ash's worry.

"Braixen, knock those things away with a Flamethrower!" Serena called out, pointing her hand forward. Turning towards the young girl, Ash cast her a thankful smile, flames covering the barrier as a few snuck inside and singed Ash's hair. Not worried about his appearance, the Kanto native watched on in interest, the small creatures having been disintegrated from the sudden Fire-Type attack. Almost as if...

"It appears they don't withstand many attacks," Lance called out from behind all of them. Ash wondered if Dragonite was alright, but by the way he was staying out of the battle, he doubted that to be the case. The Champion also appeared to be deep in thought, as if he was coming up with a well-defined strategy to end all this fighting.

"Well, yeah, anyone could say _that_!" Silver spat out in response, Feraligatr slicing through the creatures with ease thanks to his Dragon Claw attack. Seeing only a few remain, Electivire dropped the Protect before smashing away one of the blobs with a Thunder Punch attack. "All of them have been destroyed with one, maybe two moves at max! And yet they just keep coming back with more! Honestly, every time we destroy one, that stupid rock sends out two more!"

Giovanni laughed at Silver's tiny outburst, almost as if he already knew it was coming before it had. It unsettled Ash slightly. There was no reason for him to be laughing after losing control of Mewtwo...yet he was. Clasping his hands together, the leader of Team Rocket moved to speak. "You're all so helpless! To honestly believe to have a chance against this spectacle is being so naïve, even for you, Ketchum. The Megalith has been scientifically modified to become the strongest creature in existence and to constantly seek out a growth in strength!"

"And from the looks of it, you seem to have no control over this stupid creation of yours, father," Silver spoke back, the blobs now ceasing their attack for the time being, the group having a small moment to breath. "Otherwise, why have them only target a few of us?"

"The Megalith deserves only the strongest." His reply was short and precise, Ash realizing that these creatures _did_ supply energy to the glowing stone. But, how could they possibly determine who was strong enough to be of importance to their mission? "Though, at this moment in time I lack complete control over this indestructible creature, my crowning achievement will arrive eventually. Until then, you'll just have to bide your time to see perfection."

"What does that mean?" Dawn blurted out, Giovanni jumping up onto the Megalith while a Hydro Cannon shot outwards, striking the edge of the tower and causing it to collapse. The side of the tower continued to collapse, the entire ground being destroyed by a continuous attack of what seemed to be Frenzy Plant, Hydro Cannon and Blast Burn, Silver noting the choices. However, the only ones to avoid the attack unscathed appeared to be Giovanni and Silver himself, the latter having been too close to the Megalith and given ample time to jump onto the structure.

Turning around, Silver watched on, the others being caught in the blast before falling down out of his view. The young boy wasn't sure just where they all fell to, but he hadn't the time to worry. Not with his father staring him down. Casting the thoughts of his allies falling down below, Silver stared his father down, the duo sharing what were their first real moments alone in years.

"I guess this is the first father-son bonding we've ever had," Giovanni stated, eyes narrowed towards his son. Moving his hands behind his back, Giovanni paused a moment, almost as if he was pondering a question for Silver. "It's really a shame."

"Shut up," Silver retorted, Feraligatr growling towards the evil man. They had no intention to play his stupid games or to listen to anything from him. They had witnessed his actions from across other regions and they knew just how dangerous he could become. "We may be related by blood but that's where our relationship ends. You were never once a father figure to me during my life and you won't be one while behind bars. Say whatever you want, but I _will_ be bringing you in with me!"

"Oh?" Giovanni replied, interest in his voice. Silver remained silent as his father tossed a Poké Ball outwards, Persian appearing from the device with a flash of light. "How about we put a wager on that? As a business man, I'm always looking to make a deal or two. Let's have a battle and the loser must join the winner. Oh, and you're not really in a position to deny my requests," he stated, pointing to the fact the two men were located on the Megalith all by themselves, nowhere to run to if need be.

"And if I decline?" Silver asked, eyes peered on his father at all times. "What happens if I choose not to play?"

"Well, in that case it's a rather gruesome outcome. Even being related to me won't save you from smashing against the ground at this high up...well, unless you have more friends just waiting in the shadows." Silver grunted at that. Giovanni really did hold all the cards right now, and that was after they managed to corner him with everyone. "So, shall we get this underway? No reason to stall any longer than we have, son."

Not answering, Silver found the feeling of vines wrapping around his feet. Looking down, it appeared as though they had sprouted out of the Megalith and were keeping him in place. _"I guess it's to make me battle him. Though the situation isn't ideal, I have no choice but to face him now. This could possibly be our last chance to catch him!"_

"Feraligatr, attack with Dragon Claw!"

"Fer!" the Water-Type shouted, raising his arms up into an "X" shaped position. Running across the Megalith, Feraligatr's claws glowed green and grew in size before slashing forward. Persian dodged nimbly, needing little effort to get around the attack. Ducking under the Dragon Claw, Persian spun on its hind legs before pouncing for Feraligatr.

"Shadow Claw," the leader of Team Rocket spoke out calmly, his Pokémon doing as it were told. Diving forward with great might, Persian's claws glowed a dark purple, the outline of a stronger claw having formed around its actual claw. Slashing against Feraligatr's back, the Normal-Type pranced around, ready to strike again.

"Feraligatr!" Silver cried out, his partner being attacked constantly by the stealthy Normal-Type. Right now, the duo were no match for their speedy foe and instead had to time it just right. He wasn't sure if they would get a chance though, Persian managing to dodge each of Feraligatr's continuous swipes before striking with its own.

"Silver, I'm slightly disappointed in you," Giovanni spoke out, placing his arms out, palms facing the sky, before shaking his head. The man chuckled, Silver's body tensing up from the situation. He didn't trust Giovanni one bit, especially with his current situation. "Feraligatr is too slow to keep up with Persian, making this battle too easy for me. I could continue to gloat and allow an opening, but I'm not like those who would make such a common mistake. Persian, Power Gem!"

"Meowww," Persian lazily cried out, the gem placed on its forehead glowing brightly before a red beam erupted from it. The blast traveled across the Megalith, ramming into the structure but causing no damage to it at all. Feraligatr had no time to react, the blast engulfing him within moments. Pushed back to the edge of the structure, Feraligatr slammed his feet into the Megalith, preventing himself from falling off.

"Who ever said we were using all our strength?" Silver asked, his hair flowing in the breeze, Feraligatr smirking alongside his trainer. Giovanni appeared amused, smiling at the sight of his son before him. Silver could only wonder what was going through the man's head, but upon seeing another Shadow Claw attack, he made his move. "Catch Persian and then slam it into the Megalith!"

Feraligatr nodded, slamming his feet into the rocky structure, readying his body for the blow. Feeling the slash against his chest, Feraligatr cried out softly but didn't let that stop him. Forcing himself through the pain, the Water-Type grabbed hold of Persian's tail before swinging the Normal-Type down into the Megalith.

"We knew that in speed, Feraligatr would stand no chance. All we needed to do was wait for an opening and then strike. Though, it was risky, we needed to rely on Feraligatr's ability to withstand multiple attacks such as Persian's Shadow Claw," Silver explained, both trainer and Pokémon smiling at their ability to pull it off. "Now, Hydro Cannon!"

Feraligatr reared his head backwards, the torrent of water already emerging from within his powerful jaws. Water gushed outwards, wetting the small area the two trainers stood on, Feraligatr whipping his face forward before launching off the powerful geyser of energy. The jet of water slammed into Persian, the Normal-Type sliding against the Megalith's surface back towards Giovanni.

"I see," Giovanni muttered, tapping at his chin, his face making Silver believe the man was in deep thought. Reaching for a Poké Ball, the man told his Pokémon not to bother, shocking Silver from the reaction. "Please," the man continued, recalling Persian into the capture device, placing it within his suit. "You and I both know in raw strength Feraligatr wins hands down. Persian was no match, but I have one last option to end all of you."

"Feraligatr, be prepared for anything!" Silver barked out, the two getting into an offensive stance, unsure of just what was coming. They had to be ready. Not only for themselves, but to stop Giovanni before he could try anything dastardly that would put the city and its residents in danger once more. Luckily the weapon they used earlier was destroyed by the Megalith's attack, but Silver wasn't quite sure if Giovanni had any extras laying around.

Giovanni merely chuckled towards Silver, the two making eye contact as Giovanni opened the front of his suit coat. A small red vial appeared to be hanging from a pocket, Silver glaring at the small container upon seeing it. He wasn't sure just _what_ it could be, but the fact it attacked him and Ash along with absorbing Alain meant it wasn't something to be messing around with.

"You already have seen what this wonderful creature can do when it absorbed that guy from earlier. Alain was his name, no?" Giovanni asked, uncapping the vial, Silver flinching as the substance began to move. It appeared hostile, yet not with the same levels as the last batch. It was almost as if this one had been waiting for the container it was trapped in to be opened. "However, imagine what happens when it mixes with someone who had his DNA transfused with that of the Megalith."

"You wouldn't," Silver retorted, the revelation Giovanni just told him causing his hands to clinch into fists. "Do you realize just how dangerous such a move could be to you? Having played with the Megalith _and_ this substance!? It won't work out in the same manner you believe it will!"

"You're sounding just like my scientists now, but with a little 'explaining' they agreed it would be best," the leader of Team Rocket stated, pouring the container all over his body, the contents swarming around him in a flash. "Normally, this substance would seek out those with Keystones or Mega Stones and absorb them into the Megalith to strengthen it. However, after fusing my DNA into the Megalith, these 'blood cells' didn't view me as a threat, instead, you could say they viewed me as their rightful leader.

The blobs were now covering Giovanni's body, Silver unsure of just what to do in this situation. His comrades were falling as he thought and now his father was merging with the Megalith. If there were ever a time for someone to come and help out, now would welcomed.

"Instead of being swallowed whole like those idiots, I'll be merged with the Megalith, ruling it as the man I am. With my brain and the Megalith's power I'll be unstoppable!" he shouted out, the substance closing around his body. To Silver, it appeared to him that his father had finally lost it. It seemed as though the Megalith was truly the one in control even if Giovanni believed he was. "And once I've swallowed up every ounce of energy in this city, I'll move onto the next until I've devoured every possible ounce of energy! No one will rival my true power!" The substance finally stopped, having only covered up to Giovanni's chest before shooting down into the Megalith.

Giovanni's body vanished for a moment, his familiar laugh filling the streets of Lumiose with fear and dread. Silver couldn't do anything at this point, his inability to act having led to this. He felt like a failure for allowing Giovanni to pour that vial's contents onto his entire body. He was a trained member of the G-Men, he should have acted faster. His thoughts were soon cut off, his father's voice calling out.

"It's come to my attention thanks to the Megalith that there's a powerful source of Mega Evolution Energy located within a Sundial. If I could absorb that in my current state, then no one could beat me!"

"No..." Silver muttered, both him and Feraligatr being knocked off of the Megalith, the structure of the stone changing to become similar to Giovanni's build. Keeping its rocky texture, the object appeared in the shape of a person, the rock now appearing to have arms and legs while it fell towards the ground behind Silver.

"He thought he outsmarted the Megalith, but even now that creature is using my father to do his bidding. And if it and the Sundial touch, it's going to be game over. Little does he know, that if they merge then the energy output from him will cause the Earth to start over! A cataclysmic explosion will occur due to the amount of energy present between those two structures!" Silver spoke out loud, watching on while the Megalith fell right behind him. Calling for a Hydro Cannon, Feraligatr fired off the attack to no avail, the blast merely being sliced in half from a Psycho Cut launched from the Megalith. Silver changed his direction, eyes darting between the Megalith, Feraligatr and the ever-approaching ground. He had no clue how to stop this beast and yet it wouldn't matter, for soon he was going to be crushed against the approaching ground.

"There just has to be another way to finish this fight!" he yelled, clutching his eyes shut, thoughts of the others running through his mind. He hadn't heard from Michael at all, and if those three buffoons of Giovanni were fighting against him, then something must have happened. Either way, it appeared his time was coming to an end, or so he thought. Before he could realize what was happening, something grabbed ahold of his back slowing his descent.

"Cro!" the winged creature called out, her four wings flapping in the air. Silver's eyes widened, his shock evident on his face as he saw the others all safe on the ground. Or rather safer than when he last saw them falling. Looking to his left, Silver was surprised to see Feraligatr being lowered down by Noivern. Landing softly on the ground, Silver recalled Feraligatr into his Poké Ball to allow the creature a chance to rest before what would be the inevitable final battle.

* * *

"Everyone!" Lance called out, his voice straining to be heard over the screams of the others, the wind also drowning out his voice. Ash however heard the man and turned his head to listen more carefully, whatever Lance had planned, it would only be accessible once before their chance for survival was gone. "Everyone, call out all your Flying-Type Pokémon! They can help slow our descent and allow for a soft landing!"

Not everyone heard the command however, either being drowned out by the wind and screams or just worried too much to listen on. Ash however acted on command, calling forth his three tired fliers. Noivern, Hawlucha and Talonflame all appeared and swooped into action, grabbing ahold of whoever they could reach. Jessie, James and Meowth however were even faster than him, using Inkay and Gourgeist to slow down their descent, the two proving to be quite capable in holding up the weight of their trainers and their feline friend.

Moving with precision, Noivern managed to grab ahold of Ash and Paul, his claws clasping down around the two boys' bodies and allowing their descent to become smoother. Talonflame however went for the speedy approach, using Flame Charge for a split second to increase its speed before gripping ahold of Lance, the Champion grabbing ahold of the Fire and Flying-Type's talons. Hawlucha however appeared to have the most difficulty, using the falling debris to move closer to Serena and Dawn, the Fighting and Flying-Type leapt into action, nosediving for the two girls only to be knocked off course by some debris. Changing direction in mid-fall, Hawlucha steadied himself before reaching out for them. Grabbing ahold of their bags with his feet, Hawlucha spread his arms wide, slowing his descent. Nate however was unattended for, both himself and Dewott falling through the air along with Greninja, Electivire and Braixen. Pikachu and Piplup were safe however, clutched in their respective trainers' arms.

"Hawwwww!" Hawlucha's sudden cry shocked everyone, diverting their attention to the Wrestling Pokémon. Looking over, they couldn't believe the sight before them as both Serena and Dawn began to fall again, their bags having ripped from their backs, the straps now flailing in Hawlucha's feet. The Fighting and Flying-Type didn't waste time, instead shooting right for the two girls in hope of catching them once more. However, it didn't appear likely that he would succeed and that the girls (along with Nate) would meet their untimely demise.

"Gardevoir, catch them all with Psychic!"

"Metagross, you assist as well!"

Ash sighed at the sound of the familiar voices, the entire group sans Greninja glowing blue from the Psychic attack. The latter being caught by Crobat, the Bat Pokémon placing him gently onto the ground. The others soon joined Greninja as their bodies floated softly onto solid surface for what felt like the first time in ages. Ash caught a quick glance of the three former Team Rocket agents kissing the ground in glee, their cries of joy being drowned out by an explosion up above.

"Just what happened up there?" Diantha asked, moving forward before Steven stepped forward, standing equal to her. Everyone shielded themselves from the falling debris for a moment before it was stopped by another dual Psychic attack.

Ash shook his head, swiftly thanking his three fliers before returning them to their capture devices for a quick rest. He didn't know what was waiting for them up at the top again, but everyone else seemed to be recalling their respective Pokémon into their Poké Balls for a quick rest. Casting another glance upwards, Ash saw what appeared to be a laser of sorts fire off across the Megalith and cause another explosion.

"We're not entirely sure," he finally responded, eyes glued up above. He was disappointed in how fast Giovanni managed to turn the situation against them, especially since _he_ was the one outnumbered and at a disadvantage. "One moment it looked like we were going to defeat Giovanni and then the next, these strange red blobs appeared from that giant rock up there and attacked us. Finally we were knocked off of the tower when the platform we were standing on was completely destroyed."

"I figured the Megalith was in play, especially after what I learned from Petrel," Steven spoke, disgust in his voice. Placing a hand under his chin, the Champion of Hoenn appeared to be in a deep thought before he crossed his hands over his chest. "If only we were able to reach the top in time, then perhaps I could have found a way to stop it. Based on what you mentioned, it seems however, upon our descent we discovered an injured Dragonite. Trip is currently mending to it within the tower," he explained, Lance making his exit without any explanation necessary for the group. Ash felt that both Steven and Diantha knew it had been his Pokémon from the moment they found Dragonite.

"You see, from what Steven has explained to me, Team Rocket has used the Megalith's desire to seek out energy and merged that with the, well, you can call them blood cells, from the Tree of Beginning to create one ultimate creature that would fuel its need for more power," Diantha explained, looking over at Steven while her fellow Champion gazed up at the creation. "Because of this, those creatures you witnessed earlier are attracted to anyone with energy that radiates Mega Evolution energy."

"So that's why Alain was absorbed when the substance covered him and Charizard," Nate spoke up, Ash having almost forgotten all about the boy due to him being so quiet. "If I may have a word with you and Champion Steven, we may be able to come up with a battle strategy to defeat this Megalith and bring peace back to Kalos."

"Of course," Steven spoke for the two Champions, leading his small group of three into Prism Tower once more. Ash assumed he wanted Lance's input into all of this and Ash didn't blame him; having three Champions working on a plan was better than two.

Silence fell upon the group left outside, no one quite sure what to say or do as they all waited for the others to return with their plan of action. Ash could only feel helpless during all of this, his rash action to face Giovanni having led to himself being captured and out of commission for longer than he liked. He couldn't help but wonder how this entire situation would have been dealt with differently if he didn't jump at the first sight of the man he despised for his cruel actions towards Pokémon.

"I'm such an idiot!" he finally cried out, slamming his fist against the side of Prism Tower. The others merely looked at him in surprise except for Team Rocket (as Ash continued to call them out of habit) as they appeared to be wandering off inside of the tower for some strange reason. Ash didn't care what for, himself being too busy in being angered at himself. The pounding of his fist against the tower soon came to a slow stoppage as it met something soft, but Ash was too caught up in his own anger to realize at first. "I'm always causing more problems for everyone! I'm useless!"

"Pi...ka..." Pikachu muttered, saddened by his trainer's reaction to all of this. Though, Pikachu wasn't sure what to do, both Ash and Greninja were now beating themselves up over the situation before them.

"You're not wrong there," Paul retorted out, his voice suddenly snapping Ash back into the current situation. Looking next to him, Ash noticed the Sinnoh native having stopped Ash's hand, catching his fist within his own palm. Smirking, Paul let go of Ash's hand, the latter lowering his arms to his sides. "Sometimes you really are an idiot, blabbering on about how you need to show compassion and care. Or how bonds help strengthen both trainer and Pokémon. Those are the times you're an idiot, but now, now isn't the time for one of your little shut downs like during the first day of the tournament. Now we need the same Ash who supposedly fought Team Flare in these very same streets, the one who stopped them from destroying the world. And we all know that Ash is right in front of us."

"Paul..." Ash muttered, gulping down the saliva in his throat. He hadn't expected _Paul_ of all people to be the one to approach him, but he was glad it had been him. If there were any trainer who Ash needed to hear that from, it would be his strongest rival. The two boys shared a look between them that didn't need any words to express it; they trusted each other to see this through to the end, though Ash couldn't help but think Paul only wanted to so they could have a battle. "Thank you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Paul turned away, his demeanor making Ash chuckle slightly. One moment it seemed like the Sinnoh native cared and the next he seemed rather indifferent from the current situation. Pausing for a moment, Paul looked over his shoulder, his face looking as serious as ever. "Don't even think of mentioning this to Astrid. It's bad enough she thinks there is something between you and me."

"Afraid your girlfriend will think you're growing soft?" Dawn teased winking over at her fellow Sinnoh native, Paul merely growling in frustration at the bluenette. Seeing that, Dawn stepped backwards as best she could on her own, sitting down on the nearby curb to rest her leg. "If anyone should feel useless right now, it's me. With my leg like this, I can barely get out of my own way, if it weren't for Serena I'd probably still be in that tunnel trying to crawl out of there."

"You already heard Mr. Groucho over there," Janine stated, hands on her hips before walking forward. Ash wondered just what she was about to do, the girl wrapping an arm around Ash's shoulders, the other going around Serena's. "We can't be so pessimistic right now! We have to believe in ourselves right now, otherwise we'll never win!"

Janine's little outburst appeared to lighten up the mood, or rather helped everyone who wasn't Paul. Removing her arms from around Ash and Serena, the young ninja moved forward some more, casting a glance up to the Megalith only to see what looked like someone falling.

"I-Is that Silver?" she asked, squinting her eyes to try and get a better view. Ash moved right beside her, casting a glance towards whatever was falling now, seeing what looked to be two objects amongst some more rubble.

"It is! I almost forgot he wasn't caught in the blast like the rest of us!" Ash called out, tossing a Poké Ball to the sky. Out popped Noivern, the young Flying and Dragon-Type already knowing what needed to be done. Shooting upwards, he managed to avoid the falling debris before latching onto Feraligatr, Janine sending Crobat to grab ahold of Silver. The two fliers made it in time, catching their respective targets before lowering them softly onto the ground.

"That moron!" Silver shouted, causing those around him to look on in confusion. The young trainer knew he had left information out, but didn't think the others would have been as confused. Coughing to clear his throat, Silver pointed skywards to show the now falling Megalith. "I'll explain later, but for now move!"

Dashing away from the immediate area, the group of six barely avoided the now humanoid-like Megalith, Giovanni's upper torso visible on the top of it. The sight of what appeared to be a merged Giovanni confused everyone only more, the strange creature wrecking everything in its way before making a path for what appeared to be the direction towards Anistar City.

"Mind telling us what _actually_ happened?" Paul asked, dusting himself off from his dive. Ash likewise wanted to know the situation, especially since only Silver was up there battling Giovanni before this creature appeared and began rampaging through the city. Turning to not lose sight of it, Ash watched as a Psycho Cut sliced down buildings before vines from a Frenzy Plant shot out of the ground, the creature laughing maniacally as it did so.

"My idiot of a father decided to merge with the Megalith thanks to his scientists," Silver explained, knowing full well the group may not have understood him. Standing up, he pointed over towards the destructive creature. "Giovanni had his blood added to the Megalith before they added those blood cells from the Tree of Beginning. Because of that, they view him as part of it, an extension of the Megalith. And so, by allowing himself to be absorbed into the creature, he's created what he believes to be the 'perfect organism' all while believing to be in control."

"Hold on, what do you mean by 'believing'? Is he or isn't he controlling that giant rock monster?" Janine asked, giving Dawn a hand while helping her up.

Silver shrugged his shoulders, having no clear answer for that. "He believed he would be in control, but his actions tell me otherwise. He's making a direct path for the Sundial in Anistar City to absorb it. However, if those two touch, it's the end of everything, something my father wouldn't want to happen since he wants to _rule_ everything, not see it destroyed."

"Then we move out now!" Diantha's voice shot out, Ash looking over to see the three Champions, Nate, Trip and Team Rocket all standing outside now. "As the Champion of Kalos, I will not allow that abomination to destroy my region! Even if it means laying down my life in the process, I promise each and every citizen of Kalos that I will stop it!"

"Dats great an all, but hows ya expect to catch up ta it?" Meowth asked, tugging at the Champion of Kalos' dress to gain her attention. Looking down at the feline, the actress didn't appear fazed by his question, instead smirking at the thought of the situation. "It is a giant freakin rock monsta. There's no way we catch it on foot."

"Then we don't," she replied, looking over at Team Rocket. "My personal helicopter isn't too far away, how well can you three pilot it? I need you to get us close to it and quickly!"

"You're asking the wrong people about piloting, we are the same ones who followed that twerp around in a hot air balloon for six regions and managed to keep pace along with getting way ahead of him at times," Jessie explained, Ash and her two male friends just shaking their heads at her words. Even in times of despair, Ash had to admit, Team Rocket were still ones for the dramatic.

"What Jessie means," James began, rubbing his hands together while Meowth pushed the now daydreaming Jessie out of the way. "Is that we'll get your hurried helicopter to your designated destination in a jiffy!"

"We'll explain the plan inside of the helicopter, but for now, everyone be aware of your surroundings! Now move out!" Diantha stated, leading the charge to her helicopter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Now wait just a Poké picking second! You told us we were flying ahead of that monster not right for it!" James shouted out once they grew closer to the creature that was once their boss. Diantha merely smirked at the blue-haired man, Ash knowing that she needed to trick them to fly the helicopter.

"Well, things have changed," Diantha retorted, sitting back down next to Steven and Lance. Across from her were Ash and Janine while Serena, Nate, Silver, Dawn and Trip filled up the remaining seats around them.

"The Megalith is apparently moving at faster speeds than once projected and so we had to recalculate for that," Trip joined in, standing up from his seat before gazing out of the now opened side door of the helicopter. "If that thing touches the Sundial and Silver is correct about the whole Earth pretty much being lost, then we don't have much time to wait. We have to strike now, so in case we fail we have time to regroup and try once more!"

Ash nodded in agreement, though he could have sworn he overheard Jessie mumbling something about a "green-haired twerp" and chuckled slightly. Although he had fought alongside them in the past, he never imagined Jessie, James and Meowth to help them against their own boss.

Steven now stood up himself, moving for the center of the helicopter before gaining everyone's attention. "All right, everyone listen up!" he called out, the gathered group growing silent once he spoke. "Remember the plan and we should all be just fine. Never battle the Megalith alone and always, if possible, stay alongside someone else in the battle. This is a four-stage plan, so everyone must remain to it and it should work out to the best potential."

"Stage one will consist of Ash and Janine launching aerial warfare amongst the Megalith. Stage two are Serena, Dawn and Paul providing support from the helicopter, using their long-range attacks to keep the Megalith distracted from the obvious attacks. Stage three is Silver, Nate and Trip providing support from the ground, but also at long range while the final stage is myself, Diantha and Steven head in close to take out Giovanni and apprehend him," Lance explained from his seat. All those gathered nodded in agreement, knowing full well that this may be their last, and only, shot to stop Giovanni.

"Stage one, commence immediately!" Diantha announced, Ash nodding as he stood back up, Greninja joining by his side. The duo made their way to the edge of the helicopter before Janine and Serena joined him.

"Please, be careful. I finally got you back from Giovanni and now you're heading right back for him," Serena pleaded, grasping at her ribbon. Ash nodded in response, knowing that no words would help calm down the girl he loved. Instead, he knew actions would speak louder.

"I'll come back to you, I promise," he stated, leaning in to kiss her on the lips. It may have been the first one seen by others, but it was no less special than the first they shared a few nights prior. Pulling back, the two trainers locked gazes, knowing full well they would do everything in their power to end this.

Tossing a Poké Ball outwards, Noivern emerged before the edge of the helicopter, Ash jumping down onto his trusty partner before offering a hand to Janine. Once the ninja was aboard, she too called out her partner, Crobat taking to the skies but not before Greninja hitched a ride with her. "Alright, Noivern, we need to get close to that rock! Greninja, we have to find a way to stop it!"

"Pipikachu!" Pikachu agreed, clutching on tight to his trainer's arm before releasing a few sparks of electricity. They were all ready to do their part in this.

"Crobat, make sure you get Greninja in real close, we're counting on you!" Janine called out before she sat down on Noivern's back. The extra weight seemed to slow the Sound Wave Pokémon down for a moment, having never even carried one person let alone two before. However, within moments he was back at max speed, flying for the Megalith, Crobat right by his side.

"Okay, let's start off with Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded, punching forward as Greninja reached for his attack. Pulling the large projectile from his back, Greninja managed to swing it around without striking Crobat, and toss it right for Giovanni. "Noivern, Pikachu, you two both help out as well with Boomburst and Thunderbolt!"

Ash's two other Pokémon nodded in agreement, firing off their own projectile attacks straight for the Megalith in hopes of distracting it. However, the strange created reacted faster than expected, launching off a Blast Burn attack from its center, disintegrating the incoming attacks. Water Shuriken managed to get by, but was swiftly blocked thanks to a raised arm taking the hit.

"My, it appears we have company," Giovanni's voice spoke out, though to Ash it was missing his usual emotion. Instead, it seemed as if he was nothing more than a puppet for the Megalith now. "No worries, none of you can match up to my greatness!" Within seconds, a Psycho Cut was launched at Crobat, the Flying and Poison-Type doing her best to avoid the attack by looping through the air and then diving for the ground. However, a vine soon shot out of the creature's hands, Frenzy Plant no doubt.

"Cro!" Crobat cried out in worry. She didn't think she would be able to avoid this attack and was ready to toss Greninja to safer grounds if need be. However, before the attack could strike, a Thunder attack merged with a Bubble Beam and Flamethrower struck the incoming vines. Gazing in the direction of the attacks, Ash thanked Paul, Dawn and Serena for their coverage.

"So, any thoughts on how to beat this thing?" Janine asked, issuing for a Wing Attack by Crobat, her partner slicing through part of the Frenzy Plant and allowing Greninja a chance to kick the Megalith with an Aerial Ace attack. "Or are we just going to keep hitting it until it stops?"

"Honestly, I thought we could try the second option," Ash joked, the two trainers laughing over the situation only for Noivern to be clipped by a Dark Pulse attack. Steering towards the ground, Noivern managed to save his flight pattern at the final seconds, pulling up and redirecting himself back towards the Megalith. "That was close...alright, Noivern, let's show this thing what you're all about! Use Acrobatics! Greninja, use -"

Ash was cut off in his command as Noivern sped forward, body glowing in a bluish outline. To Ash, he could see the others stuck inside of the Megalith for some strange reason, it was as if they were trapped within pods of some sort, unable to free themselves while their energy was siphoned away. Looking over at Greninja, it appeared that the Ninja Pokémon experienced a similar look inside based on his facial expressions.

"Verrrnnn!" Noivern screeched out upon impact, not providing a single point of damage before being flung backwards by the advancing rock monster. Down below on the ground, Ash noted how Trip and Nate were in the midst of creating a barricade to slow the Megalith down, combining Serperior's Frenzy Plant with Dewott's Ice Beam. Ash wasn't sure if it would work, but alongside Feraligatr using Hydro Cannon it was all they had for the time being.

"Ash, look out!" Serena's voice called out to him, a vine from another Frenzy Plant striking Noivern before he could circle around for another attack. The Flying and Dragon-Type fell into a tailspin while a Flamethrower attack was aimed for their small group.

"Moonblast!"

The familiar orb of energy shot upwards through the sky and collided with the Flamethrower, the two attacks causing an explosion, the effect of it sending Noivern barreling into the ground just beyond the group's barricade. Getting back up, Ash watched on, Diantha, Steven and Lance having just begun their assault up the Megalith.

"It's no use..." Ash muttered, Janine hearing his words. The young girl cast him a suspicious look, but Ash immediately waved his hands in a defensive manner before calling Greninja back over to him. "It's no use since the Megalith is gaining all its power from those it absorbed. If we could crack open that exterior and remove the others, then it might stop that thing from being as powerful."

Janine shrugged her shoulders as Crobat lowered Greninja onto the ground. "It's worth a shot, but what do you plan to do exactly?"

Ash however was already focusing on the Megalith, paying no attention (not intentionally) to Janine's question. Alongside Greninja, it was as if they were trying to feel for the Mega Evolution energy leaking from the others, their very essence used to fuel the Megalith being the key to ending all of this. The duo sensed out their friends, one very familiar energy signal being just what they needed.

"Alain and Charizard are giving off so much energy it's like a beacon for us. I guess since they trained for so long with Mega Evolution that their energy would be the strongest, they have the most experience with this stuff," Ash stated, nodding to Greninja. Noivern was up once again, ready to get Greninja closer to strike.

"Gren," Greninja replied, his expression unwavering. They both realized that this could be their final battle together and so they would make sure they didn't fail it. Jumping onto Noivern's back, Ash, Pikachu, and Greninja left Janine behind before soaring right for the center of the Megalith.

"Please, don't act like we'd allow you to stop us," Giovanni's voice once more called out. By now, Ash realized that the Megalith was merely using the man's body as a way to communicate, having deceived him into believing he could rule over the energy within the structure. "I am the ultimate lifeform, nothing could ever defeat me!"

"We'll see about that!" Ash replied, punching forward in triumph. "Alright, Greninja, let's find the spot where they're at! Water Shuriken!"

"Gren...ninja!" the Ninja Pokémon obliged, jumping off of Noivern's back and up high into the sky. Pulling out another Water Shuriken, this one grew in size slightly, as if Greninja and Ash were once more focusing their energy into the attack. Finally ready, Greninja flung the shuriken forward, the attack slicing through a Dark Pulse, Leaf Storm and Flamethrower before getting lodged in the chest of the Megalith.

"Hmm, it appears your attack did nothing, here, try this now," the Megalith stated in amusement, the creature sprouting off another batch of blood cells to attack the group. Now a sitting duck, Greninja had no way to defend himself, five of the strange creatures now surrounding him. "Join us, Greninja, and feel what true power is like, together we'll rule this planet!"

"Nin!" the Water and Dark-Type shouted, pulling out his Night Slash attack and cutting through them all with ease. He only had one partner and that was Ash, he wasn't going to allow that creature to control him! Ash was surprised at Greninja's quick movements, almost as if he was moving faster than normal now. But, he immediately noticed a sixth creature approaching from Greninja's blind spot. Before he could warn his partner however, a Psybeam crashed into the blob destroying it.

"Hey, don't look so surprised," Jessie stated from the helicopter, Inkay floating outside the pilot's window. Ash was grateful for their assistance even if it was only one creature they destroyed.

"She's right, old chum! Your enemy is our enemy making us comrades for today," James stated, the three former agents laughing only to see a giant vine come for them. James attempted to steer out of the way, but Serena was faster, ordering a Flamethrower from Braixen. The jet of flames managed to torch the vines, keeping the helicopter still up in the air for the time being. Feeling safe, the small group up above lowered their guards for the time being, allowing the Megalith to land a powerful Blast Burn on them, managing to destroy the propeller.

The helicopter began to spin around, James unable to keep control of the vessel any longer without those precious blades. "Dis things about ta crash!" Meowth screamed out, paws covering his eyelids. Watching, Ash ordered Noivern to change directions, now heading straight for the falling helicopter. Catching a glance inside, Ash noticed Team Rocket hugging each other out of fear while Electivire had a Protect up to keep Paul, Serena and Dawn from falling out of the helicopter.

"Psychic!" the simultaneous callout came from Diantha and Steven. Just like before, the two Champions used their Psychic attacks to stop the falling vehicle, saving those inside as it touched gently onto the ground next to Silver and the others. Ash sighed in relief as the others exited the downed aircraft only to see Dragonite soar past them, Lance commanding the Dragon and Flying-Type to catch Greninja.

"Lance!" Ash called out, waving the Champion over towards him so he could tell him the plan. He knew it was going to sound crazy, but right now it was all they had going for them. Explaining it over, Ash pointed towards the now lodged Water Shuriken, the Champion seemingly taken aback by the sudden claim.

"I know it's crazy to believe, but somehow we can sense it together," Ash continued on, both Noivern and Dragonite now landing onto the ground as they were joined by Diantha and Steven. "But right now, we don't have many options, we have to try and break the core of that creature, saving the others while also knocking its power supply out."

Lance appeared to be stuck in his own thoughts and Ash could understand why. Launching such an attack was risky, especially without them knowing if it could work. Likewise, both Steven and Diantha seemed to be in their own thoughts, neither sure just what to say until the latter stepped forward. Turning to her fellow champions, the actress pointed towards the shuriken, knowing that it was their only chance.

"We must regroup with the others and stage a full-frontal assault, otherwise we'll be wasting our time," she explained, jumping onto Noivern while Lance climbed onto Dragonite, his Metagross carrying Gardevoir for them. Raising up into the air, the group of four first stopped to pick Janine up before setting forward to meet the others. "Even our own plan here was useless, this creature just keeping us on our toes even when we attacked from four different angles. _We_ didn't even get a chance to attack, having to stop and help the others out first. It might be best for us to all attack."

"And what of the small chance it defeats us all?" Lance asked, questioning the strategy, especially after his own from earlier in the day had been squashed easily. Ash felt slightly bad for the Champion, all his work to avoid such an attack (as he had been filled in on the flight over) was for nothing, Team Rocket having attacked sooner than he planned and with more power than anyone anticipated. It definitely didn't look good for himself or the League as a whole.

"We won't lose!" Ash shot back confidently, Pikachu crying in agreement while Diantha and Janine nodded in agreement. There was no way he was going to let this thing win, whether it was Giovanni or not, Ash had no intentions of losing here. He had so much ahead of him, his future battle with Diantha (granted he beat Malva), his future adventures and most of all his future with Serena. He wasn't going to let it all go without a fight. Flying down towards the ground now, Ash thanked Noivern before quickly recalling the now exhausted Sound Wave Pokémon for a nice rest.

The others appeared to be rather banged up, but they weren't down just yet. In fact, they all seemed rather ready to go at it again. The determination in their eyes fueled Ash even more. They all had something to be fighting for (though Ash felt Paul was fighting more for himself than anything else) and they weren't going to lose what they cared deeply for now.

"Well that worked brilliantly," Paul remarked, throwing his hands into his pockets before casting a glance at the now approaching Megalith. They hardly touched the being at all. "He just tossed all our attacks away like they were nothing and played with us. We're no match for him."

"Maybe not now, but if we all focus on attacking that shuriken lodged into the Megalith then we might be able to drain its power," Diantha explained, back turned to the creature. "Everyone except for Trip and Dawn will rush forward. You two will instead work to stall the Megalith once more in case we fail."

"Yes!" the two cried out in agreement, Dawn casting a quick thumbs up to Ash to let him know she would be all set. He didn't have time to worry about anyone else, instead, Greninja and himself were going to have to get in real close to win this.

"You're all just insignificant bugs to me!" Giovanni's voice rang out, the creature halting in place. Ash couldn't tell just _what_ was happening, but he didn't like it. For more of those red creatures from before sprouted off of the Megalith's body, each of them looking like miniature copies of the original. "If you honestly believe any of you can even _reach_ me let alone touch me, then try and fight your way through these creatures. Each of them are just as strong as I am and contain the same powers as I."

"It looks like he's testing us now," Janine spoke up, Steven nodding to this assessment, the Champion stepping forward to speak.

"Or he's trying to weaken us. Who's to say Giovanni isn't bluffing with their individual strength. Either way, we must be careful with them all, none of us know just what they're capable of! However, we mustn't give in to overwhelming odds, like before, try to stick to groups of two or better yet three! Cover each other's backs and support everyone in battle!"

There was no response. Instead, everyone charged forward into battle, the beginning of the end now happening before them. Ash found himself immediately pulled into battle, one of the creatures firing off a Dark Pulse at him.

"Pikachu, block it with Thunderbolt! Greninja, slice them right up with Aerial Ace!"

"Pika...Chuuuuuuu!" the Electric-Type cried out, electricity surging through his entire body. It shot outwards, crashing hard into the Dark Pulse as the two attacks exploded on contact, temporarily blinding Ash. Turning his head away from the bright explosion, the young trainer could feel the light breeze created by Greninja's running. Kicking through the creature with ease, Greninja disposed of the blob before they were surrounded by another three of them.

"Alright, time to get serious!" Ash called out, turning his hat around before gritting his teeth. The three creatures launched off a simultaneous combo of Blast Burn, Frenzy Plant and Hydro Cannon, leaving Ash and his Pokémon no room to dodge.

"Electivire, get in there and use Protect!"

Before Ash knew it, the Electric-Type sprung right in front of Ash, erecting his familiar green shield. Now protected from the blasts, the Kanto native watched in awe while a Psybeam and Dark Pulse combo destroyed two of the three creatures.

"And dis one's mine!" Meowth called out, his claws slicing through the last one with ease. Landing back on his feet, the feline picked at his glistening claws, a smirk plastered onto his face. "For such a big talker, the boss' creations are pip squeaks compared to the likes of me."

"Paul...and Team Rocket?" Ash asked, shocked that they of all people were the ones helping him.

"You drop your guard too often, it allows for easy attacks on you," the Sinnoh native responded before running forward towards the creature. Ash watched his back grow further away causing him for a moment to wonder if Paul had created a gap between them as trainers.

He didn't have much time to dwell on that thought though, for he soon felt a piercing sound enter his ear drums. He had become the latest victim of Jessie's screeching. "And just what were you thinking there, Twerp!? You heard that dreamy Champion, Steven! Stay in the very least groups of two."

"She has a point there you overly rambunctious rascal," James agreed, Meowth nodding sagely to this. Placing a hand on each of Ash's shoulders, Jessie and James moved in closer to him, the three looking straight at the Megalith. "You don't have to take this on alone...unless you want to," he said, receiving a whack courtesy of Jessie.

"No you don't! We all agreed not to run away until _after_ Giovanni is brought down," the raging female spoke out, Ash chuckling nervously from the interaction. He couldn't believe just how much these three had changed in what couldn't have been more than a few hours. He honestly had to ask just what happened to them once this all calmed down.

"Enough yous two," Meowth spoke up, causing his two partners to stop their childish bickering, Jessie having a grip on James' hair as the man cried in annoyance. "We gotta stop dat rock monster from causin' a global meltdown and that won't happen with yous fightin'. Now let's get a move on!"

With that out of the way, the three former agents began their attack, sprinting forward. Ash was surprised to not see Wobbuffet present at all, but then he remembered the blue lug having been returned to his Poké Ball during their fall off of Prism Tower. Starting back up himself, he caught quick glances of the others fighting as Lance and Silver were now the closest to the Megalith, the duo riding Dragonite while Feraligatr doused the strange creatures off with Hydro Cannon.

Elsewhere, Serena and Janine took care of their own batch, Nate providing support with Dewott, the Water-Type slicing through them all with ease or blocking attacks depending on their position. The two that seemed the most in trouble were Diantha and Steven, the two Champions now surrounded by at least a dozen creatures now. Watching for a split second, Ash was amazed by how a combination of Gardevoir's Psychic attack and Metagross' Flash Cannon wiped away every single one of the blobs with ease. Once more he couldn't help but wonder if he was able to beat someone of their strength.

" _Now isn't the time. Worry about those things later when it's safer out!"_ Ash mentally yelled before himself, Pikachu and Greninja sprinted forward. His two partners mowed through the opposition with ease, proving that Giovanni was just bluffing when he created them. Making it to the front of the Megalith in no time, it seemed time to end it.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash shouted, unaware of one of the creatures approaching towards him from behind. Lunging forward, blob appeared to grow in size, about to try and absorb Ash to bring more power to its creator. Greninja however was faster, shoving Ash out of the way.

"Greninja!" Ash shouted from the ground, Pikachu redirecting his electricity onto the red blob, only for it to do nothing. The creature closed down around Greninja, shooting the Ninja Pokémon right towards the Megalith before absorbing him into its system.

"You foolish, boy, did you honestly expect me to just let you attack? You should know by now I'd be having _some_ back up plan," Giovanni's voice called out, almost taunting him. Ash wasn't sure if it truly were Giovanni or not, but he was still upset at having his partner and friend stolen from him. It didn't end there however, for he immediately heard screams from across the battlefield.

"Oy vey!" Meowth shouted, pointing a finger towards Diantha and Steven, the both of them trying to get their own blobs off of them. "They must of been swallowed up by those gigantic globs the moment Greninja was."

Ash reached forward in hopes of grabbing the vessels containing the Champions but was too late, their bodies along with their Pokémon now absorbed into the Megalith. The ground began to shake immensely before Ash realized the Megalith was now changing shape to match its latest victims. A shuriken made from rock protruded from its back while also growing two more arms to match Metagross having four. Giovanni's laugh pierced all their ears, the entire group just about ready to give up now.

"H-He...he played us all..." Lance muttered, Dragonite scratching away at the Megalith only to be knocked back by a Moonblast. "He wanted us to get in close so he could out number us and absorb those he could..."

"Then how could Greninja be absorbed?" Silver asked out, having little information on the creature prior to this mission. Ash knew why, and he was pissed for it. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he lowered his head for a moment, almost giving in to defeat.

"It's because Greninja gives off energy similar to Mega Evolution while in our transformed state," he explained, head still lowered. Slowly, his head rose up until it was finally making eye contact with Giovanni's upper torso, the only part of his body not inside of the Megalith. "Though, it won't matter how many people you absorb, Giovanni! We'll never stop fighting until I breathe my final breath! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt."

"Pika!" the Electric-Type cried in agreement, jumping from Ash's shoulder before charging up an electrical blast.

"I can arrange for your final breaths if you'd like," Giovanni (or so Ash decided to call the strange merger between the man and the rock) stated, his four arms raising up as a metallic energy began forming between them. Waiting for the moment Pikachu launched off his attack, the creature fired his own powerful blast, the Flash Cannon decimating the Thunderbolt before heading for Ash. Catching Pikachu in his arms, Ash clinched his eyes tight, pulling his partner into his chest so neither could see their possible demise.

"This ends now!" a familiar voice called out, Ash unable to believe who it was. Opening his eyes, Ash couldn't believe just how close the Flash Cannon was from striking his entire body, only a few mere inches more and he would have been a goner. Instead, the entire attack was now covered in a blue, psychic aura, the producer of the attack standing beside him.

"Mewtwo, you're all right," Ash muttered, completely taken aback by the presence of the new ally. Saying nothing, Mewtwo moved the blast away from those in the general area, throwing it into the nearby mountain range. Exploding on contact, Ash shielded himself from some of the now flying debris.

"Yes, I am fine thanks to you and everyone else," the Genetic Pokémon stated. Ash watched on, the newcomer staring down Giovanni and the Megalith before turning towards Ash. "I'm sorry for being late, but when I awoke, I was buried under a pile of rubble. Upon freeing myself, I followed a faint scent of energy that was coming from this area and moved as fast as I could. But, do not worry, for I will bring an end to this all."

Giovanni began to laugh at the sight of Mewtwo. "Do you honestly believe you'll be any match for me? You lost to the boy's Greninja who _I_ absorbed into my body! Your power is nothing compared to me, Mewtwo! Come and join us just like everyone else."

"No," the Psychic-Type spoke calmly, two small orbs circling around his body. Tossing one to the side, he held the other inside of his hand. "Your power was created by stealing from others around you. It is no different than when you tried to control me. My strength comes from working _with_ those around me. I believe in those trying to stop you, and together we'll bring an end to all of this!" he explained, revealing the small object in his hand to be a Mega Stone, though it looked different than the one he previously used.

"But, Mewtwo, I thought you felt Mega Evolution was wrong since a Pokémon was forced to undergo an evolution?" Ash asked, staring at first the Mega Stone and then his own Keystone. Was Mewtwo going against his own beliefs to end this all?

Shaking his head, a smirk crossed over Mewtwo's face. "It isn't a forced evolution when both person and Pokémon seek out the effects to help create a better situation. I ask of you, Ash, please help me." With that, Mewtwo shot off for the Megalith, Mega Stone gripped firmly in his hand.

"If you say so, Mewtwo!" Ash shouted, bringing the Mega Ring on his wrist up to his eye level. Moving his opposite hand, Ash pressed down against the Keystone, the object shining brightly while Mewtwo shined as well. "Mewtwo, Mega Evolve!"

"As if I'd let you!" Giovanni called out, whipping his rock shuriken off of his back and straight for Mewtwo. Slicing through the bright light, the shuriken appeared to make contact with the Psychic-Type only for the sight before everyone to make Giovanni surprised.

Holding the stone structure in place with his psychic powers with ease was Mewtwo, or rather a newly Mega Evolved Mewtwo. This form appeared different, Mewtwo's tail appearing to have moved to the back of his head while the rest of his body was sleeker in design, Ash wondering how that would come into play.

"Since you named my previous form 'Mega Mewtwo X', I suppose Mega Mewtwo Y would be equally fitting for this form," the Psychic-Type asked, tossing the shuriken right back at Giovanni, piercing the center of the structure and leading to cracks all around it. "You are no match for me, Giovanni, I fight not just for my fellow friends living back in the wild, but for the safety of this planet for all people and Pokémon!"

Mewtwo charged forward, eyes glowing blue before that light transferred over to the Megalith. The creature tried to counter with a Flamethrower but Mewtwo dodged with ease, his sleeker body allowing him for greater maneuverability. Pulling his arms backwards, Mewtwo released the rock shuriken from the Megalith, causing more cracks to form before tossing the object off to the side. Charging in once more, Mewtwo was caught in a Frenzy Plant, the vines wrapping tightly around his body.

"I...will not...allow you to hurt anyone anymore!" Mewtwo screamed at the top of his lungs, psychic energy pouring out of his body as it sliced through the vines with ease. Using the same energy, Mewtwo controlled the now blade-like energy devices right into the Megalith as they struck hard, knocking it onto its back.

"So you're stronger, big deal," Giovanni taunted out, getting back up. He was starting to pant now, the damage was beginning to take its toll on his "indestructible" body and it showed. "You'll never compare to a God like me!"

"We always knew he was a little power hungry but dis takes the cake," Ash could hear Meowth mutter out, Jessie and James joining in on that assessment but he chose to listen to Mewtwo.

"It's natural for someone trying to play God to feel they became one. How suiting is it though for you to be brought down by your very own creation!" Mewtwo shouted out, aiming a Hyper Beam right for the center of the Megalith. Giovanni acted in retaliation, shooting off a combination of Blast Burn, Frenzy Plant and Hydro Cannon once more. The two sides raged on in a stalemate, Mewtwo appearing to lose his concentration for a moment's notice, only to receive it a second later when Giovanni appeared to slip.

"What!?" the crazed man shouted out, his blast weakening for a second as his eyes darted around the area. He had felt a small spark of electricity strike his body and he wanted answers as to who it was. That split-second cost him more energy than he expected, making him lose complete conscious on the battle before him and allowing Mewtwo an opening.

"This is it!" Mewtwo shouted, pushing every last inch of his power into the blast. His Hyper Beam soon changed to a blue aura, his psychic powers being added into the blast as it pierced the Megalith and traveled straight through the rock structure. The creature began to crumble, his core remaining intact before landing on the ground with a thud, despite the heavy damage it sustained. However, the outer shell was now completely destroyed, no traces of it remaining at all.

"It is...finished..." Mewtwo muttered, transforming back into his base form before collapsing onto the ground with a loud thud.

* * *

 **And with that brings an end to Team Rocket. But fear not, it isn't the end of everything. As explained down below, I'll be telling you all what's to come (or just a basic gist of it all). As for the chapter, it was a long one (I think the longest in a while now but that doesn't matter) and I needed to include a lot to bring this to a close. Hopefully it was done well enough for everyone since it killed me writing it since I wanted it to be just right.**

 **And for anyone who didn't know, "You Say Run" was meant to start right before Mewtwo arrived or right after Pikachu launched a Thunderbolt at the Megalith (whichever you prefer).**

 **Anyways, as stated above this is (roughly) what is to come in the upcoming chapters:**

 **Ch 71: Aftermath/end of Tournament**

 **Ch 72: Final Showcase**

 **Ch 73: Ash vs Malva**

 **Ch 74: Master Class**

 **Ch 75: Master Class.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	71. Back to Normal

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, the fight with Team Rocket finally came to a close, Mewtwo arriving on the scene to save the day when all seemed lost. Now it's time for the cleanup of all of this.**

 **Ch 71: Back to Normal**

* * *

"H-He did it! It's finally over," Ash sighed out, looking up into the sky, watching on as Mewtwo reverted back into his base form before falling towards the ground. Ash rushed forward, Pikachu right by his side. The duo hoping to make it before the Psychic-Type crashed into the ground, only to miss him. With a loud "thud" Mewtwo crashed into the rocky surface, a small crater forming where he landed. "Mewtwo!"

"Pipika!" The two continued running, sliding down into the crater after Mewtwo. They were soon joined by Team Rocket while the others made their way over towards them. It was a long fought battle, but things were finally over and they could relax, or so they hoped.

Reaching Mewtwo, Jessie poked at the creature with her foot, curious to see just how he would react after the events of today, though her teammates seemed less than enthused about the way she was doing it. "Oh relax you two, I'm just checking to see if he's alive! See, he's moving, Meowth, heal him up," she stated, pushing her feline companion forward towards the groaning Mewtwo.

"I ain't a doctor, Jess, I can't do nothin' for him," Meowth replied, playing with his claws out of fear for the female. Ash just sighed on in relief, they honestly had changed sides now. "But, the least we can do is help prop him up."

Nodding in agreement with Meowth, Ash and James moved to help Mewtwo up, grabbing beneath his arms on either side before hoisting him up. Gently moving the fatigued Pokémon, Ash and James rested him carefully against the side of the crater, making sure to not hurt him in any way. Looking down at the center of the crater, Ash saw something shining below.

"Is that..." Ash trailed off, walking over to the small artifact of his attraction. Reaching down, Ash felt the smooth surface rolling in his palm, a small smile on his face. Somehow, Mewtwo's Mega Stone survived it all, Ash holding the object tightly in his possession. Making his way back over towards Mewtwo, he was pleased to see the Genetic Pokémon conscious, Serena now helping the three former agents nurse Mewtwo.

"It appears...I may have overdone it," Mewtwo coughed out, Serena handing over a small cup of water she had within her backpack. Thanking her, Mewtwo took the cup slowly, swallowing the welcomed liquid in small gulps until it was finished. "Even with myself already exhausted, I pushed my body past its limits to finish this fight. Though, the last time I went through that Mega Evolution...it felt different than when I was controlled. It felt more...natural," the powerful creature spoke out, turning his head to face those gathered around. Noticing the small sphere in Ash's hand, a smirk crossed his face.

"Hold onto it," he spoke, Ash slightly shocked from his words. Seeing this, Mewtwo raised a hand before waving it across his body, Ash noticing his movements appeared strained a little. His body probably having overexerted itself today. "I trust in you to keep that Stone safe...and I trust you. If one day we ever cross paths again, I feel as though you and I will be needed to work together. Besides, I have no use for that object without a human's Keystone to work in tandem with. Now, let's get the others..."

"Wait, Mewtwo! Rest a little!" Ash shouted, the Psychic-Type falling over while in the midst of standing up, his body giving out on him. Ash and James moved once more to help him stand. He was panting heavily, sweat running down his body and standing even with help appeared to be a chore for the Pokémon. Ash could hear the sound of tires screeching in the background, but chose to ignore them in order to help his friend into a sitting position. "Mewtwo, you have to rest now."

"He's right you know, you perfectly powered Psychic-Type," James stated, agreeing with Ash's statement. "From the looks of it, your body can barely maintain itself while standing up. That core isn't going anywhere right now, you have to rest since none of us are doctors."

"You may not, but I am," a familiar voice called out, Ash and Serena both lighting up with excitement from seeing Brock walking down the side of the crater, his doctor's outfit blowing behind him in the wind. "I'll have Mewtwo at full health in no time at all."

"Brock, it's great to see you're all right," Serena spoke up, Ash looking on in confusion from her statement. It then hit him that Brock hadn't been with the group when he awoke on Prism Tower. "I was worried something may have happened to you."

Spraying Mewtwo with a Potion he pulled from his bag, Brock immediately followed it up by wrapping a few bandages around the Psychic-Type's arm. Casting a smile towards Serena, the doctor let out a light chuckle before continuing with his work. "I would have been if Alder didn't show up. Everything I threw at that Orm fellow didn't seem to work and when Alder showed up he practically took him out with a single hit. The guy may come off as being a few screws loose, but he is pretty powerful. Sorry we're so late though, we were busy helping out a group of citizens. When we saw that rock creature attack, we followed after it, but I guess you all ready took care of it."

Ash nodded in agreement, remembering the time he had battled Alder, or rather fought his Bouffalant while he slept through the match. Wondering just how powerful Alder was when serious made Ash wonder if he could even match Diantha in strength. Shaking the thought from his head for the time being, Ash looked over towards Mewtwo, feeling confident in Brock's skills, Ash climbed out of the crater to see the others from the tournament were there as well, climbing out of the vehicle they used to get here. Looking around, Ash noticed both Cynthia and Alder off to the side talking to Lance and Silver, the latter seemingly having a look of disgust on his face.

However, no matter where he looked, Ash just couldn't seem to find Clemont. Walking over to the vehicle, Ash peered inside to only see Clemont's glasses sitting on the dashboard, a small crack running across them. Turning towards the large group, Ash let his thoughts out. "Hey, has anyone seen Clemont at all?"

Remo appeared the most affected by the question, his head drooping low while it looked like he was fighting back a few tears. Even Hugh and Wally seemed to be saddened by the name of said inventor, Meyer not even answering as he hobbled on his crutches. Ash didn't understand, why was everyone so sad? That was when it hit him.

"No...it can't be, he can't be..." he choked out, a few tears forming in his eyes. It was just like his dream, the young inventor perishing in this battle. But, it couldn't have happened, Clemont was strong trainer, he couldn't be defeated so easily and Ash continued to think it wasn't the case. He just _knew_ Clemont was alive. Yet, the longer the silence remained from those with Clemont, the more he began to worry. "Well!? Isn't anyone going to tell us where he is!?" He didn't mean to be growing angry, but his best friend was missing and he wanted answers, especially since they all had nearly died today.

"Ash...you wouldn't understand," Hugh spoke up, his voice low. To Ash, it sounded like the Unova native was in pain speaking. Shaking his head, Hugh began to mutter out something Ash couldn't fully understand, only hearing bits such as "too weak" or "if I were stronger". Before he could continue on, Remo stepped forward, placing a hand onto Hugh's shoulder.

Gone was the confident attitude that he carried, replaced by what Ash felt was sorrow. Looking at Remo's eyes, Ash could see they were all red, almost as if he had been crying over something. Sighing, the brute appeared to be thinking over his words carefully, almost as if he wanted them to be Clemont's lasting memory. "Ash...it's hard for all of us, but please understand. Clemont...Clemont, he isn't with us anymore."

That wasn't what Ash was expecting. The signs pointed to it, but he had been waiting for someone to say he was just hurt or helping back in the city. There was still so much to do, Clemont was going to help him prepare for the last string of his challenge and get ready for Diantha. They still had their battle that Clemont challenged him to. It all seemed unreal for Ash, the Kanto native sliding down onto his knees. Remo walked over to him, patting Ash on the back while muttering out incoherent words. Ash was surprised to see just how hard this was hitting the man, especially after how he treated Clemont throughout the tournament. Pulling away from Ash, Remo wiped his arm across his eyes, taking away any last tears that could still be sitting there.

"There was this lady, she was crazy powerful, had a Darkrai _and_ Mega Evolution. And...and despite hitting her with everything he had, Clemont still wasn't doing much damage. He fought hard, taking down her Mega Banette before going head on against Darkrai," Remo explained, pausing a moment to sniffle before wiping the mucus off of his nose. "I felt so helpless. Garchoo had been put to sleep, as was Wally's Gallade and all the others were defeated except for Cynthia and her Garchomp. In the end, Clemont did the only thing he thought would win the battle and that was jumping through a portal to some Distortion world with that lady, trapping them both there forever." Remo stopped there, Ash feeling a few drops of wetness rolling from the brute's face.

"There's no way in or out," Hugh finished, casting his glance off to the side. Ash realized just how much Clemont had touched these two, even more so than just as a trainer. "Even Cynthia has no idea how to open a portal there."

"Perhaps...I could be of one final assistance," Mewtwo's voice rang out, the Psychic-Type coughing as he walked out of the crater. His body was mostly bandaged up at this point, but his legs were able to keep him moving. Stopping next to Ash and Remo, he stared at one and then to the other. "If there is a personal item of his left...I may be able to use it to sense his whereabouts. In the event I find him, it is possible for me to teleport in. However, I would have to go into an immense rest, no one here will probably ever see me again."

"Can you really bring him back!?" Remo cried out, fists raised in front of his body. The man appeared to be shaking, whether it was fear or joy, Ash couldn't tell, but even he was shaking. "You're not messing with us at all, are you?"

Coughing, Mewtwo shook his head. "I have no desire to joke with your feelings. I too have met this Clemont you speak of. Now, bring me something of his before I grow too tired. I'll only have one shot at this, so I have to make it count."

Ash nodded, getting back onto his feet before heading straight for the vehicle. Jumping into the driver's seat, Ash grabbed the broken glasses before returning to Mewtwo with them. Handing the eyewear to him, Ash looked on in wonder as the Psychic-Type closed his eyes and focused.

"It's faint, but there's something," Mewtwo muttered out, Clemont's glasses now glowing blue with his psychic energy. "He isn't of this world anymore, but I feel there's a chance I might be able to concentrate enough to reach him." The mood in the area seemed to pick up from that, everyone but Paul listening on. Instead, the Sinnoh native appeared fixated on the core to the Megalith. "There!" Mewtwo shouted out, his body glowing blue for a moment before teleporting out of the area.

"Do you think he actually can bring back Clemont?" Serena asked, walking up beside Ash and grabbing his hand. The two looked at each other, exchanging a worried glance for their scientific minded friend. They didn't know how to react to Mewtwo possibly failing. He just couldn't. Ash squeezed her hand, telling her that everything was going to be alright.

Hearing a loud explosion off behind them, the group turned to see Paul and Electivire using Thunder Punch on the Megalith's core. Everyone were surprised to see the boy breaking through the stone structure, only for him to turn towards them and explain his reasoning. "No reason to sit around waiting for Mewtwo. Might as well get the others out, if they're in here of course."

"He's right," Lance spoke up, cape flowing in the light breeze. Ash looked over to him, catching a glimpse of Brock inspecting those who fought the Megalith to make sure they were all right. "We should focus our energies into hopefully freeing the others instead of waiting here hopelessly." With that, he quickly issued a Dragon Claw, Dragonite smashing his hands against the core while Electivire continued on with his own punches.

One by one the others joined in until everyone had broken away at the object, leaving small chips of the stone laying on the ground. Despite their hard work though, the core still wouldn't break open, instead now looking all cracked and shattered. Seeing this, Ash threw his hands behind his head, unsure of just how they were going to get a look inside.

"Man, Pikachu, I wish there were an easier way to break this thing," Ash muttered aloud, staring up at his best friend who was perched on his head. There appeared to be no immediate answer from him, the Electric Mouse Pokémon merely shrugging in response as he had no answer at all. Just as he said this, the core began to shake, the cracks becoming more defined before finally shattering. Seeing this, Serena left Ash's side, running off to help the others

"Guess ya spoke too soon, tworp," Meowth joked, throwing his own paws behind his head. Looking over towards the outskirts of Lumiose city, the Normal-Type's face immediately dropped. "Jess, Jimmy, we've got some problems comin' our way!"

His two companions followed his gaze, looks of pure despair apparent on their faces, the two humans hugging each other while Meowth ran to hide behind the now present Wobbuffet. Following their gazes, Ash was confused from their reactions, seeing only what looked to be emergency respondents, most likely coming to check on the entire situation.

"I can't go to jail! All my adoring fans would be heartbroken to hear something like that!" Jessie screeched out, James nodding in agreement while they were now blue in the face. Even Wobbuffet was shaking, his hands raised up to his mouth as he muttered out "wobba". That was when they all turned towards Ash, the young trainer caught slightly off-guard by their quick transition.

"Blast us off!" they cried in unison, Ash taking a step backwards only for the group of former agents to move forward. Ash didn't feel comfortable about all of this; they had just turned to his side and now they wanted him to blast them off?

"Ya don't understand, tworp," Meowth began, getting onto his knees, practically begging Ash now, grabbing at the boy's jacket. "Before blowing up the base, Jimmy released some information to the entire world...information that would put us behind bars if they ever found us."

"Or any Team Rocket member located within the database," James added in, placing a hand on Meowth's shoulder before getting down on one knee, Jessie doing the same but on the opposite side. "You see, I did a complete data leak of all operatives' real information before we destroyed the Kalos base. That includes their identity, where they live, where they're stationed...well, you get the jist of it."

"That's why you need to send us flying off now! I'm not ready to go to jail," Jessie snapped, Ash feeling bad for the three of them. Yes, they had their differences in the past and yes, those three did commit crimes, but he couldn't bring himself to letting them go to jail or to even send them blasting off. "Those officers will recognize us immediately once they get here so we're running out of time, twerp. Please, as a farewell gift to us, please do as we ask."

That was when it hit him. They were actually leaving, _forever_. "Wait...if you guys... You can't go... Not yet, I'm not finished yet... Y-You have to be there..." Ash muttered, stumbling over his words. He never thought he would be getting this emotional over having these three leave him alone. In fact, he had always wanted them to go away early on in his journey, but lately they felt close to him, whether it be all their time spent together or the fact they were more helpful later on in his journey, he couldn't quite explain.

"Hey, dis ain't easy for us either, James is practically bawlin' over here," Meowth pointed out, the older male wiping away at his face, Ash hearing what sounded like a few sniffles coming from him. Sighing, Ash lowered his head.

"Pikapi? Pika?" Pikachu asked, crying into Ash's ear. Even he didn't want to see these three go away.

Fixing his hat, Ash wiped at his eyes before letting out another sigh. He had to do this. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt...please."

Pikachu stared at him in confusion. Were they really going through with this? Surely the police would listen and let them go. Ash however wasn't taking the chance, maybe this way they could see each other again without having to be behind bars, but for now, this was goodbye. "Please, Pikachu. I know it seems weird, but blast them off. We're usually at odds with them, but I know and you know that deep down they're practically great friends if not family. Think of all the experiences we had on our journey because of them. So, we need to help them with this last request."

"I guess this is a definite goodbye!" James cried out, a few of his tears landing on Meowth. Ash couldn't believe it himself, but he felt ready to burst into tears as well, but decided to hold back. Now wasn't the time or place for any of that, especially not now.

"Listen here!" Jessie began to yell out, pushing James out of her way. However, upon seeing Ash's face, her usual fiery personality deserted her, leaving her in a timid state. Mustering all her strength, the former Team Rocket operative spoke up. "We've spent a lot of time training you, so Twerp, you better not lose another battle! Otherwise we'll just have to poke our heads around and get you into better shape for your next challenge."

"I understand," Ash laughed out, the small group having their final moment together. The vehicles were closing in so it was now or never. "But...just remember, a goodbye isn't forever. It's just a reason for us to all meet up again one day. Pikachu, Thunderbolt."

"Pika...chuu," the Electric-Type cried out softly, his electricity flowing across his body. Unlike in the past, his attack was nowhere close to its usual strength, instead being enough to just send the small group packing. Upon striking them, Team Rocket felt the electricity flowing through their body and Ash couldn't help but think that it was a bittersweet moment for them.

An explosion soon occurred, lifting Team Rocket high into the sky, the blast catching the attention of others. Though, Ash didn't care. He was too busy watching the longest companions he ever traveled with leave for their own future, one that he no doubt knew would contain less pain for them. Hearing them shout out their familiar "blasting off again", Ash chuckled to himself before facing the core. To his surprise, the group had already begun removing people from it, proving the theory correct that they were trapped in there.

"A little help would be appreciated," Paul called out, Ash watching on as he struggled to remove who looked like Astrid. To Ash's shock, those absorbed by the Megalith seemed to be in a cocoon of sorts, a small tube running from the bottom of their containment which no doubt funneled their energy into the Megalith. "Stop standing there and give us a hand moving them out of here. Most are already out, but you've been too busy daydreaming."

"I'm coming!" Ash shouted back, running towards the group. Casting one last glance in the direction of Team Rocket, Ash wished them the best of luck before focusing on helping the others. Looking around, it appeared everyone except for a handful were now out, Ash looking specifically for one person, or rather, Pokémon.

Casting his eyes around the field of sleeping captives, Ash found Greninja, the Water and Dark-Type still inside of his shell. Calling for an Iron Tail, Ash watched on while Pikachu sliced through the shell easily, the remains of it disintegrating into the ground. Upon freedom, Greninja began to stir until finally his eyes opened wide, his hands reaching for his blades as if he were still in battle.

"Gren!?" he called out in surprise, Ash wondering if he even remembered the last events before being absorbed. Not needing to know, for he was just glad to have Greninja back, Ash pulled the Ninja Pokémon into a hug. The moment was soon broken, Greninja pulling back when it appeared he sensed another being approach. Throwing a blade in the direction he sensed, Greninja got up and ran right behind it, ready to strike the intruder.

Phasing back into their world, Mewtwo was met with the blade right to his face, stumbling backwards. Greninja continued forward, Ash realizing exactly why his partner would attack Mewtwo; he didn't know they were on the same side. Recalling Greninja quickly, Ash then released the Water and Dark-Type from the capture device.

"Greninja, Mewtwo is now on our side. He was being controlled prior to now, but he's back to normal," Ash explained, Greninja seeming disappointed in his actions. Taking this time to make up for his previous attack, the frog walked over towards his new comrade, bowing in what Ash figured was an act of forgiveness.

Nodding, Mewtwo accepted Greninja's apology, the latter running off to inspect the core Sighing, Ash rubbed the back of his head. He felt responsible for Greninja's actions yet he had no time to warn him. Before he could speak a word to Mewtwo, the Psychic-Type beat him to it. "There's no need to apologize. I would have done the same if our roles were reversed. However, I bring good news for you. The one called Clemont, I was able to find him. He's a little shaken up, but otherwise he'll be fine." Mewtwo explained, Clemont's unconscious body floating from behind Mewtwo. Ash was relieved for that, even if Clemont seemed to be in a pretty rough shape. His backpack was gone completely and his jumpsuit was torn up. Something must have happened, but Ash didn't want to push it. Maybe when Clemont woke up he would ask.

"Now...now I must return to my own kind. Find a place where we can all live with people and Pokémon in peaceful harmony. A place where we mustn't hide in fear or be secluded from the entire world." Mewtwo turned his gaze away from Ash and towards the entire group, smiling as those captured from the Megalith were freed from their containment pods. "Today you all showed me once again what can happen when we all come together, and I am grateful for that. And now, I must leave."

"Do you really have to go, Mewtwo?" Ash asked, the Psychic-Type already floating up into the sky using his psychic energy. "Maybe you should rest up a little first."

"No. My family must be worried for my wellbeing just as you were for your family. I will be fine, Ash Ketchum, but this is where we go our separate ways until next time," Mewtwo spoke, turning away from the boy and speeding off into the distance. "Until we meet again." His voice traveled down to Ash, or so Ash thought, only to realize he had telepathically spoke it to him.

Turning, Ash began to make his way back towards the rest of the group, now with a passed out Clemont on his back. Once he was noticed, Remo joined in. While walking, Ash thought he heard Remo yelling at Clemont while helping him carry the inventor until they laid him out in the backseat of the vehicle used to get them all there. Sighing at the fact Clemont was safe, Ash was soon surprised to find a microphone in his face.

"Any words to the people of Kalos after saving not only them, but the entire world?" a young girl asked, Ash immediately recognizing her as Malva. He would never be able to forget her face, not after she tried to kill him during Team Flare's attack on Kalos. Luckily, she had switched sides upon realizing how far the organization had fallen. "No one except those gathered out here saw the final clash, but rumors have it that a giant rock monster ate the leader of Team Rocket before moving out this way."

"No questions," Paul retorted making his way onto the scene. Pushing Ash out of the microphone's general area, he turned to Malva with a scorn on his face. He was _clearly_ not in the mood for any interviews. "Right now we have to get ready to finish the tournament."

"You honestly are thinking about that after everything that happened today!?" Astrid deadpanned, the others nearby agreeing with her. Even Hugh didn't seem interested in taking part right now, and Ash didn't really blame him, but still...

"I don't blame him," Ash replied, stretching his arms a little bit before adjusting his hat. "This tournament was why we all are here anyways. Besides, I'd be lying if I told anyone I didn't want to battle now either."

"You two are ridiculous, worrying only about battling right now," Astrid replied to him, nearly falling over from her reaction to his words. Ash couldn't help it, when there was a challenge waiting for him he wanted to face it immediately, whether they just spent the day fighting an evil organization or not.

"That's Ash for you..." Serena muttered, placing a hand up to her face. Ash nodded, it didn't matter when or where, he was always open to battling. Though, he could admit now wasn't the best time, but his adrenaline was pumping too much to stop.

"So, Paul, how about it?" he asked, turning to face his rival. Smiling a toothy grin, Ash rubbed underneath his nose before chuckling once more. "We hold the final battle of the tournament right here. A best of three matchup between our two teams."

At his words, the remaining members of both teams moved forward amongst the group and it seemed to be the perfect ending to this awful day. Cameras were rolling as both sides stared each other down, only for Trip to shrug his shoulders and open his mouth.

"How about you two settle this entire tournament with one match in a few days. No offense to Hugh or Astrid, but we both know the entire round would come down to you two. This way it gives you two time to recover from today and let the city rest a little. Sound good? Hugh? Astrid?"

"Doesn't matter to me, this whole Team Rocket business taught me I still have a lot of growing to do if I want to be ready for the Kalos League," the Unova native spoke out, his eyes glancing over towards Clemont's sleeping body. "Besides, is Dawn really in the best of conditions to battle right now?"

Ash shrugged his own shoulders now before facing Paul. The boy appeared to look indifferent, but Ash could tell he was disappointed, this _was_ the entire reason he came out to Kalos in the first place. "Sound good, Paul? We can hold the battle in exactly three days from now at the Lumiose Gym."

"Whatever, just make sure you show up," Paul muttered before throwing his hands in his pockets. Turning back one final time, he locked eyes with Ash, the two boys knowing full well what this battle stood for. It was more than just a tournament, it was the tiebreaker for their personal rivalry. Paul won at Lake Acuity while Ash won at the Sinnoh League. This tournament was their personal tiebreaker.

"You heard it here first, folks! This tournament will have a conclusion even if it does take a few days!" Malva cried out into her microphone, her camera crew filming her every movement while law enforcement moved in the background. Ash didn't chuckle or laugh, instead he watched Paul's retreating figure as he jumped into one of the vehicles that would be taking them to Lumiose City to be checked out. Paul would be his next challenge to overcome and it was time to put his lessons to the test.

"You'll do just fine," Serena urged him on, joining right beside him. Ash turned to the girl, so glad to see her doing just fine, especially after how he dreamt he lost her. He didn't want to ever be in a similar situation, but he also knew they should wait just a little while longer before their relationship could become official, granted he didn't know how different it would be from now though. "Just go out there and give it your all, Ash."

He didn't reply. Not that he didn't want to, just that he didn't need to. With Serena by his side, Ash felt like he couldn't lose.

* * *

The next three days were slow for everyone, not just Ash. He may have felt like it was an eternity until his battle, but everyone else had to go through their own problems as the days passed. Upon being inspected by doctors at Lumiose City, Ash learned he had a broken rib, though that was the least of his worries once he heard the entire city was without power. How was he going to call up Professor Oak if the communications were down!? For that, Clemont got right to work rebuilding the power plant from scratch, making sure that at least one Pokémon Center would have enough power to communicate with Professor Oak.

"You're a lifesaver, Clemont," Ash joked, throwing an arm around the inventor's neck before they both let out a laugh. It was now the third day, the day Ash would be battling Paul and power had finally been restored to the Center next to Prism Tower. "Without you getting right to work, I wouldn't have been able to get ready for this battle."

"It was nothing really," the inventor responded, rubbing the back of his head from embarrassment. "All I needed to do was rebuild one generator which only took a few days and then have it set up so that the incoming electricity would be sent to this very Pokémon Center. The workers are taking care of the rest of the city though, I don't think I could handle it right now.

Ash nodded, knowing exactly what Clemont meant. He had been quieter than usual, focusing more on his tools than his friends or even Bonnie. Something had to have happened within the time Clemont separated from the group since Serena had told him the boy was fine before they split. "Clemont," he spoke out as they sat before a phone. "Did something happen to you in the Distortion World? You don't seem yourself since you came back. You've been more...reclusive and quiet."

"I'm fine," Clemont replied with a light sigh. "I've just seen a few things in there that I wasn't expecting. And the thoughts that I would be trapped there forever didn't help either. I was scared of that world, I saw first hand what happened to Sird and it isn't something I want to repeat. It may have only been hours in there, but the time felt like years passed as I ran to survive in there. Even now, I have nightmares about that place, but when I wake up and see all of you...well, it makes it easier for me."

"You don't have to go through this alone," Ash explained, removing his arm so that he could firmly plant a single hand onto the boy's shoulder. "We're all here for you, there's no need to keep this all bottled up, Clemont. Come let us know if something is up."

Clemont nodded, Ash feeling relieved that he had figured out (partially) what had been bothering Clemont. Turning towards the phone, Ash issued the call for Professor Oak's, asking the scientist for a transfer of one of his Pokémon. Without hesitation, Oak sent over the creature, Ash not needing to send one back due to having only five on hand.

"Thank you, Professor Oak, he got here safe and sound," Ash stated, holding the Poké Ball up for the professor to see it.

"Excellent!" Professor Oak cried out joyously, Ash chuckling slightly from his enthusiasm. "Now you make sure to go out there and give it everything you've got against Paul!"

"You bet!" Ash replied, fist raised before his body. Before the young trainer could issue another word, his friendly Muk decided now would be a good time to attack Professor Oak, crushing him with a Body Slam that nearly consumed the scientist in Muk's toxic waste. "I'll let you go now, Professor," Ash muttered out, ending the phone call before placing his Poké Ball onto his belt.

Standing up, the two boys made their way to the exit, knowing that they needed to make it back to Prism Tower soon, for Ash's battle was about to begin. About to walk out the doors, a news broadcast caught their attention, causing them to linger on inside for a while longer.

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen," Malva spoke out, her face looking rather shocked at whatever piece of information she was reporting on had been about. "You heard it correctly from Lance himself. As of today, he will be stepping down as Champion of both Kanto and Johto, stating that the League will replace him with those they see fit. We'll get the clip rolling for you from his press conference earlier today."

"When did this happen?" Ash asked, Clemont shrugging his shoulders as they both were interested in this news story. Neither had even a thought of Lance or any Champion to be precise of stepping down. Keeping their attention to the screen, they both listened carefully as Lance's press conference played again.

"You may all be interested in knowing why I called you here today," the older man spoke out, having ditched his usual outfit for a far more professional suit. Though Ash noted how his hair remained in its usual style. "Well, it is with a heavy heart that today will be my last day serving as Champion of Kanto and Johto."

Gasps filled the room as even Ash and Clemont let one out each due to the recording. Lance raised a hand to the reporters, asking for their cooperation and silence until he was finished with what he needed to be said. Looking at each other, Ash and Clemont now had a feeling of just what may have led to him resigning.

"Earlier this week, a tournament not seen in roughly fifty years was brought onto the public to have them all compete in it and hopefully bring home the victory. However, that tournament was nothing more than scheme by myself to gather trainers from around the world in hopes of luring Giovanni out of hiding. What I didn't plan for was him catching onto my plan and using it against me."

Pausing a moment, Lance took a sip of water, the man looking like he had just ran a marathon before going up on stage. Ash could understand why; it wasn't every day you resigned on TV. "Because of this, I put countless lives at risk and many citizens of Kalos were caught in the cross fire caused by Giovanni. I lost a close friend and fellow comrade named Michael. His loss, along with all of those who lost their lives thanks to Team Rocket would still be here today if not for my foolish actions. I regret it all, but no amount of regret will ever bring them back, and so, I, Lance, hereby formally resign from my position as Champion." Stopping now, Lance took this time to begin answering questions from the media. However, the prerecorded tape ended there before going back to Malva in her small studio.

"Lance resigned..." Ash muttered out, taken aback by the shocking news of it all. Clemont however knew they didn't have the time for this and began to push Ash out of the Center. Once outside, the duo turned for Prism Tower immediately, the walk only taking them a few minutes as they passed by citizens walking freely on the streets. Even a few of the girls whistled at Ash, causing him to blush in embarrassment before politely letting them know he was already taken...only for them to explain it was directed at Clemont. The young inventor's face turned beet red, not expecting the attention.

"You know," Ash started to say, ribbing the inventor in a playful fashion. "Ever since word got out about your sacrifice, everyone's been looking at you differently. And now this, you better be thankful Bonnie wasn't with us."

"I am," Clemont sighed out, arms hanging in front of his body. Ash found it kind of funny with Clemont's reaction. Had it been Brock, the older male would have been all over those ladies, trying to get a date with them. "It's like she thinks I'll go away forever now if she isn't with me. Today was the first time she's let me be on my own, granted I'm spending time with you while Bonnie helps my dad at the shop."

"How is he doing?" Ash replied, not completely sure what to say in the situation. Clemont had explained to him all about Meyer being Blaziken Mask, but he didn't dwell too much on the injury he suffered during Team Rocket's attack. "Will...will he be able to?"

"He just needs to go through some physical therapy and rest. The doctors assured us he'll be able to walk again on his own strength, but for now Ampharos is providing support when neither myself or Bonnie are around," Clemont reassured his friend, smiling to make sure Ash understood everything was just fine. Continuing on their way, the duo stopped once more, the entrance to Prism Tower (and Ash's match) being blocked by two familiar faces.

"Silver. Nick," Ash spoke, the two boys standing there quietly. Professor Sycamore had explained about Michael, and Ash had no clue how to comfort the younger trainer, but Silver seemed just as affected when the news hit him. "Do you two really have to leave now?"

Nick just lowered his eyes, the emotionless look on his face saying all that it needed before he kicked his feet against the ground. It was so shocking to see the once highly energetic boy not even mutter a word. He seemed broken, like a shell of his former self. Silver however was there for the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Afraid so," he explained, darting his eyes back and forth to make sure no unwanted ears could hear him. "Lance wants me to return back to base immediately much in the same sense Nate was called back earlier. Just wanted to say thank you for the help instead of vanishing in the night," he continued on, extending his free hand towards the Pallet Town native. Nodding, Ash shook the boy's hand before clearing his throat, almost nervous to ask what was in his mind.

"Giovanni...do you really think it's true? I mean, you've been hunting him down for years, do you really think he survived?"

Silver shrugged his shoulders, casting a glance down towards Nick. "Honestly? I want to believe that bastard is dead, but I know better. The fact we found no body at all in that pile of rubble makes me believe he escaped during the chaos of the entire scene. I'm still kicking myself for letting him get away. Next time though, he won't be so lucky. Next time, I won't be held back by the G-Men and their rules since as of three days ago, I resigned. Only Lance knows so the organization is going to be in for a shock today. Never did agree with their views if I'm being honest here, still blame them for the mess the other day."

"Well, if you ever need any help, you know you can count on me," Ash spoke up, the two trainers not saying another word. Swooping down from the sky appeared to be a Dragonite, Ash knowing exactly who it belonged to as Silver grabbed ahold of Nick before jumping onto the incoming Dragon and Flying-Type. Ash and Clemont just stood in silence, unsure of how to carry on a conversation after the news they had heard throughout the day.

"Ash...you don't think...he's really alive, do you?" Clemont asked before turning towards the entrance to Prism Tower. After everything they went through fighting Team Rocket, the last thing they would want is for it to be rebuilt. Especially after James had released all relevant information regarding any members of the organization.

"I don't want him to be, but if he is, someone will bring him to justice eventually," Ash answered, giving a toothy grin to his friend. "But for now I have a battle to go take part in!" Sprinting inside, Ash was greeted by Pikachu leaping onto his shoulder, Bonnie chiding him for almost being late to the match.

"Ohhh, Ash you were almost disqualified, you know the match begins in five minutes. They've already got the cameras set up!" Bonnie remarked, puffing her cheeks out causing Ash to laugh while Clemont trudged in behind him before making his way over to a special elevator, disappearing into it. "It isn't funny! What would Serena or Diantha think if you got disqualified for being late!?"

"But I'm here now!" Ash replied back jokingly before breaking into a sprint, Bonnie chasing after him. Making his way into the newly rebuilt elevator, Ash reached the floor where the Gym was located, making his way to the door before Bonnie opened it for the trainer. Wishing him luck, Bonnie ran off to the front row of seats where Serena and the others were all gathered, Clemont down on the field. Ash was surprised to see the inventor having beaten him up here, but shook off the thought before walking in.

"I thought you weren't going to show up," Paul called out, hands in his pockets. Ash merely rubbed underneath his nose before letting off a nervous laugh.

"Just running a little behind schedule, but I'm here now and that's all that matters," Ash replied, holding up a Poké Ball. "You ready to get started now?"

"Actually, Ash, I've been working on something that might be of use for your match," Clemont interrupted from his spot, pulling a remote from his pocket. Pressing down on a single red button, Ash felt the field shake before opening, revealing a larger field roughly ten feet beneath them. "I like to call this 'The Pit'. It's a field I specifically built with your battles in mind after the Kalos League where you destroyed the entire field. It's been built to withstand anything you throw at it. I figured now would be a good time to test this creation out."

"That's fine with me," Ash stated, his small platform looking over the barren field. It seemed different, but it was a welcomed change. "How about it, Paul!? Is this fine with you?"

The Sinnoh native replied with a light huff, clearly not caring to the point of needing a say in the field they used. Instead, he merely tossed his Poké Ball out onto the wasteland, Electivire appearing from the device while punching his fists together, electricity flowing through them.

"I'm assuming you brought _him_? Will you still need Blaze to win?" Paul asked, a small smirk crossing his face.

"Of course I brought him," Ash replied, tossing his own Poké Ball forward. "Infernape, I choose you!" The small device opened up, revealing none other than Infernape once the light around him died down. "I'm ready any time you are, Paul! It's time to see which of us will be winning this tournament!"

"Hmphhh, we'll see about that," Paul replied, throwing a hand forward. "Electivire, Thunder Punch, go!"

"Elec!" the Electric-Type shouted, whirling his arms in a circular motion before speeding off for Infernape. Arms charged with electricity, Electivire swung his left fist straight at Infernape's chest only for the Flame Pokémon to dodge it easily by jumping backwards.

" _He's probably testing us right now, but no time to take it easy!"_ Ash thought to himself, throwing his left arm out to the side of his body. "Infernape, counter each blow with your Mach Punch! Show him what real speed is like!"

"Infernape, ape ape!" the Fire and Fighting-Type shouted out, pushing off of his strong legs, right arm reared back in preparation to strike his foe. Kicking dirt up as he bounced forward, Infernape readied his attack, smashing his powerful fist right into Electivire's own attack.

Shockwaves shot out from the collision, the magnitude of them reaching both Ash and Paul as both sides braced themselves from the impact. Grabbing his hat, Ash looked on in awe, Infernape and Electivire matching each other blow for blow, neither able to land a clean hit as one would block the other every single time.

Watching on, Ash noticed an opening and decided to risk it. Punching forward with his right hand, Ash shouted out. "Infernape, get some leverage between you and Electivire! Jump high into the air and go into a Flare Blitz!"

"Quick, Protect!" Paul countered, sweeping his own arm off to the side while Infernape sidestepped a Thunder Punch and jumped high into the air. The Flame Pokémon became shrouded in flames, his body glowing blue from the extreme heat he was eradiating. Lunging for Electivire, it appeared that the attack would land, only for the Thunderbolt Pokémon to thrust his hands outward, erecting a green shield around his body.

Infernape crashed hard against the barrier, flames flowing all around Electivire's protective shield only for the primate to bounce off, the attack proving to be ineffective at the time. Cursing himself, Ash wished they had been slightly quicker, for Paul was already on the offensive with a double Thunder Punch attack. Infernape ducked under the first punch, but was quickly smacked across the face with Electivire's tail, allowing an opening for the second fist to strike him in the gut.

Sliding backwards, Infernape steadied himself before charging right back into the action, Ash ordering for a Mach Punch to offset the Thunder Punch. Clashing fists once more, Infernape and Electivire created another set of shockwaves, this time knocking Ash onto his rear end while Paul slid backwards.

"I see you've been training quite a lot, Paul," Ash taunted, arms pumped by his side in anticipation for the next blow. His heart was pumping, adrenaline flowing all throughout his body as all he could think of was the next direction to take the battle in. He had already seen Electivire up close, now to see his reflexes. "Infernape, Flamethrower, let's go!"

"Protect again!" Paul countered, the green shield appearing moments before Infernape's flames could strike his partner. "You and Infernape haven't been slouching off either but you're not good enough to beat us. It's good to know you've been improving as well. At least at this rate, Electivire and I will be able to have at least one good battle out of this tournament."

"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself just yet! Use Dig!" Ash shouted, throwing his right arm up over his head, Infernape going right underneath the field and obscuring himself from view. Ash could hear Paul cursing himself for not expecting something like this, but he couldn't waste time, they only had one shot.

"Nape!" the Flame Pokémon joyfully shouted out, the ground beneath Electivire cracking only for his fist to crash right through the Electric-Type's shield. With a fast punch, Infernape sent his opponent air bound, giving chase immediately, his fist glowing with energy.

Paul smirked at the combination attack, the look on his face leaving Ash feeling unsettled. It didn't help relax him either when his rival began to speak. "Nice combination of forcing us to use Protect. However, it wasn't good enough! Now, Electivire, grab ahold of Infernape!"

"Electivire!" he shouted out, his tail extending before wrapping around Infernape's fists. Ash grit his teeth; they were trapped now, at the mercy of Paul and Electivire. Swinging his body around, Electivire tossed Infernape back into the ground before landing with a loud thud of his own.

"And Thunder, go!" Electivire rammed his tails into the ground, electricity surging through it immediately much to Ash's worry. He could hear Infernape crying out in pain, but they had to hold on for the time being. The electricity surged through the entire field, even to the point where it reached Ash, shocking him slightly.

"We've got to...end this attack before Infernape is cooked alive! Use Flare Blitz to heat the field up and cancel out Thunder!" the Kanto native countered, shaking off the effects of Thunder, the heat from the field causing him to throw his jacket off to the side, Paul likewise repeating the action. Soon, the entire field began to glow with a red tint to it, Infernape's flames managing to heat it up to the point where it was too hot to use Thunder throughout it.

"Perfect job, Infernape, now get in close with Dig!"

"In...infernape!" he cried out, his primitive instincts kicking in, howling a bit before crashing up through the hard, dirt floor. Punching forward, Infernape's attack was met head on by Electivire's tails. Paul had called for them as a shield as to not waste Protect for the time being. Seeing themselves in a stalemate, Ash immediately realized what was to happen but it was too late.

Flinching from the after effects of Flare Blitz, Infernape lost his footing with Electivire, opening the door for an attack. "Thunder," Paul called out, not wasting the chance when he had one. The electrical energy surged through his partner's tails before exiting right into Infernape's body. The Fire and Fighting-Type howled out in pain, electricity steaming from his body.

"You always were predictable," Paul shot off, ordering for Electivire to toss Infernape to the side. "Don't let him recover now! Brick Break, let's go!"

"Infernape, can you still battle?" Ash asked, his partner standing shakily but sure enough he could continue on. "Perfect! Stop him in his tracks with Flamethrower! Then charge in with Mach Punch!"

Infernape didn't respond, instead he shot off the searing flames right at Electivire. The attack proved ineffective, the Electric-Type merely slicing through it with his glowing arms before smacking the shocked Infernape across the side of his body. Infernape once more skid across the field, his body in intense pain from all the attacks. He had no time to relax however, Electivire once more on the offensive, charging in with another round of Brick Break. Jumping off to the side, Infernape barely dodged the first attack, Electivire leaving a large crack in the foundation where he struck first.

Using his second arm, Electivire swiped it out towards Infernape, the Flame Pokémon catching it with ease before throwing Electivire up over his shoulder, causing an indent to form in the rock bed. Ash smirked at this, glad to see it going their way for once. "Now, use Flamethrower! Then Mach Punch."

Infernape released the flames once more, Electivire acting on instinct to raise up his shield and disperse the flames, saving him from any danger for the time being. However, Infernape used the blocked flames for coverage, hiding amongst them until his opposition dropped the Protect. That was when he struck, his fists catching on fire from the remaining flames before his fist sailed right across Electivire's face, the Electric-Type flying back onto his side of the field.

"We've got to keep the offensive up, use Mach Punch once more!"

"Keep him at bay with Thunder!"

The two attacks were cast, both Pokémon listening to their respective trainers. Electivire was faster however, his tails releasing their electrical charge before Infernape could reach him. Seeing this, Ash quickly called for his partner to block the blast with his left arm, the Mach Punch absorbing the electrical energy and taking the full blow before his right arm socked Electivire right in the gut. The Thunderbolt Pokémon dropped to one knee, a few drops of spit landing on the ground before he rolled out of the way of a second Mach Punch, Infernape's fist being wedged into the ground from the missed attack.

"Now's our chance, Thunder Punch!" Paul ordered, his smirk growing wider by the moment. Ash likewise seemed enthused by the battle, it was like neither of them even remembered the events from a few days ago, all that mattered was the match before them. Electivire sprung right onto his feet, swing his right arm straight at Infernape.

"Blow him back with a Flare Blitz that shoots from your body and then go into a dig!" Ash countered, the temperature in the room rising once more. The Flame Pokémon glowing blue from the heat before the energy spread outwards, encompassing the small section he was standing in in flames. Electivire was caught in the blast, skidding backwards but stopping his skid by slamming his fist into the ground.

"Fernnnn," Infernape cried out in pain, the after damage from Flare Blitz beginning to take its toll on his body. Using this time to hide, Infernape dug deep under the field to get a quick breath.

Paul merely shook his head at Ash's attempt to stall for a few moments, instead ordering for a Thunder attack on the entire field, Electivire's tails being rammed deep under the surface. Ash immediately called for Infernape to get out of there, but it was too late as the field cracked from the electrical energy, Infernape being launched from under the ground. "Now, throw those broken stones at Infernape," Paul commanded, pointing forward with his index finger.

"Elec," the Electric-Type muttered, hitting the now broken sections of the field at Infernape with his tail. The stones were dodged with ease, Infernape using his primate skills to dodge them like it were nothing. However, during his dodging spree, both himself and Ash were unable to see Electivire get behind them, landing a Thunder Punch on Infernape's back, causing the Fire and Fighting-Type to skid across the ground on his face.

"Infernape, can you continue going?" Ash asked out, Infernape turning around to give him a thumbs up. Sighing, Ash rubbed the back of his head before laughing. "You know, Paul, this battle has been just the sort of warm up I needed for the last stretch of my challenge against the Kalos Elite Four. I was worried about growing rusty from not battling them for a while, but here you are, giving me just as tough of a battle."

"I could say the same to you, but I'm not here to chat," Paul spat back, a smile now replacing the smirk before ordering another Brick Break. Electivire bounded off, arms glowing white with energy before approaching Infernape.

"Roll to the side, Infernape!" Ash called out quickly, his partner barely avoiding the crushing attack, rocks being kicked up by the impact. Infernape had little time to rest, for coming right at him was a second attack. Moving on instincts, Infernape grabbed ahold of his opponent's arm using his two fists before kicking Electivire in the chest, causing him to slide a short distance away.

Both Pokémon were panting heavily as Infernape stood back onto his feet. Despite the fact they both were having too much fun, both trainers knew this was going to be it and readied themselves for it. Pumping his arms at his sides, Ash called out for Mach Punch, Infernape's body beginning to glow a shade of red; Blaze was starting to kick in.

"Electivire, block it with Thunder Punch!" Paul quickly countered, Electivire having almost no time to raise a guard. Crossing his arms over his chest, the Electric-Type was met with a fist to his arms, sliding backwards only to run right at his attack.

The gathered crowd roared out in excitement; they were loving every minute of this fight. Both Pokémon were trading blows now, neither side willing to dodge as they continued to strike the other as if they were in a boxing match now. Fists flew as neither backed down until finally Infernape gained the upper hand.

"Quick, parry that attack and then strike!" Ash called forth, Infernape nodding. Throwing his left fist forward, Infernape used the wind generated from his speed to easily deflect Electivire's incoming attack, swiping to his left and affecting the direction of the attack. Electivire looked shocked as his arm flew right by Infernape's body without touching its intended target. Infernape then socked his opponent clean across the face, sending him flying into a pile of rubble left from a previous clash between them.

"Paul, you and I both know that this match has to end sooner or later. If it were up to me, I'd keep this going all day, but Infernape is tiring out and so is Electivire, it's best to end this with them still capable to put up a fight," Ash stated, rubbing at behind his head, Infernape emulating his action. "This match was just what we needed after everything we went through, I couldn't have asked for a better battler against you."

"You know, I came here expecting to meet you in the finals...this might not be how I expected it, but it was still pretty good. You've grown even stronger than the last time we fought and I am honestly impressed," Paul replied, glaring down at Ash. The Kanto native chuckled to himself over Paul's attitude. There really wasn't any reason he had to hide the truth about just having a fun battle. "But I came to win and that's exactly what I plan to do! Electivire, Thunder!"

"Flare Blitz, Infernape!"

The two Pokémon charged their attacks, Infernape shrouding himself in flames before charging head-on into the approaching Thunder attack. Slowing down slightly from the pain, Infernape trucked through it before emerging on the other side of the electrical attack. Take one last leap into the air, Infernape spun his body around and dove straight into Electivire. An explosion filled the entire room, both Ash and Paul having to cover their faces from the flying dirt while Ash's hat also flew off from the wind. No one could see just what happened inti finally the smoke and dust died down.

"That does it!" Malva could be heard making the call. It was at that moment Ash realized they had never got a referee for the match, but it hardly mattered right now, for Electivire laid on the dirt floor defeated, Infernape panting heavily while sitting on his rear end. "Electivire is unable to battle and so Infernape and Ash are the winners. Thus, going by the rules set forth between the two teams, Team Champions are the winners at the Pokémon World Tournament! This is Malva signing off until next time!"

Ash sat down against the edge of the "Pit" before sliding down into it, Paul likewise doing the same. Thanking Infernape for a hard-fought battle, he recalled the Fire and Fighting-Type into his Poké Ball, Paul doing the same with Electivire. The two boys turned to face each other, neither saying a word at first, their eyes doing all the talking.

"That was a good battle, I can see why that Giovanni guy wanted you out of the way," Paul spoke up, placing Electivire's Poké Ball away. "If you battle like that the rest of the way, there's no reason you can't face Diantha."

"Thanks, Paul," Ash shot back, giving the Sinnoh native a thumbs up. "You were amazing yourself, you've definitely grown way stronger since our last match. If you don't mind, I would love to have another battle someday with you."

Letting out a light laugh, Paul shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, that would be nice. Though next time, don't expect to win again. I'll be sure to even it up with you."

"You know winning isn't everything, right?" Dawn's voice called out, her and Trip standing on one side of the field while Astrid and Hugh on the opposite. "There's more to it."

"She's right, Paul, sometimes people learn from their losses," Astrid teased him, causing him to throw his hands into his pants pocket. Paul payed little attention to the teasing, instead joining his team up on their side of the field, Astrid leaning in to whisper to him. "You know, sometimes people like the loser more," she said before pecking him on the cheek quickly. "That's for helping me when we were in trouble."

"Stupid girl," Paul muttered, Ash looking on in confusion. He may have come to terms with his own feelings, but that didn't mean he could pick up on others just yet. Laughing due to Paul getting upset, Ash climbed out of the field, making his way over to his two teammates as Malva handed them their award.

"You know," she began to say, placing the medal over each of their necks. "This was going to be a much larger ceremony. But with Lance stepping down as Champion and the entire fiasco with Team Rocket, I don't think you three mind it being this, right?"

"No. This is just fine," Trip answered the Elite Four member first, looking at his medal.

Malva placed another medal onto Dawn's neck carefully before stopping at Ash. Placing the medal down, she stopped next to his ear, whispering to him. "I heard you're heading to Laverre City after this, meet me tomorrow morning outside the Pokémon Center near the exit to Laverre and I can give you a ride, I'm heading that way."

"Really?" Ash asked, Malva merely nodding to answer him. Walking away from the team, Malva raised a finger up to her mouth, motioning for Ash to keep it quiet, most likely to keep fans of hers from coming.

Looking at his medal, Ash smiled. "We did it, Pikachu. Now to just beat Malva and then we can face Diantha. Who would have thought we would come this far?"

"Pipikachu!" the Electric-Type cried in agreement, the duo laughing from all their joy, but they both knew the fun would be ending soon. Starting tomorrow, it was back to business for them.

* * *

 **And we are finally done in Lumiose City, everyone. Hopefully you all got enough of it since this is the last time we'll be here in this story. As for the chapter, a lot of things happened in the beginning and a battle ended it all. To clear things up, Giovanni is left ambiguous for a reason that doesn't apply to** _ **this**_ **story. It'll get cleared up in the future.**

 **As for Lance, the reasoning behind that is self-explanatory. He messed up big time and felt it was only right to step down since he wasn't meeting the requirements of the job. Yes, it got brushed over as a taped interview being replayed but that's because it wasn't the main importance. As for Silver, Nate and Nick, they're all gone, Nate vanishing without telling anyone and Nick returning with Silver to go back to the G-Men base and let them know he's quitting.**

 **For the battle, hopefully you all enjoyed it and hopefully it delivered for you all. I had to get that final battle of the tournament in here and of course Infernape would be battling, I mean, who else would Ash choose to face Paul?**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	72. Rumble for the Key

**Welcome back everyone. Last time, the clean up for Team Rocket occurred along with the end of the tournament. Though, by then it was more just a match between Ash and Paul...especially since no one else even thought of even holding the battle.**

 **Sorry for taking so long, but here's the next chapter!**

 **Ch 72: Rumble for the Key**

* * *

"You're all staying in Kalos? Really?!" Serena asked, adjusting her bad slightly before staring at the batch of trainers gathered inside the Pokémon Center. It would be an understatement for Serena to say she was shocked to hear everyone from the tournament staying in Kalos for the time being, but to learn they all planned to make it to the Master Class only added to her mounting pressure. She knew if she didn't win in the Laverre City Showcase tonight, then she wouldn't be able to compete at the Master Class this year.

The group had already made plans to leave shortly after waking up, catching a ride out to Laverre City courtesy of Malva, to make it in time for the Showcase later that night but were surprised to find the others waiting for them at the Pokémon Center nearest to their designated exit.

"As it is, we can't leave Kalos even if we wanted to," Dawn explained with a light shrug, keeping as much weight off of her injured leg. "All planes out of Lumiose are grounded until the airport is restored to a working condition, so we're stuck here until then. Though, for Astrid, Remo, and Hugh that isn't a problem since they plan to compete in the Kalos League." Serena knew it was true, those three planned to compete in the first ever Lumiose Conference while Alain would also be around along with Brock. The former seemed much quieter than before, Serena knowing that whatever Lysandre had said to him must have hit him hard. The latter though, Serena hadn't seen much of him since they returned to Lumiose City, the doctor spending most of his time at the local hospital helping people and Pokémon recover.

"And this time I plan to win," Astrid chimed in, breaking Serena from her thoughts. Remo laughed at the notion immediately, only for him to argue about being the winner. Serena couldn't help but laugh at the burly man's reactions, his temper having cooled down slightly since they first met him. Though, Remo seemed to calm down once Clemont reminded him he still needed to earn two more badges before the Conference began.

"Hey! Don't you think I know that!" Remo shouted, his umbrella thrown over his shoulder, his free hand balled into a fist and shaking in front of his body. "But now I'm waiting for you to get back to your Gym for my last badge, Brains! I want to say I could beat you, anything less will make me feel cheated," he explained to the inventor before stomping out of the area, claiming he had to train.

Looking over towards Clemont, the young Performer shared a light laugh with her friend, Ash and Bonnie joining in as well. For someone who seemed to be intimidating, they learned quickly that he could also be a softy, even if he hid it most of the time. Looking at the clock, Serena noticed it was nearly time to meet Malva near the city's exit. Turning her gaze to Ash, who was now chatting away with Sawyer (both Paul and Trip pretending to not listen, but she could see through the façade), she reminded him about their rendezvous and they issued a quick goodbye, the group not having much time to waste.

Exiting the Pokémon Center, the group waved to their friends and former teammates, Serena promising to win today for all of them. Before long, the building (and everyone in it) were just distant memories, the large buildings dispersing until a forest trail could be seen in front of them. Parked up by the trail was a decent sized vehicle, an older female leaning beside it while checking what looked to be the newest Holo Caster model.

"And with the sudden resignation of Lance, the League Committee is in a rush to find replacements for both Kanto and Johto, choosing to go with two separate Leagues for the time being to ease the burden," a voice could be heard over the device, Serena noticing Ash's ears perk up at the report.

"Per sources close to the League, officials have reached out to two previous Champions to fill the void until proper replacements can be found. Blue of Pallet Town in Kanto and Gold from New Bark Town are the rumored choices, though the League has declined the rumors stating they haven't contacted anyo-."

Serena watched on, Malva shutting the communication device off once she noticed them approaching. She had been interested in hearing more about what was going on with the League, especially since Lance stepped down suddenly, not even those closest to him knew the action would happen. Looking at Malva, the young girl wondered how she was, not only did the League suffer another bad publicity image so soon after the Flare debacle, but her old friend (no matter how evil and twisted he was) was killed in the action. She had little time to wonder, her thoughts once more being interrupted, this time by Malva herself.

"I'm glad you all made it, I was beginning to wonder if you weren't coming at all!" the woman cried out, waving towards them excitedly (or was it just a front? Serena couldn't tell).

"There's no way we wouldn't show up!" Ash called out suddenly, Pikachu crying out in agreement from his shoulder. "If you hadn't offered us a ride up to Laverre City, we may not have made it in time for Serena's Showcase. As it were, I was going to have Charizard or another one of my Pokémon fly her there and then we'd meet her at Laverre."

Malva playfully waved her hand up and down at that. "Please, offering a ride to all of you is the least I can do. Besides, I was already heading that way because Drasna told me you beat her, Ash. So, that means only I remain in your challenge."

"Yeah!" Ash cried out, pumping his right fist slightly into the air, Pikachu mimicking his motions. "All we have left is to win against you and then I'll have earned the right to face off against Diantha! But first we'll be cheering on Serena with everything we've got! Won't we, Pikachu?"

"Pipika!" the Electric-Type cried in agreement, Malva laughing slightly at their energy before she sat inside of her car.

"Well, we better get moving. Even by car we won't reach Laverre City until roughly late afternoon. That's including our one stop first though," Malva explained, Ash moving to get into the passenger seat, Serena curious as to why he was smiling. Shrugging her shoulders, the young Performer got into the backseat, Bonnie sitting in between Clemont and herself. "Buckle up, it might get a little rough on some of these roads."

With a twist of her key, Malva started the vehicle up, Serena looking out the window as they began to move away from the city's edge, driving deeper into the forest's path until only the trees could be seen. Some sunlight shinned through the dense forest, Serena rattling a little from the slight bumps that were present every now and then. Though she wouldn't admit it to the others, not now at least, Serena was nervous about tonight. What if she didn't win? What if she couldn't qualify for the Master Class? This was the final Showcase for the season with the Master Class only one week away from now being held in Gloire City once more.

" _I...I have to win. There aren't any more Showcases after this one and everyone is waiting for me. All my friends, my fellow Performers. Shauna, Nini, Miette. Even Amelia is waiting. I have to keep pace with them all! Now isn't the time to doubt myself!"_ Serena mentally told herself, steeling her nerves for the moment and instead listening to the others.

"Yeah, take a right up here." Serena could hear Ash saying, pointing up towards ahead, a small river now noticeable up in the distance. Seeing the smile on Ash's face, Serena could only have one idea as to the area they were headed to, Bonnie and Clemont already one step ahead of her.

"I see, so the one extra stop before Laverre were the wetlands!" Clemont joined in, adjusting his glasses slightly. Though, the usual enthusiasm was missing still and Serena couldn't help but worry for him. She wished he would just open up about whatever happened, though she knew not to push the issue. It seemed rather sensitive to him still.

"That means we're visiting Goodra! You hear that, Dedenne?" Bonnie cried out happily, poking at the sleeping Pokémon in her bag. Upon the mention of his close friend, Dedenne awoke, peering around aimlessly only for Bonnie to rub his head. "He isn't here _yet_ , Dedenne. Don't worry, we'll be meeting him soon enough."

Ash nodded his head, crossing his arms across his chest before letting out a childlike chuckle. "I hope you don't mind the detour Serena. I made sure it wouldn't make you miss the Showcase, but I figured since we were passing by it would be the best time to pick up Goodra. Especially since he'll be a key component to my strategy of beating Malva!"

"Oh, so you've already got me figured out?" Malva asked, the light shining off of her glasses as she peered over at Ash. The car struck a rock, causing everyone to rock around for a moment. Once they settled back down, Serena watched the stare down between Ash and his latest challenge, unsure of what was to come from their locked gazes. "I'll warn you though, a blazing fire is hard to control."

Ash didn't respond, Serena wondering just what he would do. Instead, he merely pointed out the direction they needed to head in. Turning around a bend, they soon entered an area too flooded for their vehicle to continue through. Though it didn't bother any of them, Serena noticing Keanan's car parked nearby.

"Malva, we'll be back in only a few minutes," Ash called back, already setting off towards the small building off in the distance, using the boardwalk created by Keanan as to not disturb any of the growing wildlife nearby. Serena watched his retreating figure, casting a look over towards Clemont, the latter having already gotten out of the car, allowing Bonnie to chase behind Ash.

"Clemont, are you coming?" Serena asked, but the boy had already climbed back into the car before she finished asking. Giving a concerned look to Malva, the Elite Four member gave her a look that eased Serena. She knew for now that Clemont would be alright while they went and got Goodra. Mouthing a "thank you" to Malva, Serena hurried along the path towards Keanan's house.

Moving along the wooden planks, Serena's thoughts drifted back to the Showcase. What was she going to do for her performance? Or rather whom would she use? They had all practiced quite a bit on different routines but Serena knew this was her final shot and with the tournament having taken some time from her, the Performer wasn't sure she was up to her usual standards.

"Stop thinking like _that_ already!" Serena cried out, slapping her cheeks until they were slightly red. "Serena, you've trained countless hours for this and once we reach Laverre City you're going to give your best performance yet! And from there you're going to compete at the Master Class!" Breathing slowly, the girl looked down the path, the familiar marsh land appearing up ahead of herself. _"Just like how Ash does it. We'll keep pushing on, relying on our training and each other."_

Picking up her pace, the Kalos native soon found herself walking up onto the back porch of Keanan's house, said man standing out in the marsh alongside the wild Pokémon that called it their home. Not surprised by the beauty of the area, Serena took it all in, breathing in the fresh air. The water appeared to be just as clean as they were last time, and even more important, the Carbink appeared to finally be gone. Goodra must have done an excellent job of keeping them under control.

And speaking of the Dragon-Type, Serena caught sight of his familiar shape coming into view. He must have been off doing his daily rounds, for Florges was with him as were a few others. However, she could have laughed at the smile that crossed the Dragon Pokémon's face. If someone didn't know Goodra beforehand, they never would believe he was the protector of this area. Especially after he pulled Ash into a hug.

"I've missed you too, Goodra!" Ash laughed out, pushing off of his partner's chest to look him in the eyes. Serena slowly made her way over to Keanan, saying high to the older man while Bonnie ran up to Goodra, hugging him slightly before Dedenne raced up onto his head. Serena couldn't help but smile at the scene before her, especially since Goodra had been prematurely sent back to the swamp during the Kalos League. Ash had hoped to use him some more and now would be their best chance.

"So," Ash stated once the group hug ended, wiping a little of the slime from his body. "How would you like to battle by my side again, Goodra? We have a really tough battle coming up and I just know you'll be able to make a difference in it for us!"

"Pipikachu!" the Electric-Type cried in agreement, sparks flying from his cheeks. It was always a fun sight for Serena whenever the duo got excited since they were always so similar in their actions.

"Gooo?" Goodra replied, his head turning to face the others. Serena could tell he wanted to go, but his duty to watch over everyone appeared to weigh on him. Serena could understand why. The last time he left, those pesky Carbink went wild.

"I think it's an excellent idea," Keanan spoke up, causing every eye to turn towards him. "Goodra, we're not incapable of taking care of ourselves. We'll be fine for you to go and help Ash. He obviously had you in mind for this specific battle since he came out of his way to ask you. Especially after everything that happened in Lumiose the past week," he explained, realizing that Clemont wasn't with them at all. Looking at Serena, she shrugged her shoulders before sighing lightly so that only Keanan would see. She knew for sure that they would have to explain later about the inventor's current condition.

"So, Goodra, will you battle alongside me again?" Ash asked, Poké Ball gripped in his hand. He was shaking with excitement, Serena assuming it was a mix of battling with Goodra and against Malva. Especially after how their last "match" went.

Shaking his head wildly, Goodra smiled joyfully. The sudden action caused Dedenne to hold on for his life, the Antenna Pokémon crying out in fright. "Goodra, gooo." With an extension of his hand, Goodra tapped the Poké Ball with his slimy finger before retreating into the capture device, Dedenne landing in Bonnie's arm.

The rest of their visit was sadly short, Ash explaining to Keanan how they only had a short amount of time before they had to get going to Laverre City. With one final goodbye from Goodra to his friends, the group set off to rejoin Clemont and Malva. The trip back seemed shorter to Serena, perhaps it was because she wasn't chasing after Ash and Bonnie or that she wasn't dwelling over her Showcase. Whichever it was, she wasn't quite sure, but was glad once the car was back in sight.

"You three ready to get going again?" Malva asked, starting the vehicle up while they climbed into it. "Your secret weapon didn't take long to convince."

"Who said it was my secret weapon," Ash asked back. Watching the two stare each other down, Serena just hoped she would survive the next few days. Between the Showcase and Ash's battle she just knew that she'd be having a panic attack. "Goodra is just _one_ part of my strategy! You won't be thinking it's so easy once you see it in action!" he exclaimed, pounding a closed fist against his chest lightly, Pikachu emulating the action.

The rest of the ride was silent along with the occasional question or cry of excitement from Bonnie whenever they passed some Pokémon. Serena enjoyed it like this. It allowed her to focus in on the Showcase and steel her nerves. She had to be mentally prepared just as much as she was prepared for her Performance. She couldn't let anyone get to her like Amelia did back in Snowbelle City.

A few hours passed before Serena could make out the city, a few of the buildings already having their lights on despite the sun not close to setting. What caught her attention though were the people working down near Valerie's stage. They appeared to be setting up fashion lights along with expanding the stage.

" _They must be holding the Showcase there,"_ Serena thought to herself as the town grew larger in her vision. Soon they were entering it, Malva stopping at the entrance.

"I'm going to get everything set up for tomorrow, but once that's ready I'll meet you at the stage for the Showcase."

Thanking the Elite Four member for the ride, the group made a swift exit, Clemont being the last to exit before Malva waved goodbye. Watching her car head back onto the trail before finally vanishing from their sight. Turning back towards the inner part of the city, the small group made their way to the Pokémon Center.

"Serena, do you have any idea as to what you'll do for a Performance?" Bonnie asked while they walked, the young girl having her back facing where she was headed.

"I...I have some ideas, but remember I have to make it into the Performance round before thinking of it," Serena reminded her. Though, she knew there couldn't be any ifs. It had to happen here. "Just wait until you see what I have in store for tonight."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you," a familiar voice cried out, Serena turning to see who it belonged to. To her surprise, Nini was walking down towards them, Serena having a sinking feeling she was competing as well. "And since you're competing here then I'm safe to assume you're also going for your final key."

Serena nodded in agreement, Nini merely sighing at the notice. "It only makes sense, considering that this will be the last Showcase before the Master Class. That means it'll be a smaller turnout than a usual one. Though, even if we're friends I won't lose to you tonight!" Nini exclaimed pointing a finger at Serena. "I'm not the same Performer who competed with you back in Lumiose City and I'll show you that when I'm the one winning tonight!"

"I wouldn't be assuming any victory just yet, Nini," Serena shot back, the two girls smiling at each other. It was a mix of happiness and determination. Perhaps Nene was just the person she needed to face before here, though it also meant crushing her friend's dream. But right now that couldn't hold her back. Not now. Not after everything she had been through to get to this point. "My Pokémon and I will be giving it everything we have and I expect you to come right at me like any other Performer."

"May the best Performer win!" they both cried out, extending hands to shake. Even if they weren't competing yet, Serena had a fire lit underneath her. This would be her first step to becoming Kalos Queen.

Pulling away from their handshake, Nini retreated from the group while issuing one final goodbye. Serena watched her rival make her way to the stage, no doubt wanting to get an early feel for where they would perform. Serena however felt the light breeze blow through her hair and for a moment had all nerves leave her.

" _Nini... I promise that I'll give you a real fight until the end!"_

The group soon turned away, continuing their journey to the Pokémon Center. The walk was short and silent, not too long for Serena to dwell on her upcoming competition but enough for her to have a good idea of what to expect.

"Nini focuses mainly on showing off Smoochum while Farfetch'd and Gothita help too...though, in a Performance Battle she has a hard time focusing on both aspects of the round. If she's confident after how it ended in Lumiose City, then she must have improved on that front. Along with her good performances she'll really be a tough matchup."

"Wow, Serena, I've never seen you think something over this much for a Showcase. You must really be excited for this," Bonnie stated, the group walking through the Pokémon Center's doors.

"Yeah, usually you get excited and plan...but to actually think over the details of what your opponent does is different," Clemont joined in, speaking for the first time since they left Lumiose City. Serena could only wonder what was said while he stayed behind with Malva though.

"Well, I just can't afford any surprises tonight," Serena explained while rubbing the back of her head. Making her way to the front desk, the Vaniville Town native signed up for the Showcase, everything being in order for her to compete.

"And now that you're all set, let's get you over to that stage," Ash stated happily, grabbing ahold of her hand. Serena couldn't help but blush from the sudden action. Yes, things were different now, but this was their first time outside of Lumiose City since then. "Once you're there, Serena, you can get all prepared! We'll be cheering you on with everything we've got!"

* * *

Serena could hear the crowd muttering in anticipation while she placed the finishing touches on her outfit. The young Performer thought over the event once more in her mind, taking into account the less than usual turnout for tonight. _"I guess these are the only Performers who have two keys. There aren't many left, but since there is only seven of us it'll still be tough."_

Struggling to place the last accessory on, Serena placed the beaded bow onto the table before her and sat silently. With the lack of competitors here today, then most likely one of the rounds would be skipped over to ensure more competitors would advance on. Sensing her wariness, each of her Pokémon reached out to her, Braixen and Pancham touching her shoulder while Sylveon wrapped one of her feelers around Serena's wrist. Even the young Pichu joined in, sitting on top of Serena's head playfully, each of them providing their own kind of support.

Nodding to their actions, Serena picked up the ribbon and clutched it in her two hands. "You're right! We'll all get through this together, just as we have in the past. As long as we all give it our best we'll win today. Our journey together has given us so much experience and memories. Let's use everything we've learned today! Now let's go out there and show them what we're made of," Serena spoke to her partners, placing the ribbon onto her head. Off in the distance, she could see Nini and her own team completing their finishing touches as well, Monsieur Pierre's voice echoing out across the stage that was merely separated by a curtain. Serena couldn't help but wonder how this Showcase would be different than the previous ones.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I humbly welcome all of you to today's Pokémon Showcase! Tonight, will be ze final chance for our magnefic mademoiselles! Who will earn ze coveted Princess Key?" Pierre began to speak, Klefki dancing around the standing crowd. Serena watched on the small monitor, the other girls crowding around her. She noted how none of them besides Nini seemed familiar. However, once Monsieur Pierre spoke again she had her eyes glued on the screen.

"Due to zis being ze final Showcase for the performing season, these beautiful ladies will all be going at it with their dreams on ze line but sadly only one will walk away victoriously. Though, none of them are prepared for what's to come tonight."

Serena reached for her ribbon, clutching the red bow on her chest tightly before exhaling. "What could he mean by that?" she asked, none of the other girls except Nini paying her any attention.

"It's probably some surprise they had saved. Though, that doesn't make it any less nerve wracking," Nini explained, the two girls sharing a small smile only for Smoochum to chase Pancham, the two Pokémon causing a slight disturbance backstage. The two Performers could only laugh at the situation, Sylveon using her feelers to keep them separated.

"And so, it is with my humble delight to reveal to you all tonight what is to come," Pierre spoke up again, the crowd cheering with anticipation. "Due to only seven participants, we'll be having it skipped right into ze Performance round. However, there is a catch." Serena and Nini shared a worried look at this turn of events. If they went right into the Performance round from the beginning, it meant they would have to face off before they wanted to.

"For you see, instead of having one Performer go at a time, all seven will be going at once. Think of it as ze Performance battle if you will, only instead of those rules we shall use modified Performance round rules. Ze rules are simple, each Performer is allowed the use of up to three Pokémon. Zey can use less if so desired, however, while on stage Performing they can be interrupted by other Performers. For you see, each Performer has a bar of points zat will begin at one hundred, points being deducted by fan voting. Once a mademoiselle's bar drops to zero points they are eliminated. Ze last one on the stage with points or whoever has the most at ze end of twenty minutes is ze winner. Points can only be lost by an interference or mistake and in no circumstances, may be gained," he finished explaining, Serena thinking it all over before deciding who to use.

Leaning over at the youngest member of her group, Serena picked Pichu up into her arms before smiling. "Pichu, I hope you don't mind going out on stage tonight. It'll be you, Pancham and Sylveon. Braixen, you don't mind do you?"

"Braixen!" the Fire-Type cried in agreement, clasping her hands with Serena after the young girl placed Pichu down. Serena was glad Braixen understood. Based on what Monsieur Pierre just explained, it would have been best to go with her three longest partners, but then Pichu wouldn't receive the same amount of training like the others. She also had to worry slightly about the Master Class.

Serena didn't have much more time to think, for the assistants were ushering everyone out onto the main stage, each of them lined up along the catwalk. Reaching her designated area, Serena eyed around, seeing herself between a pink haired girl with Pumpkaboo and Phantump and a blonde with a Delcatty and Persian. The way the two girls eyed her made Serena feel that they planned to team up to take out the other Performers first, a solid idea and one Serena wished she had thought of herself. Teaming up with Nini would have been a good idea, especially since they seemed outnumbered.

"So, the Master Class runner-up believes she has a chance against us," the pink haired girl spoke up, Serena looking over at her in slight shock at the sudden rudeness. Looking up at the screen with all their points, Serena found her name to be Téa while the blonde was Belle. "Looks like we'll have to show her what real talent looks like."

"It's funny. You would have thought that she already earned three keys. Especially after that run at the Master Class. Guess it was just a fluke," Belle spoke, her long hair blowing in the light breeze. Serena payed them little attention, instead waiting for Pierre to issue the starting words. Serena silently cursed herself however, she should have realized the other girls would want to take herself and Nini out immediately. Especially once they heard it was going to be a free for all.

"Sylveon," Serena spoke softly, her Fairy-Type looking up to her with a determined look on her face. "Once it begins use Protect."

"Sylveon!" she replied, nodding in agreement. Within moments, Monsieur Pierre called for the action to begin, Performers calling out their respective commands. It appeared that Serena's guess for expecting the two girls around her to come after her made sense; for Pumpkaboo and Phantump attacked together, a dual Shadow Ball heading right for them while Persian lunged at them, its claws glowing white.

Sylveon reacted just like Serena asked, raising a green shield that surrounded herself and her partners completely, making both attacks fail, the Shadow Ball bouncing off harmlessly into the sky, sparkles raining down around the stage while Persian slammed into the barrier before slumping down onto the ground. Both girls' meters fell slightly, Serena waiting to call out the next command, the Protect fading away.

"Pancham, Dark Pulse! Pichu, Thunder Shock!" she cried out, the two pokemon jumping up onto her shoulders before somersaulting through the sky, their respective attacks dazzling up the night sky with a mix of darkness and electricity, the two attacks bouncing off the setting sun in the background.

Serena wasn't finished there, however, extending her arm outward for Sylveon to climb up onto it. Sprinting across her shoulders, the Fairy-Type leaped into the air performing a display of multiple flips before dispersing a Fairy Wind through the stage and sliced through her teammates' attacks creating a glittering sparkle around them while also pushing back the nearby Persian right into Delcatty, the two Normal-Types toppling over and Belle's meter lowing even more so than before.

"Hmph. Guess Miss Runner Up is the real deal then," Téa spat out, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes before snapping her fingers. "I'll just have to stop messing around then! Phantump, use Forest's Curse while Pumpkaboo, you use Razor Leaf on them!"

"Phan!" the Grass and Ghost-Type cried happily, his eyes glowing purple for a moment before a horde of vines erupted out of the stage, wrapping around Pichu and the others before Pumpkaboo launched the Razor Leaf attack. The hardened leaves sliced across the captured Pokémon, dropping Serena's points only for the other Performer to make their own move.

"Delcatty use Charm! Persian, Slash attack!" Belle cried out, pointing a finger forward, Serena sighing at what was coming. She wondered if these two Performers even realized the point of this, it wasn't to attack your opponents but rather to use your own performance to outshine the others. Having no time to react, Serena watched as Sylveon moved on instinct, raising a Protect to block the Charm attack, but Persian snuck by her.

"Pancham, block it with Arm Thrust!" Serena's voice called out, the Playful Pokémon rolling onto his back and sliding out of the first Slash attack before performing a number of dance movements to duck under each attack. Finally seeing an opening, the Fighting-Type slammed his glowing fist right into Persians stomach before slapping him backwards, Pichu joining in with a Thunder Shock on the Normal-Type

"Oh no!" Belle called out, her meter having hit zero due to Persian fainting. "How could this have happened!?"

"You worried too much about me than your own performance," Serena called out, continuing her own performance by having Pichu and Pancham combine their Dark Pulse and Thunder Shock attacks with Sylveon's Swift. "Instead of believing in yourself and your own partners, you thought it would be better to team up and take out the competition. Though, you both earned two keys, you should have enough confidence in your skills!"

"Stop preaching, sister," Téa stated, snapping a finger out towards Serena. "We aren't here to play equally. If there's a way within legal boundaries to get an advantage, we'll take it! Now, Pumpkaboo use Shadow Ball once more! Phantump Forest's Curse to restrain them!"

Serena sighed at this action, casting a quick glance over to Nini who appeared to be outnumbered three to one currently, her own team doing their best to stay within the competition despite their meter having fallen half way. Watching while the two Grass and Ghost-Types released their attacks, Serena made her move. "All right! Time to show this girl what happens when you believe in your own skills! Pichu, Pancham, spin on your backs and release your attacks!"

Téa arched an eyebrow, wondering how spinning would stop them. Especially since Forest's Curse was beginning to sprout around them. Stifling a laugh, she spoke up. "Miss Runner has finally lost it, thinking a simple spin will stop anything." Serena however ignored the comment, watching on as Pancham cupped a Dark Pulse within his hands, Pichu's cheeks sparking with electricity.

"Cham! Pancham cham!" the Fighting-Type shouted out first, Pichu's own cries of joy joining in while they slowly raised the amount of energy they released. Soon, a small cyclone of black, purple and yellow encompassed the small group, Serena and Sylveon standing in the center of it all while the roots of Forest's Curse were chopped down upon contact.

"N-No way!" Téa cried out, the Shadow Ball exploding into a sparkling display while the cyclone only grew in strength. "How can they create such a beautiful move! That Pichu is supposed to be a newly hatched Pokémon!"

"It's because we believe and trust in each other!" Serena could be heard through the cyclone. Serena couldn't see the girl's reaction but it was time to finish this, she assumed that her meter had to be low after another failed attack at Serena instead of trying to wow the crowd. "Okay, Sylveon, Fairy Wind!"

A quick gust filled the area, the cyclone being destroyed within seconds as the energy contained within crashed into Pumpkaboo and Phantump, both Pokémon crashing into their trainer, the remaining glow of the attack sprinkling all around the stage, the other Performer's meters even taking a hit. Casting a glance at the screen, Serena noticed that Téa was officially out of the Showcase, the pink haired girl looking disappointed in herself, cradling her defeated partners.

"I'll never be good enough to become Kalos Queen!" Téa shouted out, recalling both Pokémon before pounding the stage floor.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Serena spoke up, smiling at the girl. Despite the way she tried to attack her, Serena couldn't hold any ill will towards either of them. "Both of you have what it takes to be excellent Performers. You just had your heads elsewhere, worried about your competition instead of focusing on the skills and bonds that got you this far already."

Serena wanted to stay longer, but looking at the screen, she could see Nini needed assistance if she was to stay in the Showcase. Her meter was already down to below half, Serena's own being at three-quarters. Dashing down towards her friend and rival, Serena moved in to help.

"Pancham use Stone Edge to surround Nini from the others!" Serena issued, Pancham leaping off from Sylveon's back, flipping in the air before slamming his fist into the ground, a line of stones erupting through the stage floor before blocking a Water Gun from hitting Smoochum. "Sylveon, Swift on them all!"

"Syl!" Sylveon cried, launching herself into the air with a gust of Fairy Wind before pulling her feelers backwards. Flinging them forward, a swarm of golden stars shot outwards, ramming into group of three Performers' Pokémon, their respective meter's dropping from the surprise attack.

"Ahh! Serena!" Nini called out in surprise, turning around to see her friend appearing from behind her. Sylveon landed gracefully on Serena's shoulder as the two Performers regrouped for a moment. "Thank you for helping us there, I don't think Smoochum could have handled that last attack. But, are you sure it's a good idea to be helping a fellow opponent right now?"

"Nini, I'd rather lose in a fair match than win because of someone being ganged up on," Serena explained, winking at Nini as they both nodded in agreement. Pancham cried out in shock, Smoochum having kissed her hero when he wasn't looking.

"Smoochum, now isn't the time for that!" Nini began to say, Serena instead getting an idea from Smoochum's show of affection.

"Actually, it might work if she does that," she began, Pancham looking worried by what was said. "Nini, get Smoochum to release a large amount of Heart Stamp and then we'll get rid of the others and have a real final match!" she stated, clutching her rival and friend's hands in her own. Nini appeared confused at first based on her eyes, but decided to trust Serena, calling for Farfetch'd to fly Smoochum up above the others, hearts flying out of her mouth as she ascended higher up.

"So, what's your big plan?" Nini asked, watching as Serena stood there silently. Serena didn't mean to ignore her friend, but now was their only chance and they only had one shot at it!

"Sylveon use Fairy Wind and slice all those hearts up! Blind the other Performers' Pokémon from seeing what's coming next!" Sylveon nodded, creating a large gust of wind, the hearts shattering into small pink sparkles that floated downward, covering the line of sight of everyone on stage. "Now! Pancham and Pichu, combine your Dark Pulse and Thunder Shock right at them!"

"Pichu!"

"Pancham!"

The two Pokémon flipped through the air, their respective attacks flying from themselves. The Dark Pulse swirled around the Thunder Shock as the latter shot off in different directions. The added power of Dark Pulse appeared to help, allowing the attack to land on each of the three groups, knocking the Pokémon out and depleting their respective trainers' meters.

"S-Serena...where...where did you learn something like that!?" Nini shouted, all of their Pokémon standing by their respective trainer now. Serena blushed slightly from it, pulling at the end of her dress due to her embarrassment. "That's a technique I would expect to see from a trainer who battles!"

"I guess you could say I've picked up on some techniques from watching so many battles lately. Though, now that it's just you and me, we can have a real final round for Performances," Serena explained, Nini clutching her fists in front of her body, nodding in agreement.

"Though, don't think I'll go easy on you because you saved me, Serena! I need this win just as much as you do!" Nini countered, the duo giving each other ample space for themselves to do their best work.

" _Nini, I don't want either of us to lose this, but I can't let you win! I'm sorry it couldn't have gone differently, but this is where one of our dreams end and it won't be mine,"_ she thought to herself, casting the thoughts away before smiling down at her Pokémon, each of them returning it with the same degree of happiness.

"Everyone, we'll give them a Performance the audience will never forget! Now, Pancham, let's get this started by having you jump onto Sylveon's back and release your Dark Pulse into a small sparkle display!"

"Pan!" Pancham shouted out, flipping through the air before landing on Sylveon's back. The duo began to prance around the stage, the Dark Pulse setting a mood that matched with the now dusk atmosphere. The darkness was soon dispersed, Pichu lighting up the stage with a Thunder Shock attack following a flip off of Serena's shoulder. The Thunder Shock shot off in multiple directions, connecting with most of the falling bits of the Dark Pulse before Pichu landed on top of Pancham, the three Pokémon stopping before Serena.

"That's pretty good, Serena, but try this one!" Nini called out, Serena turning to see what her rival had in mind. Though, she wasn't much surprised by the similarity of her usual performance.

With a light flip off of Nini, Smoochum floated into the sky, a mix of Heart Stamp and Powder Snow filling the stage, Serena's own display being overshadowed by the combination, her meter dropping slightly. She wasn't finished however, Farfetch'd blowing the combination away to show Gothita using Psychic on Nini to fly around the sky with Smoochum right beside her. The crowd appeared pleased by this display, cheering as Nini touched down onto the stage hugging Smoochum against her face.

Serena wasn't going to let herself be staged up and do nothing about it. Instead, she issued for a Fairy Wind, the sudden gust blowing away the last bits of sparkles that were in the area and bringing all eyes on her again. Serena however knew she didn't have many more combinations left to use, especially after using them at the beginning of the Showcase. Though, she didn't need to worry much for Nini was just about out of points and the timer was almost at zero.

"Sorry, Nini, but it's time to wrap this all up! Pancham, use Dark Pulse right at Sylveon! Pichu, you use Thunder Shock! Sylveon, reflect them straight up with a combination of Double Team and then Protect to redirect it skywards!"

The three moved into position, Nini shocked by the sudden emergence of dozens of Sylveon around the stage. If she was going to say something, she missed her chance for Pancham and Pichu launched their respective attacks at the copies only for them to be blocked by the Protect. Soon, the two attacks were bouncing off of the Protects, as if they were a pinball only to be launched into the night sky, combining into one final display of fireworks that exploded and caused the entire city to light up from the combination.

"And to wrap it up! Sylveon use Swift!" The golden stars soon joined the sparkling sky, the crowd cheering in delight at the sight before them all. Serena however allowed herself one final look over at the main screen, watching in both delight and sadness to see Nini's meter drop to zero. The crowd had enjoyed Serena more.

"That was...so beautiful," Nini muttered, Serena muttering an apology to her friend only for Nini to smile at her. Serena was glad there were no hard feelings amongst them after tonight.

The rest of the night seemed to pass by in a flash for Serena. She could barely remember Monsieur Pierre awarding her the third, and final, Princess Key required to compete in the Master Class, her emotions running wild from all of the night's events. In fact, if anyone had asked her how she got back to the Pokémon Center she probably wouldn't have been able to answer them due to the emotions running through her. Finally sitting down though, she managed to relax for a moment, looking over her three keys, the last one having what looked like one of Sylveon's feelers wrapped around the top.

"Even if I wanted that Princess Key, Serena, I'm glad you won," Nini spoke, standing beside the booth Serena and the others were seated at. "It's hurts to not be returning to the Master Class this year, but I'll just be rooting for you and the others to win!"

"Thanks, Nini, but are you sure you can't stay the night?" Serena asked, smiling at her friend. "We would love if you had dinner with us."

"Nope. I have to get on the road and start practicing for next year as well! But, Serena, I think you have some company," Nini mentioned, pointing across the Pokémon Center and at the two girls from before. Serena blinked for a moment, thinking her eyes were deceiving her, but they were in fact looking right at her and her friends. "I'll leave you to whatever they want, Serena. Good luck in the Master Class, but remember that the next time we meet I will be beating you for once!"

"You can bet on that! Though I'll be the victorious one, Nini," Serena shot back, the two girls laughing before the rival finally made her exit. Seeing the two girls staring at her again, Serena stood up, Ash and the others about to follow her. Serena however motioned for them to stay, this was something she was going to do on her own.

Making her way across the Center's room, Serena soon found herself face to face with the girls who attacked her at the Showcase. Before she could even get a word out, she was instantly surprised by their words.

"We're sorry for the behavior earlier!" the two girls shouted, bowing in addition. Serena took a step back, feeling a little overwhelmed from the sudden outburst.

"Sorry for what? You were just trying to win," Serena replied back, hands behind her back, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips. "There's no need to apologize."

"You're wrong!" Téa practically shouted, throwing her arm to the side while doing so. "I...we both thought of what you said not only to us but also to that other girl, your friend. The way you risked losing just to have a fair match truly shows why someone like you made it to the finals of the last Master Class!"

"The way you act and carry yourself is like that of a true Kalos Queen!" Belle joined in, her hair whipping around as she shook her head. "We're not even capable of being on the same stage as you. We've got so much more to learn before even considering to call ourselves Performers if we lost our way due to one change in the rules today."

Serena wasn't quite sure what to say, especially due to the way they came on. Raising her hands, she shook them in a defensive manner before speaking. "I wouldn't go that far, you both have a lot of talent and could make a run at being Kalos Queen one day, but you need to remember the basics and the reason why you want to be."

"Reason?" the two girls asked simultaneously, both of them tapping their chins while thinking for an answer.

"Yes. Your reason," Serena spoke happily, smiling at them both. "You see, when I first started out I did it just for the fun of it. To put a smile on my face and to not worry about it, but after facing Aria last year I realized that I was missing a _real_ purpose for it. And so, I wanted to help everyone, even if my performances could bring a smile onto someone having a rough day it was worth it, to make the world a happier place is my drive."

"Hmm, so I guess wanting to be Kalos Queen for the sponsorships isn't a valid reason," Belle muttered, Serena sighing at that answer. She wasn't quite sure if they were getting what she meant.

"Well, from what I get, this reason should be special to us, our drive to want to grow stronger. For you, it's to help others instead of looking for a personal gain," Téa stated, crossing her arms and nodding her head in understanding. "I _guess_ that's a good enough reason to want to be Kalos Queen."

"I can't tell you what's a good or bad reason. That's up to the both of you to decide," Serena explained, a drop of sweat forming on her forehead from the conversation. Before she knew what was happening, both girls were on their knees, foreheads planted against the tiled floor of the Pokémon Center.

"We've decided! We want to follow in your footsteps as your pupils!" the two yelled out, Serena thinking she misheard them at first, only to be proven correct when they looked back up at her. "Please, we want to learn from you so that we can grow as not only Performers but as people as well!"

"Uh...well, I'm not... Er, um... You see, now isn't really the best time for me to take on a pupil and even if I did I wouldn't know what to say or teach since I'm still learning every day," Serena stated, but they weren't taking it.

"We'll follow in your footsteps, wanting to grow as better people and help those around us!" Téa spoke up, Serena merely nodding at that statement. "And when you're Kalos Queen we'll become your full-fledged pupils under your tutelage."

Serena nodded, taking that for an agreement by shaking their hands. Thanking Serena, the two girls made their way over to the exit, wishing Serena the best of luck at the Master Class. Laughing to herself from the interaction, the Kalos native sat back down in her booth with Ash, Clemont and Bonnie (Malva having left following the Showcase).

"What did they want, Serena!?" Bonnie asked excitedly, nearly jumping out of her seat if it wasn't for Clemont holding her back. "They seemed rather upset over something, they weren't mean to you, were they?"

"No, not at all, Bonnie," Serena replied, waving her left hand. Though, Serena herself wasn't quite sure how to explain what just occurred to them. She figured it was best to keep the latter part of their conversation to herself, surprised that her friends didn't overhear anything. "I guess you could say they just wanted to say they look up to me and want to grow as Performers while having values similar to me. I just told them that they need to have their own values that drive them."

"Though now isn't the time for that, let's finish eating so Ash can get to sleep and be prepared for his match with Malva," Serena said, taking a bite out of the food prepared before her, Ash having already finished half of his plate to no one's surprise.

"Speaking of that," Clemont spoke up, Serena noting his flat tone still. "Ash, what is your strategy that involves Goodra?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain. You'll just have to wait and see," Ash replied, rubbing the back of his head out of embarrassment. "Though, I'm just sure it'll be so much fun to have an official match against her this time!"

"Speaking of that, what even happened last time?" Serena asked, Ash raising an eyebrow at her question. Serena had heard Ash battled Malva briefly before, but had no information as to what happened. "You've never really spoken about it."

"Well...you see we never really battled much. After she interrupted my battle with Alain it became a standstill for a moment and then once Squishy's friend went rampaging through the city we stopped, Malva saying how this wasn't supposed to happen."

"So, it'll be the first time you really battle her then," Clemont stated, scrapping his fork against his plate. "It'll be just like the other Elite Four members since you knew nothing about them when you first faced them."

"Yeah! This is so exciting!" Ash stated, his emotions finally getting the best of him. Serena laughed at the sudden outburst while Ash jumped out of his seat. "Serena won her final Princess Key today and I'll beat my last Elite Four member tomorrow!"

* * *

 **And that's the end of Showcases, just the Master Class is left for Serena. Now, I did it differently for this one, since I'd imagine at the very last event whether it's a Showcase or Contest or any other type of competition like this, the final one would have a lesser amount of people taking part due to if someone with one key winning this, they still wouldn't qualify.**

 **And now we move onto the last Elite Four battle, who will Ash choose besides Goodra? It'll be shown in the next chapter and I'm pretty sure that by the trend I've done so far, one of the two members will be obvious.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	73. Hot Blooded Showdown

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, Serena finally earned her final Princess Key, allowing her to enter the Master Class while Ash began to form his team to face off against Malva.**

 **Ch 73: Hot Blooded Showdown**

* * *

"The Poké Balls reached here, Professor Oak!" Ash stated, stifling a yawn from his early awakening. Picking up the two round objects, he flashed a smile at the old professor before attaching them to his belt, Pikachu barely staying awake on his shoulder. "Take good care of Hawlucha and Noivern for me."

Professor Oak grabbed the newly received Poké Balls from his transporter and placed them down onto a tray before facing the computer screen once more. "Of course I will, and I'm sure Noivern and Hawlucha will fit right in with your other Pokémon. Hawlucha will most likely enjoy sparring with Infernape and Buizel. Noivern on the other hand will no doubt enjoy the sky races with your other Flying-Types."

"I'm sure they'll enjoy their time there, but make sure to remind them and everyone else to stay ready, I still haven't decided on a team to use against Diantha if I win today." Ash then rubbed behind his head, his hand flowing through his messy hair before sighing out. "To think I'm one win away from facing a regional Champion..."

"I know, it's quite the accomplishment," Professor Oak agreed, nodding his head sagely. "To think that you're the same boy who showed up late in pajamas to receive his first Pokémon from me. It's been a remarkable journey you've had Ash, watching you and Gary both grow as trainers and people have been some of the best years of my life. To be able to see you two grow into such fine young people brings a smile to my old face. I just wish I could be there to see you face Diantha, I feel bad that I couldn't book a flight."

"That's fine, Professor Oak, I know you and my mother will be cheering me on even if you're not here. Though, it isn't like you could get here even if you found a flight, the entire airport in Lumiose City was damaged, it's still being reconstructed," Ash stated, laughing at the end as he realized that Airport has been damaged twice in the span of months now. "Though, I should get going now, the others will be waking up shortly and once we're signed out of our room we plan to head right to Malva's arena."

"I understand," the old professor spoke, extending his right arm forward, his thumb pointing upwards as a smile crossed his face. "Just go out there and do your best, Ash!"

Ash nodded slowly, the excitement building inside of him for what was to come. Though, he then noticed a familiar creature making their way towards the professor, Ash unable to warn him in time.

"Muuuukkkkk!" the loving Poison-Type cried out, crushing Professor Oak underneath its slimy body, Ash laughing slightly as he heard Professor Oak telling Muk that he got his last clean lab coat dirty. Ending the call, Ash spun around in his seat, noticing the sun now starting to rise, a look of determination replacing his smile.

"This is it, Pikachu," Ash whispered to his best friend, nudging him awake. Pikachu yawned out, stretching until he was fully awake before nuzzling his face against Ash's.

"Pipikachu! Pikapi!" the excited Electric-Type cried out before jumping from Ash's shoulder and landing on the ground. Pretending to jab at the air before him, Ash could tell Pikachu was ready for today.

Scratching behind Pikachu's ear, Ash sighed out at his partner. "Sorry, Pikachu, but you should already know what the plan is today. But don't worry, you'll be battling again real soon." Ash was about to continue on with his partner when he noticed a familiar figure walking out the back of the Pokémon Center.

"Clemont?" Ash asked no one in particular, Pikachu's ears perking up at the name of their friend. Moving slowly and softly, the two made their outside, following Clemont just to see what he was doing.

Once outside, Ash and Pikachu were shocked at the sight before them. Crouching low to the ground near some bushes were Clemont, a small mound of dirt being built before him. They finally figured out just what he was doing when he placed two sticks on top of the mound, one running horizontally while the other went vertically across it.

"You may have been a sinister person, but everyone deserves a proper memorial. Even one as small and hidden by bushes is better than none," he whispered out, Ash and Pikachu barely hearing the words he spoke. Ash had only one suspicion as to who this could be for.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, tilting his head sideways while Ash moved closer to their friend. They both knew something had happened inside of the Distortion World, but none of them knew just what it was. Moving slowly, Ash accidentally stepped on a twig, snapping it and gaining Clemont's attention.

Turning around, Clemont looked surprised to see someone else up at this hour. Ash knew why; since none of them were supposed to be up for at least another thirty minutes. "A-Ash!?" Clemont croaked out, trying to hide his small memorial for the former agent of Team Rocket.

"What are you doing up? Shouldn't you be resting for your match with Malva?" he continued, Ash ignoring the question at first. He gently placed a hand onto Clemont's shoulder, Ash signaling to him with the touch that he knew.

"Clemont, you don't have to hold it in anymore," Ash said softly, noticing a few tears forming in the inventor's eyes. "It's better to let this out instead of allowing it to eat away at you. So why don't you explain to me just _what_ happened. No one else will know, I'll keep it a secret." Ash then nodded to Pikachu, the Electric-Type scurrying back inside the Pokémon Center to give the duo alone time.

Making their way over to a nearby bench, both boys sat down, the sounds of nearby Fletchling chirping away as they awoke filled the air. They both knew that Serena and Bonnie would be awake soon themselves, and so they didn't have much time to waste.

"I felt so useless, Ash," Clemont began, his face looking down at the ground. Ash wasn't sure what to say, and so he just let Clemont speak with no interruptions. "When I first pushed Sird into that portal... I... I had no idea what was to come once we reached the other side."

"It was cold and dark...no one was there. Not a single person or Pokémon and it was just overwhelming. Time seemed to pass by faster, or maybe slower; I'm not really sure. But none of that was important, it was awful when _It_ showed up."

"It?" Ash asked, wondering if Clemont meant Giratina.

"I'll never forget that terrifying creature, the way it calmly came to us, acting all harmless. Though, Sird, she wasn't fooled. She had no understanding for why it was here, she had never seen such a creature before. I told her to leave it alone, not to bother it but she didn't listen."

"She went to kick it away, only for Shadows to emerge from the creature and envelop her. I tried to move and help, but between my injuries and just the shock from this destructive force I couldn't move. All I could do was watch...watch while she tried to break free. Before I knew it, her movements slowed, her body began to slouch over until finally the shadows released her. She was dead and I didn't do anything to help her. It was about to come towards me next, but something scared it away."

"Mewtwo must have," Ash realized, Clemont nodding in agreement to the thought. Ash never realized how much actually occurred to Clemont in such a small span of time.

"I'll never forget those eyes though. They burned with a hatred, the look that creature gave me as it vanished is implanted in my memory. Every night, I see those eyes in my sleep. But then I remember I'm not there anymore, and that I have you guys with me." Clemont finished at that, Ash noticing he seemed to have lifted a little of whatever was affecting him off his shoulders. It was going to take time for Clemont to get over this, but Ash knew his friend would fight until the end.

Ash opened his mouth, about to respond to Clemont, but the inventor had already stood back up, making his way into the building. _"At least you're opening up a little. I just wish you wouldn't try to shoulder this all on your own,"_ Ash thought to himself, making his own way back into the building.

* * *

The rest of the morning seemed like a blur to Ash. The others were just making their way into the main lobby when Ash had walked in, Serena already to work getting breakfast ready while Bonnie returned their room key to Nurse Joy. A quick breakfast and short trek through the woods brought Ash and the others to Malva's arena.

The building wasn't much to write home about (the building just being a small wooden cabin) Ash thought, but it didn't matter to him; as long as he got to battle, he didn't care what the place looked. Knocking on the door, no one could hold in their excitement.

"I can't believe you're about to face your last challenge, Ash," Serena spoke up, arms placed behind her back.

"Bonnie's very excited!" the youngest member of their group chimed in, tugging on Ash's sleeve. "Dedenne and I can't wait to see just how much stronger Goodra has gotten." Clemont nodded in agreement to Bonnie's statement but issued no words himself. Ash didn't care, he knew Clemont had a lot going on right now for himself.

Before Ash could reply, however, the door swung open, revealing Malva standing there. "Welcome. You all finally made it, I wasn't sure if you were getting cold feet, Ash," Malva playfully teased before smirking at her latest opponent. Ash didn't respond, he just met her smirk with one if his own, the former welcoming them into her cabin once she saw Ash's determination.

"Sorry for the mess, I don't usually use this site for my challenge. I have another arena, a real one like the other Elite Four members but I felt this one was better suited for our battle," Malva explained, Ash noticing a pile of dirty dishes in the sink while she led them through the cabin and out a backdoor and onto a small field.

"What do you mean by that," Clemont asked, fixing his glasses. Ash also wanted to know why Malva felt this spot was better to battle than an official arena.

"Normally I like to see a trainer's true intentions through a battle by putting the pressure of the big stage on them. But, I've already seen what Ash is like during the Team Flare attack on Lumiose City. I don't need to see what he's like, I know he's an excellent trainer and person," Malva explained, making her way down the field and towards her section. "Today will be just a normal three-on-three match. First one to knock out all Pokémon that their opponent uses will be the winner."

Ash took the rules easily, nodding in agreement before moving to his section of the field. "That's fine with me. Clemont, do you mind being the referee?"

"I'd be honored to, but only if Malva is fine with it," the blond spoke up, removing his backpack while waiting for a response.

Malva waved her hand slowly before smiling at the Gym Leader. "That's perfectly fine by me. As long as you're up to it though."

"I'll do my best!" Clemont shouted, moving towards the referee's box. Ash could hear Bonnie laughing and muttering about how Clemont was acting as if it were _his_ match, the way he moved to the designated spot.

"Pikachu, why don't you sit with Serena and Bonnie, you can help them cheer me on," Ash said, his trusty Electric-Type scurrying over to the wooden bench that the two girls made their seat. Placing himself between them, he could feel the excitement brewing within his little body.

"This match will be a three-on-three battle with the winner being decided when one side has no Pokémon left that can continue battling! The challenger will be allowed to switch freely!" Clemont explained, reiterating what Malva had stated moments prior. "Both trainers please select your first Pokémon!"

"We've been waiting for this battle for a while, Ash, don't disappoint us!" Malva called out, tossing her first Poké Ball out towards the field. "Talonflame, let's go!" she cried, the Fire and Flying-Type emerging from the capture device, her wings producing a light flurry of embers as she flew around the field before returning to her trainer.

"Tallloon!" the Scorching Pokémon cried out, growing impatient from the lack of an opponent. Ash was surprised to see one battling _against_ him, but it only gave him an idea of what was to come.

"Don't you worry, Malva!" Ash yelled back, grabbing his first Poké Ball and holding it out in front of his body. Pulling his arm back before flinging it forward, Ash tossed his own capture device out onto the field. "Goodra, I choose you!"

The large Dragon-Type emerged from his Poké Ball with a playful smile, waving his arms around freely before turning towards Ash, the two sharing a light laugh together. "Goodra! Goodra, goo," he stated, Ash knowing full well that Goodra would be giving it everything he had out there. They couldn't hold back, not with how close they were.

"If you don't mind, Malva, we'll take the first move!" Ash shouted, thrusting an arm into the sky, his hand closed into a fist. Malva merely crossed her arms, smirking at Ash's quick decision to take the first move. "Goodra, let's get this field to your liking! Rain Dance, let's go!"

"Gooooo," the Dragon Pokémon happily cried out, raising his arms up to the sky while a few storm clouds began to form. Ash was glad they were able to get this move up, especially since it was only going to make the rest of the battle easier...or so he hoped. The ground began to grow wet, Ash wondering how much it would take to have an active effect on Malva's Pokémon.

Malva chuckled at the command, brushing a loose strand of hair from her eyes. "I figured you would want Rain Dance, trying to weaken my Fire-Types won't be this easy for you, Ash! Talonflame, get in there with a Brave Bird, show them both just what it's like to face off against us!"

Talonflame sped off, her body soon becoming emblazed in the familiar blue light Ash was used to seeing his own Talonflame in. Goodra had no time to react properly, having just finished creating a heavy rainfall when he was met with a blow to the stomach. Talonflame pushed down into Goodra, the momentum causing the Dragon-Type to skid a few feet backwards while letting out a light grunt. Talonflame wasn't finished, however, breaking off from the attack before soaring high into the sky and hiding amongst the storm clouds.

"Pipika!" Pikachu cried out in concern, wanting to help his friend but knowing better than to interrupt the match.

"Goodra, are you alright!?" Ash asked, noticing a few drops on Goodra. Ash wasn't sure if they were from the rain or if his partner was already tiring. If that were the case, his stamina problems that were a problem during the League must have still been an issue for Goodra. The Dragon Pokémon took one deep breath in before reassuring his trainer that he wasn't finished just yet. "Great, keep an eye out for Talonflame, once she emerges from the clouds, fire off a Dragon Pulse!"

"Now, Talonflame, use Acrobatics, aim for his stomach again and keep them on the defensive!" Malva issued, throwing her left hand out. Within seconds, the screeching sound of Talonflame's voice filled the area, the Scorching Pokémon flying out of the clouds. This time, she was covered in a similar blue light, only this one wasn't as bright as before, Talonflame having lost some power in a trade for agility.

Goodra wasn't waiting around this time, rearing his head backwards, he began to form the large purple blast. Flinging his momentum forward, the blast soon took the form of a dragon's head, flying right into Talonflame. The mighty flier didn't appear fazed at all, slamming right into it without a second thought, an explosion erupting from the collision, smoke obstructing Ash and Goodra's view.

"Stay alert, Goodra, they might still be coming for us," Ash reminded his partner, the familiar cry of Talonflame informing them he was correct.

"Flllaaammme!" she screeched out, the light blue appearance still active around her body, the Dragon Pulse having done little to slow her down. Seeing her approach, Ash quickly called for Goodra to drop to the ground, the Dragon-Type barely avoiding the incoming attack, Talonflame's beak managing to scrape the top of his head.

"And now grab ahold of Talonflame with your antennae and send her for a spin, Goodra! Then go right into Dragon Pulse again!" Ash commanded, sweeping his arm across his body while Goodra's antennae extending outwards. Catching Talonflame off-guard, Goodra managed to wrap the rather long appendages around the Fire and Flying-Type's wings, making her lose all momentum.

"Goodra!" he shouted happily, glad to have grabbed ahold of the pesky flier. Breathing heavily, Goodra began to toss Talonflame around the area, the Scorching Pokémon growing dizzy from the sudden movements. Ash cheered on for his partner, the Dragon-Type also hearing cries of encouragement from the others watching on in excitement.

"A simple trick won't keep us down for long, Ash," Malva stated, tapping her chin playfully before adjusting her glasses. Ash didn't like the sound of that, his gut being proved correct once the Elite Four member issued her next command. "Flare Blitz, burn Goodra to a crisp! Once you're free, go in for another Brave Bird! Try to limit his mobility from now on!"

"Tal, tal, tallllloooon!" Talonflame cried out, her body erupting into flames. Ash watched on, a sudden look of horror crossing his face while the heat traversed down the antennae and onto Goodra's body, drying him out. Looking around, he tried to ignore Serena and Bonnie looking on in worry. Instead, he had to focus on how to help Goodra.

Gritting his teeth, Ash could only watch, Talonflame breaking free from her restraints before flying high into the sky once more. The first battle wasn't looking good for Ash or Goodra, and both knew something would have to change for the match to swing their way. Within seconds, Talonflame reemerged, her body no longer burning with heated flames, but now with the blue fire from the beginning of their battle. Flying straight for Goodra, it looked ready to be a direct hit.

"Go into Bide! Time to play defensively!" Ash called out, a slight panic evident in his voice even if he didn't mean to sound worried. Goodra nodded, glowing red for a moment before Talonflame slammed into his body once more, the usually playful dragon dropping onto one knee as his panting increased. Seeing Talonflame retreat for now, Ash knew he needed to take the shot. "Let 'er rip, Goodra! Show them what happens when you mess with us!"

"Goo...dra," Ash's partner huffed out, the red glow returning for a moment only to be replaced with a white light forming near his mouth. Within seconds, the blast was fired, Goodra's body being pushed backwards from the power released. Talonflame seemed like an open target, her back towards the incoming projectile. Then it changed. A white flash covered Talonflame as multiple copies filled the field, the Bide attack merely erasing a few of them.

"No...no way," Ash sighed out, amazed at the timing Malva and Talonflame had, not only to overpower Goodra on the offensive side, but to be able to defend perfectly even when their backs were to their opponents. Looking over at Goodra, Ash could see his mighty dragon was already growing tired due to his poor conditioning since staying at the swamp. Raising a Poké Ball up, the red light hit the Dragon Pokémon. "Goodra, return for now! You did great, take a nice rest and be ready for later on in the match," Ash spoke to the tired dragon, clipping the capture device back onto his belt.

"It appears your plan isn't working, is it, Ash?" Malva asked, one hand on her hip, the other resting lazily by her side. Ash didn't let his emotions get the better of him, instead merely smiling at his opponent; the action receiving a confused glance from Malva.

Grabbing his second Poké Ball, Ash let out a light chuckle. "Goodra was only _a part_ of my plan. His Rain Dance really help set the field up for the rest of the battle," Ash pointed out, his feet slushing in the rain puddles. Tossing the capture device onto the field, a bright light filled everyone's eyes as his next Pokémon emerged. "Let's do this, Krookodile, we'll give it one hundred and ten percent!"

"Krookodile..." the cool Ground and Dark-Type muttered, nodding his head in agreement. His eyes were blocked by the familiar shades that adorned his face as always, making it impossible for anyone to see what he was thinking right now.

"I see, making the field all muddy for your Ground-Type. Too bad it won't help you this time, especially if you can't touch us! Talonflame, go knock some sense into that shades wearing fool! Acrobatics!" Malva commanded, her trusty flier erupting from the sky once more in a light blue glow. Ash wasn't sitting back on this attack, already on the move with his own command.

"Aerial Ace, let's go!" he ordered, punching into the sky while Krookodile broke into a sprint. Even in a battle against an Elite Four member, Ash had to admit it looked strange for someone as big as Krookodile to be pulling off such a move. The Intimidation Pokémon gained speed, his momentum carrying him forward until his body began to look like a blur.

"Krookodile!" he called out, slamming his extended claw right into Talonflame's beak, the two attacks seeming to be equal in strength, neither side moving in an inch.

Malva quickly took this chance to strengthen her own attack instead of waiting for the stalemate to come to a conclusion. Issuing another Flare Blitz, Talonflame's body heated up, Krookodile's fist burning from the contact against the Fire and Flying-Type's heated feathers. Losing ground, Krookodile soon found himself being pushed back, his feet slipping in the muddy field.

"Swipe your tail at Talonflame, try and knock her into the ground!" Ash ordered, Krookodile whipping his tail upward, some mud flying off of it before swinging it down onto Talonflame. The mighty bird cried out in slight pain before flying off into the sky, neither herself or her trainer having seen what just happened. Ash wasn't going to give them time to figure it out either, already going on the offensive again.

"Keep going, Stone Edge!"

"Double Team!"

The two moves were completed simultaneously, both Pokémon completing the commands in mere seconds. Stones surged around Krookodile's body while copies of Talonflame once more circled the field. At this point, it was the victor would be decided by whoever wanted it more, especially since Talonflame had battled previously. Launching the stones off, Krookodile and Ash kept a close eye on the copies, noticing one move slower than all the others but keeping it to themselves for the time being.

One by one, the copies vanished as the jagged stones ruptured through each of them until only the original remained. Malva moved quickly, ordering a Brave Bird to hopefully end Krookodile.

"Tal! Talonflammme" Talonflame screeched out once more, her body erupting into blue flames before divebombing right for Krookodile. The Ground and Dark-Type stood his ground, waiting for his opponent to get within striking range for him. Once they felt good about their own attack, Ash quickly ordered the tough Pokémon to dodge.

"Krooko!" he cried out, bending over backwards until Talonflame managed to miss him completely, soaring right over the top of his bent body. Getting right back up, Krookodile prepared another Stone Edge attack before firing them right for Talonflame. A Double Team emerged once more, just as Ash expected but they weren't stopped by it.

"To your left, Krookodile! Aim to your left for the one slowing down, she had a brown spot on her back!" Ash pointed out, aiming his own right arm towards the slumping Talonflame. The cause of her slowing now evident in the form of hardened mud on her back. Krookodile merely screamed in agreement, launching each of his jagged stones for the Talonflame Ash told him to. One by one, the stones slammed hard into Talonflame until she collapsed onto the ground, unable to move an inch from fatigue.

"Talonflame is unable to battle! The winner is Krookodile," Clemont declared, his voice filled with excitement even if he tried to remain neutral to the outcome.

"Pikapi! Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered in excitement, his electric sacs flowing with electricity as a few small sparks flew off in random directions. Ash could understand his excitement; they only had to beat two more of Malva's Pokémon to win.

"To think, Ash used the mud created from Goodra's Rain Dance to slow Talonflame down and create an opening for Krookodile. Now that's what I call teamwork, both of them working together to take down a strong opponent!" Serena could be heard in the background, Ash scratching underneath his nose due to the sudden compliment.

"That was a pretty smart idea," Malva spoke up, returning Talonflame to her Poké Ball before replacing it with a new one. "You knew that Talonflame was too fast for any of your Pokémon so you had Krookodile get in close and put some mud on her wings. Once it hardened it became an easy target for you. I've got to remember that for the future. Though this next one won't be taken down in the same way! Go, Pyroar!"

Emerging from the capture device was her second Pokémon, Pyroar the mighty lion. Only, this one looked different from the one Ash saw earlier with Lysandre. Scanning it with his Pokédex, he soon came to realize about how the male and female had different fur patterns.

"A Pyroar...Krookodile, take a nice rest," Ash said, the two exchanging a nod before Krookodile returned to his capture device. Clipping it to his belt, Ash made his next choice. "How about a second chance? Goodra, I'm counting on you!"

"Goodra already!?" Bonnie cried out, Dedenne just as confused over his best friend's return to the battlefield so soon after his previous recalling. "Shouldn't Ash save Goodra for later on; especially since Krookodile did so well?"

"Normally I would," Ash responded, Bonnie surprised from the fact he had heard her in the first place. "But Krookodile and I both knew he wouldn't be good for this matchup, he was tired out a lot more than he led on. So it's up to Goodra to handle Pyroar!"

"Now start off with Sludge Wave!" Ash commanded, sweeping his arm across his body. Goodra merely nodded, raising his head skywards while a purple sphere formed in his mouth.

"Counter with Hyper Voice! Quickly!" Malva issued, Pyroar opening her maw and releasing a blast of blue soundwaves from it. The attack traversed the distance of the field quickly, slamming into Goodra and costing him his concentration, the small orb of purple liquid spilling out onto the field and towards Pyroar. Malva quickly ordered for a Protect, the blue barrier forming around her partner, allowing the Sludge Wave to pass by harmlessly.

"Not this time! Dragon Pulse, now let's go!" Ash shouted, catching Malva by Surprise. Goodra was already launching off the powerful dragon shaped attack, Pyroar having no time to counter properly while her Protect was still active. The purple dragon sailed across the field and slammed hard against the Protect, cracking the barrier before finally breaking right through the weakened shield. Pyroar felt the entire force from the blast, the Royal Pokémon skidding across the field.

"All right, Goodra, great hit!" Ash commended his partner, Goodra pumping his arms in celebration. "Just stay alert, who knows how powerful these two are, we need to be careful."

"Pyroar, get moving!" Malva shouted out, Ash wondering just what was up with the command. The Normal and Fire-Type pounced around, looking as if she were hunting and Goodra were her prey. "It's been obvious from the last time he battled, but Goodra has a hard time with mobility, so if we stay moving then he'll be in a tough situation."

Ash adjusted his cap, paying close attention to Pyroar's movements, unable to come up with a pattern, the movements seeming almost at random. Malva moved to swing the momentum back her way, issuing a Flamethrower attack. The raging flames slammed into Goodra's midsection, the heat causing even Ash to sweat.

" _Goodra's already exhausted and Pyroar is too fast for him. Looks like we'll have to risk it all!"_ Ash thought, quickly calling out for a Bide attack. Goodra grunted out in affirmative, his body glowing red once more as the flames continued to cook Goodra.

The mighty dragon began to weaver, the fatigue causing him to drop onto a knee, sweat falling from his face. However, Goodra was not to be defeated yet, Ash knowing that his partner still had more left in him. Digging deep inside of his body, Goodra persevered through the Flamethrower, standing back up and using his tail to throw mud at Pyroar.

The sudden movement caused Pyroar to stop her attack, jumping backwards to avoid the projectiles before growling at Goodra. The two Pokémon swapped stares, both ready to go until their bodies gave out. Ash however knew that Pyroar was in a much better condition than Goodra.

"Let's end this, Pyroar! Give them your Hyper Beam!" Malva snapped her left hand forward, index finger pointing right for Goodra. Ash's eyes snapped wide open, watching on while Pyroar charged the black and purple beam. If it weren't for their current situation, Ash would have pointed out how some Pokémon had different colored Hyper Beams. However, his full attention was on his next command.

"Stand tall, Goodra! We need you to absorb this blow and then give them your strongest attack! The others and I all know you can do it!" Ash cheered on the fatigued Dragon-Type. He wasn't quite sure if Goodra would last against the attack, but if he could, then the blast Goodra would be firing could be dangerous.

"Rooooarrrrrrr!" Pyroar shouted, jumping forward against the field before launching off the powerful beam. The Hyper Beam skidded across the dirt field, kicking up the mud and sending it splattering all over the place. Ash covered his face for a moment, mud landing on his jacket.

The Hyper Beam smashed into Goodra, exploding on contact with his slimy body before he glowed a blood red. Ash looked on, waiting to see Goodra launch the attack, but instead, the large Dragon-Type fell forward, his legs giving out as he smashed into the mud.

"You took a risky gamble, Ash. It showed your trust in Goodra, but in the end his body just couldn't hold on from a powerful attack. Especially after the damage Talonflame inflicted," Malva spoke, crossing her arms over her chest. Ash merely grit his teeth, waiting until the call was made to respond.

Clemont looked over at Goodra, waiting to see any sort of movement from the Dragon. Seeing none, he began to raise his hand, the call about to be made. "Goodra is unabl-" he began to say, being cut off by a sudden cry.

"Goooooo!" the Dragon Pokémon shouted, using his arms to push himself off the ground. Panting, he fired off the Bide attack, a deadly white laser shooting from his mouth. The beam shot across the field, smashing right into Pyroar, the Normal and Fire-Type still recovering from her Hyper Beam attack. Being consumed by the attack, Pyroar flew across the field, her body stopping only when she smashed into a nearby tree.

"Pyroar!" Malva cried out, looking at her defeated Pokémon. She didn't go down alone however, Goodra also collapsing for good immediately after the blast ended.

"Both Goodra and Pyroar are unable to battle, the match is a draw! Malva is now down to her final Pokémon while Ash has two!" Clemont declared, both trainers recalling their defeated partners.

"Pika! Pikapi!" Pikachu cried on, supporting his defeated friend from the sidelines. Ash knew how badly Pikachu wanted to battle, but with it being only three Pokémon each, Ash had to stick with what he planned.

"Turns out I was wrong about your Goodra. Your trust in this situation really came through for you. Knowing that Goodra's fatigue would limit him, you purposefully went into a Bide to try and use Pyroar's strength against us. Smart thinking. But you haven't even faced my best yet." Malva reached for her final Poké Ball, gripping it tightly against her fingers, Ash gritting his teeth. He knew full well what was coming. Malva tossed the capture device forward, the sphere opening to reveal the canine creature that served as Malva's ace.

"Houndoom, let's show them what's in store!" The Fire and Dark-Type growled menacingly towards Ash, the look on his face filled with determination.

Ash nodded, having expected this for the final showdown. Looking at the Poké Ball in his hand, Ash thanked Goodra for fighting so greatly today, reclipping it to his belt. "We were expecting Houndoom to be last, but we're just getting started as well. Pignite, I choose you!" Ash shouted, grabbing his final Poké Ball and tossing it forward. The Fire-Type landed with a soft thud, flames shooting out of his nostril due to excitement. Ash noticed his friends' reactions, as if they never expected someone like _Pignite_ as a choice.

"That is quite the unique choice, Ash," Malva stated, lowering her glasses a second to make sure she wasn't seeing the wrong Pokémon. Finished, she quickly went right back into business. Throwing her hand forward, she made her next command. "Houndoom, Dark Pulse!"

"You could say that," Ash responded, throwing an open palm towards his opponent. "But there isn't any other Pokémon I would want battling right now! Pignite, counter with Fire Pledge!"

"Hoooound!" the Dark Pokémon barked, the purple and black beam erupting from his mouth. The blast carried across the field, ready to smash right into Pignite, only for it to miss, a tower of flames erupting right in front of Pignite.

"Nite," the Fire and Fighting-Type huffed out, removing his fist from the ground. The pillar retracted, leaving Pignite exposed now. Ash and Pignite weren't going to wait however, instead they took their chance and attacked. Calling for a Flame Charge, Ash watched while Pignite slammed his feet, creating enough friction until his body was engulfed in flames.

Pignite raced across the area, picking up speed as he did so until finally slamming into Houndoom. His weight and momentum pushed the canine like Pokémon backwards, but his flames appeared to be consumed upon contact, Houndoom practically eating them.

"If only you knew," Malva teased, the flames forming back on Houndoom only to be released in a Flamethrower. The attack blasted Pignite, but the Fire Pig Pokémon stood tough, using his arms to block most of the attack. Absorbing most of the contact, Pignite was soon surprised to see Houndoom leaping at him, teeth glowing brightly before they chomped down onto his arms.

"Houndoom has the ability Flash Fire. With it, all Fire-Type moves are ineffective and only help strengthen him. Though, your pork chop may not even require Houndoom to use all his strength," Malva explained, crushing her hand shut. "Now crush that play toy!"

Ash light out a light chuckle, adjusting his hat while doing so. "Who says Pignite has even started yet? He's real tough in battle, and you never want to push someone like him into a corner since he'll only come at you even harder! Now, Pignite, heat up with Flame Charge!"

Ash could hear the surprised gasps from his friends, both Serena and Bonnie looking worried out of the corner of his eye. But for now, he wanted to stick by what he had planned, Pignite could pull through, he believed in him. The Fire and Fighting-Type began to slam his feet, Houndoom losing his grip in the process and jumping backwards while Pignite now ran forward, covered in flames.

The two collided once more, Pignite throwing all his weight into the attack to push Houndoom. The Dark Pokémon was thrown backwards, but the flames once more were extinguished from Pignite's body. Ash wasn't worried however and instead called for another Flame Charge attack, the same scenario playing out.

"Your persistent, I'll give you that," Malva spoke out, sounding almost annoyed at Ash's continued attempts at Flame Charge. What she didn't pay attention to was Pignite's increasing speed. Growing tired of seeing the same action repeated, she called for a Smog attack.

"Ouurrrrrrr!" Houndoom howled, the poisonous gas seeping out of his mouth. Pignite was soon smothered by the substance, collapsing onto one knee from it, his breathing now heavy.

"Pig...pignite," he coughed out, Ash noticing his partner being poisoned from the attack. Crawling out of the gas, Pignite was met head on with a powerful Flamethrower. The attack devoured Pignite, tossing his body backwards until it finished rolling across the field. Standing back up slowly, Pignite breathed heavily, the powerful attacks beginning to get to him.

"Just stand strong, Pignite! Now's the time for us to change this battle thanks to our plan! Now get in there with a Brick Break!" Ash commanded, the two sharing a thumbs up before Pignite took off for his target. Ash could tell Malva was surprised to see Pignite's new speed, the Fire Pig Pokémon in front of Houndoom before she could issue a command.

"Pignite!" he screamed out, arms glowing white with power before slamming one of them right into Houndoom's jaw, the other arm slamming down onto his head. Pignite went to follow that up with a quick jab to Houndoom's side, but the Fire and Dark-Type released a Smog attack, clouding Pignite's vision.

Malva chuckled lightly from the previous situation, now understanding Ash's constant use of Flame Charge. "You really like taking risks, Ash. Knowing full well that it would increase Pignite's speed, you continuously used an attack that would also power up my own. You just had to hope Pignite could outlast the attacks. Well, try and survive this one! Flamethrower and Dark Pulse, fire them off in succession."

Houndoom lowered his body before growling out. He immediately fired off a Flamethrower, the attack soon being met with a Dark Pulse merging with it, the two streams heading right for Pignite.

"We're not done yet! Rollout, let's go, Pignite!" Ash shouted, pumping his arms into the sky before calling out to his tough partner.

Pignite copied the action, arms thrusted skyward while fire shot from his nostrils. Running right for the powerful beam combination, Pignite tucked his body inwards, rolling up into a tight ball before slamming into the attack. Shooting through it, Pignite closed the distance until he met Houndoom's maw, slamming right into it before landing atop of the Dark Pokémon.

"That was fun," Malva stated, Ash flinching for a second due to a slight lapse in memory. Watching as the Elite Four member reached for the necklace around her body, his eyes shot wide open as she clasped the Key Stone encased in the necklace. "Houndoom, dear, Mega Evolve!"

A bright light shined from the two stones, Pignite stumbling backwards from the sudden glow. As the light died down, Ash and Pignite were met with the sight of an enormous Flamethrower blasting through the light and right into Pignite, tossing him backwards. Slamming his fist into the ground, Pignite stopped his momentum before standing back up and staring down the now Mega Evolved Houndoom.

"So, how about we take off the kid's gloves now? Houndoom, use Dark Pulse!" Malva issued, snapping forward.

"Houuuunnn!" he roared out, the purple and black beam now larger than before. Ash watched on, Pignite bracing his body while the attack slammed right into his chest.

"Brick Break, let's go!" Ash shouted out over the blast. A light glow soon penetrated through the Dark Pulse, Pignite swinging his arms just enough to penetrate the attack, allowing his chance to escape. "Great job! Now let's give them another round of Brick Break!"

"Pig! Pignite nite!" he shouted in response, running forward with glowing arms. Houndoom and Malva were prepared this time, calling for a Flamethrower. However, Pignite sliced right through the attack, creating an opening for a swift jab to Houndoom's face. Pushing him back, Pignite went for another blow, only for his fist to be caught by Houndoom's Crunch attack.

"Don't forget, Ash, you're still facing an Elite Four member! Strategy or not, you need to be prepared for anything! Toss him and then fire a Flamethrower attack!" Malva instructed. Houndoom tossed the Fire Pig Pokémon up into the sky, Pignite flailing as he did so. Once off the ground, Pignite braced himself for the attack, but the poison inflicted by Smog struck, causing his guard to drop. Now engulfed by the powerful Flamethrower, Pignite's injuries caught up to him, unable to land safely from the attack.

Ash watched on, pleading Pignite to continue on, but the tough Fire and Fighting-Type was down for the count. Clemont made the call immediately, Ash grabbing ahold of Pignite's Poké Ball.

"That was outstanding, Pignite! You did just what I needed you to do, now leave the rest to Krookodile!" Ash praised the defeated Pokémon, the capture device shaking weakly.

"Ok, it's all up to you now! Everyone is relying on you, so I choose you! Krookodile," Ash shouted out, his ferocious Ground and Dark-Type emerging onto the field once more, arms crossed as he stared down Houndoom. Ash could see the intensity forming between the two Dark-Types, as if this battle was worth more to them. Like it was a battle for their pride as Dark-Types.

"Krookodile, start off with Stone Edge!"

"Houndoom, counter with Flamethrower!"

The two attacks were called for simultaneously, both Pokémon launching their attacks with intensity. Stones met flame as an explosion occurred in the middle of the field, dirt and hardened mud flying all over the place. Both trainers appeared to be thinking the same way, for they both stayed on the offensive.

"Aerial Ace!

"Crunch!"

Krookodile raced through the clouds of dirt, his claws glowing white and his body picking up speed. Houndoom was likewise on the move, his teeth glowing a similar white as they chomped down onto Krookodile's hand, blocking his attack. Krookodile immediately tried to shake him off, but Houndoom stood strong, only tightening his grip.

"Knock him off with Dragon Claw, Krookodile! You have to break free!" Ash commanded, seeing a few sparks of fire forming within Houndoom's mouth.

"Houndoom, burn him to a crisp! Flamethrower!" Malva countered, Houndoom sinking his teeth in even further, the flames growing brighter as he did so.

"Krooko!" the Intimidation Pokémon cried out in pain, the fire moving up his entire arm. Forcing his attack through the pain, Krookodile reared his free arm backwards, the appendage glowing green before ramming it into Houndoom's midsection. The sudden impact causing Houndoom to let go of his grip. "Dile!" he then screeched out, punching forward with his now free arm, finally landing the Aerial Ace attack.

Houndoom landed on the ground, rolling across the dirt field until slowly coming to a stop. Whimpering, the Dark Pokémon stood his ground, getting back onto all four legs and growling at Krookodile, the former crossing his arms and smirking. This seemed to anger Houndoom, Ash bracing himself from the sudden Flamethrower Houndoom released. Krookodile had little time to react, using a combination of Aerial Ace and Stone Edge to block the incoming flames.

"Now Smog!" Malva instructed, snapping her fingers along with the command. Houndoom immediately howled in agreement, releasing the toxic gas throughout the field. Krookodile began to suffocate on the gas, dropping to one knee as the substance filled his lungs.

Ash began to look around, trying to think of _any_ way to counteract the Smog attack when he noticed the hole leftover from Pignite's Flame Pledge. Coming up with a quick plan to avoid the attack. "Krookodile, use Dig on the field, get underneath it to avoid this Smog attack and come up where the air is fresh!"

"Krooko!" the Intimidation Pokémon cried out, coughing as he did so. Without hesitation, Krookodile dove straight for the ground, kicking up dirt and mud while he did so. Soon, his entire body had vanished, completely safe from the poisonous attack. Houndoom began to watch for any sign of attack, no one able to read exactly _where_ Krookodile would reappear from.

"We can't wait for him to make the first move, force that oversized lizard out from his hiding spot! Flamethrower on into the hole!" Malva ordered due to her slight worry over the situation. Ash knew that even if Houndoom was stronger, he still had to have taken a decent amount of damage from the battle so far. All he had to do was time it correctly.

"Douuuuuuu!" Houndoom cried out, releasing the searing flames that formed in his mouth. The fire erupted, shooting straight down Krookodile's hole, everyone waiting to see Krookodile. However, he never emerged and Houndoom immediately went on the defensive. It was too late however, for pointed stones emerged from the ground beneath Houndoom, knocking the canine like Pokémon backwards.

Krookodile soon reemerged, panting heavily as burn marks covered his body. Not letting that stop him, Krookodile lunged forward, his claws glowing green once more, only for his attack to be met with another Flamethrower. Slicing through the attack, the Ground and Dark-Type found an opening, slashing across Houndoom's face and knocking him backwards.

"You purposefully allowed your Krookodile to take the hit?" Malva asked, surprised by such a tactic. Even Ash was surprised to see Krookodile not try to dodge while he was under the ground, but he didn't show it to his opponent. There was no way he could let them know, not now at least.

"Krookodile, let's keep going at them! Stone Edge, let's go! Then go right into an Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded, punching forward with his fist. Krookodile didn't respond, instead he merely roared out, Houndoom matching the roar as the two Pokémon fired off their own attacks. Stones launched from Krookodile's body while Houndoom launched off a Dark Pulse without Malva's command, the two attacks exploding on contact and creating another smoke cloud.

Neither Pokémon seemed fazed by it, Houndoom going right at Krookodile, Malva issuing a Crunch attack this time while Krookodile raised his glowing arms, anticipating the attack. Listening for Houndoom, the Intimidation Pokémon swung his fist forward, just skimming Houndoom's jaw and forcing the Dark Pokémon to miss his intended target. Skidding across the ground, Houndoom came to a stop just inches from one of the holes on the field, his feet slipping while keeping himself from falling into it. Seeing this, Ash had an idea.

"Stone Edge!"

"Krooko!" Krookodile cried out, raising his arms while pointed stones formed all over his body. With a second cry, the rocks shot outwards and right for Houndoom, the Fire and Dark-Type being pushed into a defensive moment as he used Flamethrower to destroy most of the rocks; the others being dodged thanks to Houndoom's mobility.

Jumping past the last few rocks, Houndoom using another Smog attack to blind Krookodile, the Ground and Dark-Type unable to see the next attack incoming until it was too late. Blasted by a Dark Pulse, Krookodile slid backwards until his feet scrapped against the edge of his hole, Ash quickly ordering Krookodile back into it.

"Not this time! Flamethrower!" Malva ordered, pointing directly at the hole, determined to not allow Krookodile a chance to escape. Houndoom jumped upwards, mouth glowing red from the flames within before finally launching off the attack. The flames soared down into the hole, but once again there was no reaction, at least not from _that_ hole. Before Malva or Houndoom could react, stones flew from the other hole, cascading down into Houndoom and making him stumble.

"Now!" Ash shouted, needing only that one word to get his plan across to Krookodile. Looking over at Malva, Ash chuckled to himself. "My original plan was to try and get Houndoom trapped in the mud, but most of it was dried up by the time he came into the battle, so then Pignite was meant to tire you down. And then I thought of trapping him in the hole, but that didn't work so I just decided to use _both_ holes to make you wonder which one we'd attack from," Ash explained, not breaking eye contact with his opponent, even while Krookodile created a new hole.

"Dile!" Krookodile called out triumphantly, his fist leading the exit from the ground as he slammed it right into the jaw of Houndoom. The canine like Pokémon stumbled backwards a moment, looking ready to continue fighting only to let out a light whimper. Suddenly collapsing, Houndoom seemed to have been defeated based on the fact he reverted back his base form.

"And that does it!" Clemont shouted, running out to make the final call. "Houndoom is unable to battle, meaning that all three of Malva's Pokémon have fainted. And so, Ash Ketchum has been declared the winner of this battle!"

Malva merely smirked at Ash, the boy already celebrating with Krookodile over their latest victory. Making it to Houndoom, the Elite Four trainer praised his battling before recalling him into his Poké Ball. Looking once more at Ash, she spoke up. "Tell me, during that battle, did you honestly have that many plans ready in case one failed?"

"Not really, once the field dried we kind of just winged it until I noticed the two holes. If we could trick Houndoom into attacking the wrong hole, then it would allow us a chance to strike," Ash admitted, Krookodile fixing his shades before waving a finger in the air. "And obviously we wouldn't have been able to do that if Krookodile didn't take that Flamethrower head on while underground."

"Either way, it's with my honor to award you this," Malva spoke, pulling a small medal from her pocket. "Here, the Fire Medal. You earned it for sure today," she stated, tossing the small item over to Ash. Catching it in his hands, the Kanto native stared at the final item he needed to face Diantha.

"Yes! We just won the Fire Medal!" Ash shouted out, feeling just as excited for this award as he had for each and every Gym Badge he ever won. He didn't care how many there were, they still held the same importance to him as the first, because his Pokémon were always working their hardest for him. Placing it alongside the other three, Ash looked at his complete set in admiration, not for himself, but for what his bonds with his Pokémon were able to accomplish. Now though, he still had to figure out which six would be taking part in this battle.

"Ash, since that is your final medal, I'll be able to give you the location of Diantha's stadium in a little once I inform the League of your victory. Until then, why don't we all go grab something to eat, you must be famished," Malva stated, reaching for Ash's hand. Meeting her halfway, the two shook hands, Krookodile standing behind him, Ash hearing his friends making their way over to him.

"And I'll be looking forward to your match with Diantha, it's been a while that someone _other_ than a member of the Elite Four gets to face her without it being the prize of a tournament. Take joy in your accomplishment, but don't forget what got you this far," Malva finished, releasing her grip right as Bonnie jumped onto Ash, Pikachu joining in on the pile while Serena and Clemont laughed.

" _What got me this far..."_ Ash thought, smiling as he watched his friends, Krookodile wanting to join in on the fun but was too exhausted. _"My friends, all of them through my journeys...they were always there for me, pushing me on further, always cheering me on. Without their support, who knows where I would be. But I'm not stopping now! I'll face Diantha and give her one battle she'll never forget!"_

* * *

 **And that brings an end to Ash's final battle. All that awaits him now is his match with Diantha...which won't be for a few chapters since the Master Class is coming up. Though, I already have Ash's team against Diantha planned, I won't be saying who will be on it.**

 **We also learn a little more of what just so happened to Clemont. Not much, but there was _something_ in the Distortion World.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	74. Showtime

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, Ash managed to win his final match against Malva, earning him the right to face Diantha. But before that we get the greatest (not really, I absolutely despise them) part of this fanfic, the Master Class and more performances.**

 **Ch 74: Showtime**

* * *

"Yes, he managed to win against me," Malva's voice could be heard by Serena, the young Performer straining to hear it over Ash eating away. Even after all the time she spent traveling with him, Serena was still easily surprised to see him pound plate after plate down. Serena just sighed in amusement, watching the stack of plates grow in height before Ash. However, her focus laid on the older woman still on the phone.

"Do you want to make the announcement, or should I? You and I both know the entire region of Kalos will be watching. Either way, I have to stop in Gloire City to help broadcast the Master Class so I could do a special coverage there for you," Malva continued on, wrapping a finger in her bangs. Serena wished she could hear the other end, having figured it out that it was Diantha. "Alright, I'll keep it a secret for now, we don't want to overshadow the Master Class. Though, the moment you're caught on camera people will begin questioning your appearance there," Malva continued, pausing a moment for what had to be Diantha's response.

"Okay...have a safe trip then." And with that, Malva hung her phone up, placing the device back into her pocket before walking towards the group. Serena could see she was surprised to see the amount of food eaten, a sweat drop rolling down the side of her face.

"This was delicious! Thanks for the food," Ash stated, leaning back in his chair, rubbing his stomach in content. Pikachu likewise leaned back, letting out a light "chaaa" in agreement to his best friend's statement. Serena could tell that Clemont looked slightly embarrassed by Ash's manners, but the honey-blonde girl just cast him a look that pretty much said "that's our Ash".

Sitting down at the end of the table, Malva grabbed a plate and started to grab some portions of whatever food managed to survive Ash's hunger (not that there was much left) before turning her attention elsewhere. Looking at Serena, the older woman pulled out a small flash drive. "You remember back when Diantha gave your device the locations to each member of the Elite Four? Well, this flash drive has _her_ location on it. It'll take no time at all if you want to update it on the ride to Gloire City."

This statement seemed to surprise Serena, the girl looking confused from Malva's statement before looking at Ash, Clemont and Bonnie, none of them quite sure. Malva chuckled at their confusion, casting them a sly grin. "Please, you'd think I wouldn't offer you all a ride to the same place I'm heading to? After all the times you've helped Kalos, a simple ride to the Master Class is the least I can do for you. Once we're done eating and the dishes are put away, we'll make our leave for Gloire City."

"That makes things so much easier! Thanks, Malva!" Ash cried out, reaching for another serving of pasta only for Serena to slap his hand away. She didn't mean to be rude, but at the rate he was going at, they would be waiting for Ash to finish for a long time. Instead, he decided to start cleaning the table off, taking the empty trays and dishes and placing them in the sink before washing them off.

"Ash, I don't think I've seen someone with a larger appetite than you," Clemont stated, adjusting his glasses before bringing a few more plates over for Ash. That was something Serena enjoyed about meal time, they all had their own jobs to it. Her and Clemont would cook while Ash and Bonnie usually cleaned up after. "Though, I think it would be a scientific discovery in its own way to figure out where all that food goes. You'd never expect someone of your size to eat like you do."

"Clemont, stop overthinking it! Ash's stomach is one of the greatest mysteries of the world," Bonnie chimed in, grabbing a towel to dry off the dishes Ash had already cleaned. "Trying to make sense of his stomach is the same as expecting one of your inventions to _not_ explode." Clemont didn't appear pleased by this response, flailing his arms around in frustration, trying to defend his failed inventions.

The group let out a collective laugh at Bonnie's remark, Serena glad that everything was so calm now. Though, this calmness would soon be gone and Serena knew it. Once she stepped into Gloire City, it was all business for her. Moving as quickly as they could, the group found themselves ready to head out in no time at all, each of them piling into Malva's vehicle once more as they drove off towards their next destination.

"So, you must be excited, dear," Malva spoke up, the car pulling out from the small cabin and onto a main road. No other cars were on the road today allowing them an easy drive, Malva picking up the speed a little once they reached a paved road. "From what I understand, you gave Aria a little run last time. Managing to score roughly a third of her total points isn't something to be taken lightly, all the others will be aiming for you."

"I thought that would be the case," Serena replied, watching the trees pass them by until they were surrounded by them, the car entering the forest once more on its path to Lumiose and a connecting road to Gloire. "After my last Showcase, I knew that if I managed to win there, that everyone at the Master Class would be aiming to be the one who could beat me. Not only are my rivals going to be coming for me, but every other girl competing. But I won't hold back, I can't! I want to win this time, but if I can make even the smallest amount of joy enter someone's life, then even if I lose it'll feel like I've won."

Malva chuckled slightly from the answer. Serena unsure if it was for a good reason or not, but was soon given the answer to her question. "You sound like someone who really has things figured out, Serena! With an attitude like that you'll be going places in this world. Just know that as long as you're giving it your all out on that stage and you're having fun, that others can receive your joy and passion."

"She's right, Serena," Bonnie stated, grabbing the back of Serena's seat, the Performer turning around to face her friends. "Whenever I watch you perform, it fills me with this feeling that I'm going to explode with happiness! I love it when you're on stage."

"We're all behind you, one hundred percent of the time, Serena," Clemont joined in, the two smiling at each other before he continued. "You're just as qualified as every other participant to win this. Though, you don't have reasons such as for popularity or the money, but to help others and that's why they can't beat you."

"Just know that we're proud of you no matter what happens," Ash stated, scratching his cheek a little before Pikachu jumped from his lap and into Serena's. "You're the best Performer we know, not to mention the nicest and most caring. No one can take that away from you."

"Pipika, pika. Pikachu," the Electric-Type stated happily, nuzzling his face against Serena's own face, the girl laughing from not only his antics but the kind words from everyone gathered. Her determination was building inside of her. This was it!

* * *

The rest of the ride seemed to drag on for Serena, her thoughts focusing on only the Master Class while the others talked over different topics such as which Pokémon Ash would use against Diantha, or if Clemont would leave Clembot in charge of the Gym for a little longer. She even remembered about how Bonnie mentioned that once she was old enough to begin her own journey, that she wanted to start off in Kanto just as Ash had, a revelation that made Clemont almost pass out from it. Serena could understand why, especially with Bonnie being as adventurous as she was, Clemont had probably hoped for her to stay in Kalos where he could keep an eye out for her.

Though, off in the distance was finally the city she had been building towards since her first Showcase this season. Gloire City in all its glory shined like a beacon of hope for not only Serena but every girl competing here during the competition. It had taken them nearly three days to reach the beautiful city, only stopping when it was absolutely necessary (such as to sleep or eat or in some extreme cases, use the restroom). Pulling up to the entrance of the city, Malva stopped her car, Serena finding it funny how similar this was to their entrance to Laverre City a few days prior.

"The Master Class doesn't start until tomorrow morning, why don't you all go enjoy your time in the city until then?" Malva asked, the group exiting her vehicle. She then began to turn the steering wheel, positioning herself to take a turn down a different alleyway. "I probably won't see you again until after the enter competition due to work, so good luck out there, Serena, I'll be rooting for you!" She then began to drive off slowly, honking her horn to say goodbye. Serena and the others waved until she was down another road, away from their view.

"It's probably best you get registered now, you wouldn't want to miss the entire competition due to missing out on registration," Clemont stated, the group of four making their way towards the large hotel where the Master Class was help last time. Knowing their way through the city, it made for easy maneuverability for the group, making it into the hotel lobby with ease.

"Welcome. If you're registering for the Master Class, please have a form of identification along with your Princess Keys ready," the hostess at the front desk said cheerfully, Serena making her way over. As she did so, Serena thought she could make out a few familiar faces in the crowded lobby, but knew now wasn't the time to talk. Smiling at the young worker (someone who didn't look much older than Serena), she placed her three keys on the counter and put her Pokédex down onto the screen. The computer read her information easily, her picture and the locations of her three victories appearing on the screen above her.

"Serena of Vaniville Town, you're officially registered for the Master Class," the hostess spoke once more, handing the items along with a room key over to Serena. "Here is a key to your personal room, feel free to call us with any issues you may have."

"Thank you!" Serena cried out happily, grabbing ahold of her items before making her way back to Ash, Clemont and Bonnie, only to be joined by a few faces she thought she had seen in the gathered crowd. Seeing the large and loud Remo standing beside Clemont while Ash talked with Brock (about what, Serena had no idea, but Brock seemed pretty intense about it all) brought a smile to her face; their friends really did come. Also, standing between Brock and Remo seemed to be Dawn, the Coordinator watching on in slight embarrassment at the two conversations going on.

"And you'll never believe what happened, Brains! When Garchoo and I fought Wulfric, he Mega Evolved his Abomasnow and destroyed us. It was like we couldn't touch him despite his Pokémon being much slower," Remo boomed out, Serena laughing at how animated he was while explaining what seemed to be a failed Gym Match against Wulfric. Swinging his arms around, the burly man nearly punched someone walking by right in the face.

Now back to the larger group, Serena gave a warm wave to their three newest additions before clasping hands with Dawn. "I'm all ready to see just what one of these Showcases are all about. And what better one to watch in person than the Master Class!" Dawn stated, pulling her hands away from Serena before giving her a thumbs up.

"I'm just glad everyone made it," Serena replied out happily, reaching for the blue ribbon around her neck. "I didn't actually think you were coming to cheer me on tomorrow. And since you've all made this trip and gone out of your way, there's no way I can lose tomorrow."

"Yeah, we're all here, even Paul; though I guess Astrid had to practically drag him here. It's funny, I've never seen him listen to anyone unless they're his elders. Though he's been spending most of his time at the hotel's training area, says he can't pass up a chance to train," Dawn replied, trying to remember where everyone else were at right now. "Hmm...I'm pretty sure the others are all scattered around the hotel and town. Last time I saw anyone other than Brock or Remo was early this morning when Alain, Sawyer, Remo and Paul all left to have a battle. From what Brock tells me, it got so intense that the hotel staff made them call it off in fear of damaging the building."

"Though, why don't we let you go and unpack, Serena," Dawn continued, Serena noticing her leg still wrapped up from the incident with Team Rocket. "There's this nice little café just down the road from here. You get everything organized and then come meet up with us there. It'll be nice to have a small dinner before your big day."

With that, Serena nodded, readjusting the straps on her backpack as she did so. Agreeing to meet up with them later on, Serena made her way up to the room she would be staying in. She had offered to take the others' belongings but Ash, Clemont and Bonnie chose to hold on time, not wanting Serena to have to carry their stuff. Walking through the hallways, Serena recognized a few of the girls competing due to their involvement at previous Showcases.

Though, they hardly seemed to care about Serena. The young girl making it all the way to her room before finally being stopped by a familiar (and welcomed) face. "Serena! You made it!" Shauna called out, the young girl just leaving her room as Serena began to walk down the hallway. "After everything that happened in Lumiose City I never got the chance to see you after that one night, I was worried about you."

"I'm just fine! Though it did take me a little longer than I would have liked to get my final Princess Key," Serena explained before the two girls clasped hands, laughing happily at each other. "It's great to finally run into another Performer I know here. I can't wait to compete against you!"

"You won't be so happy when I eliminate you from the Master Class," a new voice spoke up, the proximity of it causing Serena to jump out of surprise. For standing right behind her, hands on Serena's shoulders was Miette. The bluenette looking as confident as always. "I'll be sure to repay the favor of you knocking me out of the competition last time."

"M-Miette!? Why do you always have to sneak up on me!?" Serena cried out, steadying her heart rate before pointing a finger at her rival. "Never mind that. There's no way I'll go down without a fight, Miette! My partners and I _will_ become Kalos Queen one day."

"That's what I like to hear," Miette stated, placing her hands behind her back while Shauna pumped her fists into the air. All three of them were ready for this Master Class to begin, each of them wanting to prove their skills against each other. Their grins soon turned into looks of confusion, Miette and Shauna looking for their final member of their rival quartet.

"Hey, Serena, where's Nini? I'm surprised she isn't here yet, this isn't like her at all," Miette asked, Shauna nodding in agreement as both girls looked to Serena for the answer. Fumbling with her ribbon, Serena took a deep breath before answering their question.

"Nini...well, Nini isn't competing this year. She failed to get three Princess Keys because her and I had to compete against each other for our final keys," she explained, the enthusiasm draining slightly from her rivals. It definitely was a mood killer to not have their close friend with them, but all three knew it couldn't hold them back. Nini wouldn't have wanted that at all.

"So, there's this little café down the street where everyone is meeting up at to have a little get together before the Master Class. Why don't you both join us?" Serena asked, the two rivals nodding their heads in agreement. Serena was happy to hear they would be coming along, for tonight was their last chance at any fun before the competition began. "Great! I'll meet you two down in the lobby of the hotel in a few minutes then, just let me unpack."

Disengaging from her two rivals, Serena made it down the hall to where her room was situated. Entering the key into the lock, the door handle turned slowly, revealing the familiar sight of the three-room hotel apartment. Walking through the door, Serena dropped her backpack off at the small table located in the kitchen before looking at the bedrooms to make sure her request was granted. Upon seeing the two bedrooms (each with two beds inside them), Serena smiled. The four beds made things a lot easier, especially since Ash had offered to sleep on the floor or over at the local Pokémon Center.

Laying her performing outfit down on one of the beds, Serena looked out the window before sighing. Gripping her four Poké Balls, she briskly called out her partners, each of them well aware of what was coming.

"We've finally made it, everyone," she began saying, everyone happy that their work was paying off. "But this is only the beginning, starting tomorrow we're going to be facing even tougher competition, but whatever happens, I want you all to know how proud I am of each and every one of you. I couldn't ask for better partners and friends." Serena then nodded to Braixen, the Fire-Type pulling her branch out of her tail.

Serena looked at each of her Pokémon before placing a hand on the branch. "Let's go out there and make our dreams a reality, one step at a time!"

"Braixen! Brai, brai," her longest partner cried in agreement, smiling across to Serena. Seeing Braixen now, Serena couldn't believe how much she had grown from the Fennekin she had been. Their respective growths being intertwined as they both grew out if their comfort zones to get to where they were now.

Pancham was the next to move, placing his own hand down onto the branch, a smug look on his face as he did so. "Champan! Pan, cham!" Pancham, her first capture. Remembering back to the day she first captured him brought a smile to her face, their meeting bringing together a great partnership.

"Slyveeee," the Fairy-Type cried next, one of her feelers softly being placed down onto the branch. It was still amazing to Serena how well Sylveon managed to overcome her shyness she had as an Eevee. They were similar in more ways than just their love for performing. Both beginning as weak and timid, running from anything they were uncomfortable doing, but now they grew together. Both of them able to take on any challenge.

And finally, Pichu joined in (or tried to. Sylveon had to give the baby a slight boost with a feeler) as she placed her tiny paw onto the branch. "Pichuchuchu!" she cried out happily. Serena was proud of her newest partner (based on the amount of time with her), always trying to do her best and improve despite her young age being accounted for. Pichu always gave it her best shot, something that Serena tried to do in her everyday life as well as performing career.

"Let's all strive together to go out and give it our all. If we can bring even the smallest of smiles onto peoples' faces then it'll be worth every second of our time," Serena explained, each member of her team looking on in anticipation for tomorrow to begin.

Serena then recalled them all back into their respective Poké Balls before moving to unpack a little more. Moving her bag from the table in the entrance to her bed, Serena rummaged through it, pulling out two pictures she held close to her; one was from Geosenge Town, having been taken when they helped Korrina find a Mega Stone for Lucario. The other, taken way back when Ash first competed in the Kalos League. Looking at the different photos, Serena couldn't believe just how much they had all changed. Smiling at them, she placed the images onto her night stand before placing her back pack onto her back once more.

Walking out of the hotel room, Serena locked the door before slamming it shut behind her. Moving down the hallway, Serena nearly collided with another woman exiting from her own room, the duo jumping out of the way to avoid bumping into each other.

"Watch where you're go-" the girl cried out, turning her face around to see Serena directly. Not to Serena's surprise, the girl in question turned out to be none other than Amelia, the young girl smirking once she saw Serena. "So, you made it after all. Good, I was starting to get worried."

"You were worried for me? What's the catch," Serena jokingly replied, both Performers looking into the other's eyes, both of them burning with passion. "I always thought you cared only for yourself."

"Oh please, don't get the wrong idea," Amelia replied, flicking her hair to the side, just missing Serena unlike in their previous encounters. "I can't become Kalos Queen if I don't beat you, Serena. I want to win knowing I faced only the best Performers in the region. That way everyone will know that I'm the greatest Performer of them all. Otherwise it won't feel right when I win."

"Who says you're winning? I still have my eye set on becoming Kalos Queen as well," Serena shot back, crossing her arms over her chest, Amelia laughing at this response.

"Please, someone like _you_ could never handle being a Kalos Queen. It takes a woman with charming beauty and a lovely personality to handle that position," Amelia stated, posing slightly as she finished speaking. Finally changing her position, Amelia crossed her arms over her chest while leaning against the hallway wall. "Though, it's honestly good to see you. After hearing about Lumiose City I was a little worried you wouldn't be here competing..." she stated, trailing off until shaking her head furiously. "But don't you even _think_ about telling anyone that! Otherwise I'll hunt you down and shove your performing outfit down your throat!"

"I guess you do care about people other than yourself. It's a nice touch for you, Amelia," Serena said before tapping her chin in thought. "Though, to keep it a secret you'll have to do something for me. How does coming out to dinner with me and my friends sound?"

Amelia smiled softly, but shook her head at that idea. "Sorry, as much as I'd _love_ to spend an entire night being annoyed by your presence, I already have plans made. Maybe another time," she stated, pushing off of the wall before walking away from her rival. Pausing a moment, Amelia turned back to face Serena. "Don't lose."

Serena merely nodded, her eyes narrowing as she focused on Amelia's retreating figure. She knew that if she wanted to win, the path would most likely have to go through the majority of her rivals if not all of them. "I'm expecting to see you at the end! And when we do meet, don't hold back!" she cried down the hall, Serena swearing she could hear Amelia laughing at her final statement.

Looking at a clock hanging in the hallway, Serena figured that it would be best to meet back up with the others now. Making her way into one of the elevators, she paid little attention to her surroundings, her brain thinking over what could be the premise for the rounds tomorrow. As the elevator let out a light "ding" to indicate it had reached the lobby, Serena still had no clue what to expect but figured it would be similar to last year's premise.

Walking into the lobby, Serena soon met up with her two rivals, the group of three immediately exiting for the café but not without some teasing at Serena's expense. Much to her embarrassment, she soon came to learn that Bonnie previously called Shauna to tell her the news regarding Ash and Serena, only for her to tell Miette. Serena could feel her face heating up from each of their jokes but also paid little mind to it all. She was too focused on tomorrow.

* * *

"Bonjour mademoiselles and monsieurs! I am your humble host, Monsieur Pierre and I'll be guiding you through today's mesmerizing action as one of ze lovely mademoiselles standing locked behind their doors hope to become ze next Kalos Queen!" Monsieur Pierre's voice could be heard, Serena knowing it like the back of her hand after so many Showcases with him hosting them. Clutching at her three Princess Keys, Serena awaited for the signal to unlock her door and join everyone on stage.

"Today will be a magical day for zese young Performers, as twenty-four of zem have managed to acquire three Princess Keys to compete here! Why don't we bring them all out on stage to a grand applause!" he continued on, the crowd clapping as Serena received the signal to begin placing her keys into the three locks. "Each key holds special memories for ze Performers. Hardships, experiences and ze bonds forged between not only for ze Performer and her Pokémon but also between Performers. Now, welcome zese beautiful, young mademoiselles with a Kalos round of applause!"

Serena carefully placed each key into their respective slot, turning them slowly as a clicking sound was heard. Slowly, the door before her opened up, revealing the stage and entire crowd to Serena. Making out a section of the crowd where her friends were sitting, Serena let out a smile, for everyone was there. Walking across the stage until they were all in the center if the stage, Serena and her fellow Performers gazed around, Serena paying little attention as she spotted Jessilee further down the line next to Miette.

She was soon snapped back to attention when a familiar voice spoke out, a stage light shining on Palermo in her private section. Standing up, the older lady seemed bored by how she stood there, yet Serena could see excitement in her eyes. As if she saw something among these twenty-four girls she hadn't seen in years.

"Firstly, congratulations on earning three Princess Keys and earning a spot in the Master Class. It's no small feat, believe me," she began to say, Serena grasping onto her big red bow that adorned her dress. "This year, Showcases introduced a new round to help limit crowd influence in voting with the Performance Battle. This was met with mixed reactions from both past and present Performers. Because of this, the Master Class will not consist of any such thing. Instead, the twenty-four of you will be broken into six groups of four with a panel of judges consisting of myself, Monsieur Pierre and Aria herself, will select one person from each group to advance into the semi-finals where the format from last year's Master Class will be replicated. That means, make it through this first round and you'll be paired against two other Performers and the one with the highest approval from each round will advance to face each other to decide who will earn the right to face Aria."

"Now, each of you have already randomly been assigned a group, each group having all members performing at once. There is however no interfering with another performance and if you cause another Pokemon to faint, whether on accident or not, you'll be eliminated immediately." The light died down, signaling that Palermo was finished with her instructions before the former Performer sat back down into her chair, her face leaning against her arm.

"Merci, mademoiselle, Palermo!" Pierre cried out, the lights of the stage shining brightly onto him once more. Even if she wasn't the focal point of attention anymore, Serena stared up at Palermo, their eyes locking gazes as if Palermo was telling Serena to give it her all. Nodding slowly, Serena saw what looked like a small smile forming on Palermo's face.

"Now to start off our competition, some warm words of encouragement from Aria herself! Give our beautiful Kalos Queen a warm welcome!" Monsieur Pierre cried out once more, the lights dimming before a single spotlight followed Aria down the staircase in the center if the stage. Looking forward as Aria passed by her, Serena could have sworn she saw a purple light jab into something out in the seats but wasn't quite sure. However, she had little time to dwell on it, for once Aria reached Monsieur Pierre she began to speak.

"I'm honored to receive such a warm welcome from all those not only here today, but also watching from their own homes. Your love and support for Showcases is truly inspiring us to put on a display that is worthy of you all," Aria began, curtseying to the audience before turning towards her fellow competitors. "And to each of you, I am not just a Kalos Queen, but your fellow competitor, one who will not hold back against you and I hope the same is for all of you. Now, please spread your joy with each other and those watching. I look forward to facing one of you later tonight, but until then, good luck."

"Merci, Aria," Pierre stated, bowing to the Kalos Queen as the large screens on both sides of the stage lit up. "Now, if you could turn your attention to ze screens! Each group will now be displayed and in ze order zey will go in."

Looking at the screen, Serena watched as images of her friends moved off into separate groups from her own until finally all six groups were fully formed. To her surprise, almost all her friends and rivals were in separate groups except for Miette who was in the fourth group with Jessilee. Serena, herself, was in group two along with three girls she remembered from the past, but couldn't put a name to their faces. The third group was where Shauna landed and the fifth group had Amelia.

"Remember, each mademoiselle is allowed ze use of one Pokémon zis round. Before beginning, we'll allow each group a few minutes to prepare. Group 1, you'll be going on in fifteen minutes, so be ready, ladies," Pierre explained before a curtain closed down onto the stage, cutting off the Performers from the crowd. Making their way backstage, Serena and the others didn't say a word to each other. Whether it was from nerves or excitement or even just wanting to stay focused, Serena wasn't sure.

Standing in the dressing room though, Serena began to feel the pressure, especially when the first group made their way out onto the stage, the girls learning that this would also be a timed event, each group only having three minutes to try and make themselves stand out over the others in their respective groups.

She paid little attention to the first group however, instead thinking over her strategy of using Braixen to help her with their fire combinations. She was sure that it would be their best shot to advance to the next round. Meanwhile, looking around the dressing room, Serena saw others planning their own ideas. Miette was seemingly going with Slurpuff, a move that didn't surprise Serena at all while Shauna had Ivysaur by her side.

"Group two, please be on standby. You'll be heading out there any minute," an employee of the hotel stated, poking her head into the dressing room. Serena nodded her head, letting Braixen and the others out of their Poké Balls.

"It's time. Everything we've been through has led us to this point in our journey," Serena began to say, her partners listening intently while she did so. "For this first round, Braixen, you'll be performing. I really think that your fire moves would be the best for this one. Everyone else though, please cheer us on," Serena asked of them all, the group crying out in agreement to what Serena proposed.

"Group two! You're on!" an assistant called out, Serena, Braixen and three other Performers and their Pokémon made their way out of the dressing room right as the timer ended for the first group. Serena didn't have time to see who won, but could hear the cheers from the end of the hallway, the crowd obviously impressed. Passing the girls from the first group, none of them saying a word to those entering the stage. Walking out onto the stage, Serena made her way to one of the four spots, Braixen right beside her.

"Please welcome ze mademoiselles of group two!" Pierre cried out, the screens on either side of the stage being updated to include the pictures of the four Performers along with a timer in the center. "We have Concetta, Blanche, Serena and Kazalie all taking part as members of group two! Just like ze previous group, zes young ladies will have three minutes to perform, ze winner being decided upon at the end."

"And... begin!" he shouted out, snapping his fingers, the timer beginning to count backwards from three minutes immediately. Serena wasted no time, getting right into her performance while it appeared the others struggled for a moment, trying to get themselves ready.

"Braixen, use your Flamethrower on the stage, but make columns shoot up!" Serena called for, Braixen nodding her head while pulling her branch from her tail. Lighting it aflame, Braixen slammed her branch down into the stage, fire sprouting up all around the duo as they blended in with the flames, dancing to their rhythm. They weren't done yet however, Serena calling for Hidden Power to be launched into the columns of fire, the effect leading to the fire to explode outwards, a sparkling effect lighting up the entire area.

The crowd responded positively to the combination, Serena taking a short breather to keep an eye on her competition. None of them appeared to be a real threat (as much as Serena tried to not think like that), Kazalie using a combination of Sweet Scent and Petal Dance for her Lilligant. Meanwhile, Concetta and her Scraggy appeared to have run out of ideas after just their first combination of mixing Focus Blast with Ice Punch, creating a glowing display that made it seem like snow was falling throughout the area. Finally, there was Blanche and her Meowstic flying through the stage using a Psychic attack on them. It seemed fun, but the crowd wasn't really into it.

"No time to be taking it easy," Serena muttered, looking at the screen and seeing that almost an entire minute had passed by. Deciding to increase the intensity, Serena and Braixen went with a combination that the duo had worked on for a while. Running right for Braixen, Serena jumped over the Fox Pokémon, a barrage of Hidden Power exploding behind her as she landed safely back on the stage.

Moving along, Serena went into an impressive display of flips, Braixen shooting columns of fire right where she had jumped from each time, making it seem as though the flames were pushing Serena on.

"Now Braixen! Flamethrower and Hidden Power once more!" Serena cried out happily, a smile crossing her entire face as Braixen smiled in response. Serena could see the time slowly clocking away until only half the time remained.

"Braixen!" the Fire-Type shouted in agreement, lifting her branch high towards the ceiling, three silver orbs shooting out of it before she ran across the stage, rubbing the branch along the wooden ground until it left a trail of flames. Halfway through making a circle, the Fox Pokémon tossed her branch to Serena, the Performer finishing the circle just in time for the Hidden Power was falling back to the stage.

"Slice them all up with a Scratch attack and then use Flamethrower from your mouth!" Serena called for, twirling the still lit branch around in her hands, Braixen jumping in the center of the ring of fire to slice across the three orbs of energy. Extending her paws, Braixen waited until her claws were sharpened, slicing right across the Hidden Power, sparkles raining down in a flurry only to soon be engulfed by the flames erupting from Braixen's maw.

"Okay, time to finish this up, Braixen," Serena called up to the now descending Fire-Type. Tossing the branch upwards, a small trail of sparks followed behind it, Braixen catching the wooden stick and aiming it out towards the front of the stage. "Fire Blast and Hidden Power!" she shouted, throwing an open palm forward while doing so.

"Brai, braixen brai!" Braixen shouted, twirling the wand around in the sky before pointing it forward once more. Flames erupted from the end, the blast turning into a five-pointed star that shined in front of the now landing Braixen, Serena standing right beside her partner, the duo both holding the branch before the Hidden Power was launched into the Fire Blast, causing the attack to glow white instead of red.

Serena breathed heavily, looking at the others, they also appeared to be finished. Kazalie seemed to be in the best shape out of the others, her Sweet Scent display capturing some of the audience's attention thanks to the way Lilligant appeared to be dancing through the pollen. The others however seemed to have drawn the short end of the stick, Cocetta being relegated to continuously firing off Focus Blasts, switching between an Ice Punch and Brick Break as to how it was broken. Blanche appeared too satisfied with trying to use Psychic and Psybeam as a way to entertain individuals.

"And time is up!" Pierre shouted, an alarm clock ringing throughout the area as the Performers and their partners stopped their actions. Each of them stared at the host of the Master Class, waiting for his next response. "Ze other judges and I will need just a few minutes to converse, then we will have a victor!" he declared, Serena not entirely sure if he was speaking to the Performers or the crowd (or just both of them) but waited.

Standing there, the young Performer reached for her bow, gripping it tightly as a security measure of sorts. She couldn't explain why, but gripping it would usually help calm her nerves by taking her mind off of the current situation. Looking at Braixen, the two shared a smile, Serena feeling they should be proud of their performance today regardless of the outcome.

"You were amazing, Braixen," Serena whispered, her partner smiling brightly from the complaint, letting out a light cry of joy. Standing there, Serena wasn't sure how much time passed by, but the longer they were taking, Serena felt it wouldn't end well. She had hoped to make herself stand out more than the others, yet the longer they took the closer the others seemed. Just as she seemed to believe that they may have chosen someone else, Pierre's voice brought her relief.

"And the Performer advancing to ze semi-finals is...Serena!" the host of the Master Class declared, Serena's image taking up the entire screen. Taking a deep sigh, Serena felt she could relax for the time being until the next time she went up on stage. Seeing the smiles on the audience, Serena reminded herself once more that what she was doing was for others, the victory wasn't important.

Making her way off the stage, Serena passed by the next group just as she had done with the group prior to her. Once more, no words were spoken between the previous group and the new one (though she did give Shauna a nod of determination. Both girls wanting to face each other in the next round), Serena merely walking back into the dressing room with Braixen. Once through the door, Serena felt herself being mobbed by her other Pokémon, Pichu jumping onto her shoulder while Pancham and Sylveon stood next to her.

"Pipichu!" the youngest member cried out happily, moving from one shoulder to the other while the others laughed at his excitement, her energy becoming contagious.

"Good job out there," Miette stated, arms folded while walking over to her rival. Serena merely smiled at her, Miette forming her own. "Though, you really enjoy relying on fire a lot, don't you? Have you ever tried incorporating something else?"

Serena didn't respond, knowing that Miette was correct in her assessment. Though to her defense, Serena knew that when partnered with others, Braixen's fire usage wasn't as noticeable. Deciding to change topics for now, Serena turned to the screen and watched as Shauna and Ivysaur were doing a combination between flying Shauna through the stage with Vine Whip while a Razor Leaf attack filled the background.

"Shauna's doing well," Serena stated, Ivysaur tossing the girl up into the air to perform a flip while a Solar Beam glowed in the distance. "She'll make it into the next round for sure."

"And then all I have to do is defeat Jessilee and we'll all be in the semi-finals," Miette responded, Slurpuff crying out in agreement. They were all giving it their all today, and it would kill if any of them didn't make it through to the next round. "That stage hog doesn't stand a chance against me, especially once I get the crowd's attention."

"That's cute," the voice of Jessilee spoke up from her seat, the older woman standing up before sauntering over to them, swaying her hips as she did so. It had been a while since Serena had last seen her overly vain rival, but it seemed she hadn't changed at all. Flicking at her hair, she let out an obnoxious laugh. "There's only enough stage for me, and even then, it's barely enough. I'll have the crowd eating up my beauty to the point you'll be lucky if they can even remember your name."

"Why don't you back up your talk with your performance," Miette stated smugly, Serena's eyes darting away from the television set only to bounce back and forth amongst her two rivals. She wasn't sure who would be the first to crack, but she also knew it could be a while with them. "You seem to be overly confident for someone who is already passed her prime."

Serena could tell immediately this wouldn't end well, even Jessilee's Pokémon taking coverage behind a nearby couch. Their trainer seemed to be ready to bite off Miette's head, but before a tirade could begin, she let out a sigh. "The difference between me and you is the fact that I can back up my talk thanks to my feats. How far did you get last year? Was it the first round?" Jessilee asked, raising an eyebrow to prove her point, Miette gritting her teeth at her. Smirking, Jessilee turned away, group four having been announced to begin heading out. Stopping in her tracks while Gourgeist floated over to her, Jessilee looked over her shoulder one last time. "By the way, jealousy is such an ugly quality. Maybe if you weren't, you would actually win a competition."

Miette said nothing, Serena just standing there unsure of what to do. Deciding to say something, Serena was cut off by Miette. "Looks like we'll just have to show her how good we are," she stated, striding out the door with her partner in tow. Serena didn't like how this was going and instead switched her focus on the television set.

"And Shauna is ze Performer advancing from group three. Congratulations mademoiselle," Pierre declared, Serena feeling happy for her friend and rival. At the very least one familiar face would be appearing in the next round. "And now, please welcome the participants for ze next group."

Serena continued to watch, Jessilee leading the Performers onto the stage to cheers from her fans. She had to admit, no matter how she acted, Jessilee found a way to gain many fans throughout Kalos. With introductions out of the way, the four girls went right into their performances, Jessilee and Gourgeist stealing the show immediately.

"It's time for the crowd to see a true queen. Gourgeist, dear, let's begin!" Jessilee cried out, striking a pose while her partner used her body's natural lights to create a stage light effect on her. "Leech Seed, my dearest! And then mix Seed Bomb with Shadow Ball!"

"Gour, gour, gourgeist," the Grass and Ghost-Type cried out, flying all over the stage, seeds shooting from her mouth as the vines slowly sprouted. Jessilee jumped, performing a flip in midair as the vines shot skywards, the Performer being caught on them while traveling upwards. Gourgeist continued to move, launching the two projectile attacks, her Seed Bomb exploding upon contact with the Shadow Ball attack, a dark, yet elegant background being painted as Jessilee posed for the crowd gathered before her.

"How are they doing?" Shauna asked, creeping up to Serena. Her sudden appearance shocked Serena, who was too invested in watching the performances and hadn't seen or heard Shauna entering the dressing room. "Do you think Miette will win here?"

"It's tough to say," Serena admitted, watching on as the screen flashed to Miette performing a combination of Cotton Spore and Fairy Wind, the spores being flown all over the stage. She then continued it up by using Psychic on the remnants to have them flow down onto them slowly, performing a dance with Slurpuff as they fell.

"They're both evenly matched when it comes to skills, but Jessilee can never be counted out, she knows how to turn the crowd into her fans easily. Though Miette should be fine as long as she stays focused and follows through on her routine."

"Now my precious, Gourgeist, let us show the world our beauty! Dark Pulse on these vines and then be ready to dazzle!" Jessilee commanded, the cameras cutting right back to her as Gourgeist fired off the blob of an attack. The Dark Pulse slammed into the vines, toppling them over with ease as Jessilee jumped from the falling structure. Moving with precision, Gourgeist caught her trainer using her appendages as arms, the duo appearing to embrace each other in a tight hold. Though, to Serena's surprise, it appeared as though the duo were dancing in the air, the remaining sparkles from the Seed Bomb and Shadow Ball combo still having an effect.

"She's definitely good," Shauna stated nervously. Looking at the timer, both girls saw that it had landed under a minute now, with all four contestants pushing for their last parts of their performances. Jessilee and her Gourgeist were now on the ground, the duo dancing what seemed to be a classical dance mixed in with their usual flashy moves.

Meanwhile, Miette and Slurpuff were trying everything to keep up. "Okay, launch an Energy Ball attack and use Psychic to hold it in place!" Miette commanded, the Fairy-Type releasing the Grass-Type attack before shrouding it in the blue aura so well recognized as a Psychic attack. "Great, now use Fairy Wind while twirling that Energy Ball!"

"Slurrrr," Slurpuff agreed, the pink wind blowing out of her body, creating a light dust up of sparkles as the Energy Ball was sliced up by the attack. The green glow mixed with the pink wind, creating a dazzling display as the timer rang out.

"Time is up! Hold your performances," Pierre declared, Serena and Shauna waiting for the results to appear. Both girls knew it was coming down to Jessilee and Miette, for the others didn't stand out compared to them.

"I hope Miette is fine," Shauna once more added in, Monsieur Pierre appearing to be talking into a headset of sorts as everyone in attendance waited for the verdict. "Whatever happens, she should know how good of a Performer she is. It's just rotten luck to be put in the same group as Jessilee."

"Miette will be fine. She's tough," Serena said, Pierre making his way back onto the center of the stage as the screens lit back up. "Whatever happens here, she'll use it to bounce back even stronger than before. That's just how she is."

"And now, our winner for ze fourth group is," Monsieur Pierre began to say, the screens flashing through the four pictures before finally stopping on one. Both Serena and Shauna looked on in surprise, though they both also had a good feeling it would happen. Even then, it didn't hurt any less based on the outcome. "Jessilee! Congratulations mademoiselle! And well done to all you ladies."

"Miette..." Serena muttered, watching as the groups switched once more, the fifth one getting ready to begin their own performances. Before they knew it, group four were reentering the dressing room, Jessilee striding in all high and mighty for proving herself as the better Performer today. Miette however didn't seem as devastated as Serena thought she would have, though she also knew how well Miette could put up a front to hide her true emotions.

Turning to the screen for a second (and seeing Amelia begin an Attract and Hyper Voice combination), Serena figured now wasn't the time to watch Amelia but instead help her friend. Moving over towards Miette, Serena placed a hand onto the bluenette's shoulder.

"Your performance was really well done, any other group and you would have advanced easily," Serena began to say, but Miette wasn't having any of it. Removing Serena's hand from her shoulder, Miette made for the exit only to have Serena follow her out into the hallway. "Miette, you can't just run away from a loss. Win or lose, your performance was amazing."

"I understand that, Serena," Miette said, trying to hold back her tears, but it wasn't working. Soon, tears rolled down her face, Serena feeling bad for her rival before pulling her into a hug. "It isn't fair, I've trained so hard and both times I've lost in the first round of the Master Class. And it seems like no matter how much I practice, the gap between me and you grows more and more. And even Shauna and now Jessilee, they both are growing and the gap is increasing amongst us there. Soon I'll be left behind, not even making it into the Master Class."

"That isn't true," Serena reassured her, patting her rival on the back, a few more tears rolling down her face. "You're a great Performer and could beat any of us. You gave me a hard time last year and now this time you just missed beating Jessilee. I know you'll get your chance, you just need to keep working on it. Just keep trying to bring joy to those who watch you."

The just stood there, silent for a minute as the sounds of the crowd echoed in the background, the sixth and final group beginning to make their way out onto the main stage now. Sniffling, Miette pulled away from her embrace with Serena and smiled at her rival.

"Beat her," she stated, wiping any of the remaining tears away from her face. "Go out there and beat not only Jessilee or Shauna or that Amelia, but go out there and beat Aria. It's time for you to show Kalos what you're made of."

"It honestly hurts to be out, but I'll be rooting for you the entire time. So just don't lose, all right? Because if you do, you won't hear the end of it from me," she finished saying, the two girls smiling from their little chat. Feeling better now, Miette made her way back into the dressing room, Serena walking right behind her as the sixth group appeared to be finishing up now.

"That brings an end to our first round, with our final six Performers having been decided," Monsieur Pierre stated, pointing his cane up to screens. Klefki popped out of it now, Serena just now realizing that he wasn't around at all for the opening ceremonies or the first round, most likely having chosen to remain inside of the cane. Serena watched on, the six images consisting of herself, Amelia, Shauna, Jessilee and two others she hadn't seen before.

"Next, Klefki will randomly set them up into two groups of three to then face off and see what two lucky ladies will earn the right to face our Kalos Queen, Aria," he announced, Klefki looking at each of the photos before selecting three of them. Those he selected were highlighted and remained on the screen while the other three vanished from it.

"And zere it is. Ze first group shall consist of ze Performers Serena, Jessilee and Elma," Pierre announced, Serena looking over at her vain rival, the latter smirking.

"Bring it on, Twerpette. I don't plan on going down without a fight," Jessilee stated, Serena realizing just what was said, her eyes looking shocked and also joyful at the same time, Jessilee's smirk turning into a smile.

"It took you long enough to figure it out. I was hoping we'd face off in the finals, but here will do just fine," she continued on, Serena starting to put it all together. The Pokémon, her vanity, the fact she was often at the same Showcases as they were. Even the similar names and hair color.

Jessilee was Jessie and Serena would now be facing her.

* * *

 **And that brings to a close the first chapter of this awful, awful goal. Seriously, Performances/Contests just are awful. On another note though, not much to say about the chapter, with it being pretty straight forward. Though now Serena will have to work harder, not only needing to beat Jessie, but also the winner from the other group.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	75. And the Winner is?

**Welcome back everyone! Last time the beginnings of the Master Class occurred, with Serena and the others managed to make their way into the semi-finals. Nothing else to say, other than a little update at the end of the chapter.**

 **Ch 75: And the Winner is?**

* * *

"Oh don't look so surprised, Twerpette," Jessie stated, pushing her hair from out of her eyes. In that moment, Serena recognized Jessie's face as the one belonging to the former Team Rocket member and not of her rival. "It isn't _that_ surprising. I mean think about it, we both used the same Pokémon. We had the same hair, the same beautiful features. It should have been a little more obvious than you made it be."

Running forward, Serena couldn't stop herself, bringing Jessie into a close hug. The older woman looked a little uncomfortable from the encounter but merely rubbed Serena on the back, the girl taking it as assurance that herself, James and Meowth were doing fine in their current lifestyle of doing whatever they wanted (though, Serena wondered if they were just doing what they did before as members of Team Rocket, minus the Pokémon thieving). Pulling away from the hug, Serena wiped a few tears from her eyes, looking up to her rival with determination to not only win against her, but to then move on to face Aria.

"So how have you been? The last time anyone saw you was..." she began to say, Jessie placing a finger up to Serena's mouth, causing the young girl's final words to be muffled. Looking up at Jessie, Serena saw a look in the older woman's eye, one that showed what she was truly focused on at the moment.

"Now isn't the time for chitchat. Once I become Kalos Queen, then we can talk, though, there isn't much that is too different. All my adoring fans basking at my figure. Being chased by them once I entered this city, the hundreds of suitors wishing to earn my hand in marriage. It's been the same as always," Jessie explained, Serena merely rolling her eyes at the description. She even could hear Meowth muttering how that was all a lie, but chose to ignore it for now. She agreed with Jessie, _now_ wasn't the time to be catching up, especially with how big the next round was for both of them.

"Though, you've gotten better, I'll admit that much Twerpette. Makes me glad I've spent so much time practicing myself, those endless sessions going on until the early hours of the morning. Sometimes going without sleep just to be ready for this wonderful event. Though, I did make sure I was in top condition, not only as a performer, but as a woman of beauty," she explained, laughing out at the fact she believed herself to be the most qualified to win.

"Please, if you expect an old hag like yourself to win you're mistaken." Jessie turned to the voice, Serena likewise turning to see Amelia standing there, smirk on her face while she rested her hand on her side. Serena decided this was her time to step back, now wanting to be included in what would very easily become a fight between the two woman. Watching from afar, Serena wondered just what Amelia got herself into, or even if Jessie would let her walk away alive.

Jessie glared at the young girl before her, not one bit too happy about the "hag" comment thrown her way. Trying to intimidate the girl, Jessie walked up to her, getting right into Amelia's face, though the girl payed little attention. Sidestepping her, Amelia moved towards Serena, casting one final glance at the vain Performer.

"Try all you want to, but you don't even compare to me on a performing level," Amelia stated, casting a glance over at Serena, the young girl not sure if she looked _excited_ at the upcoming rounds. "Though, I'm not worried about any of you. I haven't seen anything to prove you're worthy competition. Maybe show _why_ you made it this far before running your mouths."

" _Same old Amelia,"_ Serena thought, shaking her head only to stop once the Performer stopped next to her, a glint in her eyes. Taking a step backwards, Serena tripped over a pulled out chair, nearly falling onto her rear-end if not for Amelia grabbing her by the wrist. Shocked by the action, Serena looked up at the girl, being pulled up onto her own two feet before being released from her grip.

"Please, I'm not some _monster_. I only wanted to wish you good luck, especially since if I'm going to win this Master Class I want to do it against only the best. None of the other remaining girls have a real shot against me or you and we both know it," Amelia explained, looking around the room, none of the others except Jessie (who continued to glare at Amelia) payed them any attention. "I don't need you losing here because of some silly mistake."

"And I thought you didn't care about me," Serena smirked at the girl, the two nodding at each other, an agreement made between them without any words needed to establish it. Hearing the door open up nearby, Serena turned to see an assistant entering the room while calling her name. Knowing what was to come, she walked away from Amelia and rejoined her partners who were playing with Shauna's Ivysaur.

Kneeling down beside them, Serena looked to Braixen and Pancham, assuring them that they would be the ones going out with her. "Sylveon, Pichu, I'm going to need the two of you ready for the next round. So pay close attention to us out there and when the others perform as well. Try to find any ways we can improve from this performance."

"Pichuchuchu," the youngest member cried out, climbing onto Serena's shoulder and nuzzling against her face. Serena laughed out from the affection, rubbing Pichu behind the head before placing her down next to Sylveon.

"Please cheer for us," she asked, making her way out of the room, locking eyes with first Amelia and then Jessie before exiting the room. Making her way down the hall, Serena could once again hear the excited crowd. Grabbing ahold of Braixen and Pancham's hands, the trio shared one final look amongst themselves before walking out onto the brightly lit stage.

"Here we go!" Monsieur Pierre's voice echoed out, the crowd cheering once Serena made her way onto the stage. Casting a glance towards the section where her friends were all seated, Serena caught sight of her friends, Chespin holding with his vines what looked like a recently made sign by Bonnie. The sight made her giggle slightly, only for it to stop once Pierre spoke up again.

"Ze semi-finals for ze Master Class are about to begin! From ze first group, Performer Serena! She will have two minutes to dazzle you all! For remember, unlike ze previous round, you all will be voting upon who you believe should advance to ze final round!" Monsieur Pierre cried out, Serena taking a deep breath, lowering her head towards the stage a moment.

Whipping her head upwards, a smile plastered on her face, Serena pointed over towards Braixen. She knew the moment her first command was called out, the clock would begin and so she needed to make sure every second counted. "Braixen, Flamethrower! Pancham, Dark Pulse! Merge them together and then Stone Edge into them!" Serena ordered, the clock now ticking down. Serena spun around while issuing the command, looking to almost be dancing despite it being used as a way to look at Pancham while ordering the Dark Pulse.

"Braixen!" the loyal Fire-Type shouted out, flipping away from Serena. Pancham copied the action, his hands filled with the swirl of energy while Braixen pulled for her branch. Lighting it aflame, Braixen fired off the attack, Pancham leaping into the air while firing off his own attack.

The two attacks merged, casting a bright display down onto the stage, the two attacks seemed to swirl around together until exploding outwards, the sight of fireworks filling the entire room as the crowd cried out in excitement. Pancham took this chance to spin around in midair until his body fell towards the stage, slamming it with his fist as stone pillars shot up underneath himself, Serena and Braixen. The three were launched into the sky, bursting right through the leftover remnants of the fireworks as the crowd adored the display.

Jumping from the stones, the three began to perform a display of flips through the air, Serena calling for Pancham to sprinkle a Dark Pulse around them before the three of them touched the stage floor with a perfect landing. Breathing heavily, Serena glanced over at the clock, seeing that she was done to just under a minute now.

" _Ok, time to end this!"_ Serena thought to herself before nodding at Braixen. The Fox Pokémon understood what was to be done, Serena deciding to pull out their latest idea. Pointing her branch right at Pancham (while Serena was in the line of fire), Braixen launched off a Hidden Power, the silver orb launching across the stage and right towards her two teammates. The crowd cried out in fear for Serena, the girl not moving until the final second to dodge the incoming attack with a dance move.

"Now, Pancham, reflect it back at Braixen but add in a Dark Pulse to it!" Serena ordered, the Playful Pokémon cupping his hands while firing off the familiar black and purple beam at a weakened power. The two attacks merged, the Hidden Power growing in size along with speed before being returned to its owner. The sphere also seemed to have gained a purple coloring to its base, the crowd curious as to what Serena had planned.

Once more, Serena dodged the attack at the final moment, Braixen returning the blast this time with a Flamethrower attack, the orb now adding a glow of orange to its color. Waiting for the orb to approach her this time, Serena jumped over it and towards the front of the stage before spinning towards Pancham. "Stone Edge! Puncture the Hidden Power!"

"Champan! Pancham!" he cried out, nodding his head before slamming his fist into the ground. One stone pillar fired out of the stage floor puncturing the center of the sphere with precision. All the energy stored within the Hidden Power flew outwards in a beautiful display as white, purple and orange covered above Serena and her partners. The three of them posing as the sparkles rained down around them.

"Finished!" she shouted, breathing heavily as the clock rang out, signaling that her time was up either way. Looking out at the crowd, Serena could only wonder what they thought of their final idea, hoping they enjoyed how it was. Especially since she took part of it out of Jessie's book by being right in the middle of it all.

Hugging her two partners, Serena then made her exit from the stage, the next Performer making her way out onto the stage as Serena paid little attention to her. It wasn't like she meant to, but the Vaniville Town native was too focused on what was still to come. The crowd grew quiet for Serena, reaching a moment of silence until reentering the waiting room to the sound of the television set showing the ending of the performance.

"She's already up..."Serena muttered, watching the screen while Shauna and Miette made their way over to congratulate her on an excellent performance. Thanking the both of them, she turned all attention to the screen, catching a sight of Amelia out of the corner of her eye.

"Now, time for ze third member of group one! Jessilee!" Monsieur Pierre cried out, swinging his arm out towards the young woman standing on stage. The lights flashed onto Jessie, the confident smirk telling Serena that she wasn't going down without a fight. Standing beside her were Gourgeist and Wobbuffet, the former posing just like her sister-like trainer while the latter stood patiently waiting for the beginning of their performance.

"Let's begin!" Jessie shouted, lifting the hem of her dress up before dancing around the stage, a single spot light shining on her. Serena watched on, noticing that each dance step seemed to be for specific reasons, only herself and Wobbuffet being visible to the crowd.

Grabbing ahold of Wobbuffet, the duo appeared to be dancing together only for the blue lug to lift Jessie up over his head. Tossing her into the sky, his entire body glowed a rainbow of colors before being slammed in the back.

"Wobbu, wob wob!" the Psychic-Type cried out before focusing all that energy upwards towards the center of the stage. Light shot out of Wobbuffet, brining attention to the entire stage now as the spotlight vanished and was replaced with normal lighting.

The crowd cheered on in amazement, Jessie standing up above them all on a castle formed by a Leech Seed. Serena understood why she had kept Gourgeist out of sight. So that the Grass and Ghost-Type could construct this while the crowd focused on Jessie.

The blast from Wobbuffet dissipated, leaving behind only white sparkles that rained down in the background of Jessie and her castle, the Performer laughing in joy from the sight before her.

"What kind of Kalos Queen doesn't have a castle!?" she called out, the crowd cheering her on before jumping from the structure, performing multiple flips in midair. Serena was amazed herself from Jessie's control despite falling, though it must have come from all the times she and the rest of Team Rocket were sent blasting off. Landing on the stage with a powerful "thud" she posed for a moment, Serena noting how the timer was down to thirty seconds now.

"My adoring fans, my time is almost up. I only have a few mere seconds to show off my beauty to all of you, so please enjoy," she called out, flipping into the air before Gourgeist launched a barrage of Shadow Balls and Seed Bomb into Wobbuffet.

The Psychic-Type reflected the attacks right back at their sender, Gourgeist exploding them with another round of Seed Bomb before Jessie landed on the stage panting. Behind her, fireworks exploded across the stage, the timer ringing off to announce her time had ended.

"She's something else, as much as I hate to say it, Jessilee is pretty good," Miette grunted out, crossing her arms while Shauna merely nodded in agreement. Serena knew the vote was going to be close, but was hoping she would be able to pull it off. She wasn't ready to be finished at this Master Class.

Not saying a word to either of them, Serena stepped away, making her way towards the door. Braixen and Pancham joining her before the three made their way down the hallway. She figured it may have been better to stay near the stage originally, but Serena had wanted a good view of Jessie's Performance.

Being ushered onto the stage by one of the assistants backstage, Serena and her Pokémon stood at one end of the stage with Jessie on the complete opposite end. Casting a quick glance down the stage, Serena wasn't surprised at all to see Jessie standing there confidently as Monsieur Pierre strode onto the stage before them.

Raising a glow caster, the host began to speak out to the crowd once again. "Now zat a group has finished, we shall all vote for ze mademoiselle we believe should advance. Zat includes all you at home as well, vote by selecting one of ze colors that represent each Performer! Now, begin!"

Within seconds, Serena watched as an entire section of glow casters turned pink (the same color as her this round), having a distinct feeling as to who they all were. Based on their location, she knew it was everyone who came to watch her. Watching the orbs fly in, Serena found very few to actually be for Elma, the young girl not looking surprised in the slightest. Serena wondered what she had been thinking when it was announced she was in the same group as two of the finalists from last year.

Jessie though was getting her own fair share of votes, having gained an entire section, led by who looked like James, to cheer her on as votes continued. Serena had to stifle back a laugh when James finally stood up, waving a flag with Jessilee's face on it. Even Jessie seemed taken aback by this gesture, but played it off calmly as the two locked eyes.

"And ze last few votes are beginning to arrive!" Monsieur Pierre declared, Serena amazed at how the crowd was nearly split fifty-fifty with pink and purple lights, only specks of orange littered amongst it. Waiting as the last few orbs reached the stage, Serena took a deep breath, Braixen and Pancham reaching out for her once more. Thanking them, she turned towards Monsieur Pierre as the screens lit up.

"In what must be one of ze closest votes in recent history, our first finalist has been decided upon," he began to speak, the totals being shown on the screen, Serena covering her mouth once she saw it all. Her and Jessie's bars were nearly equal, just separated by a few points.

"With forty-eight percent of ze votes, Performer Serena has advanced onto the final round and earned a chance to face off against one other lucky mademoiselle for ze right to face off against Kalos Queen Aria herself!"

Serena was beyond excited, managing to move onto the finals once again, this time to face off against who she already expected to be Amelia. Not that she didn't think Shauna had a chance, just that she wanted Amelia to make it to the finals. Especially since they had an agreement to meet there to settle things once and for all.

Making her way off the stage, Serena was soon stopped by Jessie, the older woman grabbing Serena by the shoulder. The Kalos native had no clue what she wanted, but upon seeing her sigh out and extend an open hand, Serena smiled.

"Don't take this too seriously, Twerpette. I just have to keep my popularity up," she stated, the two Performers shaking hands, the crowd applauding them for such sportsmanship between them. "Though, I guess I'm fine with you winning, especially since you used some of _my_ techniques. Don't even try and deny that little Hidden Power idea at the end wasn't based off of Wobbuffet reflecting attacks."

Serena started to laugh at the claim, knowing that she had been caught by the older woman, the duo walking into the hallway while the first member of the second group made their way onto the stage. Seeing that it wasn't Shauna or Amelia, Serena kept her attention on Jessie. The former Team Rocket member walking down the hall with style, her two partners right beside her.

"So...what have you all been up to now? With Team Rocket disbanded you must have something to do, right?" Serena asked, the duo staying outside of the waiting room so that they could talk in private (or rather with less ears listening in than would be once they entered the room).

"Putting our talents to use of course!" Jessie laughed out, posing triumphantly while Gourgeist copied her. "Yours truly is a money maker, with the cash just rolling in for us easily!"

"Oi vey, she's hallucinatin," Meowth's voice chimed in, the feline walking out of the waiting room to join in. Serena found it funny how no one besides herself had even noticed Meowth leave the room. "Don't listen ta her. We've been operatin' out of a food truck. Makin' a name with our cookin'. We even call it "Blastin' Off" as our business name."

"The details aren't important," Jessie argued, Serena just listening at the two friends about to get into an argument. "The only important part is that Kalos knows it as the official catering company of Jessilee, the stunning future Kalos Queen."

"Oh, you'll be stunnin' alright. Stunnin' people with an extra twenty pounds if ya keep eating our inventory!" Meowth responded, only to be punched in the face. Lifting the now unconscious Normal-Type over her shoulder, Jessie looked to the girl that she considered a rival, smiling at her.

"It's been great sitting around here and catching up, but we have to get on the road. Food doesn't sell itself. Besides, we've got a _big_ catering event coming up, have to make sure we can serve such a huge crowd. The Champion of Kalos hired us after, so tell that Twerp boyfriend of yours we'll be cheering him on," she stated, waving goodbye to Serena, the young girl catching a glimpse of Shauna returning to the waiting room. Serena hadn't even seen her head out on stage, feeling guilty at missing her friend's performance.

"And you better win!" Jessie's voice could be heard, Serena paying little attention as she heard the crowd cheering. Walking into the waiting room, Serena made her way over to the television set. Eyes glued to the screen, she paid attention to every detail of Amelia's performance, wanting to try and figure out anything about her performance.

"Dragonair, Espeon, Attract!" the young Performer cried out happily, spinning as she pointed towards both of her Pokémon. Without any words, the two winking out towards the crowd before a swarm of hearts rushed outward. The stage appeared to be covered in them as Amelia jumped onto Dragonair's back.

"Aiiirrrr!" the Dragon Pokémon cried out before sending Amelia into the air, soaring through the Attract with a blue glow surrounding her. Using the Psychic, the young girl performed flips and twists across the stage of hearts while the crowd looked on.

"Now, Espeon, Hyper Voice! Cut up all those hearts and then freeze it all with Ice Beam, Dragonair!" Amelia demanded, being dropped in the center of the stage, her body surrounded by the large hearts.

Espeon couched low, springing forward with an aerial flip before shooting out the sound waves. Striking hard but precisely, the sound waves sliced through the hearts with ease. Cutting them into even smaller hearts, Espeon jumped backwards, Dragonair slithering beside her and using an Ice Beam. The stream of icy energy struck against the miniature hearts around Amelia, the girl striking a pose that caused the crowd to applaud heavily for her.

Serena could see how they would applaud for her, she was making great use if the stage along with keeping herself as the center of attention. Allowing to keep her Pokémon focused on their combinations allowed her to not worry about their own movements. Especially since they weren't the main steps, just making the moves shine. Though, Serena wondered why Amelia would surround herself in a sheet of frozen hearts, especially since it limited her movements. And with only thirty seconds remaining she would need to really make a final impact with the audience.

"Time to blow them all away! Double Psychic! You know what to do with," she announced, Serena watching on with interest. She could hear the door to the waiting room open, Shauna exiting out of it catching the corner of Serena's eye. This had to be Amelia's final move if they were getting everyone from her group ready to go on stage.

Amelia's Pokémon both cried out in excitement, their eyes glowing blue for a moment before the same energy enveloped the icy hearts and the insides of its contents. Soon, the outside began to spin clockwise, the inside moving in a counter-clockwise direction until the ice exploded outwards.

Raining down like snowflakes, Serena was mesmerized at just what Amelia did with her moves. Though, Amelia herself was covered in some of the frozen hearts, the substance sticking to her dress, shining in the light of the stage.

"Finished!" she shouted out, Serena gasping at the stunning view of Amelia on the stage. Serena even noted how Amelia had roughly ten seconds remaining too. She really had been practicing for this after leaving them in Kiloude City.

"We'll just have to do it better than her," Serena muttered to her partners, each of them nodding in agreement with their trainer. This would be their final hurdle. If they could pass Amelia, then she was sure they could face Aria on even grounds.

"Select your color with your glow caster s'il vous plait!" Pierre's voice boomed outwards, Serena's eyes snapping up to the screen as green, blue and purple orbs flew across the hall, the votes being slightly more spread out this time compared to her own round. Though, she saw Amelia's own meter was climbing faster than the others, Serena not surprised at all. Wishing Shauna the best of luck, Serena knew it wouldn't matter in the end, the votes beginning to slow down now.

"If ze previous vote was ze closest in history, zen zis must be ze largest victory since Aria, herself last competed!" the famous host declared, the results appearing up on the screen for all to see. Serena gasped at the overwhelming percentage Amelia had earned, especially with how the original votes seemed evenly spread amongst the three of them.

"With seventy percent of ze votes, Performer Amelia will advance onto ze final round to face Performer Serena. Ze winner shall earn the right to challenge Aria for ze title of Kalos Queen!"

Serena nodded her head, the camera zooming in on Amelia as the young girl strode off the stage and into the hallway. Serena looked at Shauna, the Performer looking defeated at just how lopsided it had been and Serena could understand why. Shauna had worked so hard to get to this point, and to see the crowd barely vote for her had to have crushed her. Serena knew that it would have crushed her, but she also knew Shauna was strong. She would use this defeat to grow stronger and then next year compete once again.

"That Amelia is something..." Miette muttered out, Serena having forgotten that her rival was still there. She had been so occupied with Amelia that everything else was tuned out, though now it was time to focus on herself once again. "She didn't even make it to the Master Class last year, but now she's breezing through the competition. You'll have to be at the top of your game to beat her."

"We'll do it. We haven't come this far to just lose. Sylveon and Pichu are going to give this crowd a show they'll never forget," Serena replied, Miette nodding her head in agreement to Serena. "We're not the kind of team to give up easily. We'll continue pushing forward until the very end."

"We're all well aware of the kind of person you are. Especially since you take after _him_ so much," Miette teases, grinning at her rival as Serena just stared back at here. "Teasing aside, I'd rather be up on that stage against her than watching from back here. So, that means you better not lose, Serena, because you're carrying everyone else's dreams with you."

"I know. And I won't let anyone down again. I'll make sure to win, making everyone happy from the display," Serena responded, smiling over at Miette before the two girls let out a laugh. Hearing the door open, Serena turned her attention away from her rival only to see an attendant walking in.

"Serena, you're to head out to the stage right now. The opening for the final round is about to begin and they want both finalists out there," the woman said, Serena turning to her partners for this round as they walked out into the hall.

Serena thanked the attendant as she walked by, also noticing Shauna standing out in the hallway with Tierno and Trevor. Serena wanted to stop and cheer Shauna up, but she could tell this was a moment that would only work between the three of them. The way they were interacting, only the uniqueness of Trevor and Tierno could lift Shauna's spirits.

"Here goes," Serena muttered over to her partners. The lights of the stage could be seen, Serena knowing they would soon be entering the stage by the grand staircase in the center. Hearing the loud crowd, Serena paused for a moment and gripped at her ribbon. "Everything we've worked for lead us to this moment. It's going to be tough. We all know it, but still...let's give Amelia a performance she won't forget!"

"Syl!" Sylveon cried in agreement, wrapping one of her feelers around Serena's wrist. The others being used to place Pichu on top of her back, the three walking out onto the stage together. Making her way to the center, Serena caught sight of Amelia already waiting for her, her Dragonair having been replaced by Zorua.

"Took you long enough. I was beginning to wonder if you wouldn't show," Amelia muttered to her rival once they were standing next to each other, grins crossing each other's faces. "But I knew better than to suspect that. Besides, it won't be as sweet when I become Kalos Queen if I didn't get the chance to beat you to win it."

"I wouldn't get so ahead of yourself. You still have to beat me to get to Aria. And I don't plan on losing to you," Serena replied, the two girls growing silent as they heard new footsteps. They realized it Monsieur Pierre, the man standing right in front of them, not moving an inch from his spot. Turning their heads, the two girls were shocked to see Aria, herself, walking down the grand staircase and towards them.

The crowd erupted into applause, the majestic lady waving to everyone as Serena saw a purple glow in the audience, a loud thud following it. Even after all the times she saw her, Serena couldn't help but feel awed by her presence alone. She truly was a Kalos Queen in every way. She deserved the title and now Serena questioned if she could compete against her next round.

"Congratulations on making it into the finals," Aria's voice sang out, calming Serena's nerves with every word the Kalos Queen spoke. "You've both proven yourselves to be excellent Performers, making it all the way here to the finals and I will be humbly waiting to see which one will face me. Please, for all those watching, deliver exceptional performances that'll bring joy to us all."

Bowing to the two Performers, Aria turned around and back up the staircase leaving the two of them in silence. Neither knew how to respond, both just putting on faces of determination.

"Now! Both Performers are allowed ze use of two Pokémon for zis round! Both will be going at it simultaneously with the other, though in no way are they allowed to interfere with their opponent's performance. Doing so will result in immediate elimination from ze Master Class!" Monsieur Pierre explained, both Performers nodding in agreement to the rules before walking away from each other. With plenty of distance between them, the two girls prepared themselves for what was (in Serena's opinion) their biggest competition against each other yet.

"Pichu use Thunder Shock! Sylveon, use your Fairy Wind and mix the two!" Serena called out immediately, having both of her partners jump onto her shoulders.

"Zorua use Dark Pulse! Espeon, slice it up with your Hyper Voice attack!" Amelia countered, her own partners getting into it as the four attacks flew off in different directions.

Pichu leapt off of Serena, spinning in multiple directions while the Thunder Shock traveled around their portion of the stage, Serena dancing underneath as none of the blasts shocked her. Sylveon soon joined in, jumping off of Serena as well before flipping in the air. Whipping her feelers outward, a sudden gust filled the stage along with a pink powder, the Thunder Shock turning from a shade of yellow to that of pink, now cascading across the stage like a rainbow, the Fairy Wind keeping the attack arched as such.

Amelia wasn't to be outdone, throwing Zorua into the air before flipping backwards herself. The Dark-Type Pokémon spun around through the air before firing off the black and purple beam. The energy shot outwards, but due to Zorua's constant spinning, the beam became unraveled. Sparkling lightly across the stage, the energy attack rained down only to be blown away once Espeon cried out in excitement.

"Peeeooon!" the Psychic-Type joined in, launching the soundwaves off without a moment of hesitation. The sound waves blasted into the Dark Pulse, slicing up the remnants into tiny sparkles of dust. The result rained down on Amelia, the young girl catching Zorua before posing with the Dark-Type.

"At least you're giving me some challenge," she spoke out towards Serena, Espeon lifting her into the sky with a Psychic attack. Zorua using her Dark Pulse to create a trail of light flowing behind Amelia as she performed a few midair tricks before being released from the Psychic. "This way I'll have earned Kalos Queen against some real competition. But you better not hold back for a moment!"

"You better not hold back either!" Serena shouted before Sylveon tossed her up into the air, shooting a Swift up behind her, Pichu shooting each one with a Thunder Shock attack to create a firework like effect on the stage. Once finished, Sylveon released Serena, allowing the young girl to somersault down towards the stage floor, landing gracefully before posing. "I want to know that I'm ready to be Kalos Queen, and only when I can beat you am I really prepared! So give me everything you've got!"

The two girls stared at each other a moment before smirking. Though they would never admit it out loud, Serena knew they both considered themselves more than normal rivals. They weren't friends, and Serena doubted they would ever be. But she felt a special fire burning inside her, something that felt different than when she faced Miette or Shauna, or even Jessie. She knew she didn't need to prove anything against this girl, but she _wanted_ to. And she had a feeling Amelia felt the same.

"Then I guess we've got the same thought," Amelia replied before having Espeon use Attract, Zorua slicing through the hearts with ease as a glitter effect hung all around Amelia.

"Yeah!" Serena shouted back, Pichu using a Double Slap attack on Sylveon's latest round of Swift. Bashing the stars with her tiny fists, Pichu created her own sparkling effect before shooting another Thunder Shock off, adding a light electrical spark to the combination.

"You're the final test keeping me from my dream!" they shouted in unison, both girls flipping into midair at the same time. Serena thought it was almost hysterical how they were doing nearly the same performance only with minor differences such as dance moves or the actual commands. It didn't matter though, it just proved what she had been thinking for a while now. Amelia wasn't so different from her as Serena originally thought. In fact, maybe if Amelia hadn't come from a luscious and pressured childhood...well maybe she would have been a nicer person. One not so stuck up and condescending. She had seen a few moments of a different Amelia, but it wasn't often.

"Now, Sylveon, use Double Team and then Swift! Merge it together into a single star! And Pichu, end it all with a large Thunder Shock, put everything you've got into it!" Serena called out, jumping backwards so that her partners could take the center of the stage.

"Sylvie!" Sylveon cried out, dozens of copies surrounding the stage (and by extension Pichu) as their feelers all whipped outward, a slight glimmering effect covering them before shooting the stars forward. Slamming into each other, the multitude of stars formed one giant one to which Pichu immediately lit it up with her Thunder Shock attack.

"Guess we're going to end it now then..." Amelia muttered out, Serena hearing what she thought was sadness in her voice. Though she didn't show it, Serena could sense Amelia wanting it to continue on just a bit longer. Serena also felt the same, but between not wanting to push it with Pichu along with wanting to save a few ideas for Aria if she won here.

"Zorua, Shadow Ball! Rapid fire them off, one after the other! Espeon, merge them together with Psychic!" Amelia finished, moving in a slow manner as both moves were completed. A dozen Shadow Balls were launched off, darkening the stage only for a blue tint to surround them all. Moving slowly, the ghostly spheres merged together, slowly erupting from too much energy stored within the final product. The remnants sparkled down slowly, casting a glow onto Amelia and her Pokémon as they posed together.

"Finished!" they cried out together, both teams panting heavily as they held their poses, the crowd crying out in joy. Even if she wasn't sure what Amelia was thinking, Serena could admit that this had been one of the greatest competitions she had been a part of. Her and Amelia were equals, just raised through two different paths until they finally collided here.

The lights dimmed on the two, allowing them a moment's rest before they could make out the figure of Monsieur Pierre walking out onto the stage once more, Klefki floating around the host happily.

"What a remarkable presentation mademoiselles, everyone, give them a hand," he cried out, motioning for the crowd to applaud more, the lights turning back onto the two girls. "Though, don't forget what comes now! Grab your glow casters s'il vous plait and select ze color of ze Performer you believe should advance on to face Aria!"

Serena and Amelia moved back to their starting points, next to each other as they awaited the results. Serena was immediately surprised at how out of breath Amelia seemed, her panting being heard by Serena. That's when she realized how heavily she was panting herself, the entire performance being a draining experience for her.

"You...weren't half bad...you know that?" Amelia gasped out, smirking over at Serena, the first few votes flying in as the rest followed shortly after. "Whatever happens here, I want you to know that it was great to face you like this. But don't even think of telling anyone I said it, because I'll deny it in a heartbeat."

"Don't worry...I...I won't," Serena replied, catching her breath. A smile crossed over Serena's face, a light blush forming from her rival's words. "Though, this was amazing. The two of us should think of doing something like this again. It could be a lot...a lot of fun."

"Don't push your luck," Amelia snapped out, keeping a smile up for the crowd as votes began to slow down now. "But...that would be nice. I could always use some more practice against you. And working with you would let me see your routines."

"You don't have to keep an act up. I'm the only one who can hear you," Serena hissed, stopping the conversation once the stage lights turned onto Monsieur Pierre.

"Such a breathtaking showing, Mademoiselle. Unfortunately, only one of you shall advance to face Aria. And ze crowd has decided. With a total of fifty-four percent of ze votes, ze Performer who will advance is..." the host trailed off, lifting his staff up for a moment, spinning it around. Stopping his movements, he pointed it right at Serena.

"Performer Serena!" he cried out, Serena unable to believe what happened. Sylveon and Pichu nearly tackled her out of joy. Catching them in her arms, the three of them let out joyful laughter before catching Amelia leaving the stage.

"After a short intermission to allow Performer Serena ze chance to catch a breather, we shall continue onto ze main event! Can our Kalos Queen, Aria, defend her title, or will ze challenger claim it for herself! We shall return in no time at all," he explained to the crowd, Serena rushing off the stage to catch Amelia.

Running down the hallway, Serena was stopped by Shauna and Miette, the two of them looking overjoyed for their friend. Serena wanted to apologize, she wanted to keep going, but a part of her told her to stop. Doing so, she was embraced by her two friends and rivals, Serena catching sight of Amelia entering the waiting room as they did so.

"You're going onto face Aria again! This is so exciting, Serena! And with all your practice this past year, you're sure to have a better chance at winning," Shauna stated, pulling away from Serena for moment before pumping her fists. "I wish I could be out there right now, but if it had to be anyone else I'm glad it's you, Serena!"

"And besides," Miette joined in, pulling away from Serena with a sly grin. "I'm sure, _Ash_ is enjoying the show." Serena blushed slightly from the comment but paid it little attention after that. Seeing this, Miette patted her on the shoulder, laughing a little. "I'm just playing around, besides, I already know what's going on between you two.

"Seriously though, after what happened in Lumiose with both Team Flare and Team Rocket, I think your chances are pretty good. People recognize you from the news broadcasts that happened that day."

"Still..." Serena began to say, pulling at the ribbon in the center of her dress before looking at her two friends. "This _is_ Aria. She isn't the Kalos Queen for no reason, so, no matter what happens this is going to be a close outcome. I'm going to have to give it everything I have and then some. But...I know as long as everyone does their best that it'll turn out for the best. Win or lose."

The small group nodded in agreement, Shauna and Miette extending their hands out before Serena grasped them. She wasn't doing this just for herself, but for everyone else who had come this far but failed. Breaking away from their little group, Serena made her way over to the waiting room while Shauna and Miette waited outside. She was grateful for that, especially since this was something that was going to be hard not only for her, but the one who just lost as well.

Walking in, Serena could hear a few sniffles, but most of the noise was drowned out by the television set playing in the background, the previous rounds being recapped for those watching at home. Looking around, Serena could see Amelia near the back of the room. Already changed, Amelia seemed ready to get going, something Serena had hoped wouldn't have been the case. She hadn't her rival to be here for her big showdown with Aria.

"Leaving?" Serena asked, causing the young girl before her to jump slightly. Hearing one more sniffle, Serena watched as Amelia turned around. Her eyes were red from what Serena presumed was crying, her nose also looking a little irritated from rubbing tissues against it.

"I...I was really hoping you would be sticking around to watch."

Amelia laughed out at that, raising a hand to her mouth. "Why would I stick around here? Someone like myself has places to be," she stated, slinging her bag over her shoulder before walking forward. Coming face to face with Serena, the girl stopped, her bag sliding off her arm and landing on the ground. Serena watched as the girl clinched her fists, her arms shaking as she did so.

"Even now...I still lost to you." Controlling her breathing, Amelia looked up at Serena, her eyes beginning to shed tears again, Serena feeling bad for the girl. "No matter what, I can't beat you when it matters! So, I'm warning you now, Serena, you better win against Aria and then keep getting stronger!

"Because I plan to come for you next year and I won't take any excuses for you losing against Aria today. Because...because we're rivals and if you lose it'll only make me look bad! So go out there and win! And maybe...do it for me as well," she finished, wiping her tears away with a handkerchief. Serena just smiled at the girl a moment before embracing her. Amelia was caught off-guard by the sudden display, not even bothering to fight it but instead embracing it.

"I will grow stronger than you, just wait for me! And next time...it will end differently! I'll show you just what my team and I are made of!" she called out, the two breaking away from the embrace before Amelia gathered herself.

"I'll do everything that I can to win, Amelia," Serena spoke, Braixen and Pancham joining her from the other side of the waiting room. "And when I do win, I'll be waiting for your challenge. Whenever you think you're ready, come find me and we'll face off."

"Whatever," her rival spat out, picking her bag up. "Now look at me, I'm a mess. The cameras will probably see that I've been crying. Can't do anything about it now. But I am serious; don't lose." With that, Amelia made her way out of the room, Serena watching her until the girl had exited the waiting room. Another person having lost in their pursuit of becoming Kalos Queen. Another person Serena was willing to carry their dream to the finish line.

"It's just us and Aria now," she stated to her Pokémon in a serious tone. Knowing just what she was getting at, Braixen pulled out her branch, placing it at a level they all could reach with ease. Placing their hands (or a feeler in Sylveon's case) onto the branch, the group looked even more determined to win. Serena leading them in a slight pep talk. "This is what we've worked for all year, so let's go out and give them a show they'll never forget. This round allows us to use as many Pokémon as we want, so everyone will perform this time around. But remember, win or lose, I'm proud of you all."

A unison of joyful cries filled the room, Serena laughing alongside them as they enjoyed their final peaceful moments. Looking up at the television set, Serena could see that the timer was just about to run up. _"Only a few minutes left,"_ she thought to herself before gathering everyone together.

* * *

"Welcome back all you lovers of Pokémon! As always, I, Monsieur Pierre will be your wonderful host through ze end of our Master Class!" the host called out, Klefki floating through the crowd before coming to a rest atop his cane. "Already, we have seen unbelievable performances from all our mademoiselles, but only one could win ze right to face Aria for ze title of Kalos Queen. After making it through three rounds of intense performances, here is Performer Serena!"

Serena could hear the crowd cheering her name, the young Performer making her way out onto the grand staircase before descending it. Braixen and Pancham were on both sides of her, Sylveon sitting atop her shoulders with Pichu on the Fairy-Type's back. Once they hit the final step, the group broke out into their performance immediately.

"Pancham, Dark Pulse! Braixen, Flamethrower!" she called out, Sylveon jumping up off her shoulders and into the air while the two on the ground made their moves. Calling forth her familiar flames, Braixen flipped backwards before arching the Fire-Type move into the sky towards Sylveon. Pancham likewise performed a backflip before cupping his hands and shooting the dark energy in an arch towards Sylveon.

"Now, Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!"

"Sylvei!" she cried out in agreement, her feelers whipping out as the gust of wind picked up. Pichu soon found herself lifted off of Sylveon and up above the stage, having a perfect view of what was coming. The Fairy Wind managed to strike both the Dark Pulse and Flamethrower at the perfect time, merging the three attacks together to create a twister of different colors. As Sylveon and Pichu began to fall, Serena and those on the ground danced around it, Braixen and Pancham shooting up pillars of fire and rock while they did so. Pichu however had her own idea, one that Serena had requested for her to do.

"Chuchuchu!" the youngest member cried out, her body sparking with electricity before a single bolt shot out. It was weaker than her usual ones, Serena smiling at the fact Pichu could get her electricity to such a low level. The bolt crashed into the center of the twister, destroying it on impact, the multiple colors shooting out in all directions as a sparkling effect.

Pichu continued her fall, but instead of hitting the ground, she was soon caught by Serena and her other partners, the four of them having worked together to catch Pichu in a stylish manner before the Performer flipped forward. "Okay, let's keep the momentum going, everyone! Pichu, Thunder Shock on Braixen's branch, okay? And Pancham, get a Stone Edge ready, Sylveon it's almost time."

The entire team nodded, Pichu sparking off electricity before it managed to strike Braixen's branch, the object glowing from its charge. Pancham was no on the move, flipping across the stage while Serena danced alongside Sylveon and Pichu. Slamming his fist into the ground, a circle of stones surrounded the three dancers along with one giant one in the center that rose them high above the others.

"Brai!" Braixen called out, knowing that this was the right moment. Jamming her stick into the ground, the electrical current shot around the floor, encompassing the outer ring of stones so that they would light up from the electricity. Now glowing blue and yellow, Serena laughed out happily, the crowd clapping and cheering for her performance.

" _Not much more time left to get stuff done. Let's go for our big finisher. The one that'll show everyone just what we're made of!"_ Serena thought to herself, flipping off of the center stone alongside Pichu. Sylveon stayed behind, dancing alone as her moves captivated the crowd.

"Pancham, Braixen, it's time to do our _big_ finisher. So I'm going to need you both to give it everything now!"

"Pancham, cham, cham!" Pancham cried out happily, dancing across the stage, coming to a stop with a break dancing move as he jumping onto his feet, slamming his fist onto the ground. A larger ring of stone pillars shot up, surrounding the set that were surrounding Sylveon and her dancing. This set however towered over the original, making it almost impossible for the crowd to see within. Serena hoped that Sylveon had understood the signal, and within a few seconds her hope had been rewards as Sylveon used a Fairy Wind to lift the five of them up into the sky.

"Flamethrower! Dark Pulse! Swift!" she called out in quick succession. Each attack was launched once they reached their peak destination, the Fairy Wind from before having been trapped within the stone barricade, making it seem like a shell of sorts. Crashing into each other, the three attacks merged into an orange display, their strength destroying the latest set of stones and freeing the Fairy Wind to open up, taking on the shape of a blooming flower. "And now, Pichu, time for a Thunder Shock!"

"Pipi!" Pichu called out happily, her bolt of electricity firing off her body and for the center stone from Sylveon's dancing. Only this time, the electricity stored within the other stone pillars shot out, shattering them and creating a sparkle effect at the base of the flower while electricity shot upwards, a line of yellow shooting out of the center and then off into multiple directions.

Touching down onto the ground, Pichu held the attack for as long as she could, the electricity now taking on the shape of pollen at the tip of the flower before the entire attack faded away, Pichu almost falling over from her exhaustion. Sylveon caught her first however and spun her in the air, having her do a flip before landing on her feet.

"Finished!" Serena called out happily, the crowd roaring in approval as the Performer tried to steady her breathing. Waving to the crowd, Serena made her way off the stage to allow Aria her chance to perform. Serena was curious as to what would happen here, especially since Aria was the current Kalos Queen.

"Now, give a warm welcome to Aria!" Pierre cried out, the crowd growing even louder than for Serena. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Serena knew this was a bad sign, if the crowd already loved Aria, what chance would she have to win?

"Okay, Delphox, open up with Flamethrower! Vivillon, use your Psybeam attack!" Aria called out, twirling with each command so that she faced the respective Pokémon. With amazing speed, the two Pokémon readied their attacks, firing them off at each other before they exploded upon impact. The particles left over rained down upon the Kalos Queen, the young woman posing majestically for the crowd before continuing.

"Now, Aromatisse, use your Light Screen around the field and then fire off a Charge Beam!"

"Aroma!" the Fairy-Type cried out happily, raising her arms a moment before mirror like objects floated all over the stage. Dancing with Delphox, Aria watched on as a yellow beam formed in Aromatisse's hands, the beam shooting into one of the mirrors and bouncing across the stage.

"Delphox, add in a Mystical Fire to this and then Vivillon mix them together with Hurricane," Aria asked, moving elegantly from Delphox to Aromatisse. The two Pokémon went right to work, Delphox spinning her wand around in a circle, rings of red and orange flames appearing over the top of the Light Screen before a streak of flames shot out of her mouth. Ramming into one of the mirrors, the Mystical Fire moved around the stage with the Charge Beam, the two attacks lighting up the stage as they did so.

"Vivi!" the Bug and Flying-Type cried out quickly, her wings kicking up a powerful wind that shattered the mirrors but merged the Mystical Fire and Charge Beam with her Hurricane. Creating a beautiful twister of color, the attack began to die down, sparkles raining down upon the stage slowly as they all posed for it.

Serena was amazed by the display, showing the grace of Aria along with how when pushed to it, she could become hostile to those who threatened others. Though, the way it looked proved to be done in a sophisticated manner and would have obviously been different than how Ash would react to a situation.

"Okay, let's wrap it up! Delphox, Fire Blast! Vivillon, add in your Psybeam please!"

The two nodded in agreement, their attacks being readied while Aria called for a Sweet Scent from Aromatisse, the beautiful fragrance filling the stage as Serena felt relaxed from the smell. Shaking off the effect, she watched on as the others launched their attacks, Delphox's Fire Blast merging with the multicolored Psybeam to create a rainbow-colored star above them all.

"And finished," Aria stated, bowing to the crowd alongside her team. Serena was amazed by the entire performance and wondered if she even held a chance to win, especially with how the crowd reacted to Aria in comparison to how she was received.

Being told to head back onto the stage, Serena walked down the grand staircase alongside her team, making sure to not have any more negative thoughts about the vote. Standing next to Aria, Serena felt relaxed a moment, as if the Kalos Queen was so good she could relax others with just her presence alone. Serena wished she would have that kind of effect one day, but for now, it was about the present.

"And with zat, it brings a close to our wonderful Master Class," Monsieur Pierre began to speak up, lifting a glowcaster as he had the previous two rounds. "Though, we all know zere is one final event. We must vote! Which of our lovely mademoiselles deserves ze prestigious honor of Kalos Queen!? Please, select your color! Pink for Serena and blue for Aria!"

Serena grabbed ahold of Braixen's paw, watching as the orbs all flew forward. Unable to watch on without stress, Serena closed her eyes, the rest of her team joining in her action as they held onto each other. It felt like an eternity for Serena as she waited. It definitely involved more votes than the previous two times if they still hadn't announced a winner. Finally, she could hear Pierre's voice again as the man spoke up.

"With zat, the final votes have all been received," he stated, Serena starting to peek her eyes open. "And ze winner is..."

* * *

 **Sorry, but I just had to do this. I mean, why not? Anyway, that brings an end to me ever writing another performance and I will never miss writing them. As for the performances, themselves, hopefully you enjoyed them all.**

 **Now, as for the announcement from up above, there isn't much details about it, but I have begun work on another story that'll be published in November. More information of it will be revealed in the next update here.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	76. Onto Your Next Dream

**Welcome back everyone! So, who's ready for the results to the Master Class? I'll just get to the chapter now.**

 **Ch 76: Onto Your Next Dream**

* * *

Serena held her breath, shaking with both nervousness and excitement as she awaited the announcement. Looking to her right, she could see Aria standing there with nothing less than the grace of a Kalos Queen, taking everything that would be announced gracefully. Keeping her eyes shut, Serena felt Pancham, Pichu and Sylveon all grab ahold of her, all four of her partners also standing there with their eyes shut, waiting in anticipation of what could either be an indescribable feeling or a heart shattering one.

"And ze winner is..." Monsieur Pierre began to call out, the crowd gasping from the results of the vote. "Performer Serena!"

Serena wasn't sure if she heard it right, her eyes snapping open before dashing towards the large screen. To her shock and amazement, the results were shown, and with fifty and three-tenths of the total votes, she had squeaked by with the win. She didn't know how to react, just standing there as a few tears of joy rolled down her face, but she quickly wiped those away. She couldn't cry in front of those who just voted for her to win. Even with this feeling of victory, she couldn't help but feel sad. Aria would no longer be Kalos Queen now.

"Don't feel bad," Aria spoke up, Serena surprised that the woman could sense that was what she felt. Placing a hand onto Serena's shoulder, Aria smiled at her replacement, Serena warming up from the smile. How she hoped to be a worthy successor and have a smile that could create similar feelings. "You've earned this with dedication and hard work. And don't act like we don't know about your help during the disasters in Lumiose City. To throw your own life on the line like that for others shows you're ready. I'm going to feel relieved that you're the next Kalos Queen. And I think Palermo is happy too, even if she doesn't show it."

"A-Aria..." Serena muttered out, the former Kalos Queen pulling Serena into a hug as the crowd continued to cheer. Serena could hear footsteps through the seating, catching a glimpse of Ash, Bonnie and Clemont (who was trailing behind the first two) trying to make it to the edge of the stage.

"I... I'll be the best Kalos Queen that I can be... I'll make sure to bring joy to everyone, doing my best to follow in your footsteps."

Aria shook her head slowly, Serena understanding just what it meant. She wasn't Kalos Queen to replicate Aria, but to do her own take on the title. Help those who needed it in her own special way such as with Lumiose City. Getting it, Serena thanked her predecessor before bowing out towards the crowd, ever thankful for what transpired here today.

"You were amazing Serena!" Ash's voice rang out, Serena smiling as she noticed him down at the edge of the stage. Security wouldn't let them get any closer, though Serena was glad to just see them. She figured the others had already headed back to their rooms, no doubt getting prepared for the tomorrow morning when they would be making the trip out to Diantha's stadium. "Just like I told you, you went out there and showed everyone just what you could do! You even managed to beat, Aria! We're all so proud."

"Pipika! Pikachu!" Pikachu joined in, waving up towards Serena's partners, each of them accepting the praise, though Serena laughed at how Sylveon beamed from it. The Electric-Type was sparking with electricity from the Master Class, though Serena felt that he was also growing pumped for their match with Diantha.

"Serena, you wouldn't believe how loud everyone was getting in our section!" Bonnie chimed in, trying to push pass the security only for Clemont to reel her in with his Aipom Arm. Kicking her feet lightly, Bonnie relented to Clemont's hold, crossing her arms playfully as she hung in the air. "I thought Remo was going to pass out at one moment, his face turning this strange shade of blue when he held his breath during the last vote just now. Though, we all thought you would win...except Clemont. He kept saying that we should hope for the best and wish you would win."

Serena chuckled to herself lightly as she watched Clemont release his sister, Bonnie landing in one of the seats that lined the front row. "You know that wasn't what I meant," he sighed out in defeat, Bonnie sticking her tongue out at the inventor before turning back towards Serena. "What I meant was that even with how well she did, some of the fans may have been biased towards Aria and so we should hope the vote went Serena's way.

"I... I didn't mean it as an insult to you, Aria! Just with your popularity and how the voting system works, Serena was facing an uphill battle," he finished, his face turning bright red once he realized the former Kalos Queen was standing up on the stage still.

"I understand completely," she replied, turning back to face Serena. The crowd now nearly empty as almost everyone had exited the hall. "Anyone would think that way in a competition such as this. But, Serena, she went out on stage and overcame that difficulty. She didn't let anything stop her.

"I'm a little disappointed to have lost my title, but it might be a good thing," Aria stated happily, placing her arms behind her back. "Kalos was getting too accustomed to me as their Kalos Queen, they needed to have someone new. Someone who is similar, but also different than me. Plus, now that I won't be in the public spotlight as much, I can help even more people."

Serena couldn't believe it. Even after losing, Aria was still such a worthy Kalos Queen. To think she was the one that had to replace Aria. Serena wasn't so sure that she could ever properly fill her shoes. Realizing she was still standing on the stage, Serena quickly thanked her friends for their support, making her way for the waiting room to get changed.

Walking down the all too familiar hallway now, memories of her journey flooded her mind, all the hardships and accomplishments she went through to reach this point. It made her appreciate it even more, especially now that everyone would be coming for her title. That just meant they would have to be prepared for whatever came their way from now on.

"You surprised me," a new voice stated, Serena being stolen from her thoughts. Looking to her right, Serena was surprised to see Palermo leaning against the wall. It was obvious she had been waiting here for Serena, the question for the young girl being _why._

"I honestly didn't think you could win. Especially without any special guidance like Aria had," Palermo continued, pausing a minute as her blank expression turned into a smile. "It was a pleasant surprise though, especially since I've been keeping a tab on all your Showcase results lately. You've grown. I never imagined you winning the moment you declined my offer, but you grew more thanks to your experiences travelling than you would have with me. You just never know how to quit, guess that's what makes me your number one fan."

Serena stood there silently, unsure of just what to say as a response, especially since their last interaction had been rather tense. "Thank you," she finally managed to say, a light blush appearing over her face. "Though, I couldn't do this on my own. My friends were always behind me one hundred percent of the time, helping me whenever I needed it. And my rivals...Amelia...she really pushed me to wanting to grow as a Performer. Without all of them, I wouldn't have won today."

"Give yourself _some_ of the credit. _You're_ the Performer they voted for, not the others. They helped you get this far, but it was your determination. Your desire. You lead your partners on the stage, take away your contributions and the entire performance fails," Palermo explained, standing up straight now before walking towards Serena.

"Though now is the time for celebrations, starting tomorrow you have to begin your duties as Kalos Queen. It'll probably be a hard task at first, travelling Kalos again, performing for communities. Helping those in need by donating your time. But, I know you'll be able to pull it off," Palermo explained, handing Serena a packet of information. The newly named Kalos Queen looked at all the information before here, not surprised at how much detail was in this. "These are notes I wrote for future generations of Kalos Queens, each Queen leaving their own tips for the next in it. Now it's your turn to read through and then part some knowledge on as well. I wouldn't stay up too late, we'll be leaving early in the morning for Lumiose City."

Serena sighed out, placing the packets of information down onto the ground. She knew this would be selfish of her, but she _had_ to do this. "I won't be joining you just yet. I have other commitments to see through to the end."

Palermo arched an eyebrow at this statement, folding her arms across her chest before signaling for Serena to continue with her statement.

"I... I know this is selfish, but I'm going to see Ash's match against Diantha. He was always there for me and I'll be there for him! What kind of friend would I be if I deserted him and everyone else after achieving my dream!? I know you'll be upset by this, but I promise, once the battle is finished, I'll meet you in Lumiose City on the very next day!" she explained, bowing to the older room, unable to make eye contact right now. She could hear a sigh escape Palermo and then her heels clopping against the floor.

Before she knew it, Palermo had placed a hand on her shoulder, holding it softly. Looking up, Serena could see a smile on her face. "I assume you're first event as Kalos Queen can wait a few extra days. It isn't like I've already scheduled anything for you. And besides, what kind of message would betraying your friends be for the people of Kalos?"

"Go and enjoy his battle. But don't forget, the next day after it, we're back on as Kalos Queen. I see a bright future for you, Serena. And I want to walk beside you, mentoring you as that future begins to become a reality not just for yourself, but the people of Kalos." Palermo removed her hand from Serena's shoulder, placing it into her pocket before pulling out a business card. "Call me when you reach Lumiose City," she spoke softly, placing it on top of Serena's packets before walking down the hall. Serena merely nodded, looking down at the familiar card.

Opening the large packet, Serena found tons of information, all of which she knew would be useful to her. "I'll make all of you proud. I'll make sure I'm worthy of being Kalos Queen." Closing the packet, Serena finally made her way into the waiting room to get changed.

* * *

"Pikachu, let's get in close with Quick Attack! Then strike down hard with Iron Tail!" Ash shouted out joyfully, throwing a punch forward. A few drops of sweat rolling down his face as he stared down his opponent.

"Pika!" the Mouse Pokémon shouted out, his body glowing white before blasting right off for his opponent. Dashing across the hotel's battlefield, Pikachu found himself smashing his head right against Torterra's. Bouncing off of the Grass and Ground-Type, Pikachu spun around quickly, the white light transitioning to his tail as it appeared metallic. Whipping it downwards, Pikachu slammed it hard onto Torterra's face, the impact launching Pikachu up into the sky.

"Torterra, snare him in a Frenzy Plant! Now!" Paul's voice yelled out, his loyal partner slamming down against the field. Soon, roots shot upwards towards Pikachu, the electric mouse looking like sitting duck now that he was airborne. "Once you have him trapped, use Stone Edge!"

"Not this time! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to mow through those vines!" Ash shouted, pumping his fists in excitement. He thought it had been strange of Paul to accept his training request, but now that they had been going at it, Ash could see that Paul was using it to keep himself sharp as well. Ash didn't mind though, especially since Paul going against him at one hundred percent made for the perfect training.

Pikachu began to spin while freefalling, the vines from below just underneath his small body before an electrical discharge erupted outwards. Shocking the vines, Pikachu managed to rip them to shreds with his powerful Thunderbolt attack, sliding down the charred remains before being smacked backwards by Torterra's Stone Edge attack.

Ash began to call forth his next command, Pikachu glowing white in anticipation for the Quick Attack, only for both trainers to have their attention pulled away from their training.

"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you two!" Astrid's voice called out as the blonde stomped into the room. Hands on her hips, the Mega Evolution trainer making her way over to Paul, the boy paying her little attention as he called for another round of Stone Edge.

"Serena's party starts in less than an hour and you two are in here training. How long have you been here?" she finished, Pikachu dodging each of the jagged stones before scurrying off the field.

"About two hours. Though you two interrupted it just now," Paul answered, recalling Torterra to his Poké Ball before looking at Astrid. "Besides, how hard could it be to decorate a room with some streamers and signs?"

"Ash, you of all people should realize how important this," Astrid pleaded with the other male, Ash making his way towards the center of the field with his hands behind his head. He didn't understand the big deal about their training session.

Ash chuckled out, only for Astrid's sudden glare caused him to stop. Moving his hands to in front of his body, Ash stepped back slightly. "Serena said she was going out with Miette and Shauna. I didn't think we would be throwing some big party for her tonight. Besides, I'm not much of a decorator and I doubt Paul has any skills in that area either."

Astrid sighed in defeat, Ash still not getting why she was so worked up. "Ash, Shauna and Miette took Serena out so that we could plan the party. And I just assumed you would have liked to set it all up since you two are dating. Though, that isn't important, so long as you're there tonight.

"Though, you two need a shower. I guess you weren't joking when you said you two were out here for a couple of hours," Astrid finished speaking, pointing the two boys out the door. Paul scoffed at the command, but made his way to the door anyways, Ash right beside him. Once in the hallway, the two trainers turned to head back to their respective rooms, Astrid heading in the opposite direction towards the rented room.

"Remember, one hour! That means shower and get down to the room. No messing around," she stated before vanishing down the hall, Paul sighing out in content once she was gone.

"Obnoxious woman," he muttered out, but Ash could tell Paul didn't mean it in a rude way. Especially since Paul had mocked him plenty of times. Turning towards the elevators, the two boys were fortunate enough to have one already waiting for them.

Standing inside of the elevator, they each pressed the number that corresponded to their floor, a silence only broken by the elevator moving upwards to their destinations.

"Pika..." the Mouse Pokémon muttered out softly, scampering down Ash's shoulder to look at the buttons, almost mesmerized by them. Ash just laughed at his best friend's playful manner, Paul not appearing amused my it at all.

"Have you figured it out yet?" he finally stated, drawing Ash's attention away from his best friend. Ash seemed confused by the statement, as if what Paul was asking could amount to numerous answers. Sighing, Paul threw his hands into his pockets, shaking his head out of slight frustration. "Your team. Have you figured your team out yet?"

"Of course! I've had it all thought out for a while now and I'm going with my ultimate team! There's nobody else I would want to be battling by my side. Especially since there's no one who can beat them when they all work together!" Ash explained, letting a light chuckle out, Paul scoffing at it.

"So, it'll be Pikachu obviously. And most likely Infernape and that Greninja of yours. Who else? Hopefully this time you don't pull what you did against Tobias. Using Pokémon who weren't ready for that level of competition," he explained, the elevator now reaching Paul's floor. The doors to the machine slid open, Paul waiting a moment before stepping out and looking at Ash. The boy wasn't saying who would be battling, but Ash had it planned out for the longest time.

"You'll just have to wait and see. The battle will be here sooner than you'll think," Ash stated, the elevator closing before moving upwards to the next level (and where Ash's room was now waiting).

"Pikachu, I'll be counting on you and the others in this match. It's going to be our hardest yet, but for now, let's just celebrate Serena's win tonight. We'll focus on Diantha in the morning."

"Pikapi! Pikachuchu!" Pikachu cried out happily, the elevator stopping once more to let the two out of it. Racing down the hall, Pikachu scurried ahead to their room, clinging at the door handle as Ash unlocked it with their room key.

Once inside, Ash tossed his hat onto the bed, accidently hitting the TV remote that was placed there. Turning the television on, Ash payed no attention to the noise emitted from the electronic device. He wasn't sure what was being broadcasted, but it seemed important, someone speaking with an excited tone was now heard by Ash.

" _Don't pull what you did against Tobias,"_ Paul's words echoed in Ash's head as he tossed off his jacket and shirt, Pikachu jumping onto their bed while Ash then removed his pants. Those words flashed Ash back to his last match in the Sinnoh League, where he was completely destroyed by Tobias, but in the process, took down _two_ legendary Pokémon.

Walking into the bathroom, Ash turned the shower on, steam emitting from the shower head as he removed his last pieces of clothing and stood under the water. The liquid helped relax him, his tense muscles from his short training session with Paul now feeling rejuvenated. Though, he couldn't shake Paul's words from his mind.

"Maybe I did choose the wrong Pokémon back then...maybe it would have gone better with a different selection. But that's in the past and I can't change anything about it, my team gave it their all that day and even outmatched we still took two of Tobias' team down. Something that no one else could even do," he muttered to himself, rubbing the bar of soap all over his body, making sure he wouldn't stink tonight at Serena's party.

"I know the team I've selected is the _only_ choice for this battle! They're the only ones that could manage a win here and I trust in them one hundred percent," he continued on to no one but himself. Leaning his head back to begin cleaning his hair out, each of his past failures flashed before his eyes. With each loss, the determination within Ash grew more, each lesson learned from those events helping him to get where he was today.

Finishing up, Ash quickly shut the water off, throwing a towel around his torso before stepping out into his room. He couldn't help but laugh at Pikachu looking content on the bed, the small Electric-Type having fallen asleep on top of a pillow. Beginning to change, Ash threw on a clean shirt and pants before placing his familiar jacket on. Reaching for his hat, Ash adjusted it slightly before clamping it down onto his still damp head. Pulling his sneakers on, Ash was all set to leave, about to shut the TV off and wake Pikachu only for his interest to peak.

"Isn't that Diantha?" Ash asked, plopping down onto his bed, waking Pikachu up in the process. He had no idea what was going on or even _why_ she was on the news, but there appeared to be a press conference of sorts happening.

"It is with great joy that I am here today to announce that I will be formally defending my title as the Champion of the Kalos region. This past year's Vanquier Conference winner, Ash Ketchum, has successfully defeated each member of the Kalos Elite Four. In doing so, he has officially earned the privilege of facing me in a battle for the title of Champion of the Kalos region," she explained, standing at a podium, lights flashing all around her as cameras captured her image. Something about the room caught Ash's attention was how similar the coat of paint was to the rooms of this very hotel.

"That looks like, Malva..." Ash muttered, catching sight of the reporter and his last challenge. The young woman appeared to be sitting off to the side of the room, her own microphone recording the press conference. Seeing this, Ash began to realize just what was going on here. "Diantha is here at the hotel! Come on, Pikachu, let's go find out when we can battle her!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted out, bounding off the bed and onto Ash's shoulder. Shutting the TV off, Ash raced out the room and towards the stairs (he figured it would be faster than waiting for an elevator). Racing down them, he could only wonder _why_ Diantha would make the announcement now. Jumping down almost five steps, Ash grabbed ahold of the railing before spinning himself towards the next flight of stairs.

Pounding down the stairs, Ash found himself back on the ground level and rushing back into the lobby. Taking his time to catch his breath, Ash looked around for any clues as to where Diantha and her press conference could be but had no such luck. "We must have missed her, Pikachu. I wonder if there's a way to find her though," he stated, disappointed in missing out in scheduling their battle with her.

"That's him! There he is! Someone grab him!" Ash could hear, before a group of reporters raced right for Ash. The young boy shielded himself from the reporters, expecting to be trampled by the. However, the large group came to a stop before him, microphones and cameras being shoved into his face. Pikachu slid behind Ash's back, resting on the boy's neck as Ash slinked backwards from the cameras.

"When do you plan on challenging, Diantha!?"

"Have you figured out a strategy!?"

"Are you worried at all about being no match for the region's Champion?"

These were just a few questions Ash heard, focusing more on trying to get away from the crazed media only to find himself backed against a door. Seeing no way out of it, Ash was about to respond when the door behind him opened, causing him to fall into the room before the door slammed shut, locking the reporters outside.

"Ow. I guess I should be grateful for that door opening, but now my head is pounding," Ash muttered to Pikachu, the Electric-Type likewise holding his own head as they both stood up. Looking around the room, Ash found it to be empty of anything. It made him seriously wonder just _what_ this room was used for.

"Now with the cameras all gone, we can finally get down to the details of our battle," a voice rang through the room, Ash turning around to see no one. Moving towards a blocked off section of the room, Ash was relieved to see Diantha sitting at a small table, Malva beside her as they motioned for Ash to join them.

"Sorry about the reporters, Ash," Diantha began, Ash pulling a folding chair that was leaning against the wall and placing it next to the table before sitting on it. "But I technically had to announce to the region about our upcoming battle. And I figured you would want to talk right after so I decided to tell the region after the Master Class, at this very hotel. I hope I didn't cause too much of a disturbance."

Ash let out a small laugh, dusting himself off. "Pikachu and I have been through worse. Those reporters are nothing when compared to some of my Pokémon back home.

"Though, I guess you want to just get down to the details don't you?" he asked, Malva nodding as she slid a small packet over to Ash. Taking it, the young boy began to flip through it, information about the battle being placed on every page of the packet.

"This is your first time facing a Champion in an official match, so you may not know about the whole paperwork section," Malva stated, adjusting her glasses before smiling at Ash. The boy looked slightly confused from all the forms, Pikachu also appearing to be dazed from them. "As per League rules, your team must be registered prior to the match so that you don't alter it in any way at all. Though, you don't have to submit the form until the night before and can make any changes up until that moment. Also, Diantha, will not be allowed to see your choices. Otherwise it would give her an unfair advantage.

"Otherwise, most of the other paperwork is finished since Diantha filled it out already for you. Though, it was only for when the match would take place."

"One week from today," the Champion explained, taking a sip of her drink before looking at Ash. "The rules of the battle are rather simple. A full six-on-six match with substitutions allowed by both sides. Once one trainer has lost three Pokémon, there will be a short intermission to allow us to gather our thoughts and plan new strategies before finishing the battle."

"That's fine with me. It sounds just like a normal League Conference match to me," Ash explained, scribbling in his team for the battle. Even if he had time to think it over, Ash knew who he wanted. "And here, you can have this back all ready. I don't need a week to figure out my team. I already have a plan to win!"

"Confident as always," Malva spoke up, playing with the ends of her hair a moment before taking a sip of her tea. "I guess it's one of your redeeming qualities. Otherwise Lysandre never would have taken an interest in you back then."

Diantha cleared her throat, as if to state say, "now wasn't the time" to bring up Lysandre or his evil plans. But instead a time to celebrate for their upcoming match. "Ash, I look forward to our first official match, especially since I've seen your strength multiple times before. To be quite honest, this is the most excited I've been in a long time for a challenger."

"It's true, she even cancelled her filming for her latest movie for this match. I remember having to wait a few weeks until she finished wrapping up her scenes before getting the chance to face her," Malva explained, Ash not quite sure how to react. It was obvious the young woman seemed a _little_ annoyed, but by her body language she seemed rather fine by it all.

Diantha then stood, Malva joining her in the action before turning away. "Ash, I'll be waiting for you at my stadium. Or what's commonly known as the League's headquarters in the Kalos region. You can arrive sooner if you want, use the facilities to your amusement, but come time for our battle please remember that you're just another challenger to me. One I'll do everything in my grasp to beat and retain my title.

"But for now. You should enjoy the night with your friends. It's a night of celebration for Serena. Please give her my congratulations for becoming Kalos Queen."

Ash watched in silence, not sure quite what to say as Diantha and Malva exited the building. The sound of reporters could be heard outside, Ash silently feeling sorry for the two as they most likely had to fight off the press. Though, he also was in shock, having wished they told him about all of this _before_ the press conference so that he could be aware of it. Instead, he was left to be surprised just as the residents of Kalos had been when Diantha made the announcement.

"I guess all we can do now is celebrate Serena's win. Right, Pikachu?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders as the duo made their way back into the hall.

"Pipika!" the Electric-Type cried out happily, dashing down the hall and towards the room where the party was set up. Though, Ash had too much on his mind to truly prepare for any celebrations, but he wasn't going to tell anyone that. Especially since it was Serena's night. Turning down the hallway after Pikachu, Ash could hear his friends putting the finishing touches on the party, the noise escaping from the room they rented for the night.

Making his way into the room, it seemed as though no one else knew about the press conference except for Paul. His rival giving him a look saying he had seen it all go down on TV while in his room. Sharing a nod of understanding between them, Ash went to work with some finishing touches, helping Brock hang a few streamers while he watched Clemont test the sound system. Everything seemed ready to go, and with little time to spare as the guest of honor could be heard walking down the hallway.

"We've been out all night, I just really want to relax tonight," Serena's voice could be heard as three pairs of feet walked down the hall and towards the gathering. "You both know tomorrow we're leaving early to head for Ash's battle against Diantha."

"Oh just relax for once will, you?" Miette could be heard, Ash laughing at the way the two of them could be friends but still going at each other. Before anyone else could react, the three girls walked into the room, Serena looking completely shocked at everything prepared for her.

"Congratulations!" the gathered guests all cried out, Serena blushing from embarrassment as Miette and Shauna smirked at their rival. Even Ash let out a light laugh from how Serena responded, the girl still being shy about the party despite it being hosted by her friends. Ash could see that Serena wasn't quite sure what to do, the young girl fumbling with her hands as Miette and Shauna forced her near the front of the room towards the table closest to the stage.

Making his way up there, Ash took a quick glance at the other tables as Sawyer, Trip and Remo made themselves comfortable at one, Janine joining them while Tierno and Trevor seemed to have joined Wally at a table. The timid boy seemed rather embarrassed by Tierno's dancing attracting attention towards them. Or maybe it was from how Trevor was take his pictures. Either way, Ash could see the boy was uncomfortable with his seat. Though, the table that confused him the most had easily been Paul's. Sitting off by themselves in far corner were the remnants of Team Victory, the three team members staying to themselves.

Finally making it to the front, Ash took a seat next to Serena, noticing that he was joined by Shauna, Miette, Mairin, and of course Clemont and Bonnie. "Congratulations, Serena," the young trainer stated, not quite sure what to do or say in this situation. Especially with how everything between them moved so fast in a sense. Looking around the room, Ash caught sight of Brock and Dawn, motioning for him to what he guessed was ask Serena to dance. Though he didn't think that would be a good idea...at least not here or now. Especially with how he danced.

Outside of a brief moment of Remo about to challenge Tierno to a battle for making him drop his plate of food, the night seemed uneventful for Ash. Everything blew by in a buzz, though that was probably because he was thinking too much about his final battle. Bits of the night stood out, such as Paul walking out early to go train, or so Astrid said. Ash believed it, especially with his own challenge coming up against the Unova Elite Four.

The party went on late into the night, Ash finding himself as one of the final people still down in the rented room. In fact, the only people still there seemed to be himself, Brock, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena. Or at least they were the only ones he could see at that moment in time. Picking up a few dishes, Ash began to pile them up only for Brock to pull him aside.

"Ash, why haven't you asked, Serena to dance yet?" he asked sternly, Ash not quite sure if his oldest traveling companion was being serious or getting into one of his moods. "Tonight would have been the _perfect_ chance for you two to dance. But you never asked her! This should be a night she never forgets!"

"Brock, you've seen me dance," Ash replied, but the Pewter City native wasn't taking no for an answer. Removing the plates from Ash's grip, the older man turned Ash around and pushed him towards Serena. Ash's momentum pushed him forward, nearly colliding with Serena if it weren't for some fancy footwork on her end.

"Oh, Ash, are you alright?" she asked, pushing a strand of hair out of her face before smiling at him. Taking Brock's advice, Ash scratched underneath his nose before reaching out for her hand. The sudden action caused her to squeal in shock before looking at him in a confused manner. "Ash, what's going on?"

"I figured...maybe...you would like to dance?" he asked nervously. Put him in a Pokémon battle and he would be fine. Have him ask his girlfriend to a dance and he realized he could melt under the pressure. Though, the smile that crossed her face made it all the better, his confidence returning as she agreed to a dance. Letting her lead, Ash felt slightly embarrassed as Serena had to remind him where to properly place his hands before they danced around the room.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment, Ash no longer wondering about his battle with Diantha or Serena's celebration or anything else that was creeping into his mind. Instead, it was just him and Serena staring at each other as they moved around the now empty room. Or so he thought...until Bonnie's remarks reminded him they weren't alone.

"See, Clemont, _this_ is why you need a girlfriend. When they get married, you don't want to be single and become the eccentric uncle of our group," the young girl stated, the mention of marriage causing both to blush wildly. They were barely even officially dating and here Bonnie was thinking about them getting married. Ash could only wonder where she got all these ideas from in the first place before ignoring her, now catching a glimpse of Brock smirking at him while Dawn (who appeared to be walking out of a side room) gave a thumbs up. His two former traveling companions bumping fists over what Ash presumed was a shared plan to get him and Serena to dance.

"So, Ash, what made you want to dance?" Serena asked, Ash missing the teasing tone evident in her words. "Not that I don't enjoy this, it just felt so out of the ordinary for you," she continued, Ash following Serena's lead as they made their way around the room.

"I figured it would be a nice gesture since you did win the Master Class," Ash began to say, Serena stopping him by placing a finger to his lip. In that moment, the two stopped for a moment, Serena staring at Ash in a way that told him she had him figured. Shrugging his shoulders (or as best he could in his current condition), Ash let a light laugh escape his lips. "Okay, it was more Brock's idea. He said that something like this would really mean something."

"Now _that_ makes sense," Serena joked, the two separating from their short dance. "I know you too well, Ash Ketchum, and you're not the kind to ask for a dance. So the moment you asked I knew something was up, I should have had a feeling Brock was involved though. I honestly thought it was Bonnie's doing."

"No, but I think it's safe to make sure those two don't interact much, otherwise Clemont _and_ us will have no time to relax," Ash replied, the duo sitting down at the only table still set up. They hadn't even noticed the others leaving during their dance, but were glad. It gave them _some_ alone time, especially with the large group they were now traveling with for the foreseeable future.

"Serena, thank you for everything," Ash finally stated, breaking the short silence between them. Letting out a yawn, the Kanto native stretched slightly as his girlfriend copied the action. Standing back up, he bent down slightly, not quite sure of his own actions before pecking her on the forehead. "I promise to win against Diantha. I'll do it for you and everyone else." Even though he knew he had to do this for himself, he couldn't help but also say it was for everyone else. It technically was, especially since if no one had helped him, he never would have gotten this far on his journey.

"Ash, you can't do it for us, but only for yourself," she yawned out. Ash understood, and helping her out of her seat, the young boy made sure she was steady on her feet before heading out of the room and for their beds.

* * *

"Are we there yet?!" Remo's voice boomed across the crowded bus, the driver looking slightly annoyed by the question. Ash could understand why, it had been the fifteenth time in the past hour Remo asked, Ash figuring that patience wasn't his strong suit. Though, he couldn't help but laugh at Bonnie's response.

"Remo, how many times do I have to tell you? When you see Diantha's stadium, _then_ , we'll be there. Until then, no, we are not there," the young girl answered, Remo seeming to flinch at her answer as those around him laughed at her response. Though, Ash had a feeling no one wanted to get on her bad side. Especially since they had been on this bus for a week now with the only exceptions being to sleep and to stretch every so often or grab something to eat. Though, those breaks were few and far between. And considering how one of Clemont's inventions blew up (leading to an unplanned stop to fix the bus) while she was seated next to him, Ash had a feeling Bonnie was ready to get off the bus.

"Hey, it isn't my fault you took the window seat from me!" the large man cried out, a single glare from Bonnie making him shut up. Though, there were no laughs this time, instead, everyone appeared to be staring out a window as a large castle came into view.

"That must be it, right?" Remo asked out, no one answering him as they watched on. The bus took a slight right, turning down the road towards the castle as Remo cheered out in excitement. Ash couldn't help but wonder who was older between him and Bonnie, but shrugged it off, the feeling of excitement growing inside of him.

"It was nice for Diantha to pay for this private bus to shuttle everyone in," Serena spoke softly, Ash nodding in agreement. Though, he kind of wished the bus was slightly larger, they could barely fit everyone on and it made seating arrangements a little crowded. Especially for those sitting in the back, having to fit three to a seat instead of the usual two.

Pulling up to the front gate to the castle, the bus stopped in anticipation, the metal gate opening slowly as Ash could feel his Poké Balls wiggling with excitement from their battle. Pulling into the entrance now, Ash could make out different news vans, even catching sight of Alexa and Viola as the former was ready to get what she most likely hoped was a headline for tomorrow. The latter meanwhile seemed dressed up slightly, though Ash lost sight of her as the bus came to a stop outside of the stadium.

"Is this it?" Ash could hear someone say, not paying much attention to who as the doors opened. Getting out slowly, the entire traveling group was soon met by an assistant to Kathi Lee, the manager being too busy herself as she planned the final touches on the upcoming battle.

"Please, Ash Ketchum, make your way into the locker room for the challenger as get yourself ready as fast as possible, it'll be right through these doors and on your left hand side," the assistant spoke, pointing a hand over to the side entrance they had left from. "Following the match, you'll be able to have more time to talk with your friends and Diantha within the actual Kalos League headquarters, but for now we must get the match going as quickly as possible. Normally we have a meet and greet between the challenger and the Champion, but due to your unforeseen circumstances that'll be taking place following the match," she continued on, Ash nodding as Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder.

"But my friends, they'll still get good seating? Right?" he asked, hands raised by his sides in excitement. The assistant nodded in agreement, calming his one major worry for the battle.

"Yes, Diantha reserved front row seats along the center of the field for those in attendance for you along with a special surprise that'll be seen following the match," the assistant finished, Ash thanking her for everything before sprinting into the stadium. Hearing his friends' cheers, Ash felt energized even more than usual as he made his way down the hallway. Finding the locker room just where they said it would be, Ash took this moment to relax.

Taking his backpack off, Ash hung the item up on a hook, knowing he wouldn't need the it for this match. Making his way to a bench, Ash sat down as he could hear the opening ceremonies begin. "Ok, everyone, this is what we worked for," he spoke up, the Poké Balls on his belt wiggling once more. "Win or lose, I just want us to all go out there and give it our best shot! This is going to be our hardest match ever, but I believe in each of you and I just know if you work together you'll pull it off."

"And calling Pallet Town from all the way in the Kanto region his home, the challenger has made quite the name for himself in Kalos thanks to his heroic deeds against Team Flare and Team Rocket along with winning the Vanquier Conference and Pokémon World Tournament!" the announcer could be heard, Ash standing back up.

"Guess it was a really short break, I wonder what I missed of the opening?" Ash asked, Pikachu unsure himself. Making their way out of the locker room, Ash walked down the short hallway, the sounds of the crowd filling his ears as the empty space between his trainer's box and Diantha's awaited their field to arrive.

Once he was walking out onto the battlefield, the crowd seemed to grow restless, wanting the battle to begin immediately. Though, Ash figured they still needed to wait on Diantha.

"And now for your Champion!" the announcer cried out, as if reading Ash's mind. "Having been the youngest Champion in the history of Kalos, she looks to defend her title for the sixth time now as her challenger hopes to end that streak. When not performing her duties as Champion, she's most commonly seen on the film set, filming scenes for her next hit movie! Give a warm welcome to Champion Diantha!"

The crowd seemed to go up a level, though Ash didn't blame them. She _was_ the Champion after all. Looking out across the field, Ash smirked once the woman stepped foot into her trainer's box. Though, she too seemed to be smirking at him, the action surprising him for a moment.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Ash. Ever since you showed me the power you and Greninja have, I've hoped you could give me an official challenge," she explained, Ash rubbing the back of his neck out of embarrassment. "As Champion, I thank you for helping during the crisis in Lumiose City and then again with Team Rocket, but I won't hold back. I have no plans to relinquish my title just yet."

"I was hoping you would say that," Ash stated, Pikachu leaping off of his shoulder as his cheeks sparked slightly. "If you weren't going at it with your all, then it wouldn't be as fun." Diantha nodded in agreement, neither trainer issuing another word as the referee stepped forward.

"This official match for the title of Champion of Kalos will now begin. This will be a six-on-six battle with the field changing once one side has lost three Pokémon. Both sides are allowed to switch out as they feel the need to. The first field will be a grassy plain. I expect a good, clean match between the two of you," he finished saying, stepping backwards as the grassy field locked into place. Ash studied the field for a moment, noticing a couple of hills, but nothing else to the area.

Diantha reached for her belt, a small Poké Ball in her hand, enlarging as she pressed the small button in the center. Tossing it forward gracefully, the capture device erupted open with a blue light. "Goodra, I require your assistance today!"

The Dragon Pokémon landed on the field with a loud thud, its slime splashing around slightly before Ash picked at his own Poké Ball.

"So, she has a Goodra..." he muttered, knowing just who he wanted to go with for this matchup. "We'll have to be careful with it, especially since we know firsthand how powerful a Goodra can be! Best to hit it quick and hard! Noivern, I choose you!" he shouted, the capsule showing Noivern to have been within it. The Sound Wave Pokémon let out a light screech before spreading his wings and taking to the sky.

"And the first battle will be Goodra against Noivern! A battle of dangerous Dragon-Type Pokémon will now take place with both sides hoping to earn the first win of the match for their trainers! Both sides are rearing to go and so are we!" the announcer called out, the scoreboard being updated to show both trainers with their current Pokémon, five Poké Balls next to them as well.

"We'll take the first move! Noivern, let's show them what we've got! Get in there and use Dragon Claw!" Ash shouted, pulling his fist backwards before punching it forward in excitement. Noivern nodded out, circling around in midair, claws glowing a bright green in energy before swooping in for Goodra. Ash awaited a command, but Diantha remained silent, allowing Noivern to scrape his glowing claws against Goodra.

"And just like that, Ash, has landed the first blow! Though, Champion Diantha, doesn't seem worried in the least. Staying calm as always, she must be thinking up a strategy!" the announcer cried out, guessing correctly on his last claim. Upon finishing his sentence, Diantha ordered for an Ice Beam, Noivern barely avoiding the icy beam before soaring around the field in a wild manner.

Ash grit his teeth at the sight of such power. She really wasn't messing around with an attack like, but he wasn't messing around either! Calling for an Acrobatics attack, Ash watched on with intent, the light blue glow surrounding Noivern as the Dragon and Flying-Type sped across the skies. Diving right for Goodra, Noivern rammed right into its stomach, pushing the bulky Pokémon slightly, but Diantha didn't seem concerned at all.

"And two powerful strikes from Noivern has given Ash what might feel like an early lead! However, Goodra doesn't seem to be tiring in the least and knowing Champion Diantha she has a plan cooking inside of her brain!" the announcer called out, Ash having Noivern circle back around for another Dragon Claw attack.

"Verrrrn!" he hissed out, the impact of his claws causing Goodra to flinch this time. Though, on his return up to the sky, Ash noticed Noivern's speed was dropping. Perhaps from a loss in stamina from going right in with their attack plan, but Ash knew he couldn't wait around; he had to strike when the opportunity was being given.

Diantha raised her hand, breaking Ash from his inner thoughts before issuing her command. "Dragon Pulse, Goodra! Knock, Noivern, out of the sky!"

"Quick, counter with Boomburst and then use the explosion as cover to land another Dragon Claw!" Ash countered, the two Pokémon rearing their heads back before firing off their respective attacks. Soundwaves smashed right into Goodra's purple dragon, the latter clamping down onto the soundwaves before both attacks exploded just as Ash thought.

Flying into the smoke, Noivern's claws began to glow a light green, Ash knowing that now was their perfect shot at striking. If they used their advantage in speed correctly, then it would all work out for the best. "Noi!" he screeched out, Ash hearing the sound of his claws scrapping against Goodra once more, a smirk crossing his face only to feel slightly unraveled by Diantha's own smirk.

"I've figured out your plan with Noivern," she stated, her smirk changing to that of a smile. Ash instinctively took a step back, but forced his body to move forward. He was not going to show any signs of worry or fear, not while out on the field. "He's very fast. And with his Boomburst you can create coverage for him to get in and attack me all you like since Goodra doesn't have exceptional maneuverability.

"However..." she trailed off, punching forward in a similar manner to how Ash usually did. "I anticipated this from the beginning and allowed Noivern those free hits to gauge my predictions. Now! Power Whip!"

"Gooo!" the Dragon Pokémon cried out happily, ramming his tail into the ground before a large green vine shot skywards. Noivern attempted to dodge the incoming attack, but Ash noticed he was even slower than before. There was no way he lost _that_ much stamina from another attack. Before Ash could call for a counter, Noivern was smacked across his back with the green vine and plummeted down onto the field, his body landing on the grass with a powerful thud.

"Noi...noivern," the youngest member of his team muttered, forcing himself to stand again as Goodra seemed more interested in the fight now. As if its earlier behavior was nothing more than to draw them into a false sense of security.

"Ice Beam!"

"Boomburst!"

Once again, the two ranged attacks smashed into each other, an explosion throwing Noivern across the field while Goodra held its ground. Ash watched as Noivern was tossed across the field with ease, finally noticing a strange purple goo covering his wings.

"W-What's that goo?" Ash asked no one in particular, Noivern also noticing it for the first time. It seemed to be something slowing Noivern down, which explained his earlier loss of speed during the fight. Looking it over, Ash came to realize that it looked eerily similar to the same goo that Goodra had on it. As if its body goo was sticking to Noivern every time he struck it.

"Goodra! Don't allow them time to recover, Ice Beam!" Diantha ordered once more, Ash quickly calling for Noivern to take to the skies as quickly as possible. The icy energy shot across the field, striking some of the grass itself as the field froze. Noivern shot upwards, his feet being encased in ice, though the rest of him was fine. Flying into the sky, Noivern seemed to struggle with all the added weight to his body, slowly lowering back to the ground.

"Now do you understand, Ash? Goodra has an ability known as Gooey where in the event that a Pokémon strikes Goodra physically, some of its slime will attach to the attacking Pokémon and slow it down. And between the ice and slime, your Noivern doesn't seem to be able to move that well! Dragon Pulse, go!" she shouted at the end, throwing her arm out to the side, the other one hanging freely by her waist.

Ash grit his teeth. He had played right into her hand and now Noivern was in danger. Calling for a Boomburst, Ash watched as his loyal partner struggled to even get the command off, his body not willing to cooperate due to all the adhesives on his body.

"Veeeerrrrrn!" he managed to yell out, the soundwaves erupting from his giant ears as they shattered the ice around his feet and on the field. Ash smiled at the effort Noivern continued to give despite their current situation. However, his Boomburst proved ineffective against the Dragon Pulse this time, the purple dragon swallowing the soundwaves before eating Noivern whole, an explosion kicking up chunks of dirt and grass.

"Noivern is unable to battle! The winner of the opening round is Goodra and Diantha!" the referee declared once the smoke cleared. Ash was hoping for Noivern to still hand on, but he knew that last attack was powerful, too powerful for Noivern to handle at that point in time.

The scoreboard was already updated, Noivern's image being grayed out before moving to the end of the line of Poké Balls. "Just as we all know her for, Champion Diantha, turned that battle around in moments with the use of her excellent planning process. By allowing Noivern to strike continuously, she was able to slow him down to the point of finishing him off looking easier than it should have!" the announcer cried out, Ash wondering just for a second who they were.

"Thanks, Noivern. You were amazing and helped me figure out how to beat Goodra. Take a nice long rest, we'll pick up where you left off," Ash stated, placing Noivern's capture device back on his belt. He could feel Hawlucha's Poké Ball shaking, the Wrestling Pokémon wanting to avenge his brother but Ash had to sadly decline. He couldn't afford to lose Hawlucha, especially since Goodra seemed like the perfect counter for half of his team based on its ability alone.

"Sorry, Hawlucha, but I've already got a plan on how to defeat Goodra," Ash stated, gripping his second Poké Ball confidently. "Alright, Diantha, you better be ready for this one! Goodra, I choose you!"

With a quick toss, Ash's own Dragon Pokémon emerged on the field, this one much friendlier looking than Diantha's. Though, upon seeing each other the two battlers smirked, their pride as Goodra now on the line.

"Goodra return," Diantha stated, both Ash and his Goodra surprised by the sudden shifting of battlers. "I'll need you later on for some of his other team members, especially if they're who I believe they are. For now, Aurorus, I need your help!"

"And just like that, Champion Diantha, has switched out her Goodra for Aurorus! How will Ash's Goodra be able to handle such a beast, especially once it gets off those powerful Ice-Type moves we all know it has?" the announcer stated happily, the scoreboard updating to show Goodra lightly grayed out, being placed right next to the now large image of Aurorus.

As the Ice and Rock-Type landed on the field, Ash felt a sudden chill fill the stadium, a cold breeze sweeping through until it began to hail. This surprised him and Goodra, but the duo quickly recognized this as the Tundra Pokémon's effect.

"Aurorus, start off with Blizzard!"

"Block with your Sludge Wave attack!"

The two prepared their attacks, Goodra firing off the purple sludge attack with relative ease while hail pounded against his body. The purple sludge traversed across the field, only to freeze in place once Aurorus released its attack. The sudden chill increased, a blast of freezing wind striking not only the Sludge Wave (which pushed the now frozen attack back at Goodra) but also its intended target as well.

Goodra shook off the ice, not letting a few blasts of cold air hold him back, but Ash could see crystals forming on the Dragon-Type's arms. They were going to need to change this match soon, otherwise it wasn't going to end well for them.

"Alright, let's use Dragon Pulse!" Ash commanded, Goodra nodding in agreement before whipping his head around, the purple dragon now consuming most of the Blizzard attack while also heading for Aurorus.

"Light Screen and put it up fast!" Diantha countered, the large mirror appearing before Aurorus within seconds. Ash silently cursed himself for Diantha being a step ahead again. The Dragon Pulse slammed into the Light Screen, only a bit of it striking Aurorus but not enough to cause significant damage.

"Now! Blizzard once more!" Diantha continued on, pointing forward with her index finger, the temperature dropping once more as snow and ice mixed with the wind. Ash grit his teeth, watching on as Goodra braced himself for the incoming attack.

" _There has to be something we can do!"_ Ash mentally yelled at himself, watching as the frozen wind struck Goodra. The Dragon-Type was thrown backwards, landing on his rear end from the attack before standing back up slowly.

"And so far this match has been all in favor of Diantha! It seems like the challenger is in for a rough battle today!" the announcer called out, Ash merely staring out at the field looking for a plan. That's when it hit him.

"Time to turn this battle around!" Ash called out to no one in particular, the crowd seeming to enjoy his enthusiasm as they cheered at his outburst. Pointing a finger forward, Ash made his next command.

"Rain Dance!"

* * *

 **And the first part of the battle comes to a close. Poor Noivern, always a jobber whether it's in the anime or this story... Jokes aside, hopefully the chapter was done well. Though, next chapter will pick right up with the action.**

 **As for the big announcement I said last chapter. Well, it's going to be an AU series which will hopefully be enjoyed by everyone. I don't have an official release date or an official name for the story yet, but once I post the final chapter of this story, I plan to take a month break to write chapters for the next. And no, this upcoming story will** _ **not**_ **take place in the same universe as this one. This will be a completely new universe to work with and build characters properly. I wish I could say more, but I don't want to spoil any of it.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	77. Championing a Victory

**Welcome back everyone! Last time, we ended with the beginning of Ash's match against Diantha. Well, here's more of it. Hopefully it comes out good for you.**

 **Ch 77: Championing a Victory**

* * *

"Rain Dance!" Ash shouted out from the field, Paul smirking from the command. He was wondering how long it would take Ash to find a way around Aurorus' Blizzard attack, especially since the entire field was practically the attack.

Goodra cried out happily, the hail storm soon dispersing as dark clouds formed over the field, a rainfall soon replacing it. Goodra appeared to be extremely happy from the rain, letting the water splash all over him before glaring down Aurorus.

"Sorry, but I figured it would be better to make the battlefield more comfortable for Goodra, especially since that hail storm was powering up Blizzard. I can't really explain it that well, but since the entire field was covered in an ice storm, it only made sense for Blizzard to be stronger. But now, without the ice storm I'm willing to bet that it got weaker!" Ash explained, adjusting his hat slightly before grinning out towards the field. Paul found himself nodding in agreement from Ash's assessment of the previous attacks, but said nothing. Instead, Clemont seemed to speak up from a few seats down, Paul paying little attention to the guy.

"It makes complete sense for Ash to get rid of that storm. Not only did the hail hurt Goodra, but because the field was effected by such a weather condition it meant Blizzard received an increase in strength and would never miss."

Diantha nodded in agreement to Ash's understanding of Aurorus, only to throw a hand forward. "Just because you stopped the weather doesn't mean Aurorus is finished yet! Use Ancient Power!"

"Auuuurrrohhhh," the Tundra Pokémon cried out slowly, its body encased in a white light before focusing that energy outwards. Forming into five spheres, Aurorus launched the energy spheres right for Goodra, the Dragon-Type looking on in interest for a way to fight back.

"Hold your ground, Goodra!" Ash suddenly shouted, the crowd murmuring as to why he would call for such a command. "Once they get close, hit them right back and then use Dragon Pulse!"

Goodra nodded, Paul leaning forward in his seat to see just _how_ this would work out, but figured this was Ash he was watching. Goodra stood strong, watching along with the approaching energy spheres only to whip his entire body around when they got close. Now with his back to the attack, Goodra showed a shocking case of maneuverability. Hitting the first two spheres back with his tail, Goodra then jumped over the third before landing on the ground and bending just under the last two orbs.

"Go go, Goodra! Get that Aurorus!" Bonnie cried out, Paul noticing her Dedenne scurrying along the bar that was placed in front of their seats.

"GooooDDRAAA!" the sudden cry came out, Dedenne almost losing his balance as Goodra fired off another Dragon Pulse, this one now looking stronger than the previous attack. Though, Paul had a feeling that even with the increase in strength, the Light Screen would still weaken it. And he was proven correct, the magical shield appearing once more as the purple, dragon-shaped beam soared across the field before ramming into it. This time, however, more of it seemed to bypass the shield and strike Aurorus, the Ice and Rock-Type skidding backwards slightly only to then be rammed by its returned Ancient Power.

"Pretty smart..." Paul muttered, leaning back in his seat with a smirk on his face. Those sitting around him looked towards him, confused over just what may have happened. Sighing, he decided to explain. "He knows that with Light Screen up, his attacks aren't going to be quite as strong as usual. So he used the Dragon Pulse to draw Aurorus into a defensive position before hitting it with its own attack."

"Your Goodra can move around pretty well for his size," Diantha spoke up, Ash merely chuckling at the compliment. "I guess we'll have to slow him down! Thunder Wave and then Blizzard once more!"

Ash didn't move, just standing there confidently as Goodra waited for Aurorus to make its move. Glowing blue with an electrical discharge, the Tundra Pokémon cried out, bolts of electricity shooting straight for Goodra.

"Auuurrrorr," it cried out once more, summoning forth the familiar cold breeze. Ash shivered slightly, Goodra bracing himself as his body was battered by both the electricity and cold. His body also glowing red, Ash calling for a command that Paul couldn't quite hear.

"Diantha, that Thunder Wave may have worked with any of my other Pokémon, but not with Goodra. Especially with Rain Dance still active!" Ash called out, Paul raising an eyebrow in fascination.

"Because unlike your Goodra, mine has Hydration as his ability! The rain keeps him protected from any status conditions! Now let 'er rip, Goodra!"

"He's already using a Bide!?" Serena called out a few seats down from Paul. He knew about Bide usually being a last-ditch effort by some trainers, so to see Ash using it now shocked him.

"Gooo," Goodra muttered out, the red energy surrounding his body now moving straight for his mouth. Losing the red glow, a white orb soon formed within his mouth before it shot out across the field, ramming into Aurorus. The impact causing the Tundra Pokémon to be launched onto its hind legs before landing back onto all four legs.

"Goodra is showing he means business! By taking blows from Aurorus, he managed to give his Bide attack just the strength it needed to push Aurorus onto the defensive!" the announcer explained, everyone noticing Goodra now panting from it.

"It's definitely a risky strategy and a trainer needs the utmost trust in their Pokémon to pull it off," Remo joined in, Ash calling for another Bide once again. "Once it's called for, the Pokémon using it is forced to fight defensively, taking any hits thrown their way and slowly…but surely turning that pain into energy. Kid's got guts."

"But just how much more can Goodra take? He's already tiring and I don't think Ash wants to lose another Pokémon so soon," Astrid replied, Paul paying those two little attention, especially since Goodra was now being attacked continuously by a barrage of Ancient Power.

"Goodra, just a little longer! I know you can hold out for a few more hits! We need to beat Aurorus in one final blast, especially since Light Screen makes our other attacks practically useless," Ash called out to his partner, Goodra dropping onto one knee due to the pain.

"I've seen video of Bide in action, Aurorus, we need to end this before Goodra can use that attack! Blizzard once more!" Diantha ordered, the rain finally coming to an end as the freezing wind blew across the field, freezing Goodra's lower half in place.

"Ancient Power! Once more!"

"Hang in there Goodra! I trust in you!" Ash called out, Paul wondering just why Ash hadn't called for it to be fired off. Watching the Ancient Power slam into Goodra's abdomen, Paul was surprised to see just how dark the red energy was now.

"Great job! Now let's give it to 'em! Full power!" Ash yelled, punching forward, Goodra holding his ground while the energy surged to his mouth. Roaring out loudly, Goodra began to topple over as the energy surged out in a large beam. The field was ripped slightly, chunks of grass (and snow from the Blizzard) flew through the air as the beam smashed into Aurorus, this time sending it flying onto its side defeated.

"Both Aurorus and Goo-" the referee began to say, only to stop once Goodra stood back up, panting heavily from exhaustion. "My mistake. Aurorus is unable to battle, Goodra is still capable to continue!"

"And Ash Ketchum manages to tie up this match thanks to the sheer determination of Goodra! That thing is a defensive beast, able to take those hits and still fire off that Bide! Though he seems spent and who knows what else he can provide in this battle!" the announcer called out, the scoreboard changing as Aurorus was blacked out.

"Way too risky," Paul scoffed out as Diantha recalled her fallen Pokémon. Ash also seemed to use this as a chance to recall Goodra for his Hawlucha. "Goodra is practically useless for the rest of this battle because Ash relied on Bide. Diantha isn't just any other trainer. He has to play the long game with her and not think of each individual battle, but what's also in store."

"He'll be just fine," Serena chimed in, hands clutched together as Diantha's third Pokémon, a Tyrantrum appearing on the field. "Ash has always pulled through in tough spots."

"I'm not saying he doesn't. What I'm saying is that Diantha has a strategy to win, something that Ash is lacking. He can't win this with just brute strength." Paul then paused a moment, the third battle of the match about to begin as Hawlucha raced forward across the field.

"Hit 'em real hard with a Karate Chop! Then switch it up with High Jump Kick!" Ash called out to his speedy fighter. Paul shook his head at Ash's headstrong attitude, knowing that over time it would wear him down more than help.

"Haw! Hawlucha!" the Wrestling Pokémon cried out, his forearms glowing a bright white before he leapt into the air. Ramming his appendage down onto Tyrantrum's head, the blow causing Tyrantrum to stumble backwards. Hawlucha then used his momentum to push off and spin in midair, aiming his knee right for the Rock and Dragon-Type.

"Use Dragon Tail to knock him away, then go onto the defensive with Stone Edge!" Diantha countered, the mighty Dragon and Rock-Type roaring in agreement. Spinning his body around quickly, Tyrantrum slammed his green, scaly tail against Hawlucha, managing to overpower its opponent. Hawlucha flew backwards, flipping in midair before landing in a pose.

"Rantrum!" it continued on, slamming its tail into the ground, the giant blue stones erupting right for Hawlucha. The Fighting and Flying-Type didn't seem worried at all, readying his body for the incoming assault.

Ash quickly countered, calling for a Karate Chop to cut right through the attack and Hawlucha responded with almost perfect timing. Throwing punches, Hawlucha destroyed each stone sent his way, breaking them with ease as the field was soon littered with the remains of the attack. A succession of blows soon left next to nothing of the Stone Edge, Hawlucha jumping backwards to catch a breath only for Tyrantrum to run straight for him.

"Head Smash, now!" Diantha commanded, the Despot Pokémon ramming his head right into Hawlucha, the Fighting and Flying type soaring across the field. Using his claws to stop his trajectory, Hawlucha came to a skidding stop, huffing slightly before staring down Tyrantrum.

"And with a stunning display of quick strikes, Hawlucha managed to block every bit of that Stone Edge attack _and_ still take the full blunt of that Head Smash! He's a fighter, that's for sure, but he does seem a little banged up from that last blow," the announcer cried out, Paul noticing that Hawlucha, despite the powerful hit, looked rather fine with the exception of a few scratches on his body. He wondered just what the Wrestling Pokémon could do in this situation. Especially since Tyrantrum seemed one step ahead of them with its attacks.

"There's got to be a way to beat Tyrantrum, the thing has to have _some_ weakness..." Clemont muttered, cleaning his glasses off. Paul scoffed once more, seeing the issue with the current battle. Based on who Ash most likely had with him, then it was obvious as to who he should switch into, but for some reason he wasn't thinking fully.

"Tell me, Ash, do you really think you can win against Tyrantrum?" Diantha asked, an arm resting on her hip, the other pointed out towards the field. Calling for another Dragon Tail, the Despot Pokémon swung around, its tail barely missing Hawlucha who had jumped into the sky. "Hawlucha can only take so much damage before even he can't stand it anymore. Surely there must be a better option."

Ash grit his teeth, growing frustrated with how the match was going so far. Calling for a Flying Press, Ash punched forward, Paul seeing that his rival was just trying to knock down whatever wall was in front of him. Hawlucha spun in the air, his body glowing brightly before crashing right into Tyrantrum, dust and chunks of stone kicking up from the impact. Hawlucha wasn't finished there though, throwing a barrage of Karate Chops out at his opponent, each one proving to be stronger than the previous until Tyrantrum knocked him away with his tail.

The crowd began to cheer at the persistent attempt by Ash and Hawlucha, neither willing to back down despite the towering beast standing before them. Jumping back and forth, Hawlucha sprung forward, his right knee glowing as it plowed underneath Tyrantrum's jaw, sending the Rock and Dragon-Type flying onto its back. "A combination of powerful blows may have been just what Hawlucha needed, the feisty Pokémon now pushing Tyrantrum into a corner, each of his blows seeming to wear his opponent down more."

"Return," Diantha commanded, Paul recognizing the mismatch as well. Even if Tyrantrum was powerful, his lack of speed against Hawlucha was where it hurt her. Due to Hawlucha's nimble movements, it was unlikely for Tyrantrum to strike him unless it was by a distraction.

The scoreboard grayed out Tyrantrum, the Despot Pokémon's image moving next to Goodra's as Diantha tossed out her fourth choice in this battle. "Gourgeist, time to battle!" she shouted, the Pumpkin Pokémon appearing on the field, its image soon appearing lit up on the scoreboard.

"Sorry, Hawlucha, but this won't do us any good. Return for now!" Ash quickly called out, his loyal fighter nodding in agreement as his body was broken down and recalled into the capture device. Placing the Poké Ball back onto his belt, Ash tossed his next choice onto the field. "Goodra, I'm gonna need some more help from you!"

"And both sides are switching out again! Though, is Goodra really ready for another battle? Especially after that hard showdown with Aurorus?" the announcer asked out, the crowd growing silent as neither side made a command. Then, after a moment of Ash and Diantha staring each other down, the former made the first move.

"Goodra, fire a Dragon Pulse!"

"Goooo!" the Dragon Pokémon cried out, the purple, dragon-shaped beam forming within his mouth. Whipping his head around, Goodra released the beast onto his opponent, Gourgeist watching the beast slam into itself. Or rather where it had been, since the creature that was swallowed by the Dragon Pulse faded from existence only for Gourgeist to emerge behind Goodra.

"Now give it everything you've got! Phantom Force!"

Before Ash or Goodra could react, Gourgeist slashed out against the Dragon-Type, its hair-like appendage striking Goodra across the back as he cried in pain. Standing strong however, Goodra turned around only for his opponent to be gone once again. Hearing a cry that made them both shudder, Goodra soon toppled over from a Focus Blast, the orange sphere having slammed Goodra in the back before a second one struck while he laid on the ground.

"That Gourgeist is much faster than the one Team Rocket used," Serena found herself muttering out, raising a hand to her mouth as everyone waited for Goodra to raise back up. "Somehow, it's managing to disappear before striking and then completely catch Goodra off-guard.

"There has to be a way around it, but how can Ash fight something he can't even see? Maybe he should switch out before Goodra takes anymore damage."

"It won't make a difference. Gourgeist will still take advantage of whoever Ash sends out," Paul finally spoke up, hands folded under his chin while his elbows rested atop his knees. "Gourgeist isn't 'vanishing' but instead using Substitute the moment Ash attacks or Goodra turns in its direction. Because of that, it appears to be vanishing before their eyes. Instead, they need to stop relying on their eyes and pay attention to the battle going on before them.

"Leech Seed, tie Goodra up before he can do anything!" Diantha soon ordered, Ash clenching his fists as Goodra was enveloped in vines. There was nothing he could do, and Paul could see the anger in his eyes. Maybe even some worry. Though, it was clear he was disappointed in being unable to figure out Gourgeist as another Focus Blast slammed hard into Goodra, the Dragon-Type crying out in pain before having his energy drained.

"Think. There has to be a way out of this..." Ash muttered, digging his nails into his hands to the point he flinched slightly. Doing so, he closed his eyes, now able to pick up on Gourgeist floating around the field. "Of course! Goodra, close your eyes and use Dragon Pulse! Don't worry about trying to see your opponent, but instead try to listen for them."

"Goo?" Goodra asked, Paul smirking at the fact they finally figured it out, even if it took longer than it should have. Closing his eyes, Goodra listened for the Ghost and Grass-Type whirling around the field, its body giving its location away. Firing off the Dragon Pulse at nothing around him, the crowd murmured in confusion, wondering if Ash was now just going crazy with how the battle was turning.

To their surprise however, Diantha soon called out for a Focus Blast, the sphere ramming right into Goodra's Dragon Pulse as Gourgeist emerged right at the location Goodra was aiming for. The two attacks collided, appearing to be evenly matched until a second Focus Blast was added to the equation. Now with double the strength, Gourgeist managed to overpower the Dragon Pulse, ripping right through it with its orb before it slammed into Goodra. The blast freed Goodra from the vines restraining it, but between Aurorus and now Gourgeist, he had taken too much damage to recover. Smashing against the ground, Goodra laid there unstirring as the referee made the call.

"Goodra is unable to battle. The winner is Gourgeist!" The scoreboard blacked out Goodra's image, moving it to the left of Noivern as Ash recalled his second defeated Pokémon. With Diantha having regained not only the lead, but also the momentum of this battle, everyone watching knew that Ash's next choice would be most important.

"Talonflame, let's turn it around! I choose you!" he shouted out, his fourth Pokémon emerging from its Poké Ball with a triumphant cry. Circling around the field, Talonflame came to a stop in front of Ash, hovering slowly in the air by barely flapping its wings. "Let's get moving! Heat up with a Flame Charge!" Ash quickly ordered, throwing an open palm forward.

Talonflame let off a mighty cry of determination, its body breaking out in flames before soaring straight for Gourgeist. Just like with Goodra's Dragon Pulse, the being Talonflame struck dispersed only for a Focus Blast to emerge from a different location.

"Knock it away!" Ash countered, Talonflame's wings glowing white before a metallic layer covered them. Swatting at the Focus Blast, Talonflame redirected the blast only for Gourgeist to disappear again. "Listen for it! Once you've found where Gourgeist is going to strike, use Flame Charge again!

"Talllon!" it replied, closing its eyes for a moment before breaking out in searing flames. The heat radiated off its body could be felt in the front row, Paul finding himself sweating from the intense heat before unintentionally pumping his fist when Talonflame landed a blow on the real Gourgeist, sending it flying backwards across the grassy field.

"Quick, use Phantom Force to strike from behind," Diantha called forth, Gourgeist vanishing completely this time. Not even Talonflame could hear where it was coming from, but kept its body alit, in hopes of keeping Gourgeist away. The plan seemed to work, for no attack came from Gourgeist. Instead, the Pumpkin Pokémon appeared before Diantha, its body burning for a moment.

"And Ash has managed a way around Gourgeist's tricky maneuvers by having Talonflame heat everything in its general area! Now burned, Gourgeist will have a harder time trying to hide before attacking. And that's not even including that constant damage," the announcer stated, Paul surprised at the burn kicking in as Gourgeist screamed in pain.

Raising a Poké Ball, Diantha chuckled lightly before recalling Gourgeist. "I haven't had such a tough battle in a long time, Ash. Thank you for this. Though, how _did_ you find out Gourgeist's secret?"

"Well, I could hear its hair in the breeze. So once Talonflame came out I figured if we kept the surrounding area heated up then Gourgeist would still be hurt even if we couldn't see it," he explained, rubbing underneath his nose for a moment, stopping the moment Diantha called out her next Pokémon. "Goodra, let's get rid of Talonflame, start off with an Ice Beam!"

"Keep the heat up with another Flame Charge!" Ash countered, Talonflame's body being encased in fire once more. Goodra likewise launched the icy blast forward, the beam crashing into Talonflame but melting on contact, Talonflame flying forward and striking Goodra in the midsection. The blow pushed Goodra back slightly but Ash noticed the same purple goo from before now clinging to Talonflame.

"Circle back around with Brave Bird!"

"TalllllllooonnnnFLLLammmme!" it shouted out joyfully, the red flames immediately changing to a blazing blue before ramming into Goodra. This time, Goodra dropped onto a knee, the countless attacks from both Talonflame and Noivern seeming to get to it finally. Though, Diantha wasn't going to take the blows without fighting back, calling for an Aqua Tail. Goodra spun around, his tail (now covered in a surge of liquid) managing to strike Talonflame and cause the Scorching Pokémon to skid across the grass field, leaving a trail of flames behind it.

"Talll," the bird muttered, getting back into the sky, but the goo sticking to its wings making it difficult to stay in the air. Knowing there was nothing else he could do, Ash raised a Poké Ball, recalling Talonflame.

"Sorry, pal, but I can't afford to lose you just yet. We still have a lot more to worry about," Ash explained, grabbing his new choice in battle. Tossing it forward, the exhausted Hawlucha appeared back onto the field with a triumphant pose before remembering just who he was facing.

"Haw! Hawluchacha," he muttered out, extending his left arm towards Goodra, bending his hand in a manner to say "bring it on", Ash knowing full well he wanted revenge for Noivern.

Without needing a command, Hawlucha rushed forward, knees glowing white as he lunged the first into Goodra's abdomen before shooting the second one right into the Dragon-Type's chin, sending him backwards a few steps, goo now covering his legs as his movements stiffened a little. Standing back up, Goodra appeared to only be slightly injured, but was more than able to continue on.

Diantha then called for a Dragon Pulse, catching Hawlucha off guard due to his now goo covered legs. Barely leaping out of the way of the purple blast, Hawlucha used the gust of wind to soar into the sky and give him an opening to strike Goodra.

Ash also saw the opening, nodding in excitement for it as he pumped a fist up into the air. "All right! Let's give them a Flying Press! Then break right into an X-Scissor!"

Hawlucha didn't respond, his body glowing just as it had the previous time for the attack, before lunging straight for Goodra, a look of vengeance in his eyes. Diantha wasn't going to give them an easy time however, calling right for a Power Whip, Goodra's tail glowing green before aiming right for Hawlucha. The Fighting and Flying-Type immediately crossed his arms, picking up momentum in his drop before his glow changed to a shade of purple, the front of his body taking on an "X" shape.

Slamming into Goodra's tail, Hawlucha managed to overpower the Dragon Pokémon and slam right into it, knocking it backwards. Goodra however wasn't about to stop there, bringing his tail back around and hitting Hawlucha in the back. The impact caused the Wrestling Pokémon to slam hard into the ground, goo covering his entire body now as he tried to shake it off to no avail. Hardening due to the increase in temperature from Talonflame, Hawlucha really found it hard to move.

"See, look at this," Paul muttered, only Astrid hearing him as she moved closer to listen. "Diantha recognized that Talonflame's heat could be productive for her, so she went right into Goodra so that his goo could harden onto the others. Ash however didn't think of that when he tried to defeat Gourgeist. Now Hawlucha is suffering because of it," he explained, the others now looking at him before letting out a surprised gasp except for the one called Sawyer, he was too busy writing this bit of news down.

"Hawlucha, you just have to break free of that gooey substance! We know you can do it!" Bonnie cried out, standing up on her seat (and in the process blocking part of Remo's view by accident), the others also giving their own cheers for the hard fighting Pokémon.

Hawlucha struggled to move his body, the goo proving to be a harder substance to move with than either himself or Ash planned. And with Goodra staring down at them, a Dragon Pulse forming in its mouth, they needed to try something. However, it was too late, as the Dragon Pulse was launched before Ash could make a command. Swallowing Hawlucha whole, the dragon-shaped blast exploded, taking another chunk out of the field, dirt and grass flying everywhere as Hawlucha's body lay motionless.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle! The winner is Goodra! And with that, Ash Ketchum has lost three Pokémon and we shall receive a short intermission," the referee declared, both sides recalling their Pokémon before the field lowered itself down into the ground.

"With Hawlucha's defeat, it brings the first half of this adrenaline filled battle to a close with Ash Ketchum having only three Pokémon remaining while the Champion, Diantha, still has five. Will Ash be able to make a comeback, or has this battle already been decided? We'll find out soon enough," the announcer asked out, the crowd murmuring from the results of the first half, Paul merely sighing before standing up.

"Where are you headed? The match will be resuming in about fifteen minutes," Astrid pointed out, Paul shrugging his shoulders before making his way towards the stairs.

"I have to use the restroom," he answered with a wave of his hand. It wasn't completely untrue, but there was another stop he had to make before that. And it seemed like he wasn't the only one as made clear by a few others making their way up the stairs as well. Ahead of him, he could make out Professor Oak's grandson, Sawyer and the moody guy with the Charizard, Alain was the name he wanted to call him but he wasn't quite sure. Trailing behind him, he could see the boy who had been on Ash's team for the Pokémon World Tournament and smirked at how many of them there were.

" _Time for a wakeup call."_

* * *

"With Hawlucha's defeat, it brings the first half of this adrenaline filled battle to a close with Ash Ketchum having only three Pokémon remaining while the Champion, Diantha, still has five. Will Ash be able to make a comeback, or has this battle already been decided? We'll find out soon enough," the announcer asked out, Ash shutting off the TV in the locker room as replays of the earlier battles began to flash by. Looking at his belt, Ash knew he was in a tight situation, he only had Talonflame, Greninja and Pikachu left for the battle and Diantha still had a few of her stronger Pokémon left, not to mention Gardevoir was still completely healthy.

"There's got to be something I can do to turn this around! Every time I try something, Diantha is already ahead of me and countering my next move before I make it!" Ash finally yelled out, tossing his hat off as he ran his hands through his hair. Pikachu ran to grab the item of clothing, placing it atop his own head before scurrying back over to Ash, sitting on the bench next to him.

"Pikapi! Pika! Pikachu," he stated, pretending to throw a few jabs at an invisible opponent only for Ash to remove the hat from his head before petting him softly. Pikachu couldn't help but let out a light "cha" from his enjoyment of the head scratching.

"You _could_ turn this around if you actually thought things through instead of just rushing into a situation," Paul's voice echoed in the room, the sound of the door slamming shut after it as a group of footsteps made their way towards Ash. Rounding the last corner that separated them, Ash was shocked to see his five major rivals all standing there before him, Paul standing in front of them all, as if to say they had the biggest rivalry out of all of them.

"Honestly," he scoffed, crossing his arms in disgust. "It's like you're not thinking things through completely out there. Just throwing ideas together and hoping one of them works. This isn't a normal battle, that won't work here."

"You think I don't know that?" Ash replied, letting his frustration finally get the better of him for a moment. Sighing out loud, Ash got his emotions back under control, throwing his hands behind his head before groaning in annoyance. "It's just, no matter what it is, she's got a counter for it. That Goodra has been a pain since the match begun and she still has Gardevoir rested."

"But you still have Pikachu and Greninja," Alain reminded him, flashing a smile at his rival. Ash had to agree there, if there were any two who could turn this battle around, it was them. "We've all seen how strong those two are. And whenever times get tough, they always seem to step up their battling."

"And besides, think of all the training you've done with Greninja since the last time you faced Diantha. Even if it was just a research battle for her, Greninja still made her Mega Evolve Gardevoir and you two still didn't have full control of his transformation," Sawyer joined in, helping Ash remember that battle against her on his way to Snowbelle City. "Though, I may have figured out a way around Goodra based on what I've seen."

Gary raised a hand up to the Hoenn native, not in a mean way, but to save Sawyer his time since they all knew Ash's response to getting outside help in any of his battles. Sawyer nodded, understanding Gary's signal before placing his notebook away. "Ashy-Boy, you're not just letting yourself down out there. But also each of us. Because...we're you're rivals even if we don't face each other in battle anymore. It doesn't make us any less excited to see how far we've grown since the last time any of us met you. And now that you're battling a Champion, who's to say any of us would have a shot at winning since you've beaten us all and now you're being beaten somewhat easily."

"This would have been easier if you all didn't come along," Paul groaned out, Ash wondering just what they all wanted other than telling him to step it up. Seeing his other rivals shrug their shoulders before making their exit, Ash wasn't too surprised to see Paul still there.

"Don't tell me this is your best effort. Because if it is, then I'm embarrassed to consider you my rival. I only want the strongest and toughest, both on the field and in the mind, for my rivals. So why don't you actually go out there and battle like we know you can?"

Ash smirked at the words, a buzzer going off to signal the start of the second half. At first, Ash didn't say a word, merely walking past Paul before pausing. "I'll do my best... Though, you don't have to act so tough all the time. It isn't _that_ hard to just say you want me to win as a friend."

"Don't push it," Paul immediately responded, but nodded for him to get going. Ash paused a moment, extending a fist to arguably his most influential rival, the Sinnoh native meeting him halfway as they pounded their fists together. "Now get out there and win."

"Will do," Ash replied, running out the door and down the hallway in a sprint. Making it back to the field, Ash could see that they would be battling it out in a rocky field, a few mountains surrounding a wasteland and a small stream of water running through it. He was surprised it wasn't something much bigger, especially since his matches against the Elite Four all had fancy fields.

"Ash, are you ready to continue?" Diantha called out from across the field, the Kanto native nodding his head in agreement. This time, it was going to turn out much different than the first half. "Good. Because I can't wait to see what you'll try and throw at me now."

Both trainers tossed their choices to begin the half out onto the field, Diantha going with Gourgeist while Ash chose Greninja. The crowd recognized the Ninja Pokémon immediately, cheering loudly for him as he uncrossed his arms and got into a fighting position.

"And the second half is about to begin! Will Ash be able to turn it around with his team lead by Greninja or is the gap too big to overcome? We'll find out starting now!" the announcer stated happily, the referee signaling for the two trainers to begin.

"Double Team, Greninja! Don't let them figure out which of you is the real one!" Ash shouted out, tossing his right hand out to the side. He figured to take out Gourgeist, they would need to play a similar game as it; stay hidden and strike when the time was perfect. And who else but Greninja was the perfect choice to do that.

"Gren!" the Water and Dark-Type shouted out, placing his hands together before smoke surrounded him. In less than a second, dozens of copies of the Ninja Pokémon surrounded the field as Gourgeist floated away like always. Neither Ash or Greninja worried, both of them closing their eyes to listen as a Focus Blast shot across the field, destroying a few of the copies.

Diantha smirked at the strategy deployed by Ash, though it was risky and not without its own dangers to it. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked, hand resting on her hip before pointing forward with her other hand. "If you continue to stand still, Gourgeist will be able to find the real one eventually. Now, use Leech Seed to dispose of the copies."

"Geist, eist, eist!" the Pumpkin Pokémon shouted out while shooting the seeds off like a gun. Vines erupted out of the rocky ground only for Greninja and his copies to slice through them with Night Slash and Aerial Ace. Landing back on the ground following their confrontation with the vines, Greninja stood patiently as everyone waited for Gourgeist's next move.

"We need to get rid of those copies and find the real Greninja..." Diantha muttered as the copies all reached for their sides, creating ninja stars made of water. Tossing them right for Gourgeist, the target disintegrating once more as the copies all closed their eyes and listened. A slight burning sound filled their ears along with a flickering flame appearing on the field, Gourgeist crying in pain filling the arena.

"There it is! Finish this with Night Slash!" Ash triumphantly called out, the Water and Dark-Type dashing towards the lit flame with all of his copies. Reaching for his purple sword, Greninja cut just underneath the flame, Gourgeist's body appearing to the entire arena. Everyone was surprised to see Gourgeist flying across the field from the attack, laying defeated on the ground.

"So, you managed a way to find Gourgeist and take it out with little effort," Diantha mused, the referee making the call while she returned the defeated Ghost and Grass-Type. "Though, I do wonder how you found Gourgeist. I know you said before it was by listening, but even then you couldn't hit it until Gourgeist was close to your Pokémon."

"Teamwork," Ash explained, rubbing underneath his nose while Greninja's copies vanished. "Talonflame managed to burn Gourgeist during their previous battle, so the point of the copies was just to stall until the burn activated and gave Gourgeist's location away. Then it was just attacking faster than it could move." Ash let out a light chuckle from his explanation, looking over at the section where his friends were seating. They seemed to be rather excited from just the opening battle, Bonnie now sitting on Remo's shoulders as the Clemont and Serena stood. He could also make out Brock and Dawn talking about something, what, he could only guess it was about the previous battle.

"I never thought to worry about the burn giving our location away. Things like this is why I view you as a top trainer. One good enough to warrant me going all out for once and not just using Gardevoir from the start," Diantha replied, gripping a new capture device. Tossing it onto the field, the mighty Goodra emerging once more with a loud thud.

"And the second half is already off to a fast start, Ash taking the first win with Greninja! But can they handle Goodra!? This beast of an opponent has already stopped both Noivern and Hawlucha in battle and is sure to put up a tough fight," the announcer stated, the scoreboard updating to show Gourgeist blacked out and next to Aurorus before Goodra's image lit back up.

"Careful, Greninja, this one can slow us down if you make contact with its goo. We'll have to think carefully before attacking," Ash warned his strongest Pokémon, the Ninja Pokémon nodding in agreement before placing his hands by his sides, ready to defend against any attack.

"If you won't attack, then we will! Goodra, Dragon Pulse!" Diantha ordered, tossing her hand forward. Goodra reared back before unleashing the familiar purple dragon from its mouth. Greninja and Ash both waited for the creature to strike, the latter calling for Greninja to dodge at the last possible second. Seeing Greninja now airborne, Diantha smirked happily, moving her gaze to the now falling Ninja Pokémon.

"You played right into my trap! Power Whip!"

"Gooo!" the Dragon-Type cried out once more, shooing his tail up into the air. Greninja had little time to react, kicking the appendage away from his body with an Aerial Ace, but goo splattered onto his leg only to be slammed in the side by the attack. Ash and Greninja both looked in surprise at how quickly Goodra could move his tail. Flipping off of the ground, Greninja landed in the small stream, keeping a distance between himself and Goodra.

" _Goodra is something else. With both long ranged and close quarter attacks it has a lot of options to counter us,"_ Ash thought to himself, staring at the menacing beast before them both. It was like Goodra was taunting them right now and there was nothing Ash could do to make it stop.

"Dragon Pulse once more!" Diantha ordered, flicking a finger forward and pointing it right for Greninja. Ash looked at his partner, not shocked in the least to see some goo sticking to his legs; even the water from the stream not washing it away. Gritting his teeth, Ash looked back at Goodra, seeing the creature already launching his attack.

"Hold your ground, Greninja! Cut right through it with Night Slash!" he quickly countered, reaching at his own sides for a pair of invisible blades. The duo may not have been synchronized just yet, but they were still copying each other's movements subconsciously.

"Greninj!" the Ninja Pokémon shouted, flipping his blades around to face the titanic Dragon Pulse. Cutting straight ahead of himself, Greninja created a small pocket of space within the attack where he was safe (though the attack still skimmed him along the side) keeping the damage to a minimum. Ash wasn't finished there, however, quickly calling for Greninja to throw the blades at Goodra. Nodding, the Water and Dark-Type lunged through the last bit of the Dragon Pulse and tossed his purple blades at Goodra.

The Dragon-Type wasn't expecting such a move and was met with two hits to the abdomen, losing its breath for a moment as Greninja sped across the field and delivered a powerful uppercut to its jaw. The impact forced Goodra to stumble backwards, but also smack Greninja away with its tail, the Ninja Pokémon flopping across the field before landing at the base of one of the mountains.

Goodra was now panting heavily, Ash hoping that all the damage it had accumulated between his three Pokémon was finally taking a toll on it. Though, he wasn't sure just yet and decided to play it safe for the moment, especially when Diantha called for an Ice Beam on the ground around Goodra.

The Dragon-Type obeyed, freezing the surrounding ground as Greninja jumped to higher ground, avoiding the freezing attack. "Now break it with your tail and throw it at Greninja!"

"Gren!?" Greninja called out in surprise, barely dodging a piece of the frozen field, Goodra having smacked his tail against the icy terrain and then tossing the broken pieces. Ash quickly called for an Aerial Ace, Greninja punching and kicking each block of ice and rock to smithereens, making it look like child's play for a moment until his movements started to slow due to the goo on his body.

One of the blocks struck Greninja in the face, knocking him down into the river before springing back onto the dry ground. Shaking off the pain, Greninja dashed forward, his speed noticeably slower than usual as more chunks flew his way.

"Double Team! Now!" Ash suddenly shouted, Greninja skipping the hand signs and creating multiple copies. Each of them also were covered in the strange slime Goodra was giving off with every touch, but Ash knew Diantha wouldn't be able to tell which was the original. Using teamwork amongst the five copies and Greninja, the group of six were now before Goodra.

"Gren! Gren! Greninja!" they all shouted out, the first copy punching forward with Aerial Ace before the remaining ones kicked Goodra straight upwards, its body actually being pushed off of the ground and into the air from the might of the hits. Greninja wasn't finished there, jumping above the airborne Goodra and delivering a spinning kick to the top of its head, slamming the beast down into the ground.

"I hope that did it..." Ash muttered, both himself and Goodra wiping sweat from their foreheads. Goodra didn't move, but Ash was still worried about the beast, it had managed to take a lot of hits prior to this battle and still keep going. However, this time proved to be its last battle, Goodra remaining still as the referee made the call.

"Goodra is unable to battle! Greninja is the winner!"

"Amazing! Ash and Greninja took down Goodra, the one Pokémon terrorizing his team in the entire first half of battle! Now having lost two straight Pokémon, I wonder who'll Diantha will choose for her next one!" the announcer continued on to the fans, the scoreboard updating to show Diantha and Ash with three Pokémon remaining. The only difference being that Diantha had two still perfectly healthy while he only had Pikachu still rested.

"Greninja, I think it's best for you to take a break right now, especially with us both knowing what's waiting for us," Ash stated, the Water and Dark-Type nodding in agreement. Ash didn't recall him into a Poké Ball however, choosing to have him stand beside him and Pikachu as they cheered on their team. Tossing a Poké Ball onto the field, Talonflame emerged in a burst of flames, ready to battle once again.

Diantha nodded with Ash's decision, her too tossing a Poké Ball out onto the field as a Hawlucha emerged on her side. Ash had a feeling that his friends (or rather Paul) didn't agree with his switch, but he needed Greninja to have time to rest before Gardevoir came onto the field.

"Start with Swords Dance!" Diantha ordered, the Wrestling Pokémon nodding in agreement before a mighty cry. Swords made of energy appeared around it, circling its body before the energy shot for Hawlucha's body, glowing from the increase in strength. It then rocketed right for Talonflame, fists glowing purple from Diantha ordering a Poison Jab.

"Take off, Talonflame, don't let it touch you with that attack!" Ash quickly called to his trusty flier. Talonflame screeched in agreement, lighting his body on fire before blasting skyward to avoid the poisonous punch. Hawlucha wasn't giving up yet, running up the mountain and then jumping from it and right for Talonflame. Using a quick aerial maneuver, Talonflame avoided the latest strike before circling back for the now falling Hawlucha.

"Flame Charge! Let 'em have it, Talonflame!"

"Talllllooooon!" it cried out, flames raging all around before ramming right into Hawlucha, sending the Wrestling Pokémon crashing into the ground. A small indent formed from the point of impact, Hawlucha getting right back up. Talonflame aimed for its target once more, only for Hawlucha to grip its wings, holding it in place.

"Toss it away and then Poison Jab!" Diantha stated, her voice growing more excited with each command, Ash feeling the same way. Neither wanted this battle to come to a close, but it was slowly getting there, both sides now down to just three Pokémon each.

"Lucha!" the luchador cried out, pushing Talonflame backwards before lifting up the Fire and Flying-Type. With a heavy heave, Hawlucha threw Talonflame onto its underside before pummeling it with a barrage of Poison Jabs. Talonflame cried out in pain, Ash also noticing a small line of poison present on its face, the Scorching Pokémon now poisoned from the assault.

They weren't going to take the attack without a fight, calling for a Flame Charge, Ash watched on, hands pumped by his chest as Talonflame burst into flames. The fire consumed Hawlucha, the Fighting and Flying-Type crying out from the burns inflicted onto his hands before jumping backwards from the intense heat. They weren't finished either, Talonflame slamming into the Wrestling Pokémon before collapsing from its own pain.

Both fighters got back up, neither willing to stop after just the beginning of their fight. Ash, however, knew that Talonflame was tiring. Especially since it was still reeling from its previous fights. Adding the toxins into its system only accelerated the fatigue. "Talonflame, I know that poison is killing you, but I need you to hold on for just a little longer. Let's get in there with a Brave Bird now! Show them what we can do!"

Talonflame nodded, flapping its wings before soaring high into the sky, the blazing blue flames surrounding its body once more. Now on a trajectory for Hawlucha, the Fighting and Flying-Type stood its ground. Taking the entire attack head on, Hawlucha then grabbed ahold of Talonflame's legs before holding it in a full nelson, the Scorching Pokémon now unable to fly away.

"You should know that Hawlucha are rather tough Pokémon, Ash," Diantha spoke up, Talonflame struggling to break free from the hold. Even Flame Charge was unable to break it free, Hawlucha just shrugging it off. "And so you should know they can handle a lot of damage. Even if it was risky, Hawlucha has been taking each blow and waiting for its chance to strike. Well...here it comes! Sky Drop and then right into Flying Press!"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha cried out, jumping high into the sky, Talonflame having grown too weak to fight back. Once at the peak of its leap, Hawlucha appeared to spin its captive, Talonflame growing dizzy from the attack before slamming him down towards the ground. Freefalling for the rock floor, Talonflame seemed to be in trouble, especially once Hawlucha spun around in midair. Falling straight for Talonflame, Hawlucha's body glowed the familiar color Ash's Hawlucha would.

The crowd cheered out for Hawlucha's finishing move, Ash seeing his friends worry slightly, but he wasn't scared. Letting out a light laugh, he adjusted his hat before pointing up to Talonflame and shifting his feet slightly. "Gotcha!" he shouted out, shocking not only the crowd but Diantha herself. In that moment, Talonflame stopped its descent, body blazing in blue flames once more before shooting straight for the falling Hawlucha.

"I know how Hawlucha like to battle and so there was only one way to beat it. Make it lower its guard during a final assault. But now, Talonflame has a wide-open attack! Brave Bird!"

"Tallllloooon!" the Fire and Flying-Type screeched out, the blue flames consuming its entire body before ramming right into Hawlucha's exposed chest. An explosion occurred upon contact, the only sound escaping the large smoke cloud being Talonflame's wings moving. Within in instant, Hawlucha's body plopped onto the field, unmoving, while Talonflame lowered itself slowly.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle! That makes Talonflame the winner!" the referee declared, the scoreboard once more being updated while Diantha recalled Hawlucha, sending Tyrantrum back onto the field immediately.

"Talonflame, you good to keep battling?" Ash asked, his trusty flier nodding in agreement before flying back into the air. Looking across at Tyrantrum, the Despot Pokémon seemed to be breathing heavily from its earlier bout with Hawlucha, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Ash knew this was going to be hard for Talonflame, especially having fought for a while already.

Diantha gave them no time to rest, however, calling for a Stone Edge attack immediately, the large pillars of rock shooting up from the ground within an instant. Talonflame cried out loudly, flying higher than the rocks could reach before diving straight for Tyrantrum. The Rock and Dragon-Type was waiting, and managed to swat Talonflame away with a powerful Dragon Tail attack before launching another Stone Edge, this time much faster than the last one.

"Quick, use your aerial maneuvers to dodge them!" Ash called out, Talonflame twisting around the glowing blue rocks before lighting itself on fire again. Using its increase in speed, Talonflame avoided the Stone Edge with ease before ramming into Tyrantrum, the attack doing little to the behemoth. Circling back around, Talonflame launched another assault, this time seeming to injure Tyrantrum, the Despot Pokémon flinching slightly from a blow right on its leg.

This revelation gave Ash an idea. One that may give him an advantage against the otherwise powerful opponent. Standing his ground, Ash called for a Steel Wing while Diantha countered with Head Smash. Racing across the field, the two opponents collided head on, Talonflame being thrown across the area before regaining its balance. Flying forward once more, the Scorching Pokémon landed the blow against Tyrantrum's knee. The blow knocked it down onto one knee, the pain being too much for the Rock and Dragon-Type to stand on. Having limited its mobility, Ash felt good about the battle.

"Let's really get on them! Brave Bird!"

"Flame!" Talonflame cried out once more, burning brightly before hitting Tyrantrum against the chest. Diantha quickly called for another Head Smash, but Talonflame flew out of the way before its entire body seized up, the poison taking effect again. Unable to fly, Talonflame dropped to the ground in pain, its body twitching for a moment before attempting to get back into the air.

"End it with Stone Edge, Tyrantrum!" Diantha commanded, punching forward with her left hand, the blue stones erupting from the ground. Talonflame tried to take off, but between its fatigue and poisoning, it couldn't move. Taking the Stone Edge head on, the Scorching Pokémon flew across the field before landing in the stream defeated.

"Talonflame is unable to battle! The winner is Tyrantrum!" the referee made the call once more. Ash silently thanked Talonflame for all its hard work, recalling it into its Poké Ball before looking over at Pikachu.

"Well, buddy, time for you to end what Talonflame started. Tyrantrum has a hard time moving now, but if we can really do some damage with our speed then this battle should go in our favor," he explained, Pikachu scurrying out onto the field in a hurry. Ash knew his best friend had waited for this moment, it was something they worked towards since first leaving Pallet Town all those years ago.

"And Ash Ketchum has chosen Pikachu as his final Pokémon! With this battle all tied up with two Pokémon apiece, who will come out victorious!?" the announcer asked, the scoreboard now showing Pikachu's image on it. There was only one blank image left, Ash knowing that it belonged to Gardevoir, the hardest battle they would have.

"Let's move quick! Start off with a Quick Attack!" Ash shouted out, pushing forward with his fists. Pikachu dashed off in under a second, the white light trailing behind him as he dashed across the stream and then the rocky surface. Aiming right for Tyrantrum, the Mouse Pokémon used his overwhelming speed advantage to slam himself right into Tyrantrum's jaw, flying backwards before landing safely.

Diantha wasn't going to sit back and not battle though, raising a hand, she stared down Pikachu, knowing full well what was to be expected with the little Electric-Type. "Tyrantrum, knock that Pikachu back with your Stone Edge, and once he's hit, use Earthquake!"

"Rantrum!" the Despot Pokémon cried out happily, slamming its tail into the ground, causing the overly familiar stones to erupt outwards once more. This time, however, Ash and Pikachu were ready, launching a Thunderbolt right through the stones, destroying each of them with ease before shocking Tyrantrum. The attack did little to slow down the beast however, the Rock and Dragon-Type slamming his tail against the ground to create shockwaves.

Ash grit his teeth as Pikachu lost his balance. There was nothing they could do to avoid an Earthquake attack, especially since Pikachu couldn't fly like the others. But, an idea did come to Ash's mind. It wasn't the best, but it would have to do in a time like this. "Quick, Pikachu, use an Iron Tail on the ground to launch yourself into the air! Once you're up there, use Electro Ball and Thunderbolt!"

"Chu pika!" Pikachu cried out, whipping his tail down onto the hard surface. Indenting it, Pikachu flung himself up into the sky, now unaffected by the constant tremors induced by Tyrantrum. Focusing his energy into his tail, Pikachu soon formed an orb of electricity, the sphere growing larger after every second. Sensing that it was strong enough, the Electric-Type flung the orb forward, spinning in the air from his motion.

"Pika...chuuuuuuu!" he then added, launching off a large bolt of energy behind the Electro Ball. Colliding into the powerful sphere, the Thunderbolt appeared to only strengthen the original attack, the Electro Ball growing at the very least three sizes before smashing into Tyrantrum. Ash could see the excitement from Bonnie's eyes, Sawyer writing more notes down from the match as Ash returned focus to Tyrantrum. Even after all that, the beast was ready to keep going on, standing on both legs now as it rushed for Pikachu.

"It's going to take more than that to stop Tyrantrum! Head Smash!" Diantha cried out, Tyrantrum running straight into Pikachu as the Mouse Pokémon flew right by Ash and towards the stadium wall. Seeing this, Pikachu braced himself for impact, pushing off the wall as Ash ordered a Quick Attack. The white light covered his body before he launched forward. The light shot off his body, the tiny Electric-Type slamming into Tyrantrum and causing it to stumble backwards a moment, giving Ash their opening.

"Let's do this! Iron Tail!" he shouted, Pikachu spinning around in the air, his tail smashing underneath Tyrantrum's jaw before he landed on the ground softly. The last blow proved to be too much for Tyrantrum, the mighty Despot Pokémon finally keeling over in defeat as Ash and Pikachu both wiped sweat off of their faces. It had been a fast pace battle just now, but if it weren't for the damage induced by both Hawlucha and Talonflame, Pikachu would have had to work much harder now. But, the match was only _just_ beginning. For now came the hardest part.

"Pikachu, come take a break for a few moments." Pikachu agreed without any arguments, high-fiving Greninja as the two Pokémon passed each other on the field. Ash sighed a moment before glancing up at his friends. Clemont seemed to be ready to pass out while Bonnie had started an entire cheer section between some of his friends and even complete strangers watching the match. He could even make out what looked to be Jessie, James and Meowth eating away at what looked to be food they were selling. Wobbuffet seemed utterly heartbroken by the three of them hogging the food, only to be handed a boxed lunch. Though, hearing the sound of Tyrantrum being recalled, Ash snapped back to attention.

"It's been a while since I've had to use all six of my Pokémon..." Diantha mused, handling her final Poké Ball gently. As if there was an unspoken bond (which Ash knew why) between the creature within it and her. "I've really enjoyed this battle, so much that it reminded me of all the good trainers like you and your friends can help accomplish. I never had a chance to properly thank you for everything you've done for the region of Kalos, Ash. So, I guess our battle here is my present. Especially since to you, there's no better gift than a well fought battle between two trainers."

"You've got that right," Ash replied, staring down his opponent, grins plastered across both of their faces while Greninja remained ready, the entire stadium growing silent as Diantha tossed the capture device forward. "I'll be sure to come at you with everything we've got!"

"Gardevoir, friend, I need your assistance! Stand by me in battle and help guide us to victory!" the Champion shouted, the device opening to reveal Gardevoir standing on the field, looking right at Greninja. Both Pokémon seemed to have an unbreakable respect for the other, Ash realizing that they wanted to finish their last battle since it got interrupted. It had partially been the reason for calling Pikachu back to begin with; Greninja wanted this win more than anything, and Ash could feel it. After everything they had been through in Kalos, it all amounted to this one final battle.

"This battle is coming right down to the wire here, folks! With two Pokémon remaining, Ash Ketchum, seems to be in control but he still has to face Gardevoir! This Pokémon isn't Diantha's ace for nothing after all, having never lost an official League battle after her debut League where Diantha made it to the Quarter-Finals. The next year, the young duo catapulted their way to victory with their strong bonds, winning the Vanquier Conference and then easily defeating the Elite Four and Drasna!

"Ash and Greninja are no slouches either, giving us one of the most exciting League battles of all time in their bout with runner-up Alain and his Mega Charizard! It's a battle of the aces now and no one knows which side will win!" the announcer declared, Ash breathing slowly before narrowing his eyes. He had only one goal in mind: winning.

Greninja dashed across the field, Gardevoir firing off a Shadow Ball only for Greninja to kick it away with an Aerial Ace. The attack exploded against the field, Greninja paying little attention as his glowing fist just skimmed against Gardevoir's face. The blow appeared to do nothing, the Psychic and Fairy-Type blowing Greninja backwards with another Shadow Ball.

Brushing the attacks off, both Pokémon appeared to have a feel for the others current level of strength; Ash knowing that they were at the disadvantage against a fully rested Gardevoir. Still, this was where they would make their final stand. Pumping his fist forward, Greninja copied the action as the crowd cheered in excitement.

"Let's show them just what we got!"

* * *

 **Guys...it's almost done. One final chapter to go after this one. Next chapter will be the end of this match along with wrapping everything up.**

 **As for the battle itself, I'm hoping that it delivered, but the main part is yet to come with the final showdown going on next chapter. For those of you who don't understand why I went with the Kalos team here...well, there are a few reasons:**

 **1) I purposefully gave each of Ash's previous Aces their own time to shine at different moments in the story to leave this final battle for the Kalos team. Sceptile against Siebold, Charizard against Drasna (not to mention his ME arc), Krookodile against Malva, Infernape against Paul. Not to mention all the other battles I gave to his non-Kalos Pokémon.**

 **2) They're a team. Yes, a team filled with aces would have been interesting to read and write, but I feel like Kalos was an actual team not just powerhouses who would trade blows. Working together by weakening their opponents and using what was left to them to its fullest.**

 **3) This story takes place in Kalos so why wouldn't I end it with the Kalos team shinning? Especially since I showed they were mostly Elite Four level with the match against Wikstrom.**

 **Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.**


	78. The End of a Journey

**Welcome back everyone! It's finally here, the last chapter of this long story! It's a bittersweet moment for me, but I'll get into that and my thanks to all of you at the end of the chapter. For now, it's time to see how this story ends!**

 **Though, I did have two songs planned to go with the battle. Namely XYZ (because who wouldn't play it here) and Type:Wild.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Ch 78: The End of a Journey**

* * *

"The crowd is ready and based on their looks, so are both trainers _and_ Pokémon! It's all come down to this, Ash Ketchum, has pushed Diantha down to her final Pokémon! Can Gardevoir show just why she's the strongest in Kalos or will there be a new Champion being crowned today!?" the announcer asked, Ash doing his best to ignore those words. He didn't need anything distracting him; not when he was _this_ close.

"Greninja, let's show them everything! Water Shuriken, let's go! Then get in there with Aerial Ace!" he shouted out happily, clasping at his sides, the Ninja Pokémon emulating the action. Soon, the ninja stars formed in his hands, Greninja tossing out six of the deadly attacks. Once they were launched, Greninja was off and running, his limbs glowing a bright white.

Gardevoir and Diantha didn't seem worried, the former dodging each ninja star without the need to be told to dodge. However, the last Water Shuriken crashed into the ground, kicking up dirt and clouding Gardevoir's view. Before either Gardevoir or Diantha could react, Greninja's fist shot through the dirt cloud. Smashing right against Gardevoir's face, Greninja pulled his fist back before swinging his leg around and hitting her side. Sliding backwards, Gardevoir brushed the hits off easily.

"Clever," Diantha responded, smiling over at her opponents. "You knew Gardevoir would dodge, so you used the Water Shuriken as a distraction to get in close. I shouldn't have expected anything less from you, Ash."

Pointing out towards the field, Diantha issued her next command. Calling for a Moonblast, Diantha watched on happily as Gardevoir shinned brightly, the energy soon forming a large sphere atop her body. Launching it forward with all her might, Gardevoir watched the attack soar right for Greninja but also used this moment to vanish from sight.

"Be careful, Greninja! Gardevoir is hiding somewhere and using that Moonblast to make us forget about her," Ash warned his strongest partner, Greninja showing no signs of worry, lifting his hands up to hold back the blast.

"Gren!" he shouted out, exerting a lot of energy to hold back the blast. Pushing forward, Greninja shoved the attack straight back, the large sphere of energy soaring back against the sky and out of the stadium. Sensing another attack coming, Greninja flipped high into the sky, his purple blades drawn as he slashed right through a Shadow Ball attack. Standing underneath him was none other than Gardevoir, the Psychic and Fairy-Type standing down there calmly. Gardevoir fired two more Shadow Balls off, Greninja able to destroy the first before the second slammed into his chest, causing him to fall onto the ground

Greninja rose back up, only a few scratches showing from that last attack. Turning to Ash, the duo locked eyes before water began to surround Greninja.

"Diantha, time to stop playing games! We're going all out now, so you better be ready!" Ash shouted out, the geyser now swallowing Greninja whole before rushing towards his back. Creating the familiar ninja star on his back, the water stopped moving, sticking to Greninja's back as the Ninja Pokémon cried out.

"Well, guess we'll go all out too," Diantha replied, clasping onto her necklace, the Keystone now glowing as her fingers wrapped around it. Gardevoir's corresponding Mega Stone glowed as well, the two lights joining together as Gardevoir began her transformation. "Let our hearts merge together in this fight and win together! Gardevoir, Mega Evolve!"

The light slowly faded away, Mega Gardevoir now standing across from Ash-Greninja. The two sides showed no emotion, silence filling the arena now as everyone watching were at the edge of their seats. Noise only filling the place when the two sides issued their respective commands.

"Moonblast!"

"Water Shuriken!"

The two moves were launched in a blink of an eye, Greninja launching his trusty shuriken forward, the increased size and strength having helped it in the past to overcome challenges. Gardevoir wasn't slouching either, firing off her compressed sphere of energy across the field, the two attacks meeting head on. An explosion occurred, dirt and dust shooting out across the arena as visibility was non-existent again. Greninja's feet could be heard pounding against the rocky surface, spectators unable to see what was happening down on the field.

"Keep going, Greninja!" Ash shouted, see just what Greninja could. Sweeping his arms and legs around, the Ninja Pokémon continued to miss the speedy Gardevoir, always too late to strike her. However, there was a pattern forming with her evading. It seemed like she was constantly moving away to behind Greninja, trying to strike him. The Water and Dark-Type was too quick however, able to swing around and either punch or kick at her location.

"Now, Gardevoir!" Diantha's voice echoed out across the field, Ash worrying just what was about to happen. Before Greninja or Ash could react, the dust cloud covering the field was blown away, revealing to everyone the large swarm of Shadow Balls now floating above the two Pokémon. A blue glow left them floating in place, the energy beginning to fade away but not before pushing them down towards Greninja.

Gardevoir vanished once more from sight, reappearing before Diantha as Greninja struggled to dodge the attack raining down onto him. Ash grit his teeth from this, but kept his cool. Calling for a Double Team once more, the copies appeared in an instant as a few were immediately destroyed by the barrage of Shadow Balls.

"Gren! Greninja!" the Ninja Pokémon cried out, his copies and himself running around to avoid the Shadow Balls, their numbers dwindling with each blast. Looking like they were going to survive the attack, only for a bright light to shine, Greninja and his copies being struck by a sudden Moonblast.

"Keep after them! Charge Beam, Gardevoir, don't let them have a moment to recover!" Diantha stated proudly, her loyal partner rocketing after the retreating figure of Greninja.

"Gardevoir!" the Embrace Pokémon cried out loudly, cupping her hands before her body. Electrical sparks soon formed until a miniature ball formed within, Gardevoir pushing it forward as it soon formed into a laser and went right for Greninja's blasted body.

"Gardevoir and Diantha have Greninja on the run now! But can Ash's mightiest Pokémon fight back!? He seems to be pretty banged up after that surprise attack and now with _another_ powerful move coming for him, this might be it!" the announcer called out, Greninja opening his eyes wide open before reaching for his giant shuriken.

Whipping it around to the front of his body, Greninja shielded himself from the approaching blast, the shuriken absorbing the electrical attack into itself. Slamming the powerful attack into the ground, Greninja stopped his momentum before running straight for Gardevoir. Tossing the electrically induced shuriken forward, Greninja vanished from view for a moment as Gardevoir tried to dodge the Water Shuriken only to be unable to move.

"And Greninja is holding Gardevoir in place! There's nowhere to go now as his own attack is barreling straight for the both of them!" the announcer cried out in surprise, the Water Shuriken striking Gardevoir as Greninja managed to dodge in the last second.

Ash adjusted his cap while Greninja ran for the now blasted backwards Gardevoir. Racing forward, Greninja pulled out his purple kunai, now running parallel to Gardevoir. Slashing against the Embrace Pokémon across the chest he then kicked her straight up into the sky.

"Garde!" she shouted, stopping her ascent with her Psychic, now floating above the field. Greninja appeared to be panting now, Gardevoir herself feeling a little winded but had no visible damage on her unlike her opponent. Raising her hands together, the Psychic and Fairy-Type fired off the yellow streak once more.

Greninja leapt backwards, barely dodging the beam at first as it caused an explosion, a crater forming on the field. The beam was launched once more, Greninja pulling out his purple kunai once more before throwing them straight into the blast. The blades sliced right through the electrical energy before striking Gardevoir. The blades appeared to merely bounce off of her, but Ash could tell they caused enough damage, as evident by Gardevoir lowering herself back onto the field.

" _Greninja has to be reaching his limits soon,"_ Ash thought to himself, having kept the pain he felt to himself. Now wasn't the time to show Diantha or those watching how tired they were. They had to hold on. Just a little longer. " _Gardevoir is also tiring. Even if our attacks aren't as strong as hers, she's still being worn down."_

Let's go, Greninja! Double Team and then Aerial Ace!" he shouted out, pumping his fist before his face. Sighing out lightly, Ash felt his legs start to grow tired as Greninja summoned forth his army of copies. Together, the gathered fighters rushed forward, limbs glowing white as Gardevoir waited for them all.

"Charge Beam! Wide range! Wipe them all out before he can touch you," Diantha countered, herself also having a hard time breathing. The two trainers had put everything they had into this match and it was showing with most of the field having been torn up because of them.

Raising her hands before her body again, Gardevoir formed the electrical sphere once more before shooting it off into a beam. Sweeping it from side to side, the electrical current surged through Greninja and his copies, causing them great pain. The Ninja Pokémon wouldn't be stopped though, his shared determination with Ash pushing him onwards, running through the Charge Beam and punching Gardevoir across her face.

"Shadow Ball!" Diantha called out, Gardevoir forming a weakened version of the energy attack to push Greninja off of her.

Now with space between both of them, the two sides took a moment, a shared sense of accomplishment being passed through the two trainers. Ash could feel the joy brought on from their match, Diantha smiling happily from just how much Ash was pushing her. He had to admit, if it weren't for the end of the battle, he probably wouldn't last much longer. Taking in a deep breath, the Kanto native punched forward, Diantha completing the exact same motion as both trainers called for another attack.

"Moonblast!"

"Double Team!"

Greninja vanished in a cloud of smoke, hundreds of his copies now surrounding the field as Gardevoir fired off her mighty attack. The Moonblast managed to slam into a large chunk of the copies, but the original was still out there hidden amongst them all.

"All right! It worked!" Ash shouted, one of the Greninja jumping off of the last bit if mountain and high above the field. Ash locked eyes with Diantha, the Champion looking worried as to what he'll do next. "Diantha, this match has been so much fun. Unfortunately, I have to end it here, Gardevoir is too powerful and if we let this keep going…well...it won't end well for us. Water Shuriken! Full power!" Ash shouted out, reaching behind his back while Greninja did.

Holding the Shuriken like a giant rod, Greninja pulled his copies into each, all of them turning into liquid before making contact. Growing in size, the Shuriken was now at the very least three times larger than before, Ash nodding at it. The ninja star wasn't as powerful as the one used atop Prism Tower, but this would have to do. Besides, it was using just his and Greninja's energy.

"Gren! Ninja!" the Water and Dark-Type shouted, tossing the attack down at Gardevoir. The entire crowd gasped in shock, wondering if this would be the end of the battle. Ash could see his friends celebrating, but he knew better than to celebrate before the call was made, instead waiting for the attack to finish.

Diantha wasn't going down without a fight though. Pointing forward, she called out for one more Moonblast, the large sphere of energy shooting straight for the ninja star. Colliding against the behemoth of an attack, Gardevoir's Moonblast did little but explode on contact, covering the field in a light mist before the Water Shuriken crashed into the field. The only sight being that of Greninja falling back towards the field, reverting back into his base due to a lack of energy. Ash himself was on his rear end, panting heavily.

"Did...did...did we do it?" Ash grunted out, his entire body feeling pain running through it. The mist was still covering the field, making it impossible to see anything, but Ash could feel Greninja landing on the rocky surface.

A clapping sound soon entered his ears, Ash perking up with a sense of worry. Diantha's voice soon raised his fear. "That was close, Ash. You nearly had us. Though, we didn't get away from that attack without some harm done to us."

The mist was now clearing away, Ash seeing most of the field having been destroyed by that last attack, Gardevoir nowhere to be seen until she finally appeared behind an exhausted Greninja. Ash called out to him to try and dodge, but the Ninja Pokémon's body wouldn't respond, too tired to even jump out of the way. Before either of them knew it, Gardevoir launched another Moonblast into Greninja's back.

The powerful Pokémon was shot across the field, the attack exploding in front of the referee before Greninja dropped to the ground defeated.

"Greninja is unable to battle! The winner is Gardevoir!" the referee declared, the stadium growing silent from the sudden comeback. Ash had to admit, he too thought it was over for a split second, his hope having been dashed the moment clapping could be heard.

"Greninja is down! Greninja. Is. Down," the announcer cried out, his voice giving away just who he thought would be victorious. "In a stunning turn of events, it's Greninja who falls in defeat and not Gardevoir! That has to be a huge blow for Ash Ketchum!"

"Gren..." the Ninja Pokémon grunted out, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Ash could tell he was barely able to do that, his determination alone allowing him to get into a sitting position.

Making his way out onto the field, Ash helped Greninja up, throwing the amphibian's arm over his shoulder as they made their way off the field. Now back on his platform, Ash helped Greninja sit down softly, using his jacket as a blanket to soften the hard floor.

"I just have to ask," Ash began to say, a large smile on his face as he threw his arms behind his head. "How _did_ Gardevoir avoid that attack? I thought for sure it was large enough to finish her, especially since I got the idea for it from the one created atop Prism Tower when we tried to stop Team Rocket."

"The Moonblast," Diantha began, smiling at her opponent, Gardevoir catching her breath while the two trainers talked. "It wasn't meant for anything else but to give us about one to two seconds extra to dodge. It wasn't noticeable, but that giant Water Shuriken slowed down very slightly upon impact with our attack. That gave us the chance to dodge and take down Greninja once all his strength was used up."

"Gren! Greninja!" the Water and Dark-Type shouted out, punching the floor in frustration. Ash grabbed his arm, however, stopping him.

"Don't be upset. I could never ask for more than what you did today, Greninja," Ash spoke out, his strongest Pokémon growing silent from it. Ash understood how badly Greninja wanted the win, but without him, they wouldn't have gotten this far. "Words can't describe how proud I am towards you and the others, you were all outstanding. So instead of being disappointed in what you didn't do, be proud of what you did do. You took down two of her Pokémon and weakened Gardevoir to the point Pikachu will have an even chance now. So you rest now, Greninja.

"Leave everything up to Pikachu now!" Ash shouted out, tapping fists with Pikachu as the little mouse jumped up to assure his best friend he had this. Pointing towards the field, Ash yelled out his final Pokémon. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pikapi! Pika!" he cried out, scurrying onto what was left of the field. The mountains were now gone, just a flat platform of what was there, while craters littered the field. The stream seemed to be the only part still intact, but the area around it was soaked from the water splashing around during the battle.

"And here we go folks! The final battle of this match is about to get underway, whoever is left standing shall be the Champion of Kalos," the announcer stated, Ash adjusting his hat before pointing forward.

"Start off with Quick Attack, Pikachu, don't let Gardevoir get a good aim of you!" he stated happily, Pikachu sprinting off across the field, Gardevoir following him as best she could in her current condition. Though she hadn't been struck directly by the Water Shuriken, she was still tired from the entire battle with Greninja.

"Pi pi pika!" Pikachu cried out, zigzagging around the field as Diantha ordered a Shadow Ball. Finding where Pikachu would be next, Gardevoir fired off the sphere, the ghostly energy heading right for Pikachu. Seeing this, Pikachu leapt into the air, performing a summersault as his tail glowed white. Slicing right through the Shadow Ball, Pikachu landed on the ground without any harm, the now sliced in half attack exploding on contact with the ground.

"Keep up the pressure, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Gardevoir, keep that attack at bay with Charge Beam!"

The two Electric-Type attacks were launched in no time at all, Pikachu staying on the move while he fired his. Colliding against each other, the two blasts exploded, kicking up a gust of wind as Pikachu dug his paws into the ground to keep his footing. Gardevoir however was pushed back slightly, her fatigue starting to get the better of her. Using this for his one chance, Pikachu sped across the remaining distance and slammed into her abdomen before sprinting away.

"Great job, Pikachu! Now, let's get another Thunderbolt!" Ash called out happily, Pikachu sprinting all around the field. Ash had to admit, this was going to be risky; either Gardevoir would be knocked out or Pikachu would overexert himself by staying on the move constantly. Betting on the former, Ash watched as Pikachu continued to sprint around the field, avoiding combinations of Shadow Ball, Moonblast and Charge Beam, none of those attacks able to strike him successfully.

"Chhuuuuuu!" he shouted, his fur bristling with electricity before shooting it right at Gardevoir. The Embrace Pokémon was caught by surprise, the electricity flowing through her body as she slumped forward from the pain. Holding his breath, Ash watched as their opponent recovered, launching a Shadow Ball right at Pikachu, the blast exploding before him and sending him skidding across the field. Gardevoir wasn't letting up, Diantha calling for her partner to chase down Pikachu and defeat him before he could strike again.

"And Pikachu is proving to be a pesky opponent, Gardevoir being unable to land a direct hit while the Mouse Pokémon sprints around the field. However, that last hit may have changed things, Gardevoir forcing Pikachu to go on the defensive!" the announcer explained to all those watching. Ash grit his teeth from the news, especially since there was nothing he could do to stop it. Gardevoir was now chasing Pikachu around the field, explosions occurring as the Electric-Type used his Thunderbolt attack to cancel out any incoming blasts. It proved to be of little use however, Gardevoir being able to fire the attacks faster than Pikachu could get off his Thunderbolt.

"Now! Moonblast once more, Gardevoir, send Pikachu flying!" Diantha shouted, swinging her arm off to the side in a quick motion. Ash watched on, Gardevoir disappearing for a moment before reappearing in front of his best friend. The energy surrounding her body soon shot off, slamming into Pikachu as his best friend crashed against the rocky remains of the field, rolling down into one of the craters. Ash felt bad for Pikachu, but the little Mouse Pokémon got back up, sparks flying from his cheeks.

"Ash, I don't wish to hurt Pikachu," Diantha spoke, pausing the action for a moment as Pikachu scurried out of the crater and stared down Gardevoir. "Right now, Pikachu is in no condition to face Gardevoir, we've managed to overpower him. As much as it pains me to ask this, please, call off the match. I don't know what I would do if I hurt him too much."

"No way," Ash replied, staring down the Champion of Kalos. He didn't care if it sounded rude or immature of him; there was no way he was giving in. Not now. Not after all the hard work everyone else put in for this match to get to this point. So their original strategy of staying on the move backfired, well, maybe it was best to switch things up. "Don't underestimate Pikachu. Because whenever I've needed him, he's always come through for me in the biggest ways possible. And I know he'll pull through again! Our training has made up both ready for this point and we'll show you right here! We're winning this match, Diantha!" Ash shouted, raising his fist in front of his hand before punching forward, a light breeze being created by his action. Pikachu smiled at his comments, getting down on all four paws before sparking with electricity once more.

"Okay, let's show them how dangerous we can get! Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" the Mouse Pokémon bounded off, showing an increase of speed despite being hurt. It seemed as if their determination was burning so much that they were giving each other strength.

"Keep him away with a Shadow Ball!" Diantha ordered, Gardevoir firing off the attack so fast that Ash had a hard time keeping up with it. Pikachu on the other hand dodged it easily, spinning out of the way before ramming into Gardevoir's stomach and holding on tight. "Get him off! Quick!" Diantha called out, worried about where this was heading. Gardevoir began to reach for Pikachu, but the Electric-Type scurried out of her reach, staying planted on her back before releasing his electrical discharge.

Sparks flew all across Gardevoir's body, the electrical current causing more damage than any of them expected it to do. She was hanging strong however, doing her best to shake Pikachu off as the pest continued to release his Thunderbolt attack onto his greatest opponent yet. Finally having enough of it all, Gardevoir glowed blue for a moment, Pikachu floating off of her and slamming into the ground from her Psychic attack.

"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash stated, the two smiling at each other before he pointed forward. "Now go and give them your Iron Tail attack!"

"Pika! Pikachu!" the Electric-Type stated proudly, sprinting off to face Gardevoir once more. Diantha knew that at this point in the match, a direct hit like that would be deadly and called for a Psychic attack. However, Gardevoir didn't move, instead taking the attack head on as sparks crossed her body.

"Oh no!" Diantha gasped out, Pikachu's Iron Tail slamming across Gardevoir's face as the Embrace Pokémon skidded across the ground until stopping at Diantha's feet. She began to get back up slowly, but the electrical sparks covered her body once more, slowing her movements as Pikachu made a second attempt at striking. "You were paralyzed during that Thunderbolt. This will be problematic, but knock Pikachu away with Moonblast and then we'll think of something.

"Gardevoir," she replied, summoning forth the energy before launching it at the now airborne Pikachu. The Electric-Type went to slice the energy sphere in half, but this time it proved to be too much, Pikachu being thrown backwards from the powerful attack as he came to a stop before Ash. Both Pokémon were bruised and battered, their breaths heavy. They looked ready to pass out from exhaustion despite the short battle, but their trainers knew that wasn't the case. If they were allowed to, they would probably continue battling for hours.

"Gardevoir, listen carefully," Diantha spoke up, wiping a few drops of sweat away from her forehead as her partner caught her breath. Ash was watching carefully, Pikachu breathing heavily. He knew this battle could end at any moment, but they were going to make sure they were the ones standing at the end. "The moment Pikachu attacks, go in for a counter with a Psychic. Trap him and then end it with Moonblast."

"Devoir." With a head nod, Gardevoir raised her hands, ready to counter the first attack from Pikachu. Ash however had a different plan.

"Pikachu, time to get ready and end this! Electro Ball!" Ash shouted out, Pikachu readying the attack on the tip of his tail before streaking for Gardevoir. Blue energy began to escape her body, the psychic waves traveling right for Pikachu as he braced himself for the strangle hold. Ash however had a different idea, having Pikachu toss the Electro Ball forward and then aim a Thunderbolt at it.

Doing so, Pikachu fired the two Electric-Type moves in perfect succession of each other, an explosion causing dust to kick up and disrupt Gardevoir's focus. The blue waves soon vanished, Pikachu now sprinting at Gardevoir, his tail glowing white once more.

"Not this time, Ash!" Diantha shouted out, arms pumped by her sides. Yelling out at the top of her lungs, Diantha gave what she hoped would be her own final command. "Moonblast!"

Gardevoir moved as best she could, gathering just enough energy to get the attack off as it rammed into Pikachu mid-jump. The blast carried him back, landing in the river as it exploded, Pikachu's body not moving an inch as he lay there. The crowd grew silent, the outcome seeming more and more likely as Pikachu didn't move. Ash however knew it wasn't over just yet, sensing that Pikachu still had more fight in him.

"Come on, Pikachu! We're all believing in you!" Ash shouted out, hands cupped over his mouth. The referee was now beginning to raise his hand to make the call, Ash still not giving up. "Remember our dream together! We've come so far and we're still growing, Pikachu! We'll face this challenge head on...together!" he finished up, Pikachu's body sparking for a second, the referee stopping the call as Pikachu's ears twitched.

"Come on, Pikachu, get back up. Just for a little longer..." Ash muttered out, his hands clenched tightly. Pikachu slowly began to move, Ash letting out a huge sigh of relief as his best friend rolled over onto his stomach and crawled out of the stream before shaking off the water.

"Pi...ka...pi..." he muttered out, his eyes half open as Ash realized he was almost out cold but still fighting. Ash wanted to call off the battle knowing this, but it wouldn't be fair to Pikachu. Deciding to end it in one swift move, he made his command.

"Sorry, Diantha, it's been real fun, but we can't take any more hits!" he shouted out, flipping his cap backwards as Pikachu went down onto all four paws. "Thunderbolt!"

"I figured we were nearing the end. Time to finish this before one of us is injured! Moonblast!" she countered, the two blasts colliding in the center of the field, merging into a large sphere of energy, expanding outward until their new creation couldn't hold any more energy. Exploding, dust, rocks and the water from the stream shot everywhere as Ash and Diantha shielded their eyes from the flying debris. Even amidst the debris, Ash made the final command.

"Now, Pikachu! Electro Ball and Iron Tail! Together!"

Diantha called for a counter, but looking out onto the field, she could make out the sparks all over Gardevoir's body, the Psychic and Fairy-Type struggling to stand from the paralysis. Ash just smiled on, a small speck of yellow falling through the sky as the debris storm subsided until everyone in the stadium could see Pikachu now heading right for Gardevoir.

"Chu pika!" Pikachu roared out, the excitement in his voice causing Ash to smile uncontrollably as his best friend spun through the air, smashing the electrically charged Iron Tail down onto Gardevoir's head. A loud bang filled the stadium, Gardevoir smashing down into the ground as Pikachu rolled across the ground following the hit. Using the last of his strength, Pikachu waddled over to a rock before leaning against. His breathing heavy, Pikachu looked almost out cold as he gave off a blank stare.

Ash likewise was ready to pass out, but he managed to hold on long enough until he heard those words he had been waiting for.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu and so that means Ash Ketchum has won the match and is the new official Champion of Kalos!" the referee declared, the crowd going nuts. But Ash didn't hear any of it. He was too tired from the battle as his legs gave out, his body landing on the field as Pikachu waddled over to him.

"W-We did...we did it, Pikachu. Thank you," he muttered out softly, eyes shutting as he passed out from exhaustion. Pikachu sat down next to him, licking his face softly before he too passed out.

* * *

Ash woke suddenly, not remembering much from however long he was out. Looking around the room, he seemed to be in a fancy place as evident by the fine carpets and pristine white walls. Sitting up, Ash finally noticed Serena by his bedside, sleeping in a hunched position as she leaned over the bed. It brought a smile to his face (not the hunched over part. He figured that must have been uncomfortable) to see her next to him. Though, it made him question just how the match ended. All he could remember was Pikachu aiming for Gardevoir with his last attack, everything else was a blur for him.

"Serena...psst, Serena, wake up," Ash softly said, shaking her shoulder softly. Serena began to stir, turning her head softly as her eyes slowly opened, widening once they saw Ash sitting up in bed. "I thought you were never going to wake up, mind telling me where everyone is?" he joked, Serena standing up as Ash got out of bed.

"You were amazing out there, Ash," she cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck as the duo had a small hug. Pulling away, she grabbed him by the hand and led him out of the small bedroom he was in. "Everyone has been waiting for you. After Pikachu's last attack, you passed out from exhaustion and have been sleeping for almost two days. Diantha just woke up yesterday, though Steven has been taking care of her."

"Two days..." Ash muttered out, realizing that his jacket, hat and Poké Balls were missing. Turning down a hallway, Ash figured that without Serena, he probably would have gotten lost already. The inside of the League's headquarters was huge, though it all looked the same to Ash.

Serena didn't respond, instead leading him through a large stained-glass door, a loud round of applause filling his ears while his body felt crushed. "Oh I'm so proud of my little boy. Though I guess you're not a boy anymore, but you'll always be one to me," his mother's voice cried out as he was released from the death hug. To his surprise, his mother and Professor Oak were here. As were Brock, Clemont and Bonnie. Off to the side, he could see the Champions (or former in the case of Diantha and Lance) as Steven and Cynthia were trying to mention something important to Alder, the latter paying little attention as he attempted to flirt with Diantha. Steven put a quick stop to that much to Lance's amusement. The five soon exited the room, making their way down to whatever Ash could hear happening on the lower level.

"Mom? Professor Oak?" Ash asked, still trying to figure everything out, but he was starting to piece everything together. His memory of the last moments were starting to return, the Kanto native remembering Pikachu laying beside him on the field and the final call. "Where's Pikachu and the others?"

"They just finished their last checkup," Brock stated, taking off his white doctor's coat and hanging it on a nearby coatrack. "They're currently down at the party that's in your honor. We're just glad you awoke for it, otherwise it would be a boring congratulations party."

"That's right...I won...I won..." he muttered out, a smile crossing over his face despite trying to hold it back. Those still in the room nodded to that statement as he turned back to his mom. "But...why are you and Professor Oak here? I thought Lumiose Airport was closed down due to the Team Rocket incident?"

"It is, lad," Professor Oak spoke out, patting Ash on the back in congratulations. "But Diantha contacted us about a week ago to come out and watch the match live. And when the offer came, there was no way we could deny it. She had us flown out here in her personal helicopter, I must admit, it was pretty exciting to ride in one. But not as exciting as that combo at the end with Pikachu! Combining Iron Tail and Electro Ball to create a supercharged move was brilliant!"

Ash chuckled nervously, unsure of how to respond before feeling himself being pushed towards the stairs. Looking behind himself, Ash wasn't surprised to see Bonnie being the one to be doing the pushing. "Come on, Ash! You need to get downstairs so that Clemont heads down. Because once he's down there, then I can get him to dance with a girl. He's already lost out on Viola, I saw her dancing with Grant earlier. So maybe I could set him up with Korrina. Janine also seems like a good choice..." Bonnie trailed off, Ash walking on his own as he could see Clemont's face turn beat red. He could only feel bad for the Gym Leader, never catching a break from his sister.

Pausing for a moment, Ash looked at those around him and found it funny how it was the same group (plus Brock) who had been there for his first League win. Turning to Serena, he took her hand in his before descending the stairs. Walking down one step at a time, Ash could hear the sound of music playing and people talking, though it didn't sound like media were here so that was good. He wasn't in the mood to be talking to them all day.

"That final combination was truly breathtaking, Ash," Clemont spoke up as Professor Oak and Delia walked off elsewhere. "To think about combining Iron Tail and Electro Ball at that point in time was amazing! I never would have thought of a combination such as that."

"That's because you're not as quick a thinker, big brother. You try to plan it all out, but every time that fails, you either try to turn into Ash or you just lose. You need to stop trying to over analyze everything," Bonnie chided him, pretending to point out a command with Dedenne, the small Electric and Fairy-Type nuzzling against Clemont, causing him to drop to the ground. "Only Ash could come up with those cool techniques...well, until I'm a real trainer! Then you'll all be reading about me in the news! Until then, I need to find a keeper for Clemont."

Ash and Serena just laughed as Bonnie ran into the party, Clemont dragging his now paralyzed body across the floor as he most likely (or so Ash thought) wanted to stop his sister. Serena then turned to Ash, unable to stop smiling as he looked on in confusion. He just didn't get why she was so happy.

"I'm sorry, it's just...you actually won! You were just so breathtaking out on the field it gave me goosebumps when you actually won. Though, I could have done without you being asleep for two days, I was worried for you," she explained, Ash taking her hand in his as he smiled back at her.

"Well, how could I lose when everyone was cheering me on?" he asked truthfully as they finally finished descending the stairs and making it to the floor with the party. "I _had_ to win for everyone, just like how I had to back at the Vanquier Conference. This victory was the finishing touch on my Kalos journey. Only now I'll be staying around for a lot longer, hopefully you all don't mind."

"So, you finally woke up," Paul's voice called out, Ash noticing him standing next to a refreshment table, drinking a glass of orange juice. With their moment ruined, Serena released her hand from Ash's grip, walking with him towards his rival. Paul seemed interested in Ash, or rather his win, though the Kanto native could tell he had his eyes elsewhere, as if watching someone else. "I figured you would be sleeping still."

"Nope, finally woke up, but I'm a little disappointed that I kept you all waiting for two days. But now that I'm here we can actually get this party started!" he cried out, Paul placing his cup down onto the table, the blue haired waiter (who Ash was swiftly told was James) telling him to use a coaster since it would stain their tables.

"Don't get the wrong idea from this...but, congratulations," Paul stated, extending a hand out to Ash. Ash could hear Brock almost gasping in the background, the two rivals shaking hands. "Just remember, the next time we ever face off, I'm coming for that title. And I'll be sure to give you a harder time than Diantha, doing what you did there will cause you to lose for sure."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to beat you," Ash joked, the two pulling away from their handshake before a silence grew amongst them. Looking around, Ash noticed that Bonnie was now dragging Clemont out towards the rest of the party. Rubbing at the back of his neck, Ash coughed out slightly as he didn't know what to say to Paul. The boy he knew as his greatest rival likewise remaining silent, taking a sip of his juice. Ash could see Serena shaking her head at the way the two rivals interacted before Dawn swooping her off. Ash having no clue as to where they would end up.

Sighing, he finally asked the question that was bugging him. "So...when do you plan on leaving for Unova?"

"Tomorrow," Paul replied, pausing a moment before pointing over towards Alder, the man having just been turned down by Cynthia for a dance. "He's got a helicopter from the League waiting to take him back in the morning since the airport is still closed. The guy came up and asked me to go with him, guess seeing you battle against Diantha got him excited or something.

"But I'll be back in Kalos shortly," he finished up, tossing his cup into one of the trash cans that littered the room before throwing his hands into his pockets and walking away. Ash felt like their conversation wasn't over, but based on Paul's reaction he knew it was. Shrugging a little, Ash went to make his way over to a different section of the party only to be tackled.

A chorus of cries soon echoed in his ears before seeing his trusty team of Pokémon all on top of him. Ash laughing out happily as the team got off of him, each of them excited to see their trainer.

"I'm so proud of all of you," he started to say as Pikachu and Greninja handed him his hat and jacket respectively. Placing them back onto his body, Ash felt fully clothed now. "To think, we actually defeated Diantha! And it was all because of you guys all giving it your all."

"Twerp, you're lucky the League is paying for this entire event," Jessie's voice could be heard, Ash just shaking his head as she placed a new tray of food down. "Otherwise you'd be broke for all the food your friends and Pokémon have eaten so far. Though, we're technically paid by the hour, so it would have been better for us if you were still asleep for a few more days. The amount of money we've made so far will allow us to buy a new café, so I guess we picked the right event to cater."

"Nice to see you too," Ash joked as Jessie dashed off, Remo complaining that the pasta tray was now empty. Running into the kitchen, Jessie was replaced with Meowth and Wobbuffet, the two carrying freshly cooked noodles. The former giving Ash a nod of approval for his head work, the latter almost dropping his tray onto Remo.

Turning back towards his team, Ash couldn't help but smile at them all. Their effort and teamwork could never be replicated and it showed in their match with Diantha. Though, it was their unyielding determination that won them it. Especially from Pikachu who was nearly out cold at the end of the battle, but continued to hang on to deliver the victory.

"You guys should go and enjoy yourselves, this is all because of you," he stated happily, Pikachu running up his shoulder while the others (even Greninja) dashed off to parts unknown. He hoped they wouldn't cause _too_ much trouble, but there was no way he wasn't letting them enjoy it all.

Looking around the hall, Ash could see the others all enjoying themselves as the party continued on. He could see Sawyer and Gary taking part in a conversation with Professor Oak, the former writing down notes while the latter seemed only semi-interested in the conversation, flashing a grin in Ash's direction along with a thumbs up. Elsewhere were Dawn, Serena, and Janine (to his surprise) having what was a strange conversation, Serena blushing wildly from whatever was said to her.

Ash tried to find Diantha, wanting to talk to her about what would happen now, but between all the congratulations headed his way from those at the party, Ash nearly forgot what he was doing. It felt weird for him to be in this situation, especially since he felt he wasn't truly ready to take on such responsibilities. The entire region was looking to him for guidance now. Walking by Alain and Professor Sycamore, Ash could hear the latter asking Alain to go and search for a revealed Mega Stone up in northern Kalos, the former saying how he would be honored to help with his research.

Making his way over to a window, Ash opened it up as the night breeze hit him in the face. It was refreshing to him. "We better get used to this, Pikachu. The level of our opponents will be just like Diantha from now on...not to mention what will probably be the death of me: paperwork," he groaned out the last part, Pikachu patting him in a reassuring manner.

"Pipikachu..." he muttered out, Ash nodding in agreement. They were soon shocked out of their peaceful moment, a familiar voice emerging as Ash watched five figures approach him.

"Mighty Mouse!" Wikstrom's voice cried out, Ash having a huge grin as the two trainers exchanged their greetings, Wikstrom finishing his with a bow towards Ash. "Thou has defeated Champion Diantha and her Gardevoir! A joyous evening for all of us!"

"Almost all of us," Malva corrected the battle crazed man, pointing over to Diantha. Though, Ash could tell she wasn't disappointed, but rather happy. As if she had been waiting for someone to come and lead Kalos.

"You still have much to learn, child, especially if you can't see Diantha is happy," Drasna explained, placing a hand on her fellow Elite Four member's shoulder. The two exchanging a nod before allowing Diantha to move forward, Siebold giving his congratulations to Ash before standing in line with the others.

"Congratulations, Ash," Diantha began, extending her hand for a friendly shake. Ash didn't hesitate as he grasped it, the duo keeping eye contact with his predecessor. "That battle left me drained, Steven telling me that I was asleep for an entire day," she explained, Wikstrom muttering something that caused her face to gain a light pink to it, Malva whacking her fellow trainer.

"Though, I feel like Kalos hasn't been in better hands since Drasna was running it. I tried my best, but as seen with the previous attacks on the region, it had its faults. I can't say that I'm not disappointed about losing, but I'm more excited to see you succeed as I serve beside you on the Elite Four."

Ash rubbed at the back of his neck, Pikachu scurrying away from him to go and play with Piplup, the duo running off elsewhere. Laughing at their antics, Ash turned his focus back to the former Champion of Kalos. "I'm honestly flattered at all of this. I really am, but I don't feel like I'm honestly ready for all of it. I'm fine with the battling, but how am I supposed to run an entire region? Or how do I keep relations with other regions?"

"Ash, did you think I handled it all on my own?" Diantha asked, unable to hold in a light laughter from it. "Your Elite Four is here to help you out, and that's why I'll be on it just as Drasna served on mine. I'll be here to guide you through the learning process of it all, so you're not by yourself. Besides, there's two months for you to learn under me before actually being named Champion. It's a nice rule they implemented in Kalos around the time I first became Champion. This way you can see what the daily ritual of being a Champion is like without the stress of being one."

Ash honestly couldn't believe this was true at first, it helped lift a lot of the worry from him. Yet, by the looks on all of the Elite Four members' faces, he could tell Diantha was telling the truth, not that he had any reason to not believe her. Waving off the others, Diantha remained behind with Ash, the Kanto native assuming that she wanted to give him a few words of advice. Though that wasn't the case.

"Who would have thought those three would create a _second_ popular food business?" she asked, leaning against the wall as Ash nearly fell over laughing from the question. "I mean it. When they worked for Team Rocket, they were decent at their jobs, but they always seem much better at doing jobs like cooking or helping us take down someone else. I mean, look at how much they did against Team Flare and their own boss."

"That's true, though...I've seen them for a while now and every time I think they couldn't surprise me anymore, they pull something else off," Ash replied, watching as James cleaned tables off, removing the dirty dishes as he rushed them into the kitchen. "Though, out of all the businesses in Kalos, _why_ did you choose them? It couldn't have been a coincidence."

"Let's just say Lance wanted to speak with them about a 'business inquiry' and I figured it would be easiest if they were here," she explained, the former Champion of Kanto and Johto walking into the kitchen after them. Diantha took this time to lean in closely to Ash, whispering into his ear. "Lance feels they're just what the League needs. A group of well-trained spies who can keep an eye out for trouble. He actually wants to ask them to head to the Alola region since they recently applied to join the League, having filed the paperwork just over a week ago. I guess there's this group of thugs called Team Skull causing some trouble for them."

Ash nodded in understanding, especially since besides himself, Team Rocket were always getting into trouble. If anyone could find a problem, it would be them. Diantha then pushed off of the wall, Ash surprised by her action as the former Champion made her way out towards the rest of the party, chatting with Wulfric before being joined by Ramos and Olympia as well.

Taking this as his chance to make his way towards the buffet table, his stomach growling. Walking across the room, he could see everyone enjoying the party. Though, he honestly would have rather had just a small one thrown by his friends, this one felt a little too much. It reminded him of the one he had back when he finished in the top sixteen of the Indigo League. Ash couldn't help but chuckle at those times, being such a hotheaded trainer.

"Brings back old memories, right?" Brock asked, Ash jumping in surprise from the sudden appearance of his oldest friend. Calming down after a few seconds, Ash laughed at his reaction, Brock joining in as they both placed food onto their plates. "Ash...it feels just like yesterday when you showed up at my Gym. Now look at you, you're the Champion of Kalos and I'm interning at a hospital. We've changed so much since those early days."

"We have..." Ash replied, the two smiling as they thought back to their early days. "It'll be weird to not travel anymore. Though, I'm now one step closer to my dream. Being a Champion is nice, but it's only a stepping stone for becoming a Pokémon Master. There's still more to see and do. I know I can still grow as a trainer, but I'll have to do it while serving as Champion."

Brock smiled at the response, placing a hand onto Ash's shoulder. "I know what you mean. Even after studying, I still have so much more to learn about being a Pokémon Doctor. And sometimes it's scary, but I just keep pushing forward, wanting to reach my dream. And I know you'll one day become the world's greatest Pokémon Master, Ash. Because I've been right by your side through most of your journey, and I want to be there for you when that day comes."

"And I'll be there when you become the greatest Pokémon Doctor," Ash replied, the duo finally sitting down at a table, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie joining them. Smiling widely, Ash couldn't ask for more as the night continued on.

Soon, the night changed to morning, the guests all heading their own respective ways. Paul had left with Alder before anyone else was even awake, Ash noticing how Astrid seemed a little upset over that. He chose to ignore it, still not quite sure what was with those two. Though, she didn't stay around much longer, deciding to hike her way back to Lumiose City, using the traveling as a way to train up for the Lumiose Conference, Remo and Hugh both heading out shortly after her, all three of them claiming that they would win and come for Ash's title.

The others were given rides back to their original destinations prior to the Pokémon World Tournament, each Champion giving them lifts back to their own regions. Though, little to Ash's surprise, Jessie, James and Meowth were in a separate helicopter, one that Ash felt was heading to Alola.

"Hey, Twerp! You'll never believe us when we tell you we're now secret agents!" Jessie cried out, herself and James posing as if they were spies, Meowth merely shaking his head at their childlike actions. "So the next time we all meet up, we'll most likely be the ones getting the banquet."

"Just think, we're going to be super spies, going all around Alola fighting gangs and thugs!" James joined in before cowering at the thought, Jessie and Meowth joining in the moment they realized how much danger they could be in. Ash wanted to say something to the former thieves who had stalked him his entire journey, but the helicopter took off into the sky before its passengers could change their minds.

"I guess it's just us again," Clemont spoke up, Ash turning to see his group consisting of just his three friends again. His mother having gone back to Lumiose City with Brock and Professor Oak by bus, the two older members of that party wanting to sightsee a little. "It really is nice with the others around, but now that's it's just us...it seems nicer."

"You're just glad that I can't ask anyone else to take care of you. You don't care about us being back to just ourselves traveling," Bonnie chimed in, Clemont stiffening at her voice, as if wanting to hide something from being said. "Besides, you seemed to have fun last night wit-" she began to say, Clemont covering her mouth as she mumbled out a name.

Neither Ash or Serena could make it out, the duo laughing at the familiar shenanigans between the two siblings before they took off for Lumiose City. "It's going to be strange now," Ash spoke up, turning around to face his three companions while continuing to walk along the trail. "I'm the Champion of Kalos, Serena is the Kalos Queen and Clemont is now one of the most well-known Gym Leaders in Kalos. I bet your Gym has been extra busy now."

"And don't forget, after next year, I'll be able to become a trainer myself! Just another fifteen months for me!" Bonnie cried out as she wiggled out of Clemont's grasp, the young girl sprinting ahead of the others. "So, Ash, don't lose that title until I win the Kalos League and can challenge you!"

"Maybe I can put on a performance when you do beat him," Serena joined in, Ash laughing at the light teasing before sprinting after Bonnie. "Though, who's to say you also don't do Showcases to become the first Kalos Queen _and_ Champion. If anyone could handle both positions it would be you."

"Well, even if she does come for my title, I won't go down without a fight," Ash replied to all of them, Pikachu crying out in agreement as he jumped off of Ash's shoulder and ran alongside him. "Though, I still have a battle with Clemont waiting for me when we reach Lumiose City! So he'll technically get the first chance at taking my title!" he joked out before picking up his speed, the sun shining bright behind him.

The small group of four laughed out happily, running off into the distance as their dreams were now a reality. What started off as only a faint possibility had transformed before them into their new lives. Whatever awaited them now, well, Ash figured they would find out soon enough. Until then, it was best to just enjoy every day as best they could.

The End

* * *

 **And he did it! Ash won but not without some help from Greninja, Pikachu and the rest of the Kalos Team! I hope you all enjoyed the end of the battle and the wrap up of the battle along with the ending of the story. Though, please stick around for the rest of the Author's Note please.**

 **Well, that was it everyone. Seventy-Eight chapters and One year, six months and two days later, we're finally at the end of this long story. I never once imagined it would be as well received as it has been, heck, those who know me know just how much I consider a lot of it to be bad or how I could have made it better. Well, I also loved writing this story since it was a way for me to escape from some issues I had going on (which I won't go into for my privacy). But all the support each and every one of you who read and reviewed helped me to continue working on this even when I wasn't in the mood to continue. Wanting to get this story finished for you was one of the main reasons for me finishing this because I couldn't just leave everyone hanging.**

 **As for what's to come next... I mentioned last chapter about the next series I'm working on which will take precedence over anything else I write. However, I am also working on a sequel to this that'll wrap up some loose plot points. I won't confirm if it'll ever get published though, it all depends on how much free time I have outside of school and the other series (which I hope you all read it as well. That would mean a lot to me). Whatever I plan to do though...don't expect to hear from me (with a story/upload) for about a month. I'll be using that time to write out a lot of chapters for my next work while also taking a short break before getting back into things. I hope you all understand.**

 **Though, there are a few who I have to thank personally for their support over these eighteen months. Whether it was leaving a good review or just helping me improve as a writer. So, I just would like to thank two individuals.**

 **Xiaolin Dinosaur Master: Your support on this story helped me continue pushing forward since I couldn't** _ **not**_ **finish the number one Pokémon fanfiction out there, right? You were someone I knew would always enjoy the chapter and not be afraid to tell me if there were parts that I could have improved upon or where things felt weaker compared to other sections. For that, I have to say thank you and I hope the ending lived up to expectations.**

 **Epicocity: Without your help, I can say this story doesn't reach where it is now. From you helping me early on about just writing skills such as tenses or how to properly write who's view the chapter was through to giving me advice on how to work through writer's block and keeping on me whenever I didn't post on days I said I would. Your teachings are invaluable to me and I plan to use them to help me improve even more. Also, anyone who hasn't read his work, please do. Like, his work is amazing, so please go read it and leave a review because you will not be disappointed in how much effort he puts into each chapter.**

 **Everyone else, please understand just how much I loved seeing your reviews on each chapter. The alerts coming in for a new review or follow or favorite giving me more inspiration to continue on and provide the best story I could for all of you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for the support.**

 **Until next time I post! Thank you for reading this story!**


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